Althouse: At the Althouse Alehouse...

June 11, 2018

At the Althouse Alehouse...

... you can talk all night.

66 comments:

MikeR said...: Kim and Trump shake hands.; 6/11/18, 8:55 PM
CWJ said...: Just watched ABC interupt the batchelorette to show the initial meeting between Trump and Kim. Could they have been more negative? I don't think so. I was so disgusted!; 6/11/18, 8:58 PM
traditionalguy said...: Dennis Rodman on Chris Cuomo's CNN interview was an emotionally powerful event.Try to find it before the bad guys have chopped it up into weak clips.; 6/11/18, 9:00 PM
Bill Crawford said...: CBS is going on about whether Trump will bring up NK human right violations. One of the panel has the sense to say, "Let's deal with the nuclear threat first."; 6/11/18, 9:01 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: "Kim and Trump shake hands."

One is an unstable, loud-mouth, jingoistic tyrant and the other is....President of North Korea.

(bada bing); 6/11/18, 9:05 PM
Tank said...: Go on, someone tell me that Hillary! could have gotten even this far.; 6/11/18, 9:08 PM
Hagar said...: Tucker Carlson had a guy on tonight who suggested that Xi Jinping may have suggested to Kim Jong'un that "Look, we kept the Communist Party in charge, but reformed the economy, and we are making out like bandits," or words to that effect, and that may be a major reason Kim may actually be serious about a "deal."

Perhaps we could agree that Kim's nuclear stuff and missiles get sent into China rather than to the US - most of the important parts probably are Chinese anyway - and that may make the "deal" easier to swallow in both Pyongyang and Beijing.

I still say the important thing is that North Korea's borders be opened up a bit for more or less normal people to pass through in both directions.; 6/11/18, 9:09 PM
CWJ said...: Sorry. "They" above was meant to be ABC, not Trump and kim.; 6/11/18, 9:11 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: Trump and America have stuff (food, energy, investors) North Korea badly needs. America wants a nuke-free NK. There is plenty of room for a win-win agreement.

"The Art of the Deal" applies.

The key will be in how to manage the negotiations so that Kim looks good at home. In spite of his personality, Trump understands allowing the other side to save face.; 6/11/18, 9:18 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Today in my blog about the movie Dirty Dancing I posted my my 1,000th article
.; 6/11/18, 9:32 PM
pacwest said...: Something I'd not thought of before, but was fairly obvious in the photo shoot. Kim had met a couple of times recently with world leaders but nothing like this and he seemed pretty uneasy. Stage fright? President Trump was working to offset that.; 6/11/18, 9:35 PM
madAsHell said...: Bill Clinton: 'Norms have changed' for what you can do to somebody against their will"

It's official. He's done.; 6/11/18, 9:39 PM
theribbonguy said...: We're America, Bitch !; 6/11/18, 9:43 PM
Birkel said...: Anybody of the Leftists want to talk about 4.9% Q2 GDP growth?
Or perhaps the projected 3.5% projection for the year?

Let's engage on that issue.; 6/11/18, 9:54 PM
Darrell said...: Snopes claims EyebrowGate is false because, get this, "it does not show Justin Trudeau's eyebrows falling off." Pack it in, boys, SNOPES HAS RULED!; 6/11/18, 9:58 PM
wildswan said...: Just looking at Kim, body language, I'd say he wants a deal. And I'd say Trump knows it. Peace in that corner of Hell on earth? I see John Bolton there and Mike Pompeo. IT MIGHT HAPPEN!!!!!; 6/11/18, 9:59 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Trump should appoint Rodman as Ambassador to the UN.; 6/11/18, 10:11 PM
Michael K said...: Perhaps we could agree that Kim's nuclear stuff and missiles get sent into China rather than to the US -

Good suggestion. China probably wants that test site closed and cleaned up.; 6/11/18, 10:13 PM
Darrell said...: China probably wants that test site closed and cleaned up.

Good luck with that.; 6/11/18, 10:15 PM
Drago said...: wildswan: "Peace in that corner of Hell on earth? I see John Bolton there and Mike Pompeo."

Recall that earlier in this process Kim said he wouldn't meet if Bolton was there.

Sit down Little Rocket Man.......and there is Bolton, grinning right back at him....

Yeah, that obama, he sure did know how to negotiate, didn't he?

