It's hard not to see the Bannon move in the broader context of Trump's first 75 days in office, which have been, to put it mildly, chaotic....
While Trump -- like all politicians -- is loathe to admit a change of direction is needed or that mistakes have been made, it's hard to look at his current position and conclude anything else....
[T]he diminution of [Bannon's] power -- and in such a public way -- is a clear sign that a shakeup in the Trump power structure is under way....
April 5, 2017
"What Steve Bannon's demotion tells us about the Trump White House."
According to Chris Cillizza.
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222 comments:
1 – 200 of 222 Newer› Newest»What a crock! His positioning was overhyped in the beginning and this "demotion" will be likewise overhyped
And not a moment too soon.
Generals all; the test is Syria.
Check your privilege...
It tells us everything about Chris Cillizza. Is it not distressing to see the media so fully exposed in their biases?
The kind of puts to rest the ridiculous notion that Steve Bannon was calling the shots in the WH.
The WaPo editorial board in its anti-endorsement of Trump, October 13, 2016:
On Nov. 8, Americans will elect the next president of the United States. The Republican nominee, Donald Trump, is, as we have written, “uniquely unqualified to serve as president, in experience and temperament.” Below is just a sampling of his many erroneous, malicious and ignorant comments since he launched his campaign in June 2015, along with commentary from Post Opinions writers and The Post editorial board.
This is a vicious attack, not just against Trump, but against the 62 million Americans who voted for him.
Nothing anyone at the Post writes about Trump should be believed.
Blogger chickelit said...
The kind of puts to rest the ridiculous notion that Steve Bannon was calling the shots in the WH.
4/5/17, 7:03 PM
Now it's supposed to be Kushner. It's a "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" thing.
The chemical weapon attack in Syria happened, that's why Bannon was demoted.
Bannon was removed from a Committee he never attended any meetings for.
Bannon's job was to deweaponize the NSC after the Obama administration weaponized it against US citizens. He believes this has been done and never wanted that job.
Now the only thing left to do is take all of the political hacks in the Obama administration that abused this power and make an example including Obama himself.
"The kind of puts to rest the ridiculous notion that Steve Bannon was calling the shots in the WH."
-- They won't even remember that they were saying that in a few days. History starts anew tomorrow with a new "real genius" in the "stupid Trump White House," just like they did with Bush.
Ugh. I have this horrible sinking feeling that the administration is moving towards direct military confrontation with the Syrian state. But welcome to the new America. "Who are we bombing next?!" Obama was the first US president to spend his entire term as a wartime president, and Trump is now poised to be the second US president. Afghanistan is still a mess after 16 years of American military intervention. Any chance of that quagmire being solved anytime soon? Absolutely not. So let's start another one. It's all so terribly depressing.
Chaos. Stupid. Ignorant. Dangerous. Incompetent. Insane. Hitler. Pick your narrative.
Inga said...
The chemical weapon attack in Syria happened, that's why Bannon was demoted.
I farted in the bathroom, that's why you are dumb.
Cillizza needs to check the usage of loathe vs. loath.
The last straw was when Bannon thought that going nuclear on the Gorsuch nomination meant actually using nuclear weapons.
“A White House official said that Bannon was placed on the committee in part to monitor Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and never attended a meeting. He’s no longer needed with McMaster in charge of the council, the official said.”
This was a routine shuffle. Bannon was there mainly to keep an eye on Flynn. With Flynn gone he is not needed there anymore, and it de-operationalizes the NSC, which is a good thing (cf. Susan Rice).
"I farted in the bathroom..."
Did you breath in the noxious fumes? That explains it.
Bannon was there to kick ass and take names.
The NSC has been deweaponized.
Inga will never recognize this.
The Rice scandal will be going on four years from now and might destroy the Democrats Party. Not even the MSM can cover this up.
It will be Church Committee II.
So Bannon was there to keep an eye on Flynn?! Why the hell would Trump appoint someone as NSA advisor that needed watching? What a clown show.
I'm missing why this is a big deal. Good for Trump for making changes when necessary. The lefties will yowl no matter what he does. Fortunately, Trump appears to be made of sturdy stuff.
- Krumhorn
While Trump -- like all politicians -- is loathe to admit a change of direction is needed or that mistakes have been made,
Good lord, what rock has Chris Cillizza been living under?!?
Trump had three (count 'em! THREE!) campaign managers. He will do what works and abandon what doesn't work. That is the secret to his electoral success.
Dumb ass thumb sucker.
Well, obviously someone needed to watch Susan Rice. She's been caught telling more lies than Flynn, and she seems to have deluded herself into thinking that she is some kind of super-spy.
Here's Susan Rice on March 22:
I began by asking about the allegations leveled today by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes that Trump transition officials, including the president, may have been swept up in surveillance of foreigners at the end of the Obama administration.
SUSAN RICE, Former U.S. National Security Adviser: I know nothing about this. I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that count today.
Ironically, the headline of the piece is "Susan Rice: The world wonders and worries if the White House can be trusted"
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/susan-rice-world-wonders-worries-white-house-can-trusted/
Can we please wipe out "loathe"? You are "loath" to do something, not "loathe" to do it.
Maybe Trump should follow Obama's lead; if your key adviser turns into an absolute disaster that everyone thinks you should fire, then give them even more power and have them move in with you (even after you leave office).
This move would eliminate the possibility of one of Trump's key political operatives being accused of the sort of abuse of (national security related) power that Trump is accusing Susan Rice of committing.
