May 15, 2017

Ben Sasse impresses me. He seems pretty intelligent and articulate.



He's got a book, "The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis — and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance."

From the "Face the Nation" transcript, about the book:
Yes, so this book is 100 percent not about politics, and it's 99 percent not about policy. It's about this new category of perpetual adolescence. And, first, let's just say that, over the last two millennia or so, the emergence of a category called adolescence is a pretty special gift. We believe that, when our kids become biological adults, when they hit puberty, they don't have to be fully formed, morally, emotionally, economically, educationally, in terms of household structure. They don't have to go out and be fully adult immediately. They don't have to go off to war, and they don't have to become economically self-sufficient. That's glorious, to have that protected space between childhood and adulthood. But it's only glorious if you understand that it's a transitional state, it's a means to an end. Peter Pan's Neverland is a hell. It's a dystopia. And we don't want to be -- have our kids caught at a place where they're not learning how to be adults. And, right now, we're not tending to the habit formation aspects of a republic.
I boldfaced the sentence that jumped out at me. It's funny, I was just listening to a 2011 "Fresh Air" interview with the children's book author, Maurice Sendak, and he said that when he was a boy, he couldn't imagine growing up, but...
I mean, being a child was being a child - was being a creature without power, without pocket money, without escape routes of any kind. So I didn't want to be a child. I remember how much - when I was a small boy I was taken to see a version of "Peter Pan." I detested it. I mean the sentimental idea that anybody would want to remain a boy, I don't - I couldn't have thought it out then, but I did later, certainly, that this was a conceit that could only occur in the mind of a very sentimental writer, that any child would want to remain in childhood. It's not possible. The wish is to get out.

202 comments:

1 – 200 of 202   Newer›   Newest»
eric said...

Ugh. I just couldn't watch. I got as far as, "We need a discussion on policy...." And almost threw up.

Here we are, yet again, talking about nothing. It's always nothing. No tax reform ideas. No healthcare insurance discussion. Nothing about our enemies in the world and how we will proceed.

This nation has a myriad of issues that'll never be resolved because our media is always focused on the stupid crap that has replaced the daytime soap opera.

Today it'll be Comey. Tomorrow it'll be Conway's needing to take a shower. Later it'll be over someone in the administration losing their job.

And on and on and on with gossip, back biting, and silliness. Nothing of any importance.

And all the #nevertrump politicians will get invited on, and they'll go because they love the media spotlight, and it'll be a constant gossip fest.

Give me a break.

eric said...

Yes, so this book is 100 percent not about politics, and it's 99 percent not about policy. It's about this new category of perpetual adolescence.

And the way we are going to get past this perpetual adolescence is to only discuss, perpetually, adolescent topics that we can bicker over and never resolve. Instead, we just move on to the next adolescent topics and keep it 100% not about policy.

Sprezzatura said...

If ya wanna gush about a pol using jabber re where America is, is this supposed to be the Althouse gold standard today?

Maybe she's right. But, that says more about the rest v saying anything positive re this pop pap.

Hence BHO's jabber-book deal for anything less than a tenth of a bil seems fair.


William said...

Smart? Sure, but holier than thou and condescending. He should have called the DOJ. The Justice Department has lost all credibiuilty with the American people. Ditto with the FBI, ditto with the Secret Service, ditto, ditto, ditto.

And why? Because elite people like Sasse hold hearing after hearing after hearing, and frekin' nothing gets decided and NOBODY gets held accountable for thier failure to properly carry out their missions.

Who cares HOW Trump fired Comey. Comey was horrible; he didn't carry out his mission, and he put HIMSELF over his counrty, over the citizenry, over the overall reputation of the FBI. And he blew it big time.

Smart or not, Sasse takked over, or perhaps around, the issue.

There's an old saying that's quite true here: "When all is said and done, more is said than done."

Shut up Sasse, and DO SOMETHING!

William said...

called OUT the DOJ ... sorry!

Kevin said...

Here we are, yet again, talking about nothing. It's always nothing. No tax reform ideas. No healthcare insurance discussion. Nothing about our enemies in the world and how we will proceed.

Are you kidding? We now know that when Sasse's credit cards are hacked and it's found he's been speeding a lot of money in a woman's store in Chattanooga, he can say it's just the 3% he warned us about back in 2017.

The enemies of Sasse's reelection have been neutralized and his campaign contributions can proceed.

Kevin said...

Ugh. I just couldn't watch. I got as far as, "We need a discussion on policy...."

I got as far as, "Here is someone with a book on an interesting national issue. But first let's spend most of the interview talking about Comey because that hasn't been discussed from every possible angle already."

Anonymous said...

Soon, very soon we'll be talking about how Trump gave classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador. This is the guy you folks voted for.

David Begley said...

Yeah, Sasse is a smart guy. Harvard undergrad and Yale doctorate. But his light support of Trump now might not work out too well in the future as Trump won Nebraska with over 60% of the vote.

Original Mike said...

"Soon, very soon we'll be talking about how Trump gave classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador."

Really? We care about protecting classified information again? It's so hard to keep track.

JackWayne said...

Ben Sasse is a hack. I wouldn't take any advice from him if he paid me. A pedestrian thinker.

Sprezzatura said...

"Soon, very soon we'll be talking about how Trump gave classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador."

I dunno.

I'm looking forward to cons telling us that it's good for DJT to give highly classified info to the Russians, the day after firing the dude looking into the DJT campaign's collusion w/ Russia.

Presumably, this is cool because crooked HRC had a server in her shitter, or something.

David Begley said...

Sasse is from Fremont which is about 40 miles west of Omaha. A blue collar town and the county seat. Sasse was the president of a small college there.

He defeated a big GOP field including a friend of mine from high school.

Not too sure how his act is playing. A single challenger might beat him. The mayor of Omaha might defeat him if she ran. The Dems are a wreck; no statewide offices.

exhelodrvr1 said...

He's better than the great majority of the other Senators. That's not an especially high bar to clear, though.

Birches said...

I love Ben Sasse. I think he's taken a stand he felt was right with Trump and he genuinely doesn't care if that means he's out of office. We need more people like him. I'm tired of the guys who want to do a poll or check the wind direction before they take a position.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Trump gave classified information

Was it marked classified? Can you prove intent?

Did he send them pallets of cash to fund their war with Israel? Did he give them the green light to build nuclear bomb?

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Inga, where would you put Barack "I'll have more flexibility after the election " Obama in all this?

It seems perfectly clear to me what happened in 2016. The Russians weren't out to help Trump; they were out to harm Clinton. That they ended up, not with a badly wounded Hillary, but instead with a loose-cannon Donald, is just the peril of doing your own job too well.

Besides, they (if it was they, and I'm still not quite persuaded -- Assange says not, and, hey, he oughtta know) also tried to hack the RNC, and got basically nowhere, because no one at the RNC was silly enough to fall for, say, the phishing scam that bit John Podesta. Like I've said before, I delete emails like that daily, and I'm not exactly a high Democratic Party official.

dreams said...

I remain unimpressed. Ben Sasse, a future footnote in history.

rcocean said...

Sasse in effect supported Hillary in 2016. Like most #nevertrumpers he was more interested in grandstanding and supporting globalization/open borders than in caring about the Country or Conservatism.

I hope he gets primaried.