LOL; 6/11/18, 10:25 PM
Darrell said...: Just saw a clip of Lyin' Ben Rhodes telling Rachel Maddow that Trump will probably lie about what happened at the meeting.

Keep this in mind for Chuck's comments tomorrow.; 6/11/18, 10:39 PM
Jon Ericson said...: This is CNN?
Rodman gets very emotional as he discusses how President Obama wouldn’t talk to him; and he is optimistic that President Trump can help Kim Jong-un lead into a new future for the country and the North Korean people.; 6/11/18, 10:58 PM
Darrell said...: CNN tried to steer the conversation, but Rodman stayed on topic, then started to cry and the CNN flunkie had to shut up.; 6/11/18, 11:08 PM
Trumpit said...: I wish Trump all the luck in the world after he starts WWIII. I can't shake the feeling. Kim will incinerate half the world and Trump the other half.; 6/11/18, 11:17 PM
Darrell said...: Trumpit--you are as stupid as you are annoying.

That's what you're fishing for, isn't it?; 6/11/18, 11:19 PM
Jon Ericson said...: When the comments are good
They are very very good,
And when they are bad they are horrid.; 6/11/18, 11:30 PM
Big Mike said...: Even if Obama had paid attention to Rodman, Obama lacks the people skills to do what Trump does so easily. Althouse probably disagrees. Althouse is wrong.; 6/11/18, 11:30 PM
Sebastian said...: Tough day for the left, almost regardless of outcome.

I mean, Trump's pressure couldn't possibly work, and then meeting with Kim was a bad idea and then, OMG, Trump pulled out of the meeting, see, he's a failure, and then, oh well, the meeting is back on but nothing could come out of it, and then something could but he'd probably lie about it, and next thing you know something decent will come out of it and it's all thanks to China.; 6/11/18, 11:35 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: The crazy thing here is that this is something that Trump is really, really good at. Of course, making him look even better, this was something that his predecessor was really, really bad at. Classic case there of first rate minds hiring first rate minds, while second rate minds hire third rate minds. Still have never understood why anyone thought that John Kerry had the brains or ability to negotiate himself out of a wet paper bag. No doubt that Obama believed that he and his failed novelist flunky (Rhodes) knew everything that needed to know, and Sec of State was a nice sinecure for Kerry, for services to the Dem party, so why not give him the post, since he wanted it so badly? Of course, the two of them had little clue to what they didn't know. And why would they? Before that, Obama had been a backbencher in IL and the Senate, without signicant, or even mediocre, accomplishment to his name. And before that, a community organizer, whose most onerous negotiation was probably his cut of the take. Contrasted, of course, with his successor, who negotiated for a living, and, years ago, wrote one of the most famous books on negotiating.; 6/12/18, 12:07 AM
wholelottasplainin said...: Tomorrow's headline:

"Trump Triumph, Mindless NeverTrumpists Hardest Hit"

Not a day to stand too close to tall buildings, as it will be raining crazed leftists who, before jumping, will set their hair on fire and go down as human zorches.; 6/12/18, 12:12 AM
YoungHegelian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/12/18, 12:23 AM
YoungHegelian said...: I listen to NPR & CNN & it's Trump-negativity wall to wall.

Let's be honest here: If there's any major motion immediately from this meeting regarding immediate de-nuclearization of NK it'll be because the Virgin Mary appeared in their midst and told them "Boys, get yer shit together!".

It won't happen, & Trump shouldn't be blamed if it doesn't. However, if any processes are set in motion that lead to greater openness from NK, a reduction in its repression of its own people, and an agreement from NK to seriously negotiate its nukes away in talks involving the SKs, Americans, & Chinese, then that will be a major foreign policy triumph for Trump.

Don't raise the bar to miraculous levels & then fault Trump for failing to reach it.; 6/12/18, 12:26 AM
Gahrie said...: If Trump returns with a treaty he should immediately submit it to the Senate for ratification.; 6/12/18, 12:35 AM
YoungHegelian said...: I'd also like to point out that Trump has, thanks to Rodman's public cri de coeur, just added to his street cred among the African American community.