There is now no possibility of the NYT reporting that Bannon is unmasking Democratic politicians, etc.
I have to agree with Krumhorn. In any other administration this would be touted by the MSM as rationalizing the structure of the NSC; Trump exhibiting a good handle on his executive staff and demonstrating flexibility. Bannon was clearly put on the NSC for a purpose. Apparently that purpose has been fulfilled. All the complainers should be ecstatic that after a brief period of evaluation the NSC is now regaining its traditional structure.
I also have to agree with tim maguire's final assessment of Cillizza : "Dumb ass thumb sucker".
Loath?
This is a vicious attack, not just against Trump, but against the 62 million Americans who voted for him.
Nothing anyone at the Post writes about Trump should be believed.
This is why I remain vigilant, hoping to call out the WaPo or the NYT whenever their writers espouse "science" and especially chemical sciences. The hope is to make them look stupid. It's a worthy cause for a lone citizen. But they started the war.
Left Bank of the Charles: "The last straw was when Bannon thought that going nuclear on the Gorsuch nomination meant actually using nuclear weapons."
Wow. So you are going to run with the conservative-is-stupid Gambit eh?
Did you take a moment to factor in his BA from VA Tech, Masters degree in National Security studies at Goergetown, MBA with honors from Havard as service in the Navy as a surface warfare officer in the Pacific Fleet in addition to his role as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon?
And we never quite got to his business success.
Maybe you should have spent a bit more time noodling that one out?
Here is Conservative Treehouse's take on it: https://goo.gl/o6qAOA Short version: no big deal.
Drudge reported this morning that Bannon was stripped of his security clearance.
Video with Drudge headline
khesanh0802: "I also have to agree with tim maguire's final assessment of Cillizza : "Dumb ass thumb sucker"."
Cillizza is perfectly illustrative of Noonan's assertion that "we are being patronized by our inferiors."
So, I guess that Cillizza was picked up, and given a bigger job, by CNN. Who could resist his brilliance?
Jeff better watch out, competitors will be looking to steal another genius from the Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-new-hotel-offers-everything-he-claims-to-hate/2016/09/16/fe08a18a-7c04-11e6-bd86-b7bbd53d2b5d_story.html?utm_term=.939bffe47817
Government service is all about titles and corner offices. Trump operates on a different model. I have seen this in many businesses. The boss has a few competent people, firefighters if you will, who are tasked to solve specific problems then move on to the next situation.
Yes, I am sure everyone will soon be looking back at these amazing 100 days, when no major legislation passed and we have had EOs fall to court decisions (instantly).
Nominating Bannon to a position in which he never attended a meeting but the White House took heat for was yet another example of this brilliant, well executed plan.
Inga: "Drudge reported this morning that Bannon was stripped of his security clearance."
Relinquished the security clearance related to NSC access.
Naturally.
Bannon retains his West Wing security clearance.
I'm sorry if these basics befuddle you.
Here, I'll try to help: different programs and groups have different clearances based on "need to know" requirements for that group. When you leave one of these groups you are "read out" of that program which would not impact any of your other clearances.
I'm surprised one of your 437 daughters, the one in the CIA perhaps, did not clue you in to that.
They won't even remember that they were saying that in a few days. History starts anew tomorrow with a new "real genius" in the "stupid Trump White House," just like they did with Bush.
So true. Remember when Rove left the Bush administration? They seamlessly switched from "Rove is calling the shots" to "Cheney is calling the shots" overnight. It's the only way they could square the the narrative that Bush was somehow a sub-moron and yet he still kept handing them their asses at election time.
Conversely, the guy who almost single-handedly destroyed the Democratic party is a genius, and don't you dare disagree or you're a racist.
Bob Loblaw: "So true. Remember when Rove left the Bush administration? They seamlessly switched from "Rove is calling the shots" to "Cheney is calling the shots" overnight."
Dude, they had Grover Norquist leading the party at one point. Or the NRA.
Certainly gets a turn every now again. He's probably made the most appearances in the 'who really runs the Republican party' sweepstakes.
Remember when that preacher in Ohio got his shot when McCain went to meet with him?
Of course now it's really Putin to distract from Obama domestic spying and Democrat incompetence.
Certainly Rush gets a turn...
Ah, Drago, you don't know what you're talking about. But good try, know it all.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/us/politics/national-security-council-stephen-bannon.html
"In a move that was widely seen as a sign of changing fortunes, Mr. Trump removed Mr. Bannon, his chief strategist, from the National Security Council’s cabinet-level “principals committee” on Wednesday. The shift was orchestrated by Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, who insisted on purging a political adviser from the Situation Room where decisions about war and peace are made.
Mr. Bannon resisted the move, even threatening at one point to quit if it went forward, according to a White House official who, like others, insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Mr. Bannon’s camp denied that he had threatened to resign and spent the day spreading the word that the shift was a natural evolution, not a signal of any diminution of his outsize influence.
His allies said privately that Mr. Bannon had been put on the principals committee to keep an eye on Mr. Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, a retired three-star general who lasted just 24 days before being forced out for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about what he had discussed with Russia’s ambassador. With Mr. Flynn gone, these allies said, there was no need for Mr. Bannon to remain, but they noted that he had kept his security clearance."
So if Bannon lost his security clearance, how does he remain on Trump's staff at all, let alone his key job as Chief Strategist?
I don't like or personally trust Steve Bannon, but this whole personnel shuffle routine that Donald engages in when he finds himself embarrassed is getting old really quick. Trump's brand of narcissism makes everyone his enemy at least within the fragile Trump mind.