His comments on Comey are just blah, blah, blah, #nevertrump nonsense. Comey needed to be fired & he got fired.

Time to move on.

Anonymous said...

"Presumably, this is cool because crooked HRC had a server in her shitter, or something."

Hahaha, and the server in the shitter was never hacked. No classified info derived from that server, yet Trumpelstilskein just gives away highly classified info to his buddies the Russians, the very ones who hacked into the DNC.

Sprezzatura said...

B, RoT,

Yes, it is a good thing for DJT to do this.

Thank you for your insight.

Hopefully many more will follow your lead in these threads, because that = MAGA.



Carry on.

rcocean said...

And I agree. I never wanted to stay a boy - when I was boy. I wanted to grow up and do stuff. I think that's a majority view.

Anonymous said...

MARA

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Watch all the way to the end.
It reminds me how Hollywood is obsessed with re-telling the Peterpan story over and over.
We know why. The perpetual adolescent helps the neo-fascist left gain ground.

Sebastian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Original Mike said...

"Hahaha, and the server in the shitter was never hacked."

Bullshit. The FBI said it "couldn't prove" it was hacked. New information has since been unearthed. Google "Hillary server hacked".

Sebastian said...

"pretty intelligent and articulate" So, just askin', how many Dem senators got a history PhD at Yale with a prize-winning dissertation? Not published, though, so no tenure for him. What's he doing slumming in pop sociology when he should be polishing up that thesis?

Anyway, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give the book a pass.

traditionalguy said...

Sassy Boy has only a one track mind. GET TRUMP before he succeeds and America wins again.

Apparently a failed America will be very valuable to
Globalists who are glad to pay Sasse off beyond his dreams.

Static Ping said...

To the subject that our hostess has been nudging us with no subtly whatsoever, it seemed pretty obvious to me that the character of Peter Pan was not seen as something good long-term by its author. Peter goes on adventures and does all sorts of cool things, but in the end that's all he is and he will never be anything else, rehashing the same or similar adventures to no permanent accomplishment. He does not realize that Wendy has grown up at the end of the book; Peter has to settle on taking her daughter Jane on adventures. Nor does Peter remember Tinker Bell who has died at some point; it is suggested that he suppresses all bad memories and underneath that cheery exterior may be miserable. Most concerning, he treats the Lost Boys as play things, including mutilating them when necessary so they fit the hideout entrances and fighting against them when battles are too one-sided. There is also the nebulous note that Peter "thins out" the Lost Boys when they grow up. What this means is never elaborated upon, but there is some suggestion that he kills them. For that matter, Barrie originally imagined him as the villain. It's not even clear if he is human or some sort of semi-benevolent fair folk.

Peter Pan is a ton of fun in small doses, like a young child's play, but it is definitely not somewhere you want to stay. It is doubtful he could survive long outside of Neverland.

Michael said...

20 years ago Robert Bly wrote about the perpetual adolescence of Americans

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sibling-society-robert-bly/1002264161

JackWayne said...

History PhD is just a sign that he ground through a topic thoroughly covered by half a dozen others. Nothing original with this guy. Treading the middle ground hoping he can run for President. What a nothing burger!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hillary using a Private Server to SERVE#Herself = The Russians and Trump made her do it, and then they embarrassed her by revealing the true Hillary to every American.

traditionalguy said...

Remember the ambitious kid running for Newt's old District that Tom Price vacated plays a Coservative on TV Ads bought by theDems like cost is of no concern. The GOP lady is a moderate compared to the Dem running as a fictional Right Winger.
Sasse is a fictional culture warrior. The Psyops never cease.

Sprezzatura said...

"Bullshit. The FBI said it "couldn't prove" it was hacked. New information has since been unearthed. Google "Hillary server hacked"."

She shoulda just invited them over, and then personally handed over info, like DJT.

That'd be cool.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Ann Althouse said..."Ben Sasse impresses me. He seems pretty intelligent and articulate."

Right on, Professor.

As a courtesy I Google Image-searched "Ben Sasse shorts" and "Ben Sasse wearing shorts" and didn't get any worrying hits.

The second search did return pictures of movie actor Zach Efron, though, so here's a little something for the ladies.

Oh, this was funny, too: Ben Sasse Wins $5 After Gorsuch Says "Bigly"

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

There are many well-spoken smart republicans.

The idea that they all must kiss Trump's ring is sad. Trump needs to prove himself and keep some promises or it won't just be Ann Coulter who waves goodbye.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to hear what Sasse has to say about Trump sharing highly classified information with Russia.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said..."Bullshit. The FBI said it "couldn't prove" it was hacked. New information has since been unearthed. Google "Hillary server hacked"."

She shoulda just invited them over, and then personally handed over info, like DJT.

That'd be cool.


She should-a bothered to campaign in a couple-a key battleground states.
She should-a used the nearly $1B her campaign spent to actually beat a guy who was, by several measures, one of the worst major candidates for President in several election cycles.
She went a different way, though.
#ShePersisted(To Be Just Terrible)

tcrosse said...

the server in the shitter was never hacked. No classified info derived from that server

Yet the info on the server was compromised ipso facto. That's how security breaches work.

D 2 said...

Didnt Spielberg do a film with R Williams and J Roberts about a grown up Peter? I cant remember it very much, (except Julia dyed her hair?) but wasnt the idea that Peter had forgotten too much about "important" boyhood things (...?...) and thus put his son at some sort of risk?
I dont remember it well because watching it was - most certainly - not my choice. Back then, i was too young to know how to sleep with my eyes open, so i probably suffered through, or counted the empty chairs.
To stay a "child" - would it not mean waking up ignorant to the lessons of wisdom you learned (sometimes at great cost) the day before? Lost Boys, never taking on the responsibility of learning... Hmm, did someone say somethin about societal decadence?

Anonymous said...

How wonderful for the Russians to not even have to hack anything or spy to get highly classified info. What a useful Idiot to Russia Trump is.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

You guys down on Sasse for not being ideologically pure or supporting your preferred tactics are asking too much.
The Professor didn't say he was perfect. He's not. But he's a Senator and actually seems like a smart, articulate guy. It's sad that something like that should be remarkable, but it is, and therefore remarking upon it is warranted.

Inga said...I can't wait to hear what Sasse has to say about Trump sharing highly classified information with Russia.

Oh hell, are we back to caring about the improper transmission of classified info again? I haven't gotten the memo (maybe it's all the cyber-related problems causing a delay) but the last word on that was that it was "no big deal." Like, even if the FBI/DOJ had solid proof that an individual had "only" sent classified intel to an insecure computer two or three times (so that the classified info could be physically printed out, no less) that wouldn't be grounds for ANY official action since, you know, "no big deal." Your comment makes me think the new line is that hanging on to classified info is important, again, and I should stop dismissing any such concerns as "much ado about nothing concerning Hillary's emails" and what not. I simply MUST keep up!

n.n said...

It's the Peter Pan syndrome, or generally the spoiled-child syndrome, that is endemic to cultures that promote rights over responsibility. Selective... oh, never mind.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

D said...Didnt Spielberg do a film with R Williams and J Roberts about a grown up Peter? I cant remember it very much, (except Julia dyed her hair?) but wasnt the idea that Peter had forgotten too much about "important" boyhood things (...?...) and thus put his son at some sort of risk?

