May 6, 2018

"One day [Trump] might walk to Marine One stark naked and we’ll all just say: 'This is the end. It has finally happened.'"

That quote from "Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio" ends Maureen Dowd's new column, "The Naked Truth About Trump."

Why all this talk about Trump naked? I'm not seeing the old Bob Dylan quote — "But even the president of the United States/Sometimes must have to stand naked" — so what is it?
Trump is an attention addict, and now he’s in a position to get all the attention in the world, as long as he keeps those sirens blaring. 
Mm. Yeah. So... are you going to say that Trump is so desperate for attention that if all else failed, he'd get naked?

I will keep reading, so you don't have to. Hang on.
CNN has been on a constant Breaking News Alert for months. And we are Trump addicts, hooked on the hyperventilating rush of wild stories and all the great things that accrue from playing Beowulf to Trump’s Grendel.

As we pat ourselves on the back, though, for the grueling hours and Pulitzer-quality scoops, we should remember one thing: Even if we vanished tomorrow, Trump would probably end up in the same place.

You could put a nanny cam on the guy and leave the room, and he would crash out of his high chair. He incriminates himself faster than we can incriminate him. And he surrounds himself, in the Trumpland of Misfit Toys, with playmates who have that same perverse gift for self-incrimination and immolation....
Well, that's kind of a word salad, and I don't know if that's Pulitzer quality, but you know Maureen Dowd did win a Pulitzer Prize. It was back in 1999: "For her fresh and insightful columns on the impact of President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky."

Back to the "Naked Truth About Trump" column. I'm still waiting to see the justification for talking about Naked Trump:
“He needs the excitement,” says Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio. “Without the drama and the crisis and the powerful opponent, he’d be just another guy.”
Okay. That makes sense. What follows, the end of the column, is D’Antonio's comparison of Trump to Jimmy Piersall, a baseball player who had a mental breakdown and later wrote: "Probably the best thing that happened to me was going nuts. It brought people out to the ballpark to get a look at me.”

D'Antonio continues, and this is the last paragraph of the column:
“That may wind up happening with Trump,” D’Antonio says. “One day he might walk to Marine One stark naked and we’ll all just say: ‘This is the end. It has finally happened.’”
"That may wind up happening with Trump" — in other words, Trump might have a mental breakdown. The nakedness is just D'Antonio's idea of what a person having a mental breakdown might do. I don't like to see this kind of disrespect for people with mental illness. I think stripping off your clothes and walking in public is something that a person having a mental breakdown might do. In fact, I once saw that happen to a man (from my apartment window in NYC in the 1970s).

Trump's problems and quirks are not about the troubles of the truly mentally ill. The Jimmy Piersall business is just a pointless detour, and the word "naked" in the column title is the kind of desperate plea for attention that the column seems to want to deplore.

133 comments:

Mike Sylwester said...

In February 2018, Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller indicted a Russian company named Concord Management and Consulting ("Concord") on charges of meddling in the USA's 2016 election. Concord is nominally in the restaurant business -- repeat, is IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS -- and is owned by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, an associate of President Vladimir Putin often referred to as "Putin's chef."

Concord has hired the US law firm Reed Smith to defend it against Mueller's bogus charges.

The case is assigned to Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee and the newest member of the U.S. District Court in Washington. A formal arraignment was for May 9.

On late Friday, May 4, Mueller's gang of Trump-hating lawyers requested a delay, but the judge rejected the request yesterday, Saturday, May 5.

Concord's lawyers are exercising the defenendant's discovery rights. This Politico webpage provides, at Annex B, the initial discovery requests.

Here are the first two paragraphs of discovery requests.

[quote]

1. All written or recorded statements, or copies thereof, made by any owner, officer, agent or employee of Concord. This request calls for discovery of written or recorded statements as well as recordings of conversations by any means, including stenographically, mechanically, or by an electronic recording device, whether made before or after the indictment, and whether in response to interrogation or not. The term “statements” encompasses statements in whatever form preserved, including agents’ rough notes.

2. That portion of all written records containing the substance of any oral statement or utterance made by any owner, officer, agent or employee of Concord, whether before or after indictment, in response to interrogation by any person then known to be a government agent - without regard to whether the prosecution intends to use the statement at trial.

[end quote]

Derek Kite said...

They still don't get it. He says three words and they all go stark raving mad, blathering on for weeks about nothing.

Does anyone even watch CNN anymore?

David Begley said...

Let me be frank. Maureen Dowd is simply insane with TDS. She writes those crazy hate-filled pieces to attract attention to herself,

The big question is why do her editors publish that crap?

Name calling and speculation is all the Left has on Trump and they look like idiots every day.

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

"we are Trump addicts"

Who dat we?

Roger Sweeny said...

CNN has been on a constant Breaking News Alert for months.

But most of that has been unimportant news. So much, "What has Trump done now?" Perhaps if you stopped paying so much attention to him. I realize that's how you've stopped your circulation decline and put a lot of money back into the company, but if you're a real journalist ...

PB said...

Trump makes it easy to spot the mentally ill among the democrats.

David Begley said...

And another thing. Althouse’s everyday posts are 10 times better than the drivel that Dowd writes.

Mike Sylwester said...

Following up my comment at 9:11 AM

Here are the first two paragraphs of "Rule 12" requests:

[quote]

1. From 1945 to present, each and every instance where any officer, employee and/or agent of the United States Government engaged in operations to interfere with elections and political processes in any foreign country; including but not limited to information relating to whether any such activity utilized propaganda in any format, including but not limited to the use of social media. This disclosure should include any and all information regarding the use of computer infrastructure inside and outside of the United States, false foreign identities, goals to sow discord in a foreign political system, assistance to a foreign elected official or candidate, attacks on a foreign elected official or candidate, assassination or conspiracy to assassinate a foreign elected official or candidate, buying political advertisements, posing as foreign persons and/or failure to honestly identify to foreign voters the involvement of any officer, employee or agent of the United States Government.