What a surprise, Obama behaved like a dick to one of the brothers because Rodman just didn't run with the right set to be doin' what he was doin'. But, Trump, the outsider, saw what value another outsider could bring to the table, no matter what color his skin was.; 6/12/18, 12:35 AM
Darrell said...: Macy's just
bought North Korea.
No need to change the flag.; 6/12/18, 12:42 AM
Darrell said...: Agreement just signed. Details later.; 6/12/18, 12:48 AM
Gahrie said...: How's this for the first re-elect commercial:

Scene #1: De Niro shouting "Fuck Trump".
Scene #2: a clip from a news show talking about the booming economy.
Scene #3: a clip from Pelosi badmouthing the tax cuts.
Scene #4: a young couple talking about the improvement in their lives from the tax cut.
Scene #5: Maxine Waters spouting her usual bullshit
Scene #6: Charts and narration about the minority unemployment numbers
Scene #7: a clip of Hillary or Schumer (or whoever the Democratic candidate is) talking crap about Trump's foreign policy
Scene #8: a visual of Haley giving the U.N. Hell. a narrator saying...he brought us peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel, he brought us peace between North Korea and the rest of the world, he is standing up for American interests around the world.
Scene #9: A split screen. On one side Trump is working a cheering ropeline..shaking hands etc.the other has a montage of Pelosi, waters etc. The voice over is "America, the choice is clear"
Scene #10: a smiling Trump looks into the camera 'I'm Donald trump and I approve this message"

Scene #11: Text reading "Vote Donald Trump for president on November X"
fade; 6/12/18, 12:49 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Agree with younghegelian,

Trump just picked up more of the black vote.

Wow!; 6/12/18, 1:02 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Best explanation of the Trump Doctrine I have read.

>Blogger theribbonguy said...
>We're America, Bitch !

Originally from the Atlantic quoting 2 WH staffers.

Another version uses bitches.

For some reason the Atlantic thinks this is a negative.; 6/12/18, 1:06 AM
Gahrie said...: Peace in our time.

Except for the part about letting him annex other countries.; 6/12/18, 1:06 AM
Drago said...: readering: "Peace in our time."

I know you think this is clever. I know the lefties and LLR Chuck will have all their talking points teed up for this tomorrow morning.

The reality is that you guys are s***ting your pants that something real and meaningful and in our interests was achieved and it will not be something the dems/left/LLR's can coverup.

And whatever it is was not achieved by handing over pallets and pallets and pallets of small denomination cash that can be immediately transferred to terrorist factions....like the "Lightbringer" obama gave to Iran.; 6/12/18, 1:12 AM
Gahrie said...: The reality is that you guys are s***ting your pants that something real and meaningful and in our interests was achieved and it will not be something the dems/left/LLR's can coverup.

Trump should send whatever it is to the Senate for confirmation as soon as he gets back.; 6/12/18, 1:15 AM
Darrell said...: North Korea has agreed to take back all American journalists.
Developing.; 6/12/18, 1:15 AM
Drago said...: Gahrie: "Except for the part about letting him annex other countries"

Shhhhh.

readering never got to the second paragraph of that chapter in his/her Junior High history book.; 6/12/18, 1:30 AM
Darrell said...: Press conference delayed.
CBS disappointed about their speculation of the details based on captured images of document at signing. The document, they say, could have been signed five years ago, because the bulletpoints are vague--The US and DPRNK agree to promote total nuclear elimination of the Korean peninsula and the US gives security guarantees to the DPRNK. Not good enough for CBS. Trump called it comprehensive! Trump called it comprehensive! Clinton signed agreements the size of a big metro phone book! And the DPRNK didn't honor THAT!; 6/12/18, 1:53 AM
gadfly said...: Today's version of Trump Show & Tell is for the benefit of the latest version of the GOP Establishment designed to fool the voting public. We have private meetings that no one gets to record or witness and it is incredibly easy for the former reality TV boss to turn scripts into living reality.

Trump is not the only high-ranking official to play the game. In 2011, Barry Soetoro had an election to win, so the script writers got together and two Marine helicopters, flying Navy Seals, landed at Osama bin Laden's secret hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killed bin Laden and conveniently buried his body at sea and then they tore down the shabby walled complex

Sadly, the whole legend of Osama bin Laden and his tiny band of mujahadeen which became al Qaeda under the CIA's lie to put a face on the the War on Terror. We know that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) planned and carried out 9/11. We also know that the last time bin Laden was seen breathing was in October 2001.