Not only was the election illegitimate, but the presidency is in chaos.
Gadfly,
That's why I knew Drago was full of shit, as usual.
Bannon wins the media wars for Trump. Conway wins the media wars for Trump. But both are like Aircraft Carriers that have taken enemy torpedoes and dive bombs in battle. They are not sunk, but they need to be towed in for dry dock repairs back at Pearl Harbor.
The current Carriers with battle groups ready are Ivanka and Jared. They will take their hits too and need repairs. Then the Bannon and the Conway will steam back into fighting off the Kamikazes.
Drudge was on Savage's show recently.
He seems like a weirdo, imho.
Carry on.
Inga - you might want to read this.
Not that facts or reality ever mattered to you.
Obama's Red Line Horror
"With Mr. Flynn gone, these allies said, there was no need for Mr. Bannon to remain, but they noted that he had kept his security clearance."
Yes. He kept his security clearance.
If there is any special compartmentalized information clearance related to the NSC role which Bannon has relinquished then he will be read out of that TS-SCI program but will retain his other clearances.
Your own snip shows that.
For Gadfly, that's why Bannon remains with clearance in his other role.
Are you and Inga really that confused about that?
Plus he (Drudge) eats raw steak w/ a raw egg yolk (opt) on it.
Very anti-DJT, aka well-done w/ ketchup on top.
Seems like Drudge may not be for the workers.\
Ha ha.
Again, why isn't one of Ingas hundreds if daughters, perhaps the Astronaut and Test Pilot, explaining these things to her?
Drago,
Don't cha mean cosmonaut?
If I had been blogging this story for Althouse, I would have written just one line, in the form of an interrogatory. (Or maybe even do it as a poll, if I could dream up enough responses!) As follows:
In the Twitter length of 140 characters, explain why Steve Bannon was put onto, and then removed from, the "Principals Committee" of the National Security Council.
And for purposes of discussion, if you need more than Twitter length to put together a very tight, cogent, bulletproof response, I say go for it.
Oh Chuck,
I know that one. He was put on because DJT was trained for the office by con TV and intertubes. He was removed because, since the election, Iran, NK, Russia, China and Syria have been teaching DJT that con media is full of shit.
Wrong again Drago, know it all. This shake up was McMaster's demand.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/04/05/steve-bannon-removed-from-national-security-council-role-shakeup/oKjUKZqGQQNRBH7ci6R3oL/story.html
Another official close to Bannon insisted the move was not in any way a sign that the president had lost confidence in him or wanted to reduce his portfolio. And as evidence he will still play a role in national security decisions, the aide said that Bannon still maintains the highest level of security clearance in the West Wing.
But the reorganization seemed a clear victory for McMaster as he struggles to assert control over national security. In addition to the changing membership of the principals committee, the new order also puts the Homeland Security Council under McMaster rather than making it a separate entity, as Trump’s original order had done."
Oh, and domestically the ACA repeal also reinforced the fact.
He seems like a weirdo, imho.
Compared to Savage, that is a compliment.
I think Savage hated George Bush (both of them), John McCain, and "Mittens" Romney more than the Democrats.
Even my littlest teeny weeny daughter #12 knew about that security clearance story Drago, I guess you don't know it all, do you? I think you are often full of 💩
Lewis,
It's hard to listen to Savage and not suspect that there's some (a lot?) of phony bluster goin' on.
Plus F-in 75 years old. WTF? I know these threads are full of golden years folks, but seriously. W-T-F????
The shift was orchestrated by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who was tapped as Trump’s national security adviser after the resignation of Michael Flynn, who stepped down in February after being caught misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador.
You know how the Globe sources this info?
They don't. Not even an "unnamed official."
Inga: "Wrong again Drago, know it all. This shake up was McMaster's demand."
LOL
Bannon maintains the highest West Wing clearance, which is what I said.
Which answers why he is still in the White House per Gadflys question.
However, if there are any SCI clearances for reserved information for NSC Principals, which Bannon no longer is, then he would be read out of that program only.
Which is what I said.
You and I will not know that because even the discussion of the existence of those special clearances and who has them would itself be classified.
I'm surprised that your daughter who married the British royal prince and became a naturalized British citizen and MI-6 Agent didn't tell you that.
All's for the best in this best of all possible worlds.
Maybe Drago was confused and accidentally referred the Security Clearance's issued by the Kremlin. So much commenting it's only natural to get things turned around. Russian , American, Russian, American...
(only kidding!)
No you didn't Drago. How do you say liar in Russian?
Let me get this straight, on the day we learn the unmasking of Trump family, friends, campaign advisers and transition team involved their hour by hour movements and conversations, Leftists believe the big story is Steve Bannon assuming a traditional role as a political staffer?
And Chuck, the so called fopdoodle, agrees?
Unexpectedly!!
Grab your carry on.
лжец!
Inga: "No you didn't Drago"
Everyone can read the posts for themselves and see that I did.
Is your tactic simply to hope no one reads the few comments above to see you are wrong?
Interesting tactic.
It's been my experience that most commenters do.
"The kind of puts to rest the ridiculous notion that Steve Bannon was calling the shots in the WH."