2. From 1945 to present, each and every instance where any United States or foreign person has been charged by the government with violating 18 U.S.C. 371, for allegedly impairing, obstructing and defeating lawful governmental functions of the United States by dishonest means in order to interfere with the United States’ political and electoral processes

[end quote]

Here are the first three paragraphs of "Brady Requests":

[quote]

1. The identity of any informant who was a participant in any transaction related to the subject of the indictment, and any and all records or other information related to applications by, promises made to, and payment or other things of value provided to any such informant/cooperating source, including any such records or information contained in the files of any law enforcement agency,
or other federal agency.

2. Any and all records and information revealing prior criminal convictions of each witness the government intends to call at trial.

3. Any and all records and information revealing prior or subsequent misconduct, criminal acts or bad acts of any witness the prosecutor intends to call at trial.

[end quote]

With this indictment and the subsequent trial -- which will be a circus -- Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller will disgrace the USA in front of the entire world.

Paul said...

The only attention seekers I see are Dowd and the Trump haters.

They make headlines like 'If Trump fires Mueller there will be riots' when there is zero evidence Trump if even desires to fire Mueller! It's just attention seeking headlines and fake protest.

They have the mental problems, not Trump.

Birkel said...

PURPLE ELEPHANTS

Michael K said...

She writes those crazy hate-filled pieces to attract attention to herself,

Yes and her readers are as crazy as herself, unless they are reading to point out the insanity.

That "request" from the Mueller squad sounds like the interrogatory for my first malpractice suit; "the title and author of every medical book you have ever owned."

The suit was finally settled for a promise not to sue the lawyer for Malicious prosecution. His client was a woman who had forged the surgeon's name (not me) on the insurance check.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The column is a little late for marketing PR. The last remaining Naked Trump statue was up for auction on Wednesday, 5/2. Can't find anything saying what it sold for.

A highlight of the sale will be the last standing ?Naked Trump? statue, created in 2016 by the West Coast anarchist collective INDECLINE. The sculpture depicting Trump in the flesh titled ?The Emperor Has No Balls? is the last statue remaining not vandalized or destroyed. The series of controversial and explicit statues appeared in public spaces in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Cleveland and Los Angeles weeks before the then presidential nominee was elected. The piece is estimated to sell between $20,000-$30,000.

Julien's Auctions Street + Urban Art

Tank said...

As always, projection.

Trump is driving them insane, or provoking them to reveal their insanity.

Michael K said...

The OIG report should come out this week.

rhhardin said...

Ending the Korean war attention.

Owen said...

David Begley: "...The big question is why do [Dowd's] editors publish that crap?..."

Clickbait. As Prof. A says, she is a bigger attention whore than Trump could dream of being.

rhhardin said...

Only the virtuous can see Trump's clothes.

The hidden meaning of The Emperor's New Clothes is that there are hidden meanings.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Found it. $28,000

At auction, the Donald Trump naked statue sold for $28,000 to Zak Bagans, a paranormal investigator and host of Travel Channel’s popular series Ghost Adventures.

Owen said...

Mike Sylwester: thanks for the excellent excerpts from the defendants' discovery requests. As a famous man wisely advised, "Punch back twice as hard."

Browndog said...

The OIG report should come out this week.

The initial OIG report was finished last October. Release was delayed until December, as 'new issues' were discovered. Then March, as a 'new line of inquiry' was authorized by Congress. Now, mid-May they say.

Rod Rosenstein is none too worried, saying last week the report will 'point out past mistakes the agencies will learn from, and make the DOJ/FBI better going forward'.

I suspect the report is undergoing daily scrubbing, and will narrowly focus on those no longer employed, have no bearing on the key players in the current coup.

Kevin said...

CNN has been on a constant Breaking News Alert for months.

Trump may have a mental breakdown in the future. Nothing possible should be ruled out.

What the media doesn't recognize is it's already having one. Much of the media's coverage since Trump's election has been the equivalent of news organizations taking off their clothes and walking into traffic.

Perhaps Dowd should look around and figure out why all those people are honking their horns.

Kevin said...

In other news the indict and impeach Trump effort is going so poorly that NYT columnists are forced to go back to the "maybe Trump will just quit" method of propping up the base.

buwaya said...

Why do her (Dowd's) editors publish that crap?
For the same reason CNN is Trump scandals 24/7.
And all the rest.

This is a propaganda system, centrally managed, with specific objectives. It is useless to assume any individual, authentic opinion, because they aren't individuals in their professional capacity. They are paid for their work, to spec, and they are individually quite good at it.

Any deficiencies, lack of effectiveness of their project, are on the part of their high command. They are the infantry and artillery fighting in the trenches. Their masters tell them where and how to attack, and coordinate their efforts. Its been hard going, but they persist, they have immense resources.

rhhardin said...

Nakedness is Dowd's dream of exposing Trump, a dream of journalistic analysis.

Hagar said...

They know he is guilty; not exactly of what, but they know he is guilty.

Michael K said...

This is a propaganda system, centrally managed, with specific objectives.

I am not so sure. Much of this is just ratings and the insanity of the Democrat Deep State and its adherents.

Some of it is probably organized, like Mueller and probably Rosenstein.

The mob is just responding to the theme set by their betters.

Again, this goes back to Nixon and his battles with the Establishment of that time. Had Kennedy not been assassinated, Johnson would have been expelled by the same in-group.

traditionalguy said...

Fellow stable geniuses like me and Khanye see our much loved Trump without the media narrative that all GOP Presidents are insane. Nazis. The excellent communicator Trump out works them, out thinks them, and exposes them as irrelevant jerks.

Michael K said...