Osama likely died on December 26, 2001, according to a Fox News interview of a Taliban source who claimed that he had attended Osama’s funeral, along with some 30 associates. The cause of death, he said, had been pulmonary infection The New York Times on July 11, 2002, reported the consensus of a story widespread in Pakistan that Osama had succumbed the previous year to his long-standing nephritis.

The CIA continued its deception by claiming that audio and video tape speeches from bin Laden were real, but tests of audio and a much too short Osama without an his long distinctive nose showed up on seven years of videos. The real proof was brought to head in Abbottabad's dark photos which had no resemblance to the Saudi prince.

Suddenly CNN and the New York Times will seal that Nobel Peace Prize, the Norks are off the hook with a billion dollars to secretly complete nuclear warheads and the Chinese Commies win the economic war.; 6/12/18, 2:23 AM
Darrell said...: CBS--Trump said nice things about KJU and said nasty things about the some of the leaders of G7 over the weekend.

They must be reading Inga's comments.; 6/12/18, 3:08 AM
Beldar said...: Trump got rolled. Kim played him like a big, stupid fish. We've turned the Dear Leader into the World Respected Leader and given him the greatest propaganda coup of his miserable country's existence, with a luxury vacation at our expense thrown in to boot. We've given him promises of security guarantees. Our POTUS has called him a great leader who loves his people, and has promised to invite him to the White House. We're certainly not going back to "maximum pressure," much less anything more robust; all threats are as effectively off the table as they were throughout the Obama era. China can heave a sigh of relief, Japan a sigh of frustration. The same Trumpkins who mocked Clinton and Dubya and Obama for getting snookered by the Norks will demand that Trump get his Nobel Peace Prize now.

And what did we get in exchange? Did we get complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization as we define that term? Nope. We got a "renew[al]" of Kim's supposed prior commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which as the Norks have always defined that term (on the previous occasions when the snookered Clinton, Dubya, and Obama), means the U.S. withdrawing all forces, including nuclear-capable ones, from the peninsula, at which point we might, perhaps, begin to talk about some sort of voluntary self-restraint on the part of the Norks.

Con men love to con other con men. Kim just became World Champion, and Trump's his chump, his sucker, his mark.; 6/12/18, 3:27 AM
Clyde said...: For some reason, the episode "A Piece of the Action" from Star Trek: The Original Series came to mind, with Trump in the Kirk role.; 6/12/18, 3:30 AM
Kevin said...: “Obama lacks the people skills to do what Trump does so easily.“

Trump made that point several times in the press conference. LOL!; 6/12/18, 3:43 AM
Kevin said...: Trump, “I gave up nothing but a meeting.”

Also got a commitment to begin retrieving Korean War remains. Wait until the first of those start arriving. Easy for Kim to do and immediately signals to the public that something has changed.; 6/12/18, 3:47 AM
Clyde said...: I don't share Beldar's pessimism. I normally find myself in agreement with him, but not this time. We don't really know what is going to come out of this. This is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning. There's going to be a lot more negotiation before anything of real substance is agreed to, but what we have seen is that neither Trump nor Kim are apparently the madmen that they have been portrayed as, ready to blow up the world on a whim. Kim has shown by leaving his country and going to Singapore that he wants to make some changes. And if a country that has basically been the rabid pit bull in China's fenced-in yard can instead become a "normal" country, or something even approximating one, then the world will be safer and better off. The status quo was unacceptable. This is not the status quo any longer, and we'll need some time to see whether it becomes an improvement. Let us hope so, and support those who are working to try to make it so.; 6/12/18, 3:51 AM
Oso Negro said...: @ Beldar - yeah, it’s so disappointing we didn’t just restart the shooting war in Korea. Seoul could have been flattened again, millions of refugees and dead, another generation of young Americans sacrificed, and the left could have felt smugly satisfied that Trump was a warmonger.; 6/12/18, 4:00 AM
Darrell said...: Beldar and Chuck may--someday--rest in peace. I hope their loved ones don't add something about Trump on their tombstones. Vandals, I can't speculate about.; 6/12/18, 4:19 AM
rehajm said...: It’s about horse trading, pessrmists. Like when Obama masterfully negotiated with Cuba on human rights. Cuba gets to keep their Fascist state and the US gets to import their healthcare system.; 6/12/18, 4:27 AM
Darrell said...: Trump has been up for over 26 hours at this point. I hope he gets some ZZZs on the plane. CBS's summary of the press conference was totally off the mark. They gay guy summing it up seems to think that 1000's of living Korean War MIA's are coming home (Does anyone really know where they are? How's that going to happen?) The rest of his summary wasn't much better.; 6/12/18, 4:29 AM
rhhardin said...: Richard Epstein on Masterpiece baker
https://www.hoover.org/research/libertarian-religious-liberty-and-masterpiece-verdict