I don't know what Steve Bannon was or was not doing or what shots he was or was not calling, as I view the whole Trump White House as an ongoing clusterfuck and I don't need to examine the finer details of it. However, the demotion or whatever it is of Bannon doesn't prove at all that he wasn't running things in the White House. After all, if he was running it, he was running it for Trump. He was acting as Trump's major domo. Trump is still the president, and even if he were lying somnolently abed every day, watching reruns of The Apprentice while Bannon played with his White House action figures, Trump could always stir himself in sudden anger and boot his underboss out of the house. After all, it's possible Trump may have infrequently visited his casino in Atlantic City, and he certainly wasn't the one actually running it day to day, but Trump could still have walked in and shouted "You're Fired!" at the General Manager, and the Manager would have been gone!)
If anything, Bannon's spanking suggests he might have been running the House while the Master tweeted, as, who else would be subject to such punishment other than "the large in charge?"
Actually, in truth, we all know it's going to be family. That's why Ivanka and Jared Kushner are working for dad.
Birkel,
You've got it.
DJT proclamations are now taken as silliness, out of the gate.
Who knows where we'll be in four or eight years.
Trump's brand of narcissism makes everyone his enemy at least within the fragile Trump mind.
The craziness is strong in this one. Or two, Or three.
Blogger Inga said...
No you didn't Drago. How do you say liar in Russian?
инга!
I didn't blog this story, you assclown. Althouse did. She didn't betray any opinion about it, and neither did I.
But you go off on me, without a word for the hostess and proprietor of this blog.
I have no problem with her.
You are disturbingly obsessed with me.
русский идиот!
( only kidding,)
Doc Mike,
I just set a countdown clock for 82 minutes: when you'll inform us all that it's sleepy time and the libs are too much to take.
Birkel becomes obsessed with certain people, he was with me the last week or so. Now it's your turn Chuck.
That's why Ivanka and Jared Kushner are working for dad.
At least they are competent. Obama put his Princeton and Harvard Law educated wife in charge of public school lunches. And aerobics!
"At least they are competent. Obama put his Princeton and Harvard Law educated wife in charge of public school lunches. And aerobics!"
BTW golden years folks, it's time to remodel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWKBsh7YTXQ
Cookie: "Actually, in truth, we all know it's going to be family. That's why Ivanka and Jared Kushner are working for dad."
Yes, of course.
We all know that.
Except of course for the entirety of the left which claims it's someone else.
But yes, other than all those guys, "we all know" it will be family.
Except, again, for all the lefties who apparently don't "kbow" that.
#leftylogic
Yep, Jared Kuschner perhaps realized he needs to trust the sane people now, since N Korea is going nuts and people are being Sarin gassed in Syria. Shit gettin' serious.
Trump said today "The World is a mess", Breitbart can't fix it.
3rdGrader: "Who knows where we'll be in four or eight years."
4% GDP.
Inga: "Trump said today "The World is a mess", Breitbart can't fix it."
Let's hope so since the Lefts Earth-bound Messiah only made it worse.
But in a good 'i get to spy on my domestic opponents' sort of way.
Inga, ask your Asst Sec of State daughter what she thinks.
@ Drago
But I thought Trump was anti-Semitic and Jared Kushner is a...
Are you saying Leftists will say any damned thing without proof?
I'll ask my teensy weensy daughter#12 since she was so smart about that security clearance.
Drago,
I certainly agree that it makes sense that a very low approval would seem to mean that there's nowhere to go but up.
And, DJT has a track record of exceeding expectations, electorally. Maybe that will reoccur while governing.
Time will tell.
P.S. Jabbering about economic growth as a basis for DJT's popularity is great. But, there are also less honorable ways that pols can manipulate folks to increase their popularity. It's not 100% obvious to me that DJT wouldn't seek to take advantage of such.
I dunno.
"At least they are competent. Obama put his Princeton and Harvard Law educated wife in charge of public school lunches. And aerobics!"
How do you know they'll be competent? Whatever skills and talents they may have in their respective private sphere activities (if any) does not automatically translate to competence in governance. (I'm not suggesting they won't be competent, only that it's too soon to know.)
Chuck,
Max Boot on the Last Word, MSNBC.
Which Modified Limited Hangout is operative these days?
@ Chuck, so called fopdoodle?
@ Inga
@ PB&J
What part of incidental intelligence gathering is covered by hour by hour tracking of Trump family members who had no contact with Russians?
Grab your carry on.
Birkel,
If we all agree that y'all can lock up anyone (incl BHO) from the previous administration re unmasking, will you at least keep that uber importante issue in the threads where it rightly belongs?
@ PB&J
I assume Bannon was tracked. Do you have information otherwise?
PB&J wrote:
But, there are also less honorable ways that pols can manipulate folks to increase their popularity.
Legalize fireworks at the federal level?
Right turn on red is already legal in the 50 states.
More seriously, Trump's core demographic overlaps mightily with NRA membership. Those guys are numerous, they have money, they have guns, they vote, and they know that a 5-4 liberal majority on the court will mean the end of the individual right to bear arms.
"Right turn on red is already legal in the 50 states."
Is it? I'm still worrying about that when I'm in NY, based on info from a parent who grew up there.
"you'll inform us all that it's sleepy time and the libs are too much to take."
Actually, I have books to read. Are you familiar with books ?
They are things you read. Sometimes they help you get smarter. Of course, that has certain requirements.
In the world of results, fast failure is a good thing.
Birkel,
Please publish a comment w/ everyone from the BHO administration who you want locked up.
Whoever is on your list, I will agree should be locked up.
So, got anything else to comment about?
@ Lewis Wetzel
If the Trump Administration tried to federalize fireworks law, a federal judge somewhere would stop it, even if Congress passed a law on precisely that issue.