Yes - IMDB: Hook (1991)

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Obligatory: SNL: Sassy

Damn I miss Phil Hartman.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

This is the current hyperventilating from the Obama/Clinton fluffers. From WaPo:

Trump went on to discuss aspects of the threat that the United States learned only through the espionage capabilities of a key partner. He did not reveal the specific intelligence-gathering method, but he described how the Islamic State was pursuing elements of a specific plot and how much harm such an attack could cause under varying circumstances.

Ooh. He told the Russkis the same shit we read in the paper last week.

D 2 said...

Thank you Hoodlum. And kudos to Ping for saying it better before me - i type slow. Peter in small doses.

J. Farmer said...

The Decline of Males: The First Look at an Unexpected New World for Men and Women by Lionel Tiger came out back in 2000, I believe, and is very instructive on this topic. It is a bit downhill after the first (and best) chapter, but Tiger certainly makes a thought-provoking argument. For what it's worth, Tiger was the first person to widely use the phrase "male bonding," starting back in the late 1960's.

n.n said...

It's notable that after Obama et al evacuation, adventures, and delegation of responsibility in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Ukraine, it was the Russians that took over and mitigated catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform (a.k.a. refugee crises). Perhaps that's why Clinton, the DNC, among others, saw dead Soviets in their Water Closets, and they remain phobic that removal of their allies in key public and private positions will expose their foreign adventures, the incestuous relationship between the DNC and "independent" and mainstream press, and domestic gerrymandering using redistributed taxpayer funds.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

WaPo - House organ for the Democrat party - has the goods on Trump!

Link at DRUDGE

It was during that meeting, officials said, that Trump went off script and began describing details of an Islamic State terrorist threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft.

He went off script! and discussed laptops! computers! OMG! Never discuss laptop computers! Never.

Wapo continues...


For almost anyone in government, discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law.

Talking about laptop computers and ISIS is such a secret. Why - WE all heard about it on the news for the past few months. It's a BIG secret!

Lets keep digging into WaPo- DNC media hackjob, shall we?

The president and the foreign minister reviewed common threats from terrorist organizations to include threats to aviation,” said H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser, who participated in the meeting. “At no time were any intelligence sources or methods discussed, and no military operations were disclosed that were not already known publicly.”

The CIA declined to comment, and the NSA did not respond to requests for comment.

So... no comment = big scoop by DNC Wapo! Talking about lap tops is TOP SECRET and a gift to the Russians as payback for embarrassing Hillary with herself.

got it.


Kevin said...

Soon, very soon we'll be talking about how Trump gave classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.

The president has tremendous discretion over disclosing classified information. For example, JFK showed the Russians our classified photos of their nukes in Cuba. The point isn't what Trump did but to what effect. If the Russians suddenly start cooperating in Syria or NK it may have been well worth it. We won't know for some time but the predictable media hypocritical freak out will begin in 3, 2, 1...

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

WaPo has the goods. Trump spreads classified lap top info to the Russians! As pay back fo their help embarrassing Hillary! It's all true! READ the whole thing - and laugh.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Donald Trump is the poster child for perpetual adolescence. Has the Patriarchy been replaced by the Peter Panarchy?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Talking about lap tops and ISIS is not revealing classified info. This is more hysterical fake news from democrat operatives with bylines.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I wonder if Hillary wants her Russian reset button back?

walter said...

Original Mike said...Really? We care about protecting classified information again? It's so hard to keep track.
--
"C is for cookie. That's good enough for meee."

D. said...

"I was in the room and it didn't happen"
McMaster

Anonymous said...

McMaster has truly lowered himself, for what? trump? What a shame. McMaster denied something happened that the WaPo didn't even report on. McMaster didn't deny what the WaPo asserted.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Renee has good idea. Let's play expose the phonies. WaPo source:

said a former senior U.S. official who is close to current administration officials.

The details must be so top secret the source Clapper? Powers? Would never give details to the media. Right? Oops.

The Washington Post is withholding most plot details, including the name of the city, at the urging of officials who warned that revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities.

This is why we don't give a shit about the daily freak-out.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Wapo is reporting on a supposed top secret laptop discussion.

Laptops... and ISIS.... OH NO! Top secret and illegal! and a payback for embarrassing Hillary with Hillary's own words and deeds. That should be illegal too.

Rosalyn C. said...

Sassy got hoodwinked into an interview, presumably about his book, and got hammered with more idiotic and slanted questions about Comey's firing. Predictably unwilling to back upTrump, as Sasse was a "never Trumper." BTW, has anyone ever suggested what would have been a "good" way to dismiss the FBI director, given the partisanship and leaking in DC? Why wasn't Sasse asked that? Never mind.

I'm personally disgusted by the irony of Dickerson, a corrupt media, questioning a professional partisan politician (who claims not to be) about the need to restore public trust and a sense of civic responsibility. Sasse blames a culture of adolescence (which really is a by product of an affluent society, longer life spans, and failed public education systems), while remaining completely silent about the evaporation of integrity in professional journalism. Figures since both he and Dickerson want to do a hit job on Trump and Sasse wants to invited back. One hand washes the other.

Not impressed. Sasse is good old boy material and so young.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

"Expose the Phonies" That's a keeper.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Just FYI -- the evidence that Trump colluded with the Russian government is zero.
That's why Inga and PB&J never write a comment that says "here's the evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians . . ."
Trying to get them to admit that is harder than pulling teeth. It's a matter of religious faith with them, ". . . the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Anonymous said...

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333507-gop-senator-white-house-in-downward-spiral

"Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) says President Trump’s White House must reverse the “downward spiral” it finds itself in.

“The White House has got to do something soon to bring itself under control and in order,” he said Monday, according to Bloomberg. “It’s got to happen.”

Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made his remarks following a Washington Post report that Trump revealed highly classified intelligence information in a meeting with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.

“Obviously they’re in a downward spiral right now and they’ve got to figure out a way to come to grips [with] all that’s happening," Corker said."

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

KAOS. It's been a bad two weeks for Trump, starting with the AHCA passing in the House. His numbers are not coming back any time soon. It is difficult to see how he ever recovers. A successful military operation where only the other guys die is about his only hope now. He has done nothing substantive to improve manufacturing or trade. There could have been a deal on corporate taxes. They should have done this first, not screw with people's health coverage in order to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Trump got played by Ryan.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

R. J. Chatt - You make some excellent points.

D. said...

I smell a schumer

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

ARM - Hillary still lost - LOLOLOLOLOL! and that horrid corrupt mega-insurance crony government crap sandwich called the ACA, is still law of the land. Celebrate, ARM - normal Americans are hurt by it.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Hahahaha.

Now the new talking points after Trump told the Russians secrets!!!!!

You people are a joke.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Althouse said...
Ben Sasse impresses me.


After months of pretending to not be horrified by Trump, Althouse begins to walk away by embracing the never-Trumpers.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Washington Post, eh, Inga? Is that the same WaPo that published this on November 8 2016?
A comprehensive average of election forecasts points to a decisive Clinton victory
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/11/08/a-comprehensive-average-of-election-forecasts-points-to-a-decisive-clinton-victory/?utm_term=.68b6cb357885

Anonymous said...

ARM,
The two Ann's. Ann Althouse and Ann Coulter, on the same day.

Anonymous said...

http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/05/15/trump-leaks-classified-information-russia-judge-napolitano-intelligence-mcmaster

Judge Andrew Napolitano said the report of classified information being openly revealed by President Trump to the Russians is the "most potentially catastrophic" yet.