I suspect the report is undergoing daily scrubbing, and will narrowly focus on those no longer employed, have no bearing on the key players in the current coup.

You could be right. I will just hope that some "white hats" in the FBI will not tolerate this.

Maybe judge Ellis will open the door.

It is only now coming to light how Asst. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein essentially appointed the Special Counsel to take over the counterintelligence investigation originally begun by the FBI in 2016. Also previously unknown: part of the initiating mandate included the special counsel being granted use of a sketchy FISA Court Title-1 surveillance warrant initially applied against Carter Page in October 2016.

I am still mildly optimistic. But only mildly and for the short term.

Big Mike said...

Trump may have a nervous breakdown, but judging from the available evidence nearly Nancy Pelosi has had a nervous breakdown. Ditto Hillary Clinton. Ditto the on-air “talent” at NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC. Ditto everyone who writes for the Washington Post, especially including Jennifer Rubin. And probably everyone who writes for the New York Times — I can’t tell since i don’t read their drivel.

FIDO said...

Well, when Bruce Jenner stopped getting attention, he cut his manhood off, so I suppose anything is possible...

Big Mike said...

@Michael K., you might ask your daughter when she’s going to stop being defensive about her agency and join in efforts to clean it up.

Mike Sylwester said...

I have been reading the most recent (less redacted) Report on Russian Active Measures that was issued by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

I am appalled that this Congressional committee, controlled by the Republicans, is going along with the Intelligence Community's preposterous hysteria about Russian meddling in elections. I suppose that the Congressional committee is doing so because it has to choose its battles.

The following is the report's passage about the evil RT television network.

[quote]

Finding #9: The Russian government used RT to advance its malign influence campaign during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

(U) The Committee finds ample evidence that RT is not only a state-enterprise, but is subject to the editorial control of the Russian government. This control allowed the Kremlin to use RT to advance its malign influence efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

(U) RT, formerly Russia Today, became an international news channel in 2005. lt is available in more than 100 countries and has its largest viewer base in Europe. RT's stated goal is to "create news with an edge for viewers who want to question more" and produces content which appeals to skeptics of both the mainstream media and the establishrnent.

(U) RT is subject to the control of the Russian government. The State Department describes it as a "State-own ed international satellite news network broadcasting in multiple languages," which "'spreads Russian propaganda tailored to international markets.'' The IC has identified RT as nthe Kremlin's principal international propaganda outlet.'

[Redacted paragraph full of super-secret stuff about evil RT]

(U) During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, RT ran stories consistent with its past editorial bias against the West and suggested that tl1e U.S. electoral proces had been corrupted. RT was critical of presidential candidates from both major parties but was consistently critical of candidate Cllnton through the election.

(U) RT's attacks against candidate Clinton were wide-ranging, Including the insinuation that the Clinton family were criminals. RT also used advertising to promote material leaked by Russian intelligence, which targeted candidate Clinton and the Democratic Party.

[unquote]

Normally, the USA's liberals would mock such drivel effectively, but our Democratic Party has turned into the John Birch Society.

Imagine the public outrage if Congress would issue such a report about Israeli television shows.

Molly said...

(Eaglebeak)

Not a chance that a guy who wears a suit and tie when everyone else is wearing shorts is going to show up naked on the White House lawn.

Nicholas Kristof has the same column yesterday, only without the nudity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/05/opinion/sunday/trump-obsession.html

So is Maureen Dowd now plagiarizing from fellow Times columnists?

Meanwhile, does anyone remember Dowd's diatribe (from c. 2007) about why she can't get a date?

She says it's because she's smart and strong, but I have another hypothesis.

Browndog said...

It appears Rosenstein melded Title 1 and Title 111, giving Mueller the full power of U.S. surveillance, wire taps, and warrantless searches to conduct a criminal investigation of President Trump.

This is a huge deal.

Michael K said...

Blogger Big Mike said...
@Michael K., you might ask your daughter when she’s going to stop being defensive about her agency and join in efforts to clean it up.


She is in Morocco now on vacation but I might just bring the topic up next time I see her.

I try to avoid politics with my kids.

Some are conservative and some are lefties. I was interested that one daughter, who leans left, loved the Peterson book.

glenn said...

Election night revealed a bunch of media folks for the morons they really are. Trump will never be forgiven for that.

Hari said...

To put it another way, Trump will remain president unless and until he walks onto Marine One stark naked. In the mean time, Mueller's got nothing.

John Henry said...

Blogger Kevin said...

Trump may have a mental breakdown in the future. Nothing possible should be ruled out.

Well, yes, of course, Kevin. You or I might have a mental breakdown in the future. Ann might have a mental breakdown in the future.

Anyone might, including President Trump.

Why is that newsworthy?

The question is, or would be if we had an honest news media, what is the liklihood of that happening to President Trump or any of us?

I see no evidence of any liklihood of a breakdown of President T. In fact, if the press claimed he had one, I would be initially inclined to disbelieve it. Unless, of course, they had live camera footage and hundreds of witnesses of President T coming out naked.

This is just more fake news.

OTOH, I do see some evidence that some of our commenters here (not you) are likely having a breakdown right now. (Note: This is not a hook.)

John Henry

Dude1394 said...

I am so glad these two bigoted blithering idiots keep telling me what is going on in trumps head.

Or alternatively, he doesn’t give a shite what you self obsessed members of a dying business think.

Mike Sylwester said...

I have been reading the most recent (less redacted) Report on Russian Active Measures that was issued by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Of course, the theft of the e-mails was done by Seth Rich, using a thumb drive -- not by some hacker in Russia or East Europe. The Congressional report addresses that issue with the following one paragraph:

[quote, page 28]

(U) While the intelligence case for attribution to Russia is significant, alternative scenarios have been examined to include an insider threat or another cyber actor. No credible evidence was found supporting either alternative, including a review of information contained in classified intelligence reports.