@ PB&J
I want Leviathan restrained. Have you missed that point? I recall clearly stating that position repeatedly.
The Obama Administration provides a good example for why I believe it is important. How did you come to understand I want people thrown in jail? How especially without the government, restrained as it should be by the Constitution, proving a case in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt while defendants are represented by competent counsel, with admissible evidence?
The caricature you imagine does not exist here.
Grab your carry on.
Doc Mike,
When you get your sauna, don't settle for an IR one (reference to a link of mine you would have (wisely) ignored).
Sure, the others are a bit more of a fire hazard (and average homes don't have sprinklers), but a lot of the data is based on the higher temps, and the physics of the heat transfer are different.
Just lookin' out for ya.
Anywho, I'll look into this book thing. My mom reads those to me at bedtime. And, next year I'll be in fourth grade, so maybe they'll have books.
I dunno.
Inga said...
Chuck,
Max Boot on the Last Word, MSNBC.
I saw.
And why was I watching MSNBC?
1. It's Sean Hannity's time slot on FNC.
2. It rained in Augusta and a slow news day from the Masters.
3. The Breaking Bad mini-marathon is over for now.
Ok Birk,
I'm in favor of restraining leviathans.
I used to be pro-leviathan, but ya turned me.
@ PB&J
The plural makes no sense. You are unable to mock effectively. Why? Nobody knows.
Grab your carry on.
I like Chuck's defensive list of MSNBC viewing alibis. Bait.
In recent days it looked like Chuck was loosing the battle of who's getting who's so-called goat.
But, this sorta comment reminds me that more often than not he's setin' up the rest of y'all. So, let the predictability commence....
@ Chuck, so called fopdoodle.
Please make it easier on me. Laughing at you has tweaked an oblique.
"The plural makes no sense. You are unable to mock effectively. Why? Nobody knows."
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Think about that a bit harder.
Chuck,
No need to apologize for watching MSNBC. It's got saner programming than FOX any day. They even have Greta now, some days she's even watchable. I never believed Loony Full Moony that you threatened her, I'm pretty sure no one did.
3rdGradePB_GoodPerson: "I like Chuck's defensive list of MSNBC viewing alibis. Bait."
Sometimes we agree.
And then I break out in hives.
Perhaps I should contact Ingas world renowned Dermatology research scientist daughter.
She probably doesn't have any available appointments.
Still, there is an old Russian remedy taught to me by a babushka....(bait)
3rdgrader, btw nice touch with the subtle "so called goat".
Chuck, PBGP, we're too kind to laugh at Birkel. When he rants about Leviathan I just want to give him buttered popcorn and a soda.
Yes Drago, that would be daughter # 10.
Her name is Natasha.
Inga: " It's got saner programming than FOX any day."
Especially when it comes to tax analysis!
Good times. Good times.
It's also quite entertaining with it's now official "MSNBC Airport and Harbor Watch Force" which is always on the lookout for when Russian aircraft or vessels are at the same location as Trump associates from years ago.
Btw, did you know that one of Ingas daughters is a ship captain?
Actually Drago doesn't know any of my 12 daughters. He just pretends he knows everything.
@ Drago
Have you identified the party-approved Modified Limited Hangout yet?
I have yet to see it unmasked. Perhaps the spreadsheets of that otherwise compartmentalized information have not been distributed.
Inga, I am very disappointed to see you disavowing your other 425 daughters.
I don't care what they might have done. They don't deserve that.
From The Independent: Syria chemical attack: Sarin gas likely weapon used in Idlib as experts say Russian claims 'don't add up'
There is really no need for doubt or speculation. It either happened or it didn't. Sarin and its metabolites are readily detected by a variety of modern methods. It has distinct chemical fingerprints and isotopic signatures. If blood samples cannot be obtained, smuggle them out.
Sorry Drago, my womb is mighty, but only human after all. Only 12 daughters..... and a few sons we keep in the cellar.
Blogger Inga said..."Chuck, Max Boot on the Last Word, MSNBC"
Life Long Republican Max Boot, Inga. Get his honorifics right.
So chick et. al.,
How about stating what it is that you think the DJT administration should do (or not do) to respond? I.e., state it now, before they act (or don't).
Or, maybe it's best to wait and see what they do (or don't do), and then y'all can declare that whatever they did (or didn't) do was the correct action (or non action).
JK.
Carry on.
Birkel: "Have you identified the party-approved Modified Limited Hangout yet?"
Not quite yet. You can almost hear the tumblers tumbling as they formulate their next move.
Trump said... "You'll see".
3rdGradeStrategist: "How about stating what it is that you think the DJT administration should do (or not do) to respond? I.e., state it now, before they act (or don't)."
Brilliant!
Make sure you announce the complete disposition of your forces as well.
Better yet just invite Assad to the planning sessions.
Achilles said... [hush][hide comment]
Inga said...
The chemical weapon attack in Syria happened, that's why Bannon was demoted.
I farted in the bathroom, that's why you are dumb.
4/5/17, 7:11 PM
I'm speechless.
@ PB&J
There is no correct answer. The world is filled with bad actors doing terrible things. Syria sucks for Syrians and its neighbors.
I hope Trump does not destabilize Syria. Obama destabilized Libya and that was a bad idea that made the world worse.
What answers have you?
Grab your carry on.
Drago,
I'm pretty sure that you and your pals here can express your POV re this situation in these threads.
