July 18, 2018

"The reaction by most of the media, by the Democrats, by the anti-Trump people is like mob violence. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"This is the president of the United States, doing what every president... since FDR in 1943 with Stalin, meeting with the head of the Kremlin. And every president since Eisenhower, a Republican by the way, has met with the leader of the Kremlin for one existential purpose: To avoid war between the two nuclear superpowers. Today, in my considered, scholarly, long-time judgment, relations between the U.S. and Russia are more dangerous than they have ever — let me repeat, ever — been, including the Cuban missile crisis. I want my president to do -- I didn't vote for this president-- but I want my president to do what every other president has done. Sit with the head of the other nuclear superpower and walk back the conflicts that could lead to war, whether they be in Syria, Ukraine, in the Baltic nations, in these accusations of cyber attacks. Every president has been encouraged to do that an applauded by both parties. Not Trump. Look what they did to him today. They had a kangaroo court. They found him guilty. And then you had the former head of the U.S. CIA, who himself ought to be put under oath and asked about his role in inventing Russiagate, calling the President of the United States treasonous. What have we come to in this country? And what is going to happen in the future?"

Said NYU Russia expert Stephen F. Cohen (speaking on Tucker Carlson's show Monday).

Cohen is a contributing editor at The Nation, a left-leaning publication. In the interview, he said to  Carlson, "Let me ask you a question, you know D.C., why do these people dislike Putin, the president of post-communist Russia more than they ever seemed to dislike the communist leaders?" Carlson just repeated the question, and Cohen said "There is an answer but we'd need a lot more time and a psychiatrist."

Note: The transcript at the Real Clear Politics link was full of little errors. I watched the video (embedded there) and have corrected the text. Nothing substantive.

ADDED: In a similar vein, there's Rand Paul:
You know, I think engagement with our adversaries, conversation with our adversaries is a good idea. Even in the height of the Cold War, maybe at the lowest ebb when we were in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis, I think it was a good thing that Kennedy had a direct line to Khrushchev. I think it was a good thing that we continue to have ambassadors to Russia even when we really objected greatly to what was going on, even during Stalin’s regime.

So, I think that it is a good idea to have engagement. And I think that what is lost in this is that I think there's a bit of Trump derangement syndrome. I think there are people who hate the president so much that this could have easily been President Obama early in his first administration setting the reset button and trying to have better relations with Russia, and I think it's lost on people that they're a nuclear power. They have influence in Syria. They're in close proximity to the troops in Syria. They are close to the peninsula of North Korea and may have some influence that could help us there....

290 comments:

1 – 200 of 290   Newer›   Newest»
LilyBart said...


If the left and the anti-Trump right want us to think they're the 'grown-ups in the room', they should try acting more like grown-ups.

Kevin said...

"The reaction by most of the media, by the Democrats, by the anti-Trump people is like mob violence.

When democracy fails the Left, mob violence is always their answer.

Ann Althouse said...

Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob.

Kevin said...

If the left and the anti-Trump right want us to think they're the 'grown-ups in the room', they should try acting more like grown-ups.

Grown-ups don't refer to themselves as such.

Kevin said...

Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob.

RINO isn't a new term.

rhhardin said...

You don't need a psychiatrist for people saying treason, just for why there's an audience.

They sayers are just doing spin.

rehajm said...

I want my president to do -- I didn't vote for this president

There it is again. Grow a pair. Or a trio.

Ralph L said...

They're trying to distract us from the US government meddling in the election and afterwards.

rhhardin said...

Treason was the Dems declaring a common business interest with terrorists in Iraq. You blow stuff up and we'll blame it on Bush and we'll both come out ahead.

Henry said...

Seems look everyone is seeing something they've never seen before in their life.

MayBee said...

Ann Althouse said...
Not just Democrats. Lots of Republics compelled to join the mob.


Yes, Republicans have a tendency to join the mob rather than have the mob turn on them. A lot of it has been socialized into them- they know if Todd Akin or Sarah Palin says something stupid, they are going to be made to answer to it. They know the left controls the media and culture, and they don't want to be on the wrong side of it.

But. There is nobody that can honestly believe what Russia did in their "meddling" is so awful that it needs to crowd everything else out. I know this because they are not mad at Obama, who was president at the time. I know this, because nobody even cares if there were other countries who did similar things- or worse! Like the Chinese hacking our government servers and stealing the information of private citizens.

The goal is to shut this president down. It would have been done to any Republican president.

dreams said...

"Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob."

Yeah, because they never miss an opportunity to show that they truly are the stupid party.

rehajm said...

"There is an answer but we'd need a lot more time and a psychiatrist."

More telling than if he just said we all know why.

Darrell said...

To stop foreign interference, Democrats are giving illegal aliens the right to vote.

David Begley said...

I suspect that the fair-minded "forgotten people" of the flyover states find Brennan's wild and irresponsible treason charge to be a complete joke. Brennan's crazy response speaks ill of him. I already had a low opinion of him, but now it is less than zero,

Trump still wins 40 states. Then what?

This TDS by the media is laughable and very old.

Henry said...

Remember that day when everyone flipped out because President Trump said stupid stuff in a press conference with Vladimir Putin? I was in my fifth grade class when a teacher burst in the room. "The President insulted the CIA" she cried out and we all started to cry.

Darrell said...

Once we ban plastic straws, the violence will surely abate.

James K said...

RINO isn't a new term.