[end quote]

In other words, the Congressional Republicans do not want to touch the murder of Seth Rich with a ten-foot pole.

Ken B said...

One day Maureen Dowd might write a lucid, fair, insightful column, and we'll just say “This is the end, it finally happened.”

John Henry said...

Blogger FIDO said...

Well, when Bruce Jenner stopped getting attention, he cut his manhood off, so I suppose anything is possible...

Has he done this? I read an article that Jenner's whole Caitlyn thing was just a Halloween prank that took on a life of its own and that Jenner does not think he is a woman.

I am a bit skeptical but anything is possible with that family of attention whores.

I went looking to see if he had actually had an amputation. I found nothing. Not that I spent a lot of time on it either. Not something I really care about.

Do you know, Fido?

John Henry

Hagar said...

It appears Rosenstein melded Title 1 and Title 111, giving Mueller the full power of U.S. surveillance, wire taps, and warrantless searches to conduct a criminal investigation of President Trump.

Isn't the "special counsel" appointed to see if there are grounds for prosecution and if so, then a "special prosecutor" will be appointed?

Ipso Fatso said...

"So... are you going to say that MoDo is so desperate for attention that if all else failed, she'd get naked?"

Fixed That For Ya!

Jupiter said...

"all the great things that accrue from playing Beowulf to Trump’s Grendel."

I think she's got that backwards.

buwaya said...

I don't see why RT can be said to be different from the BBC as far as being controlled by its government or by the dominant institutional faction thereof.

Its a state propaganda organization like dozens of others around the world, government owned or quangos. Xinhua, AFP (Agence-France-Presse), Al Jazeera, etc.

Why RT is supposed to be uniquely evil I don't know.

Hagar said...

I hope Judge Ellis' holdings will be appealed right up to SCOTUS, and that the SCOTUS will affirm that, no, barring substantive and relevant new information having come to light, you cannot dig dead files out of storage and use them for "judicial waterboarding" to extort incriminating evidence/confessions against either the apparent defendant (Flynn) or persons not named in the prosecution at hand (Manafort).

Michael K said...

"Why RT is supposed to be uniquely evil I don't know."

It is all about Trump and the Hillary excuse for losing. Obama was telling Putin he would be "more flexible" after the 2012 election but that was then, BT. Before Trump.

Ray - SoCal said...

McCain or Trump, who is more of an attention whore?

Why has there been no mention of McCains dereliction of duty by not resigning, since he can’t do his job due to illness?

His score settling by saying he should have chosen Lieberman instead of Palin. Trump not invited to his funeral.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Lies and scandals and lies!!!!! - mostly manufactured by the pro-democrat hack press.

Except Stormy. Perhaps Trump banged her 12 years ago. If true, it makes him a pig, but it's not like he raped a democrat staffer or was serviced orally by an intern in the oval office during his actual presidency.

Clinton is bullet proof. Just ask Seth Rich.



Michael K said...

In other words, the Congressional Republicans do not want to touch the murder of Seth Rich with a ten-foot pole.

Lee Harvey Oswald and Vince Foster could not be reached for comment.

Mike Sylwester said...

Hagar at 10:22 AM
... the SCOTUS will affirm that, no, barring substantive and relevant new information having come to light, you cannot dig dead files out of storage and use them ...

Instead of pursuing evidence that has arisen during his investigation of Russian meddling in our elections, Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller has re-opened old cases that he can use to pressure Trump's associates to flip against Trump.

Mueller is acting as if the Trump Administration is the Mafia and Mueller can use any prosecutorial methods to bring down the Mafia Boss.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

But even a commenter on Althouse / Sometimes must have to stand naked.

Is anyone wearing pants?

Bad Lieutenant said...

Mike Sylwester, you'll know the reference, but everybody else should look it up: this is the Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire!

cubanbob said...

Mike Sylwester said... so far based on what you quoted the conclusion is that RT is far more honest source of news than the majority of the US news media. So the US House Of Representatives has tacitly stated RT is a more legitimate news source than most of the US media. Notice all of the interference allegations none are alleging the stuff negative to Hillary was made up. So the crime appears to be exposing Hillary and the Democrats as criminals. I'm beginning to think the American people owe a debt of gratitude to Putin. In the meantime John Kerry is looking to become the first person to ever be charged with violating the Logan Act.

Browndog said...

buwaya said...

I don't see why RT can be said to be different from the BBC as far as being controlled by its government or by the dominant institutional faction thereof.


In the U.K. you have to purchase a license to watch tv, which they say funds the BBC.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

So the crime appears to be exposing Hillary and the Democrats as criminals.

ding ding ding.

Mike Sylwester said...

Bad Lieutenant at 10:38 AM
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire!

That is one of the greatest paintings in art history.

And the letter is one of the greatest letters ever written.

Hagar said...

Mueller is acting as if the Trump Administration is the Mafia and Mueller can use any prosecutorial methods to bring down the Mafia Boss.

Strike Mafia and write al Qaeda.

Hagar said...

It is war; not criminal justice nor politics.

Tommy Duncan said...

Blogger David Begley said...

"And another thing. Althouse’s everyday posts are 10 times better than the drivel that Dowd writes."

Amen Brother Begley!

Ann reads, reasons, collects facts, parses statements and builds to cruelly neutral conclusions.

William said...

Whatever evasions, subterfuges, or outright lies Trump engaged in to conceal whatever happened between him and Stormy Daniels is simply not an impeachable offense. It does, however, have more inherent interest than trade quotas with China, so there's that.......I think that if Trump actively colluded with Russia to win our election that would be a big deal and would make him worthy of impeachment. I've seen no evidence that advances that narrative. All this other "wrongdoing" that has been revealed is more indicative that the press and the Dems are more interested in impeaching the president than in discovering just grounds for impeachment.......Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels doesn't make him look good, but the attention given to it by the press and the Dems make them look worse.