1) Your opinions mean nothing re actual policy
2) If your opinions did matter, Althouse didn't even get part-time attention from one of the more than one thousand trolls that Russia paid (pays) for to influence our politics*. So, it's a tree falling in a forest sorta situation.
*At least she got a bunch of the Soros trolls, according to the wisdom of many of y'all.
Jonny, you're speechless? No deep thoughts to share tonight? Oh bummer. Let's not even consider that Trump needs people he can trust since "The World is a mess". Jared probably needs sane people to advise his father in law, with the world going nuts, not a Breitbart hack.
But Jonny, you aren't much of a deep thinker, alas.
"we are being patronized by our inferiors."
So chick et. al.,
How about stating what it is that you think the DJT administration should do (or not do) to respond? I.e., state it now, before they act (or don't).
I want facts in evidence of precisely which kinds of chemical agents were used. This will at least distinguish WW I era weapons from WW II era ones. Organophosphates were used in WW I. Seriously, the sorts of chemical weapons used in WW I do not require sophistication; those like sarin, do. As in the first chemical attack several years ago, there is a dispute about who launched what. Chemical evidence of sarin never came forth last time around. Did it? It's alway "Experts say it looks like sarin was used." Not good enough. There are clinical studies out there of sarin metabolites after the Japanese attack.
In short, I want evidence of the P-F bond.
No Jonny, you aren't. You are being patronized by your superiors.
No, I'm holding my breath.
Does it matter what poison gas killed all those people?
So, Inga who's not Inga, what's up wit choo?
Well Jonny, the world is a mess, did you hear?
Are you in a messy place?
Birkel,
I'd like to turn Muslim oil countries into countries w/ the economic power of African countries.
Instead of spending trillions on wars over there, spend a trillion (maybe more) on a "moonshot" to increase efficiency and energy alternatives for us and the entire world. [Bonus: wipe out economies of uppity Russia and Texas.] DJT and con lies about bringing back coal jobs and dummies w/ rivet guns is moronic in the 21st century, imho.
And, I'd like to import smart folks from around the world to fill 21st century jobs that American hicks and such are unable/unwilling to do. The trade off is that the losers can work at Burger King for $15/hour. And, they'll get health care.
Are ya w/ me?
No my house is quite tidy. Jonny come lately, you're always late. I'm off to bed.
I wrote a few weeks ago that I hoped Trump would stop seeing Bannon as some kind of guru instead of a weird guy who made a good political bet early.
While I'd be happier if he saw that earlier, any time is better than never.
Inga said...
Does it matter what poison gas killed all those people?
As in any crime, it matters who did the poisoning. As I tried to explain, chemical evidence will help resolve conflicting stories.
I didn't expect to convince, Inga. Nurses loathe chemistry for the most part.
"Nurses loathe chemistry for the most part."
Same is true for a lot of (most?) majors.
3rdGrader: "Drago,
I'm pretty sure that you and your pals here can express your POV re this situation in these threads."
I'm sure you can too.
What's holding you up?
Come on Tactics Tiger! Don't hold back. Let us know what you think!
P chem is pretty cool because ya get real math-y folks mixed w/ not so math-y folks.
Easy to tell who's who.
Drago,
Read up thread.
It is way past time to stop believing 100% of what CNN, WP, NYT et al say about politics, or 50 percent of their non-political stories. Hell I think they will soon start reporting sports scores on the basis of should have won.
"If your opinions did matter, Althouse didn't even get part-time attention from one of the more than one thousand trolls that Russia paid (pays) for to influence our politics*."
After the election (not before), I heard that one of the wicked rumors being spread by the Russian hackers (actually Macedonians) was that the pope had endorsed Trump.
I thought that this was weird because I try to keep with politics, even the rumors, and I had never heard of this. I had never read anywhere that the pope endorsed Trump. Trump certainly didn't say that the pope had endorsed him. Besides, the story was absurd on its face. The Catholic church is an open borders outfit. Trump is presbyterian. His daughter converted to marry a Jewish banker.
But this story about Russian hackers was all over the place in November, December, January.
Slate, Jan.5:
Fake news stories, including many written to appeal to a pro-Trump or anti-Clinton audience, circulated widely on Facebook in the months leading up to the Nov. 8 election. They included false reports that the pope had endorsed Trump and that an FBI agent suspected of leaking Clinton’s emails had been murdered.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2017/01/05/russia_used_fake_news_to_influence_the_election_james_clapper_says.html
These reports all seem second-hand, that is, "journalists" have been told these stories exist, but none of them has every seen one "in the wild."
I would love to know where this story appeared and where the story about the story first appeared. Slate says the stories circulated for months before the election, but I've never heard of it. No one in the press seems to have mentioned it before the election.
@ PB&J
Yes, I support you raising a trillion in VC money and pursuing your dream. Some investors will require proof of concept. You will be rich. Good luck.
But what you mean is you want to take money from those who earned it. So you are back to supporting Leviathan and your earlier post was a lie. I do not support your plan unless you agree to my funding plan.
chickelit: "I didn't expect to convince, Inga. Nurses loathe chemistry for the most part."
Still, it would be easy for Inga to tap the knowledge of her Nobel Prize in Chemistry daughter.
3rdGrader: "Drago, Read up thread"
I already had.
What you offered wasn't an opinion. It was the mind doodle of a child writing in sand.
Why didn't you just toss the unicorns and pixie dust in there as well? All the best fantasies seem to have them.
Nurses! Don't get me started...
Birkel said...