Napolitano said that there were a "finite number" of people in the room when Trump met with Russian envoys last week.

He said that one of those people is either directly or indirectly the person that anonymously leaked their recollections to the Washington Post on Monday.

National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said in a brief press appearance that the Post's story is false.

D. said...

such a smelly schumer too.

Chuck said...

What a weird interview.

John Dickerson was determined to look for quotes, on the Comey firing, and Ben Sasse, who has few if any claims about that case, and who has little if any affiliation with Trump, was determined to talk about the ideas in his book and larger issues beyond Comey.

I too like Ben Sasse, and I expect that I am like Althouse in that regard. There's a really great and interesting post-Trump crop of Republicans in the Senate and the House. Ryan, Jordan, Amash, Sasse, Cotton, Gardner, etc.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

C.S. Lewis said something like: anyone can imagine wanting to be a child again, but no sane person would want to be a youth, meaning adolescent, again. This doesn't contradict the point that those "trapped" in childhood want out; it's more that adolescence, while potentially exciting, is more frightening than not. More likely the time you do things you truly regret.

Anonymous said...

Our family spends a lot of time emphasizing to our children how excellent it is to be an adult. Adults get to choose their food, their clothes, their media, their schedules, their play, their playmates. They get to have freedom. Not license, but freedom.

That way, they will want to grow up and leave home, because it's better out there than in here.

We do seem to be nearly alone in this parenting style.

Brookzene said...

"Hillary still lost - LOLOLOLOLOL!"

Today's conservative. Forget how fucked America is, Hillary lost. Winning!

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Napolitano said that there were a "finite number" of people in the room when Trump met with Russian envoys last week."

You mean that there weren't an infinite number of people in the room? My God! This is big, I tell you! Big!

Still not a hint of a shred of a shadow of a ghost of any evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians, Inga. I think that I will always be waiting.
How many "jornalists" does the WaPo have looking for this kind of evidence? A hundred? More? And almost all of them Democrats in a city full of Trump-hating intelligence personnel.

JackWayne said...

And life-long republican, on cue, cites Republicans that would cause me to wash my hand after shaking. Unexpectedly!

D 2 said...

hey now theres a "D." and a "D" posting - we need little "d" to opine, and someone wins the trifecta!

Can all agree that President Trump quite likely spoke in what was a "very unexpected way" to the russian diplomat? He then - most likely - spoke in a "highly original" manner to senator X before having a "quite unique discussion" with staffperson Y. I bet thats a statement everyone would agree with. Now hit the shower!

And think about what can be done to halt the perpetual teenage Peter Pan like symptoms of modern society

David said...

Sasse is either outstanding or a total phony. Still evaluating.

Lydia said...

A bit more than just laptops was discussed, if this is true:

The White House’s denial — that Trump did not explicitly discuss the sources and methods behind the intelligence — did not directly address or nullify The Post’s reporting.

The information Trump revealed included details that Russia could use to deduce the sources or methods used to gather the intelligence, officials told the paper.

Among those details was the name of the city in Islamic State territory where the U.S. partner detected the threat, seen as a particularly sensitive disclosure that could allow Russia to identify the intelligence capability involved.

madAsHell said...

I too like Ben Sasse, and I expect that I am like Althouse in that regard.

Now I know two life-long Republicans!!

D. said...

"if this is true:"

fake news is never true. it is fake.

D. said...

fake news peeps are like peter pan. acting like petulant 12 year olds.

Bay Area Guy said...

When reading newspaper articles, I'm starting to highlight all anonymous sources. The WaPost and NYTimes cannot write an article without anonymous sources. It's pretty pathetic to be a mere stenographer for somebody with an agenda to push.

madAsHell said...

particularly sensitive disclosure that could allow Russia to identify the intelligence capability involved.

Yeah....we have boots-on-the-ground. If the Russians don't already know that, then they ain't doing their jobs.

Michael K said...

Predictably unwilling to back upTrump, as Sasse was a "never Trumper." BTW, has anyone ever suggested what would have been a "good" way to dismiss the FBI director, given the partisanship and leaking in DC? Why wasn't Sasse asked that? Never mind.

I would call that an ambush interview, which Mike Wallace made into an art form on "60 Minutes."

I know a guy who was ambushed way back and learned to never trust Wallace or CBA again. They lied to him.

Sasse is not as smart as he thinks he is.

"National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said in a brief press appearance that the Post's story is false."

But you would prefer to believe the progs rather than your lying eyes or a man with impeccable honor.

Michael K said...

It's pretty pathetic to be a mere stenographer for somebody with an agenda to push.

Woodward and Bernstein were among the first,

Sprezzatura said...

"When reading newspaper articles, I'm starting to highlight all anonymous sources. The WaPost and NYTimes cannot write an article without anonymous sources."

If they had cool names it'd be cool.

Just being referenced as anonymous so and so isn't as cool as having a pseudonym that suggests you can holster a deep cock.



Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brookzene said...

From the Washington Post article:

"In his meeting with Lavrov, Trump seemed to be boasting about his inside knowledge of the looming threat. “I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day,” Trump said, according to an official with knowledge of the exchange.

Trump went on to discuss aspects of the threat that the United States only learned through the espionage capabilities of a key partner. He did not reveal the specific intelligence gathering method, but described how the Islamic State was pursuing elements of a specific plot and how much harm such an attack could cause under varying circumstances. Most alarmingly, officials said, Trump revealed the city in the Islamic State’s territory where the U.S. intelligence partner detected the threat.

The Washington Post is withholding most plot details, including the name of the city, at the urging of officials who warned that revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities."

richard mcenroe said...

The author of the original Peter Pan... well, let's just say you didn't want to let Uncle James babysit the boys, if you know what I mean...

MadisonMan said...

Regarding perpetual adolescence: I know too many parents who want to be their kids' besties. Ugh. That's not what parents should be doing. The role of the parent is to kick a functioning adult out of the nest at/about age 21, if not sooner. They should be able to function by then by themselves.

So far, I think, I've succeeded, although one is still in College. They're no longer tax dependents (sob!) and one if off my health insurance. They're probably both very much Democratic voters.

chickelit said...

Anyone who "detested" Peter Pan lacks something...imagination?

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Bay Area Guy said...
When reading newspaper articles, I'm starting to highlight all anonymous sources. The WaPost and NYTimes cannot write an article without anonymous sources. It's pretty pathetic to be a mere stenographer for somebody with an agenda to push.

5/15/17, 7:35 PM


The other day I commented here about a NY Times article that claimed, in the headline, that Trump had demanded some sort of loyalty oath from Comey. Only when you read the article did you find out that this was based on what "anonymous sources" said they overheard Comey say after the meeting. In other words, they did not even have an anonymous source who claimed to have heard the actual conversation.
It is the death of journalism.

D. said...

"From the Washington Post article:"

why should i believe fake news?

Original Mike said...

"They're probably both very much Democratic voters."

Give 'em time.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Lydia said...The information Trump revealed included details that Russia could use to deduce the sources or methods used to gather the intelligence, officials told the paper.

Among those details was the name of the city in Islamic State territory where the U.S. partner detected the threat, seen as a particularly sensitive disclosure that could allow Russia to identify the intelligence capability involved.