Narayanan said...

I would prefer that no files are shelved ... The target should be entitled to a certification that "no reasonable prosecutor etc...'

This Legal step should be SOP.

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

"Ann reads, reasons, collects facts, parses statements and builds to cruelly neutral conclusions"

Can't have that in the NYT. Better appeal to the proggy audience of soap opera women.

Though occasionally we could do with a few more facts and a bit less parsing even here, and I am pleased that Althouse has let go of the cruelly neutral pose for the most part. Retirement is liberating. And of course, she invites questioning of her "conclusions" by the commentariat, which attests to her open-mindedness and produces something better than MSM bubble-blowing, as long as the hack-lefties don't start trolling.

Mike Sylwester said...

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is not only the Intelligence Community's overseer, it is also its PATRON.

The Committee gives the government money to the Intelligence Community, and there is much opportunity to garner some monetary slush. Much money goes to contractors. Many careers swing back and forth between the agency staffs and the Committee's staff.

For that reason, the Committee feels compelled to restrain itself in its criticism of the Intelligence Community.

The Committee does not want to condemn the Intelligence Community for being so stupid and disruptive to our Democracy that Congress might slash the allocation for the Intelligence Community. The Committee does not want Congress to reduce the pork and career opportunities that are enjoyed by the Committee's members and staff.

Therefore the Congressional Committed will not report, for example, that the Intelligence Community has been wasting money and resources on stupid studies about RT television and has been poisoning our country's politics with its plotting, leaking and gaslighting to discredit the Republican Party's politicians.

Michael K said...

Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels doesn't make him look good, but the attention given to it by the press and the Dems make them look worse.

$130k is not a big settlement for a guy like Trump. The other "client" of Cohen's who paid off a blackmailing ex-Playboy Bunny paid $1.6 million. That sounds like she had some evidence.

The other case sounds like going away money for a nuisance suit. I'm not sure there is any there, there.

It doesn't really matter because Trump has a history of infidelity but the degree to which you get excited about this r]depends a good deal on how much you hate Trump. Patterico got enraged at me because I questioned the Roy Moore accuser who had Gloria Allred as her lawyer. I've forgotten the details but he seems to have held on to them.

Allred's clients have a tendency to disappear after the election in which they are pawns.

Narayanan said...

You could forthrightly say Intelligence Community have captured the Intelligence Committees.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Millions of Democrat party members have been showing their naked asses since Donald Trump was elected, and they're disgusting, ugly, embarrassing, and still utterly shameless about it.

bbear said...

On Friday I saw a TV commercial on the NBC affiliate here in northeastern South Carolina that featured lefty billionaire hedge-fund douchebag Tom Steyerofoam preaching impeachment of Trump. Quite amazing!

FIDO said...

April 25, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — In his new book and in an interview Friday with ABC 20/20’s Diane Sawyer, Bruce ("Caitlyn") Jenner — the male former Olympic gold medalist who now believes he's a "transgender woman”— confirms that he had the “Final Surgery” in January to remove his male genitalia.

He SAYS he has. And I expect that he would also be willing to get naked to garner more attention.

Trump I don't see going that route. If he decided to break down, I see him going the Hefner route instead, pimping out with a bunch of Czech Hotties.

But at this point, why? He is at maximum attention!

MoDo and the entire bunch of hairless apes at the NYT are CONSTANTLY obsessed with Trump: how he holds hands with his wife, the state of his children, what he is wearing, what she is wearing, every single tweet is microscopically examined for signs of dementia.

Is ANY reporter NOT paying attention to Trump?

So the premise is flawed to begin with.

Just a question: in her long LONG line of male companions, did she ever do the dirty deed with Trump? Cause she seems like just the kind of self destructive cow to do so and this feels a bit bitter and personal.

Matt Sablan said...

Will that be so much different from Biden's naked swimming around his staff or, was it LBJ, who held presidential meetings while on the toilet?

FIDO said...

Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels doesn't make him look good, but the attention given to it by the press and the Dems make them look worse.

He was sleazy then and he is sleazy now. The difference is

a) Since the Dems have zero standards about infidelity in their people, I will not unilaterally hold my sides to a higher standard.

b) Trump, despite being sleazy, does a lot of things I like a lot...up to and including pissing off people like MoDo. So to my friends everything, to my enemies, the Law.

Just like a Democrat. We used to have something like standards in society but the Left has been pulling them down and weaponizing them unilaterally. So not any more. I feel bad for the children, but what to do?

Mike Sylwester said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

Using Title I to pursue domestic crimes is such a clear 4th Amendment violation that I almost cannot see straight to type how much of a threat to civil rights this is.

Civil libertarians should be crying from the battlements.

Swriously, this is unacceptable.

Mike Sylwester said...

I have been reading the most recent (less redacted) Report on Russian Active Measures that was issued by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

The Intelligence Community's plots against Donald Trump began when the overpaid, Trump-hating loons at the top of the Intelligence Community presumed that Trump was being blackmailed by Russian Intelligence. This idea was not based on any facts at all. Rather, the idea was entirely a Trump-hating presumption that such a sleazy businessman who was doing business with Russians, all of whom are sleazy, must be being blackmailed by Russian Intelligence.

Because the blackmail surely was happening, the Intelligence Community surely would discover it eventually. In the meantime, the accusation was presumed to be true.

Because that is how the plots began, a couple of the reports paragraphs (on page 61) provide insight.

[quote; emphasis added]

(U) Several former government officials testified that, even though there was no evidence of collusion between Trump campaign associates and the Russian government, they were aware of contacts and interactions of potential concern. For example, former CIA Director John Brennan stated in open session, "I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals, and it raised questions in my mind .. . whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals." Brennan continued, however, "I don't know whether or not such collusion . .. existed."