@ Chuck, so called fopdoodle.
Please make it easier on me. Laughing at you has tweaked an oblique.
And yet none of you Trumpkin geniuses answered my query at 8:33.
. . . and, I'd like to import smart folks from around the world to fill 21st century jobs that American hicks and such are unable/unwilling to do. The trade off is that the losers can work at Burger King for $15/hour. And, they'll get health care.
That is a recipe for revolution, PB&J. Who is supposed to buy these burgers made by $15/hr workers?
This country actually belongs to the people, not the billionaire dreamers. Not foreigners. Like it or not.
"I do not support your plan unless you agree to my funding plan."
Sure, you can be in charge of funding.
That's the shitty part anyway. You make stuff pencil out. I'll be in charge of pipe dreams.
Carry on.
"Why didn't you just toss the unicorns and pixie dust in there as well? All the best fantasies seem to have them."
I knew I forgot something.
Not to mention ponies*.
*First get the wall built so Mexican men don't F our gal ponies.
@ Chuck, so called fopdoodle
You will find the posts where I support Trump in a Trumpkin sort of way, please. Now I have tasked you with something.
Are we even?
This country actually belongs to the people, not the billionaire dreamers. Not foreigners. Like it or not.
I couldn't really guess the net worth of any Althouse commenters, but PB & J has to be among the wealthier ones with multiple homes in multiple states: He's a regular Bernie Sanders. :)
Of course Titus wants the distinction of being Althouse's most fabulously wealthy commenter.
@ PB&J Plan for bankrupting Texas
1. Steal a trillion dollars. We will call the theft tax or, better yet, a mandate.
2. Moon shot and science stuff.
3. Technological magic supplied by pixies and unicorns.
4. Energy stuff.
I can sell that to VC. Wait there.
*First get the wall built so Mexican men don't F our gal ponies.
Burros, PB&J. Or burritos if you feeling small.
@ chickelit
Inga is richest as measured by cats.
Ohhhhh no. I have no cats, we had to feed them to my sons ...in the cellar.
"Of course Titus wants the distinction of being Althouse's most fabulously wealthy commenter."
Are folks sure that this current Titus is the real one?
Never changes his name. Don't hear much about the rare Clumbers and other such nonsense.
What do y'all think, fellow republicans?
While Trump -- like all politicians -- is loathe to admit a change of direction is needed or that mistakes have been made, it's hard to look at his current position and conclude anything else....
Wow. Talk about getting it wrong. Trump isn't like all politicians. He cut his teeth in the world of business, with profit/loss statements. And one thing he is known for. Firing people and moving them around as needed, changing direction as needed to stay on the profit side of the ledger. My first choice for the Republican nomination was Cruz, but I'm so far happy with what Trump has been doing.
The more the media froths at the mouth and declares things are going to hell in a handbasket because of Trump, the happier I get.
Grab your carry on.
Are folks sure that this current Titus is the real one?
Remember the "fake Titus" phase of the Althouse blog ca. 2008-9?
No more (or much less) tits and hogs.
Seems suspicious.
Please describe the particular things that torment you.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Basically, Titus had typecast himself into a stereotype. When he tried to express real feelings -- many of them angry -- the commentariat rejected him and called him "fake Titus." That whole period went down the rabbit hole.
"lifelong republican" and Archetype Chuck: "And yet none of you Trumpkin geniuses answered my query at 8:33."
And how does that make you feel?
Tell me, did you love your mother? Your father?
It's fine that these threads are now more like most threads. And, I'm cool w/ them, obviously, since I'm 'round here.
But, Boy the way Glenn Miller Played.
One day, Althouse will require an impartial authority on the Althouse blog commentariat because a hell of a lot happened which she either ignored or pretended to ignore. Ruth Anne will do the "early years" -- 2004-2007. I will do the middle years 2008-2012.
Blogger chickelit said...
This country actually belongs to the people, not the billionaire dreamers. Not foreigners. Like it or not.
I couldn't really guess the net worth of any Althouse commenters, but PB & J has to be among the wealthier ones with multiple homes in multiple states: He's a regular Bernie Sanders. :)
4/5/17, 10:40 PM
We have so many billionaires in the US who are focused -- focused! -- on the plight of the poor, I am surprised we have still have poor people.
One billion dollars would pay for 10,000 poor kids to get a four-year college education at a public university.
A lot of rich people (Zuckerberg, for example) think native born Americans should be more focused on making them even richer.
I disagree.
"Tits and hogs" was later phase Titus. Early Titus was "shits and dogs."
Jon Ericson said...
Please describe the particular things that torment you.
1. Rich people who think I should work harder to make them richer.
2. The fact that there is no gun range closer than 200 miles from my house.
3. Mexicans.
4. Big kids that make fun of my harelip.
4/5/17, 10:52 PM
A lot of rich people (Zuckerberg, for example) think native born Americans should be more focused on making them even richer.
I disagree.
I personally despise Zuckerberg so much (on the level of Chuck loathing Trump) that I refuse to join Facebook, ever.
Chick,
I've always liked that Althouse doesn't bend to commenters who are feeling fussy.
On one hand those folks who are fussy out of a sense of passion/devotion can bring a lot. OTOH, they're not correctly assessing the reality of their value here. Eventually things fall apart, as they say.
Anywho, the rest of us carry on.
3rdGrader: "Who knows where we'll be in four or eight years."
PB will be in the fourth grade.
And I see Inga Binga is babbling about her imaginary daughters.
By daughters, she means "cats."