Oh, that's rich. Too rich!
I tried, Lydia, to explain how the leaks about Flynn (about the intercepts of Flynn) were very, very bad precisely because the disclosures themselves gave anyone paying attention information that could be used to deduce sources and methods our side uses to gather intelligence. The very smart Lefty people here assured me that I was full of shit--that the type of information (meta-information, in a sense) that was freely distributed by anti-Trump intelligence people, government people, and our lefty Media had no intelligence value and therefore the disclosure of that info (to attack Trump by proxy) couldn't possibly have caused any harm.
Now--NOW--you're saying the Media line is that exactly that sort of thing is super-bad...when Trump does it?
Oof.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Peter Pan's Neverland is a hell."
In the book Peter Pan, Barrie makes it clear that the Lost Boys are dead. Early in the book he explains that, if a child died, parents would tell the dead child's siblings that while out walking, the child had bounced out of the pram and they had lost it.

MadisonMan said...

Give 'em time.

True. They're both highly skeptical and cynical. Very full of compassion. Taxpayers.

All the things that will help with the transition, the last one especially.

Sprezzatura said...

What is the best figurative description of DJT's love affair re Putin?

DJT mouth holstering seems like an option. But, not quite right. That tiny mouth seems teethy.

I don't think DJT rimming Putin makes sense. Too much work/maneuverability for DJT's fat, gross being (as an aside: this lack of physical prowess (not to mention, now, living apart) must be a godsend for Melania).

The best fit is that DJT bends over and Putin holsters his asshole.

Not that there's anything wrong w/ that. Just two dudes, figuratively, having a good time.


Carry on.

JPS said...

Some sharp observers have suggested the WaPo's source is Russian. And yes, this would be ironic.

I got to thinking, wouldn't it be funny if instead the Highly Classified Details the president is accused (anonymously and non-specifically; we can't tell you because it's just too dangerous) of spilling came from one of the MSM articles on the laptop bomb threat?

I just had a flashback to a moment early in my Army service. During a training scenario I lightheartedly made reference to a SIGINT capability I know you've all heard of. My First Sergeant pulled me aside and told me firmly, "You cannot be talking about that." Out of hot shame, and respect for the man, I told him very seriously that I hadn't realized, that it wouldn't happen again.

In fact I felt so bad, I didn't realize I was echoing Ambassador De Sadesky:

"Our source was the New York Times."

Anonymous said...

Putin asked Trump to have Lavrov and Kislyak in the Oval Office and Trump says since "Putin asked him, how could he say no?"

But none of this concerns the Trumpists. Everything is under control. No need for alarm.

D. said...

"No need for alarm."

let us get upset first with:

benghazi;
hillary's server;
irs targeting;
selling russia uranium;
et al

and then we will get to this stuff ok?

Michael K said...

The lefties seem to focus more and more on obscene sexual innuendo. Actually, not innuendo but very obscene allegations. Of cousre, they have no idea what they are talking about, which is why I scroll past quickly.

Brookzene said...

"let us get upset first with:"

SQUIRREL!

Lewis Wetzel said...

I'm still waiting for Inga and/or PB&J to explain why they believe that there is evidence that candidate Trump colluded with the Russians.
You would think with so many people trying to find evidence like this, there would be something. They are so sure! So certain that it happened!
But they got bupkis.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Today's conservative. Forget how fucked America is, Hillary lost. Winning!


Considering the huge corruption bullet we dodged, celebrating her loss is a daily event.

Anonymous said...

D,
Sorry to inform you, but this is no longer the Obama Administration. Your man is President now and this is happening on his watch and he's the one doing it.

Sprezzatura said...

"But none of this concerns the Trumpists. Everything is under control. No need for alarm."

Just like some gals, some Americans can be grabbed. They let him do it.

Does it result in anything other than being F-ed? No. Do the F-ed regret the lame lay, and then being kicked to the curb? 100% yes, unless there's mental illness.

Brookzene said...

"Considering the huge corruption bullet we dodged"

That's hysterical.

Sprezzatura said...

BTW, how many times do I need to tell Doc Mike that you can't publish a comment responding to a troll that says you aren't reading and won't respond to a troll?

At this point I think he keeps doing this because he knows it amuses me, and he's a giver.

Thanks!

Lewis Wetzel said...

Yeah, the big deal with Hillary's bizarre "home brew server" is that she used it to transmit classified info. If the Russki's hacked it, they could use info gained from the hack to blackmail a President Hillary.
Also, she could keep her Clinton Global Initiative correspondence away from FOIA requests.
Probably cost her the election.
Trump don't use email.

Sprezzatura said...

BTW, today I think that Doc Mike will announce his sleepy time at 9:14 PM Althouse Standard Time.

It's gettin' late for the golden-years dude.

walter said...

Jelly unhinged.."political porn".

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...
BTW, how many times do I need to tell Doc Mike that you can't publish a comment responding to a troll that says you aren't reading and won't respond to a troll?

At this point I think he keeps doing this because he knows it amuses me, and he's a giver.

Thanks!

5/15/17, 8:41 PM

Still no explanation of why PB&J thinks candidate Trump colluded with the Russians.
Not even a shoddy, slap dash explanation, like "nameless, paid Russian sources say he did" Or "Ezra Klein is almost positive it happened."

walter said...

Colbert became his own "cock holster" when his audience of lemmings took his "joke" wrong and filed down the wrong cliff.

wildswan said...

Sasse is pointing out that "intelligence sources" are no longer believable. Things get added in. Nixon's tapes had a "gap". The new "tapes" will not have gaps because the new technology can "splice" undetectably. So, since editing is undetectable the new "tapes" won't be believed. So, Sasse implies, don't bring "Russian interference "tapes" forward.

But such "tapes" will be brought forward. The left thinks they exist and so they have to be brought into existence. And then? Well, it's very possible the left is weaker than it seems. It has abandoned the cause of the workers in favor of elitist fads. The election made that clear. And so when it comes to a trial of strength over fake tapes the left will just huffpo and wapoof and blow its own fake-news house in. Ironically, the "tapes" will turn out to have been manufactured in Russia. But even before that it will turn out that no one believes the "evidence", not even the believers, not even Inga, not LLR. Before the "tapes" come out - oh yeah, big stuff coming. The End of the World. After - Well, the End has been postponed but ... soon, big stuff coming. Sorry, Comrade Fang, you'll have to be Toothless for awhile longer. But ... soon.

fortem posce animum

Michael K said...

Your man is President now and this is happening on his watch and he's the one doing it.

Thank God !

BTW, how many times do I need to tell Doc Mike that you can't publish a comment responding to a troll that says you aren't reading and won't respond to a troll?

So you are a fake ID for Ritmo? Good to know.

The lefty trolls are multiplying. Just with sock puppets, of course.

Sprezzatura said...

Lewis,

DJT is very publicly a Putin apologist re murder, e.g. Russian journalists.

So, if your suggestion is that MR DealArt is doing Putin's bidding and getting nothing in return, I'm OK w/ that.

Presumably Putin worked to make DealArt POTUS rather than CrookedH, and DealArt is capitulates to Putin because of DJT's inherent love of authoritarian governments that murder people.

So we have an evil person, rather than a realist operator, as POTUS. I guess that means you've made some great point, hence your repetition.





Trumpit said...