(U) Similarly, former DNI James Clapper stated that he was aware of the same information to which Brennan referred, "that my dashboard warning lights were on just because of that." However, reaffirming his prior public statements, he told the Committee that, "I didn't have any evidence -- I don't care how you want to caveat it -- of collusion.

[end quote]

Brennan knew that such individuals (e.g.) are suborned by Russia.

Clapper's warning lights were on, just because of that.

But neither Brennan nor Clapper had any facts AT ALL indicating that Trump was being blackmailed. To this present day, there still are no such facts AT ALL.

-----

In late July 2016, the Intelligence Community's leading loons changed their story from blackmail to collusion to steal Democrats' e-mails.

-----

As late as January 2017, however, Sally "The Logan Act Enforcer" Yates still was chasing the original blackmail yarn. Yates was running around Washington DC, screaming and leaking hysterically that Michael Flynn was vulnerable to RUSSIAN BLACKMAIL because he had violated THE LOGAN ACT.

Since Yates was practically the only loon who still was obsessed primarily with the blackmail presumption, she obviously was the leaker. However, when Yates testified during televised Congressional hearings, she perjured herself by testifying that she had not leaked the Flynn stuff and did not even know who had leaked it.

rcocean said...

Hello? Trump is 71 years old. From August 2015 to November 2016, he put up with more crap any POTUS in history. He's been assaulted 24X7 by MSM and the Democrats/RINO's since then.

All he has to do is tweet "Hello" - and he's the "center of attention"

The idea he will "crack up" is laughable. You know who's cracked-up? Hillary.

rcocean said...

One problem with the NYT is they keep these old out-of-touch columnists in the harness until they die.

Dowd needs to be put out to pasture. And the same is true of six other NYT Op-ed peeps.

Bring in some new blood.

rehajm said...

They write shit like this because they are on the verge of a mental breakdown. The little dopamine squirt they get from reading/writing this shit helps them through the day. Unfortunately tomorrow is anither day.

rcocean said...

I wish Trump would quit talking and start acting.

First, he can order an unredacted Rothenstein to Mueller memo be provided to Congress.

Second, He can pardon Manafort and Flynn.

rcocean said...

I suppose he's waiting for Judge Ellis or the IG report or the SCOTUS to issue their decisions.

Or maybe jeff sessions will wake up soon.

Matt Sablan said...

"Second, He can pardon Manafort and Flynn."

-- He may not have to at the rate this is going. I'd rather he not pardon them, and if they're innocent, they prove it, then they sue the pants off of everyone involved. Given that the maliciousness of this prosecution, if it can be proved, is personal, not government, hatred of them, I think they should be able to sue Comey and Mueller and anyone else involved in their personal capacities.

They probably won't be able to do that, but it would be justice if Comey and Mueller had to pay off the costs incurred of their actions.

Michael K said...

Second, He can pardon Manafort and Flynn.

Manafort is a crook. I would not be surprised to learn he has done some money laundering but not relate to Trump. The Trump kids hired him because they thought he had experience in conventions. His experience was 15 years old and Trump quickly fired him when he found out some other stuff. It's all in Lewandowski's book.

Flynn is going to be exonerated for prosecutorial misbehavior. He is still financially ruined but I hope Trump will eventually (after 2025) make him whole. A pardon would suggest guilt.

Earnest Prole said...

All Dowd's saying is "Trump's gonna Trump," and at this point I don't see how that can be controversial to anyone.

William said...

I'd like to see SNL do a parody of those star crossed lovers at the FBI. Maybe a few jokes about Charlie Rose and his his clogged toilet and the intern who cleared it. That's got be a metaphor for something. But nooooo, we get Stormy Daniels. Not a comedian doing a caricature of Stormy Daniels--that would be in bad taste--but the real Stormy Daniels.

FIDO said...

I would suggest that Trump pardon all new people he hires of any prior wrongdoing just to prevent Mueller from trying to use a jaywalking offense to suborn perjury toward Trump.

Mueller keeps looking for his Richie Rich to Trump's Thomas More...but Mueller isn't Henry VIII and can't offer up Wales, though he can threaten Jails.

Preemptive pardons preclude the possibility.

Matt Sablan said...

If giving money to shut Stormy Daniels up is a campaign contribution, would promoting her be a campaign contribution to the Democrats?

William said...

I read that some Russian oligarch has a half billion dollar yacht. There's all that sweet oligarch money laying around Russia, and Trump's got all those high end condos to be sold. I'm surprised they haven't found evidence of any shady deals. Trump should hire some consultants from the Clinton Foundation to perform a rain dance. The real scandal is that a businessman of Trump's acumen was not able to put together some kind of shaky deal with those crooks. Trump might have lost a step.

Michael K said...

a parody of those star crossed lovers at the FBI.

CTH has made a pretty good argument that the "affair" was a cover for their email thread.

They were busy with the Hillary campaign. Too busy to have an affair.

Matt Sablan said...

"They were busy with the Hillary campaign. Too busy to have an affair."

-- Eh, I think an affair is just another manifestation of their piss poor judgement.

David Smith said...

I was about to ask, "Hasn't this stupidity gotten boring enough to just not pay any attention to it?" when my other little voice said, "Kid, you're the one who visits Althouse's blog almost every day..." so, I guess it isn't quite boring enough (which is not to say it isn't utter stupidity). It's really, really close to being boring enough, though.

Then I'm reminded of Jerry Pournelle's like back in the Byte Magazine days - "I do stupid stuff so you don't have to" - so I suppose I should be grateful that Althouse reads this stupid stuff so I don't have to...thanks, Dr. Ann!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

The President of the United States is never going to be “just another guy” so the whole premise of the column is laughable. Dowd is just venting that desperate, Chuckian, envy that the smug hold for the bold.

Otto said...