But don't be mean to her or she'll talk about you when she's out to dinner with her imaginary friends. By which I mean "cats."
Fluffy and Calico were very, very interested in what Inga told them about Birkel and me last week. Fluffy is Inga's conservative friend, by which I mean "cat." But a nice one!
BTW, my stone guy who doesn't know Zuck and has never worked in Hawaii was hired to do stuff in Zuck's HI house. IOW, word on the street is that this stone dude is baller.
Anywho, HI requires flying over there for some sorta "training/certification thing-y, even for as world class of a dude as it gets."
Maybe DJT can do somthin' about that regulation.
O.K. What is the most important thing that American citizenship means to you?
(if you don't mind me asking, and if you do, Peace be with you Brother or Sister, and Please scroll down to find more sensible typings.)
Inga addresses her daughters and friends and relatives, by which I mean cats:
"Gather around, my many daughters and friends and relatives, enjoy your 9 Lives salmon dinner and listen while I tell you how I vanquished my inferiors at Althouse today! Binky, will you put down your squeeze toy for a minute. Because this is really fascinating and I know you'll enjoy it! Don't you all love me? Because I love me...."
exile,
Would you like someone to speculate re your home life?
Sometimes when folks are fixated on something that they claim to see in others, they're actually expressing thoughts re themselves.
I'm not too good at pretending to care about stuff. Maybe someone else could inquire about your life.
Anyone?
Me, I'll speculate.
I hear blah, blah blah, slurp spittle, smack, rant, blah blah blah, snort, blah blah blabbity blah is back. We were having so much fun without her. She is such jealous old spinster, poor dear. I bet she wishes she would've kept her daughter, but I'm thinking the girl was lucky to get awy from such an angry, ugly old drooling blabbity blah, blah blah old biddy.
Obsession makes you even uglier than you already are blabbity blah.
@ Inga
As an expert on ugly, you can tell me precisely how ugly it is to track the Trump family, campaign team and transition team in an hour by hour basis without any connection to a foreign intelligence operation.
What it tells me is that Trump has a low tolerance for subordinates who screw up. Obama might have had at least a modestly successful presidency if he'd done likewise, instead of being the worst president since Buchanan. Bush II was also willing to sack people, but he held onto Rumsfeld too long and should have dumped Cheney in 2004.
Birkel,
Ask your girlfriend blabbiddy. I'm sure she'd be happy to have your attention. She seems quite needy of some of your good lovin' attention. I'm off to bed now.
"Would you like someone to speculate re your home life?"
Oh, crazy cat lady Inga Binga has gone there already - many times.
"But it's OK when we do it."
"blabbiddy."
I see Inga has been reduced to incoherence and is now drooling on her keyboard.
Watch out Inga Binga! You don't want to drool on little daughter Fluffy! You'll have to give her a bath and you know cats hate baths.
Jealousy will make you even less likely to catch a husband blabiddy. What happened to that radiologist boyfriend you were talking about some months back. Did he discover that you spray spittle when you speak. Did he notice the bald spot on the back of your head? Did he notice your, um...oder? Did he see your sweet countenance? How could he miss it? He doesn't deserve you blahbiddy. I'm sorry he didn't see your finer qualities that we all see here. If you need advice in makeup or how to cover that big mole on your chin, I'll send daughter number 7 over to help you out.
I'm sure Trump will win this one too
What makes you think I want to be married, crazy little cat lady? I'm quite happy with the arrangement I have right now.
What a sexist assumption to assume I must want to marry. Pretty regressive if you ask me.
But that's why crazy little ladies come up with when they are sitting around having discussions with their daughters and friends. By which I mean cats.
Good night, Inga Binga?
Spin your little fantasies, little cat lady!
LOLOLOL!
One of my 23 cats just had kittens. I call her Good Mommy, She's so dedicated to her kitties. She won't let us take even one out of the basket. I bet some human women could take a lesson.
Now I am truly off to bed, with 10 of my cats.
I think what it tells us about the Trump White House is that blood is thicker than water. But the Don will quickly lose support if he starts going all la famiglia on us.
Chuck said...
If I had been blogging this story for Althouse, I would have written just one line, in the form of an interrogatory. (Or maybe even do it as a poll, if I could dream up enough responses!) As follows:
In the Twitter length of 140 characters, explain why Steve Bannon was put onto, and then removed from, the "Principals Committee" of the National Security Council.
And for purposes of discussion, if you need more than Twitter length to put together a very tight, cogent, bulletproof response, I say go for it.
Trump delegates authority like any good executive. He delegates it to people who he believes have the requisite talents to solve the problem he faced.
Problem: Obama weaponized the NSC and turned it on domestic political opponents.
He assigned Bannon, who has a lot of training in this area, to deweaponize the NSC and redirect it to it's originally intended purpose. Bannon was read on to the necessary programs and CI the NSC dealt with.
After that was accomplished and someone else was put in place who could and wanted to take it from there: McMasters. Bannon's job was done. He was read off. He will now be put on another task.
It is funny to watch people who treat these positions like fiefdoms and sinecures react to someone who is actually competent and wants to get shit done.
Speaking as someone who had a clearance, and watching a bunch of people like Cilizza, Inga, PBJ, and the idiots writing articles they cite who never had clearances:
You are all pig ignorant. You clearly don't know our ass from your elbow. Drago put that stuff in the right order. The rest of you are just wrong.
How is it that welas asih is getting comments posted? Shouldn't blogger be able to filter out that crap?
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