Don't remunerated sex workers need to survive and feed their families? Ben Sasse should mind his own goddamn business when it comes to ladies of the night and johns. He said nothing interesting to John Dickerson, except the obvious that we have lost our privacy to hackers looking for hookers. His book sounds like a waste of ink and paper to me (to be nostalgic), although I'm judging his book by its cover and his unexciting description of it. Good looks will only take you so far even in this superficial world; there has to be substance as well. John and Robert Kennedy had both. Sasse is sorely lacking in the charisma department, and he makes me ask nostalgically, "Where's the beef?"

Lewis Wetzel said...

WoW! The WaPo story is really lousy. The only source is unnamed, and they don't even claim that he/she has first hand knowledge. The source is described as a "US official with knowledge of the matter", meaning it could be someone who heard a rumor.
http://wapo.st/2pEg7ZE

Gahrie said...

O.K. folks..forgive me, but there's something that's bothering me bout this whole "colluding with the Russians" thing that is bothering me.

When exactly did colluding with the Russians become a bad thing to the Left?

The Left has been literally colluding with the Russians since the Revolution of 1917. The Left has been defending and protecting known spies of the Russians employed in the U.S. government since the 1930's. Good Christ the Obama administration was sucking up to the Russians. (reset button, more flexible after the election) Obama made Romney's concerns about the Russians a joke....so when did the Russians become the bad guys?

And while we're at it, assume there was collusion.....what evil is going to come of it? Is Trump going to give Alaska back to the Russians? Is he going to give the Russians increased influence in the Middle East? Is he going to allow the Russians to invade a neighbor and steal territory?

JPS said...

Inga, 8:37:

"Sorry to inform you, but this is no longer the Obama Administration. Your man is President now and this is happening on his watch and he's the one doing it."

Just curious, by about May 2009 you were offering this same defense of Bush, right?

D. said...

"D,
Sorry to inform you, but this is no longer the Obama Administration."

baracky blamed bush for everything lol

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...
Lewis,

DJT is very publicly a Putin apologist re murder, e.g. Russian journalists.

So, if your suggestion is that MR DealArt is doing Putin's bidding and getting nothing in return, I'm OK w/ that.

Presumably Putin worked to make DealArt POTUS rather than CrookedH, and DealArt is capitulates to Putin because of DJT's inherent love of authoritarian governments that murder people.

So we have an evil person, rather than a realist operator, as POTUS. I guess that means you've made some great point, hence your repetition.

5/15/17, 8:56 PM

So you have no evidence. You believe in something that can't be shown to exist, because you want to believe it.
My position is that there is no evidence that candidate Trump colluded with the Russians. That's all. I have no idea if candidate Trump colluded with the Russians.

walter said...

JPS said...Just curious, by about May 2009 you were offering this same defense of Bush, right?
--
No..she was just beginning to say it was still Bush's fault.

Michael K said...

"The Left has been literally colluding with the Russians since the Revolution of 1917. "

Shhhhhhhh.

Hugh Hewitt has a technique that works quite well. If he is interviewing a new reporter and doesn't have good idea of his/her political bias, he asks "Was Alger Hiss a communist spy ?"

I have heard one lefty reporter hang up on him.

D. said...

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Sprezzatura said...

Lewis,

Right, the evidence indicates that DJT is an apologist for Putin's murder because he, to his core, believes that's okay. This was not a return favor for Putin attacking HRC during our election. DJT is this evil naturally, while getting nothing in return.

Now that you've made this point, presumably you can move on to other stuff.

Brookzene said...

"When exactly did colluding with the Russians become a bad thing to the Left?"

For me it was discovering Solzhenitsyn at about age 18. Made me think long and hard about morality.

Now your turn. When did colluding with the Russians become a good thing to the Right?

Lewis Wetzel said...

PB&J wrote:
Presumably Putin worked to make DealArt POTUS rather than CrookedH, and DealArt is capitulates to Putin because of DJT's inherent love of authoritarian governments that murder people.

Reality:

Trump Rains on Russia’s Victory Day Parade
. . .
At sunrise on Sunday several major Russian warships that were supposd to take part in Victory Day parade of the fleet took off from the Krinstadt naval base near Saint Petersburg. Fontanka.ru reported that the warships were headed to the Baltic Sea to defend the border from the American destroyer the USS Carney, which Russian news outlets reported had approached too closely to the Russian border.
Significantly, Russian media said the Carney was armed with at least 50 Tomahawk missiles.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/05/08/trump-rains-on-russia-s-victory-day-parade

I am beginning to believe that the "J" in "PB&J" stands for "Joke."
Didn't you claim to be a rich businessman? How can someone so gullible, with so little skill at separating the shit from the shinola, succeed in business? Is it a family operation?

Sprezzatura said...

Doc Mike,

Does he also ask them about Hassan Nasrallah, or is that only DJT?

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Brookzene said...
. . .
Now your turn. When did colluding with the Russians become a good thing to the Right?

Strawman.

Brookzene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HoodlumDoodlum said...

3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said...The best fit is that DJT bends over and Putin holsters his asshole.

I"m not the expert you appear to be, 3GPBGP, but it sounds like that particular maneuver would require someone to display "more flexibility" than our current President has shown.
Hmm, wasn't there a President who promised the Russians "more flexibility?" My memory's so bad these days and the Media's no help...

Michael K said...

"Does he also ask them about Hassan Nasrallah, or is that only DJT?"

I have no idea what this comment is about and will not respond to anther since you seem to be a Ritmo sock puppet.

Reading a book would be good for you. I can give you a reading list if that would help.

Gahrie said...

Not only is adolescence a modern phenomena, the concept of childhood is pretty modern too. The idea that the young would go to work as soon as possible was commonplace at one time, not so long ago. In 1918 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress did not have the power to ban the sale of goods manufactured by children in an effort to outlaw child labor. Child labor wasn't banned in the U.S. until the 1930's and 1940's.

Childhood used to be a luxury of the very rich. The standard of living on the average U.S. citizen has risen so much that childhood is now not only the expectation, but required by law.

Gahrie said...

Now your turn. When did colluding with the Russians become a good thing to the Right?

Never...which is why Trump continues to be attacked by the Right as much as by the Left. The Establishment Right is nearly as hysterical about Trump winning as you Lefties.

walter said...

Putin attacked Hil? After that reset? Damn!!! She woulda made one helluva prez.

Sprezzatura said...

Doc,

It was a radio interview during the campaign w/ Hugh and DJT:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34135543

Gahrie said...

Hugh Hewitt has a technique that works quite well. If he is interviewing a new reporter and doesn't have good idea of his/her political bias, he asks "Was Alger Hiss a communist spy ?"

I am one of five U.S. History teachers at my high school. I am the only one who mentions the Verona Project when we teach the Cold War and the Red Scare. (and that is exactly how the topic is approached) I am the only one who mentions that the Rosenbergs were guilty, that Hiss was guilty, that HUAC and McCarthy were right.

Michael K said...

Has anyone noted the significance of this story ?

Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is blocking the White House from appointing a Treasury Department official to oversee financial crimes committed by terrorists.

Warner, worth over $80 million, is one of the Senate’s richest members.

Yandex, based in Moscow, is the largest search engine in Russia. Russia’s social policies around gender, as well as its backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Crimean secession, have proved enormously controversial among Democrats.