"and the word "naked" in the column title is the kind of desperate plea for attention that the column seems to want to deplore."
Good writing!
Funny how "The Trump" makes his critiques babbling juveniles.
Only naked Trump worth see is FLOTUS.

gadfly said...

It is fitting that "The Emperor's New Clothes", the Hans Christian Anderson story for children is a most befitting parable for the life and times of Donald Trump. Emperor Trump parades about in his imaginary finery and masses of his subjects gather to" see" his clothing and to cheer his "brilliant" but often repeated self-love utterances. Only when a young "Never-Trumper" boy in the crowd yelled "the emperor has no clothes!" did some of the self-deceived Trumpers recognize the nakedness as today's reality.

A new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found what other studies have found: Support for Trump was largely motivated by white fear of displacement from dominance.

“White Americans’ declining numerical dominance in the United States together with the rising status of African Americans and American insecurity about whether the United States is still the dominant global economic superpower combined to prompt a classic defensive reaction among members of dominant groups.”

narciso said...

As opposed to podesta who used the money manafort handed him to lobby to buy art, why hasn't he been charged and what of vin weber.

Manafort also defended Jonas savimbi who was fighting Cuban backed forces in angola.

Darrell said...

They were busy with the Hillary campaign. Too busy to have an affair.

And thinking of Hillary is better than salt peter for short-circuiting romantic thoughts.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

“White Americans’ declining numerical dominance in the United States together with the rising status of African Americans”

Surely, you, or they, jest. If ever a people were in a status tailspin, it is African-Americans. The degree to which their fates are interlocked with the white working-class is seriously unexamined.
Now, if they had said the rising status of Hispanics they might have had a point. Except, Hispanics of rising status are essentially White so we’d best not talk about that.

Bob Boyd said...

I have a friend who's a life-long Democrat. When this Stormy Daniels thing started, he was eager for a video of Trump to be released. I said, "Who wants to see trump naked?" He said, "I do."
It's not enough for Trump's agenda to be stalled, for him to lose his support or to control of Congress or the next election. Trump haters want Trump humiliated and destroyed. They want to punish Trump.

Beldar said...

In a media environment already fully saturated with Trump — all Trump, all the time, 24/7 Trump, Trump good or bad, Trump winning or failing, Trump Trump-Trump Trumptrumptrumptrump — you need something more than Trump to set yourself apart.

So:

Nakedness!

But not attractive nakedness, and not photographic or otherwise visual nakedness; rather, this is seeking the target audience responsive to imagined nakedness of someone the audience finds fascinatingly repulsive.

Darrell said...

None of Manafort's dealings with his home mortgage and consulting for the Ukraine has anything to do with Trump. It occurred a decade before the Trump campaign. And one would think the statute of limitation would be well passed. That saved Hillary from her options felonies--as did the plea agreement for her broker.

walter said...

Gadfly arrives with social "science".
Oh..if there was an honest "study" to delve into the mental midgetry of those who can't pick from the only two relevant choices.
"Don't blame me! Hands clean!"

Darrell said...

The Media fools have already exposed themselves and forfeited any credibility.

Michael K said...

"you need something more than Trump to set yourself apart."

We have threads on World War I and on Vietnam and quite a few topics if we can avoid the trolls. You should join one of those discussions. We used to have good discussion threads at Patterico before the election.

Trump is a fact, no matter how much you dislike him.

The world goes on. Let's talk about Indo Europeans or World War I and whether the Kaiser was provoked. Did he build his High Seas Fleet because he was threatened when he tried to intervene in the Boer War?

Bob Boyd said...

Trump haters also want Trump to prove that they were right all along. They want to be vindicated. They want their unreasonable overreaction to somehow be justified. It would take something pretty extreme at this point.
Ironically, Trump haters have already publicly exposed themselves and shown themselves to somewhat mental, at least on the subject of Trump.

William said...

Suggested skit for SNL: Charley Rose asks Stormy Daniels to clear his clogged toilet. Stormy replies that she's a porn star and not some dumb bimbo who's willing to go in the can and do anything for a liberal cause.. She has her standards. No anal. No toilets. She suggests he get someone like Maureen Dowd to clear the way for the free flow of information. Charley says good idea and asks if she's up for a bukkake scene with him and some Peabody Award winners instead. Stormy says no problem, but she wants to wear safety glasses during the scene......I haven't worked out all the details, but you can see how the premise is comedy gold.

Earnest Prole said...

Trump haters want Trump humiliated and destroyed. They want to punish Trump.

This is undeniably true. It reminds me of when Kenneth Starr began by investigating an Arkansas land deal, and ended up documenting Bill Clinton's use of Monica Lewinsky as a cigar humidor.

BUMBLE BEE said...

"Naked Trump"? It's a cry for help. The newsprint business is facing the least literate audience ever. The writers are vying for attention in a 24/7 online culture morass. Trump is leading 'em around the corral by the nose. News media has never been so boisterously incorrect as they are now. But, as they used to say back when, "Halitosis is better than no breath at all".

narciso said...

Interesting with Kaiser Wilhelm one might argue they were trying for a,confrontation with the UK since agadir if not early Nicholas Meyer seven percent solution novel (horribly adapted, btw) suggest he is the villain of the piece. Other eorks,of the period like the lAst Sherlock Holmes suggest it was only a,matter of time.

narciso said...

Germany was left holding the bag at the end of the war, the punitive peace clemenceau and Lloyd George imposed has all sorts of noxious effects as Michael Burleigh noted in the first part of sacred places.

narciso said...

Dr Antonio wasn't he that red diaper baby that pestered Nixon in the 70s, are disinterring Timothy leary?

narciso said...

If memory serves correctly:

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/world-war-100-1-july-the-agadir-crisis-1911

Now Germany did come in late to the colonization game, the hetero matter in southwest Africa is case in point, related in Pynchons gravity rainbow, then you have the Berlin BaghdAd railroad.

narciso said...