podcast. his usual idea about what should have been done at the end.; 6/12/18, 4:30 AM
gilbar said...: OMG! while we were all distracted by korea; REAL NEWS was taking place!
Bo Duke going to JAIL!

This means that he won't be able to use firearms! The most he'll be able to use will be dynamite tipped arrows! His uncle will have to Quit making moonshine! Boss Hogg wins! {and Daisy's pant legs will have to be sold for legal fees}; 6/12/18, 4:45 AM
Jaq said...: "can't shake the feeling. Kim will incinerate half the world and Trump the other half. "

You need therapy.; 6/12/18, 5:14 AM
RBE said...: Hope Trump succeeds in putting a political wedge between Iran and NK.; 6/12/18, 6:47 AM
Curious George said...: Took a while, but the Cubs took the Brewers to the woodshed for the eighth time in nine games. Hope it continues, I'm going tonight.

W; 6/12/18, 6:53 AM
Hagar said...: Let's be honest here: If there's any major motion immediately from this meeting regarding immediate de-nuclearization of NK it'll be because the Virgin Mary appeared in their midst and told them "Boys, get yer shit together!".

More like Uncle Xi, I think.

(And people, "Trumpit" comments are meant as sarcasm!); 6/12/18, 7:27 AM
Birkel said...: Sorry, Beldar, you are great on the law but you're out of your depth on foreign relations.

The pressure points that exist on North Korea run through China. And we are in the middle of a trade disagreement with Mexico and Canada specifically because we want to put pressure on China.

This isn't three dimensional, or X-dimensional, chess. The US can barely affect the "Hermit Kingdom" but we can force China to play ball because their entire economy is built on shipping goods to America.; 6/12/18, 8:27 AM
FullMoon said...: After watching clip linked by Jon Erickson at 10"58 ,I hope Trump gives some credit to Rodman.; 6/12/18, 10:44 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Robin Eatmon said...
Hope Trump succeeds in putting a political wedge between Iran and NK.

6/12/18, 6:47 AM

This is just the beginning. PDJT is going to crack the Norks'program like an egg-egg on the faces of the complicit and the willy-nilly blind.

Full disclosure baby! Hagar, no, why give the Chinese all the EVIDENCE? At the least, if we feel it is an expendable concession, nonetheless we must collect on it.

I happen to want to soak China for a lot of the inevitable DPRK restoration work to come. But I want the foundations rocked of the international system that has led us to this juncture. Asses must be kicked. Attention must be paid.

There was a relatively recent TV production of Harrison Bergeron. In it the POTUS was apparently chosen by lot and, during the broadcast, appeared to be a Pittsburgh ex-steelworker, in wife-beater in his own living room, giving commands that, oh, whatever foreigners were at issue, had better mend their ways and do whatever they were told, or "he'll just nuke 'em," which, sadly I guess, always worked.

It seemed a very effective method of foreign relations. Government by Ugly American. Don't make trouble, Uncle Smashie might wake up and think about you.; 6/13/18, 8:07 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: I should have said,

God willing and the creek don't rise, PDJT is going to crack...etc.

No predictions yet, only recognition of potential objectives.

Perhaps security guarantees means that full disclosure of international complicity with DPRK will put KJU under mortal threat, and we will have a PSD detachment dedicated to keeping him alive.

Mueller is all about tyrannical squeezing of people to get them to flip.

Who's doing more flipping, PDT or the FBI, Trump or Kim, Don or the Democrats? Even such as that Grijalva have crawled out to throw a scrap of praise the President's way. (Wonder if Robert Cook caught that.)

And with what tyranny? Trump can't manage to get a secret kept around him. How do you whack people when half your crews are rats? Most transparency EVAR.; 6/13/18, 8:18 PM