Warner recently commented:

“[Until] we get [Trump official’s documents], I’m not going to support the administration’s nominee for undersecretary of Treasury finance, for terrorism and finance, because they owe us these documents first . . .”

The following is Warner’s “most recent annual financial disclosure statement”:


Oh OH. Big Russian connection. The links, unlike Inga's rumors, are there.

Brookzene said...

Oh OH. Looks like Warner is slow walking a Treasury appointment. That's a scandal to distract us all from Trump's incompetence.

Thanks for the heads up on that.

D. said...

demonrats always lie and always project. effin' aholes the lot of them.

Original Mike said...

"The standard of living on the average U.S. citizen has risen so much that childhood is now not only the expectation, but required by law."

And yet, the left fights the engine of that progress.

D. said...

" That's a scandal to distract us all from Trump's incompetence."

did mr trump "draw" a red line in syria?

D. said...

these days the "credentialed" are displaying that they are just a lot lying sacks of schumer.

Brookzene said...

"demonrats always lie and always project. effin' aholes the lot of them."

Dumb. You can do better than that. Try.

Sprezzatura said...

"" That's a scandal to distract us all from Trump's incompetence."

did mr trump "draw" a red line in syria?"

Excellent point re denying attention diversions re DJT's F-ups.

And, I'd like to add that BHO didn't plug the damn hole.

Let's discuss how long it took to plug that damn hole.

Lewis Wetzel said...

During the Cold War, the Soviets conspired against the US world-wide. They were a global foe.
Putin's aims are narrower. In particular, he wants the territories that were once part of the USSR back, and he wants to restore Russia's "near abroad," meaning the nations on Russia's periphery that are sovereign, but which Russia feels it must dominate politically to ensure its long borders remain defensible.
In particular Russia hates NATO. Russia considers NATO to be an alliance of invasion. This view is shared not only by Russian elites but by its common people. Russia has a little less than twice the population of Germany, but its economy is slightly smaller than Germany's. Russian GDP has gotten dramatically smaller since the collapse of oil prices.
Russia is mostly a threat to the one-time Soviet republics.

Sprezzatura said...

Lewis,

Your analysis has zero explanation for Russia F-ing w/ Western democracies.

Unless you think that the gov folks they're supporting in the West will allow them the expansion they seek.

I guess a quid pro quo sorta deal isn't collusion, so that's fine, according to you.

P.S. Isn't it sorta unfair for Nixon to get in so much trouble for stealing D stuff, but the Russians get special Oval Office treatment for doin' the same? Tricky Dick never could catch a break.

SukieTawdry said...

...the day after firing the dude looking into the DJT campaign's collusion w/ Russia.

The "dude" was the director of the bureau, not an investigator in the Russian probe. The investigation continues now and will continue under the new dude.

D. said...

"Dumb. You can do better than that. Try."

eww stop schumering

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump and the Russians used mind control to trick voters and scare them away from wonderful Hillary.

D. said...

"Lewis,

Your analysis has zero explanation for Russia F-ing w/ Western democracies."

puty putin be playing games with the proggtarded/"western democracies"

Sprezzatura said...

Rene,

That's called weapons grade persuasion. According to Scott Adams.

You can't even tell when it's controlling ya.

Huh.

D. said...

"Dumb. You can do better than that. Try."

pelosi me

Lewis Wetzel said...

Michael K wrote:
"Oh OH. Big Russian connection. The links, unlike Inga's rumors, are there."
The senate is a millionaire's club. I have an idea that if you investigated a random handful of senators you would find the same kind of "links" to Russian finance that the Left thinks have totally compromised Trump. But we'll never know, because WaPo, CNN, and the NY Times would never tell us. They don't care, if it's not Donald J. Trump.
I followed the hint of another Althouse commenter and looked up Comey's links to Russia through European banking/finance corp HSBC. Comey was on the board of HSBC until 2013.

Britain’s high street banks processed nearly $740m from a vast money-laundering operation run by Russian criminals with links to the Russian government and the KGB, the Guardian can reveal.

HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, Barclays and Coutts are among 17 banks based in the UK, or with branches here, that are facing questions over what they knew about the international scheme and why they did not turn away suspicious money transfers.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/20/british-banks-handled-vast-sums-of-laundered-russian-money

You would think that one of the major networks or papers would have told us that Comey's connections to Russian mobsters were more substantial than Trump's, but there ya' go.
I was surprised to see how extensive Comey's contacts were to mega corporations. Lockheed Martin, Bridgewater Associates . . .

Brookzene said...

"pelosi me"

Maybe I was wrong.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Mark Warner is worth 80 million?

K-street or typical government leftist crony money whore?



Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

BTW - this never get old: CASH FLOWED TO CLINTON FOUNDATION AMID RUSSIAN URANIUM DEAL

Where's the special prosecuter?

D. said...

"You can't even tell when it's controlling ya.

Huh."


eff you war!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

book recommendation
Drain the Swamp: How Washington Corruption is Worse than You Think -- Kindle Edition

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Gahrie @ 9:20 - Thank you.

William said...

My childhood was short, brutish, and nasty. I wasn't sorry to see the end of it. I've been doing my very shaky imitation of a grown up since forever. I don't miss childhood. I miss having missed out on childhood.......Maybe there are a lot of illegal immigrants in Neverland. Grown up who never really grew up who keep trying to have a happy childhood.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Lewis,

Your analysis has zero explanation for Russia F-ing w/ Western democracies.

You didn't read it, then.
Quoting myself:
"In particular, he wants the territories that were once part of the USSR back, and he wants to restore Russia's "near abroad," meaning the nations on Russia's periphery that are sovereign, but which Russia feels it must dominate politically to ensure its long borders remain defensible.
In particular Russia hates NATO. Russia considers NATO to be an alliance of invasion."

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are NATO members who are part of Russia's "near abroad."

furious_a said...

Peter Pan's Neverland is a hell. It's a dystopia

The Lost Boys were at perpetual war with the Pirates.

Lewis Wetzel said...

This is simply incoherent:
P.S. Isn't it sorta unfair for Nixon to get in so much trouble for stealing D stuff, but the Russians get special Oval Office treatment for doin' the same? Tricky Dick never could catch a break.




Sprezzatura said...

OK Lewis,

Thanks for restating that you say that Russia is supporting Western leaders (like DJT) because they will capitulate to the Russian expansionism.

FTR, I did already note that you're stating this.

Got it.

Sprezzatura said...

"This is simply incoherent:
P.S. Isn't it sorta unfair for Nixon to get in so much trouble for stealing D stuff, but the Russians get special Oval Office treatment for doin' the same? Tricky Dick never could catch a break."

How about this:

Nixon folks steal D stuff = Nixon kicked out of Oval Office.
Russian folks steal D stuff = Russians invited into Oval Office.



Lewis Wetzel said...

"Thanks for restating that you say that Russia is supporting Western leaders (like DJT) because they will capitulate to the Russian expansionism."

If I wrote anything like that, I am certain you can provide a link, yes?
Lefties all argue the same. Ad hominem, strawman arguments, logical fallacy piled on logical fallacy, and occasionally simply making things up or "mind reading."
No wonder y'all can't win elections. The stupid hillbillies you make fun of are smarter than you guys.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Russian folks steal D stuff = Russians invited into Oval Office."
So, Obama never had a Russian in the Oval Office?
You do understand the cold war is over, PB&J? I'm never sure about you guys on the Left. You seem to occupy a different phase of reality.