Anyways prigizhin getting his prized Wagner group splattered in idlib is,a greater indicator than any mild sanctions which are just more reason to hire lawyers,like deripasha did with Waldman firtash did with lanky Davis and snerbank did with podesta.

narciso said...

Now the indictment did make prigizhin stand out in a,city of 300 oligarchs like the intelligence assessment was a glossy advert for rt otherwise I don't see the use for either.

narciso said...

Sberbank is one of the largest sanctioned enterprises in russia,unlike Fridman and khans
Alpha group, who son in law fee swaan is the latter's son in law.

narciso said...

Der swaan, subject to the same dubious,charge as scooter libby, happens to have a father who is suing Glen Simpson for his list of sources.

narciso said...

Father in law, just like Dan Jones leaked to McClatchy to reinforce the marrative about Prague and forced Cohen to withdraw his suit against fusion, check and mate.

narciso said...

Any other illusions you might want to entertain?

narciso said...

Isn't this like the rantings of or carre on the eve of the Iraq war, substitute Halliburton and Carlyle group and harken oil?

Sam L. said...

CNN jumps a shark EVERY DAY. Fonzie only did that once.

todd galle said...

Don't overlook the Northern European family relationships stemming from Q. Victoria. Wilhelm was always visiting England and loved his honorary military ranks in the British military, both on land and sea. I recall an anecdote about the Brit government went so far as reminding 'Willy' that uniforms were not worn when in the country. Plus his withered arm was also an issue. George and Nicholas were the cool cousins, while Wilhelm was the annoying over compensating relative who screws up reunions.

Bad Lieutenant said...


Beldar said...
In a media environment already fully saturated with Trump — all Trump, all the time, 24/7 Trump, Trump good or bad, Trump winning or failing, Trump Trump-Trump Trumptrumptrumptrump — you need something more than Trump to set yourself apart.

So:

Nakedness!

But not attractive nakedness, and not photographic or otherwise visual nakedness; rather, this is seeking the target audience responsive to imagined nakedness of someone the audience finds fascinatingly repulsive.

5/6/18, 1:49 PM


Nazis, communists, criminal gangs, and serial killers all like to get their victims naked, humiliated and afraid, somewhere before or during the robbery, torture and murder stages. They like the thought of it and they like doing it.

Don't be like nazis, communists, gangsters and serial killers. If you are, stop.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Hey Beldar,

What do you look like naked?

If they can railroad the President,

They can do it to you.

Achilles said...

gadfly said...
It is fitting that "The Emperor's New Clothes", the Hans Christian Anderson story for children is a most befitting parable for the life and times of Donald Trump. Emperor Trump parades about in his imaginary finery and masses of his subjects gather to" see" his clothing and to cheer his "brilliant" but often repeated self-love utterances. Only when a young "Never-Trumper" boy in the crowd yelled "the emperor has no clothes!" did some of the self-deceived Trumpers recognize the nakedness as today's reality.

A new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found what other studies have found: Support for Trump was largely motivated by white fear of displacement from dominance.



Leftist loses election.

Proceeds to scream at clouds.

Achilles said...

Beldar said...
In a media environment already fully saturated with Trump — all Trump, all the time, 24/7 Trump, Trump good or bad, Trump winning or failing, Trump Trump-Trump Trumptrumptrumptrump — you need something more than Trump to set yourself apart.

So:

Nakedness!

But not attractive nakedness, and not photographic or otherwise visual nakedness; rather, this is seeking the target audience responsive to imagined nakedness of someone the audience finds fascinatingly repulsive.



Says the unhinged never trumper without a hint of irony.

Ironic.

Nobody has fallen farther than republicans who don't actually want conservative things to happen in our government.

langford peel said...

Hey Beldar shouldn't you be whacking to the naked photo of Pattercio you got for Christmas instead of bothering the nice people here?

James K said...

I think stripping off your clothes and walking in public is something that a person having a mental breakdown might do. In fact, I once saw that happen to a man (from my apartment window in NYC in the 1970s).

Wasn’t there a story just a couple of weeks ago about a Harvard student doing just that? And the police were accused of excessive force? Without checking, I think it was blogged about here.

grackle said...

Or maybe jeff sessions will wake up soon.

I’ve suspected that Sessions is a ringer for months. There’s nothing for him to “wake up” from. The man is not sleeping.

Perhaps his endorsement of Trump was more of a reluctant political decision rather than a sincere appetite for the Trump agenda. Whatever his motives might be his behavior is exactly like someone who is covering for the NeverTrump faction in the DoJ. Forget all the background noise on the MSM and the cables(including FoxNews) about the Trump/Sessions issue and focus on what Sessions has actually done and NOT done.

Nunez issued a subpoena which the DoJ has refused to honor, citing the same bogus reason(national security) given for redacting or refusing to produce OTHER documents that were later revealed to have NOTHING to do with national security but WERE embarrassing to the upper hierarchy of the DoJ.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Ya never know what might happen!

Rae said...

I'm still convinced that Trump's most vocal critics dream every night of being dominated by him and wake up and angry and ashamed.

rcocean said...

"I’ve suspected that Sessions is a ringer for months. There’s nothing for him to “wake up” from. The man is not sleeping. "

You MIGHT be right. His behavior has been incredibly weird for a Trump supporter. I'm waiting for the IG report - maybe that's what everyone is waiting for.

Or maybe Sessions is in love with Rosenstein.

mikee said...

Could be worse.
Hillary could have won.
Her brand of crazy make Trump appear a stoic philosopher.
And she's a naked crazy walk to the helicopter nobody needs.

Bilwick said...

People who think the State is our best friend, and the more power it acquires the better off we'll all be, have no business questioning the sanity of others.