"The visitor logs, which Obama made public in 2009 in a push for transparency, show that the long-time Russian ambassador to the United States visited the White House at least 22 times between 2009 and 2016."
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/02/russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-appeared-as-obama-white-house-visitor-at-least-22-times/

You didn't really trust WaPo to tell you what an American needs to know to make an informed decision, did you, PB&J?

walter said...

Jelly's algebra is missing some variables.

pacwest said...

-GoodPerson,
You do agree the 1 world order is in realignment at present? Do you lay the blame at President Trump's feet? I would place most of it at Islamic expansionism's doorstep.
2 countries pointing nukes at us in the near future. Trump?
Deals with other countries? One thing the man was elected to do.

D. said...

"Nixon folks steal D stuff = Nixon kicked out of Oval Office.
Russian folks steal D stuff = Russians invited into Oval Office.
"

eff you war pinhead11!!11

D. said...

" 3rdGradePB_GoodPerson said..."

you are not going to like this war; as a pinhead such as you are you will be target 1.

chickelit said...

@Brookzene: Who killed Seth Rich?

eddie willers said...

You didn't really trust WaPo

I now don't even trust their back issues.

Quaestor said...

...we're not tending to the habit formation aspects of a republic.

America's fucked up educational system, particularly our universities, are laying the groundwork for autocracy, complete with black-clad enforcers ever eager to do violence to dissenters while the police just stand idly by. We've already had our Kristallnacht. Be on the lookout for a final solution.

chickelit said...

@Brookzene: If the Russians killed Seth Rich to cover loose ends, how did Trump or Trump's people get the D.C. Police to stand down?

n.n said...

Nearly a year and liberals are still on a baby hunt. Not discovering a baby has left them antsy. They Planned a baby trial since day -100, and they are desperate to decapitate this administration. If for no other reason than to hide Obama's adventures and elective abortions from Libya to Syria to Ukraine, and forcing catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform for redistributive change and Democratic gerrymandering.

Oh, well. Another conception. Another baby hunt. Plans for a baby trial, denied.

Rusty said...


"I am beginning to believe that the "J" in "PB&J" stands for "Joke.""

Try juvenile.
In keeping with the topic.

BillyTalley said...

Listening to Sasse is hard work for me, it's easier to have him served up by Ann. He comes off to me as a flat footed prig completely unsuited to fight on the terrain created by a postmodern Left... he seems, on the contrary, to be a perfect stooge for the wiles of the typical cynical power grabbing Democrat.

tim in vermont said...

I was way too busy being a boy when I was a boy to watch Peter Pan.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A number of people have died and the coincidence benefited the Clintons...

Seth Rich was a DNC staffer and more than likely a disgruntled leaker.

It is easy to believe he was murdered by the leftwing mob.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Julian Assange said that slain DNC staffer leaked e-mails to Wikileaks.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Seth Rich, slain DNC staffer, had contact with WikiLeaks, say multiple sources


Funny how DNC staffer murder was completely ignored by the pro-D hack press (the press)

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Zero Hedge:

"It's been close to a year since Seth Rich, the 27 year old computer expert who worked for the DNC, was murdered - shot twice in the back without anything of value taken from him. Rich was found alive and in shock before he bled out - his death ruled nothing more than a botched robbery.

Many believe Rich was a victim retaliation for being the source who provided Wikileaks with a trove of DNC emails. Rumors were fueled by the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the sudden retirement of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier five weeks after the murder, and an email John Podesta sent to Hillary's inner circle about making an example of a suspected leaker."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

You would think the MSM would be interested in this murder.... A DNC staffer in contact with wikileaks. Nope. Never.

Corrupt democrat party and corrupt media - stick together.

Achilles said...

The leftists show us all why everyone in the veteran community despises them. Again and again. You people only care about security when you can gain political advantage from it.

You are just terrible people. It is clear there is no honesty or decency coming from the left in this discussion. You don't even know what you are talking about.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The democrat party and their media are 100% corrupt.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Shall we watch as corrupt liar Dickerson Clinonopolis media attempts to blame murder on Trump in 3...2...1

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

CNN has nothing on their front page about Seth Rich and Wikileaks. Nothing.

Just the Trump gave secrets to the Russians!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Airline safely - OMG! How dare Trump discuss airline safely with our mortal enemies - THE RUSSIANS.

It's all scary-bad payback for Trump and Russia using mind-control and embarrassing Hillary with Hillary's own corruption.

Corrupt leftists everywhere want Trump dead!

Jim Gust said...

News flash. The Russians did not in fact meddle in the 2016 election. It was all a fairy tale, made up by Democrats.

Instapundit has the story here: https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/265045/

It was an inside job, a whistleblower.

So let's end the whole Russia investigation nonsense, which was always intended to distract the rubes.

Anonymous said...

Jim Gust wrote:

"News flash. The Russians did not in fact meddle in the 2016 election. It was all a fairy tale, made up by Democrats."

Jim, my ex-wife bought a Siberian Husky seven years ago, called me the day after Trump's June escalator speech and said, "He's got my vote." Siberia is a part of Russia. /s

As to Ben Sasse, good gawd, Harvard, Yale, and a college president, the perfect Ivory Tower man who would discuss changing a lightbulb but never really do it. And wasn't Sasse a Tea Party man, just to win the election, of course?

Martin said...

Well, OK, but Dickerson, being who he is, wants this to be an entirely new thing that Trump created, to be solved by Trump being removed in favor of a Democrat--any Democrat.

Sasse tried at one point, but imho was not forceful enough, that the Obama Admin set a standard for politicization that Trump may someday approach if he is re-elected, but what Trump has done in 4 months pales in comparison o what Obama did throughout his 8 years.

And, Bill Clinton before him. Bush-43 tried to run a fairly apolitical operation in those terms, and the media and Democrats treated him viciously as he didn't fight back.

Trump does present problems, but nothing beyond what we as a nation already accepted from Clinton and Obama. The denouement of the Clinton impeachment was a watershed--if the economy is good and Americans aren't dying overseas in large numbers, we will forgive ANYTHING as long as the pol puts on a good act. Believe me (as Trump might say), that lesson was noted.

If we are to grow out of this, it has to start with admitting that the problem is not Trump, or even him plus Obama and Clinton, whose successes are far more symptoms than creators of the problem.

The problem is in we, the people who elevate and elect and reward these 3rd- and 4th-rate grifters, to the extent that we have created a system where 1st-rate people (like Mitch Daniels, imho) are reluctant to subject themselves and their loved ones to the abuse. Then, we complain about the poor choices, as if they are being imposed by Martians or acts of God, or something.

Consider that in 2016 the sitting President and many others asserted that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person ever to run for President--not just that she was qualified, but THE MOST, EVER. If they didn't believe it themselves, they were certain that millions of voters would. Ignoring, oh, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams, Jackson, TR, FDR, Ike, and Bush-41, any of whose pre-Presidential qualifications and accomplishments unequivocally put hers to shame, and not mentioning several others where the case is good if not so open-and-shut. (esp accomplishments, as her "qualifications" of positions held are matched by no substantial positive accomplishments)

What does that tell you about the electorate and the pols who pander to it? After all, the pols are where they are because they correctly read the public. And while my example is from the Democrats, the GOPs are similar in their own way.

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