Not just RINOs, unless you apply that to the NeverTrump crowd like NR. They all get cowed by the media, and miss the bigger picture, which is that they'll be next if the Deep State wins this battle.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It is mob violence.

Brennan and Colbert are your mob leaders.
All for the glory and the revenge of the Corrupt Clinton Machine.

Kevin said...

"Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob."

Lots of Republicans inoffensive enough to be allowed on TV and who wish to remain there.

See also: Idiots, useful.

gspencer said...

Look on the bright side. Look at all the new votes that the GOP will be getting this November. 2020's looking good for Don.

wholelottasplainin said...

Ann Althouse said...
Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob.

**************

And where are those violent Republicans, Ann?

Ann?

ANN?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Putin is the great Hillary-lost Butt Hurt scapegoat.

All mind-rivers on the left flow to it, downhill to the septic tank.

Seeing Red said...

There is an answer but we'd need a lot more time and a psychiatrist."


Lololololol

I think this one’s a keeper.

Ralph L said...

They're trying to bullet-proof Mueller.

dreams said...

Our country is changing fast, the young people believe the liberal media and my generation will be dying out in the next 20 years. I see us becoming a socialist country.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Dems never ever eat their own.

Trump brought commons sense to the Imperial City and that is driving them nuts.

Kevin said...

the NeverTrump crowd like NR.

They don't like lower taxes, a growing economy, record unemployment, strong borders, a well-funded military, and end to hostilities in Korea, a reduction in the Russian nuclear arsenal, Federalist Society-picked SC judges, and an end to government-forced purchase of private goods?

Yes, what WILL we call these people? NeverTrumpers begins to sound as ridiculous as undocumented immigrant.

Kevin said...

Here's the underlying question they want answered beforehand: will Trump accept the outcome of the Mueller investigation?

Just like the election they're demanding he agree to be bound by the outcome.

Just like the election, if he finds noting, they will not be bound themselves.

TRISTRAM said...

"Not just RINOs, unless you apply that to the NeverTrump crowd like NR."

Never Trump Republicans like Max Boot (Now a Democrat)? Or George Will (Vote Democrat in 20i8?) Yeah, lots of GOPestablishment are really DEMconservative. They are on the same side, just play with a different flair.

Shouting Thomas said...

The reasons for the wild hatred of Putin from a political group that once embraced Stalin are not difficult to understand:

Putin re-established the Tsarist alliance of the Russian government with the Orthodox Catholic Church. He has declared Russia a Christian nation.

Hillary and her crew once dispatched a dyke envoy to try to link U.S. assistance to reorganizing the Russian economy with acceptance of the gay activist and feminist agendas.

The answer was a decided no. The Russians were insulted.

The left can live with Stalinism. In fact, it once celebrated Stalinism and helped to cover up the genocide of The Ukraine and the existence of the GULAGs. The left can't live with traditional Christianity and the rejection of gay worship and feminism.

This is also the source of Hillary's hostility toward Putin and the Russians.

The left does see an alliance between Trump and Putin. That alliance is that both are old fashioned macho men.

sparrow said...

This is all top down spin from the endangered elite. We are watching the fall of the proud.

James K said...

They don't like lower taxes, a growing economy, record unemployment, strong borders, a well-funded military, and end to hostilities in Korea, a reduction in the Russian nuclear arsenal, Federalist Society-picked SC judges, and an end to government-forced purchase of private goods?

Oh they like all that, but Trump, you know, is not "our kind of people. He's from Queens."

jaydub said...

One correction, The Nation does not lean left, it is as far left as a supposedly mainsteam publication can get in the US.

The outrage over Trump's comments in Helsinki is totally manufactured and completely political (except for Comey and Brennan for whom it's existential.) Arguing about this with the left and the media is moot because their agenda and their politics are founded in dishonesty. I don't believe the damage the Dems have done to the country can be repaired without bloodshed. Might as well get on with it.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The Media reaction same as the Democrat party. But please, don't say the media is an arm to the The Democrat Party.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Remember that day when everyone flipped out because President Trump said stupid stuff in a press conference with Vladimir Putin? I was in my fifth grade class when a teacher burst in the room. "The President insulted the CIA" she cried out and we all started to cry.

Exactly. The pile-on was unbelievable. But no one will remember 7/16 as anything other than a routine flip-out by Trump haters that enveloped most of the Democrats and GOPe and the heart of the DNC-Media complex. Just another Tuesday for these people. I saw the Helsinki press conference likened to Kristalnacht and Pearl Harbor and 9/11, so really where can you go from there?

It's not like Trump offered to help Putin rig an election, like Ted Kennedy did with the Soviets in 1984 (what an ironic year). And he certainly didn't promise them "more flexibility" in the future (wink wink take Crimea who cares). So why the intense freakout? Because the Dream is dead. Mueller shot his wad and shuffled the case off to somebody else to lose. It may be dawning on the resistors that there will be no collusion, that Trump will skate, and it's driving them nuts.

daskol said...

Trump is a genuine threat to the establishment and every approach each wing of it has taken to containing him has failed. Not only failed to contain Trump, but he’s managed to turn it to his advantage. The desperation in the elites strikes me as people recognizing a mortal threat to their power and livelihood. They recognize the threat but haven’t got a clue what to do about it. It’s reassuring to hear a voice of sanity on the left, or at least published in a left-leaning magazine. Governance requires opposing forces, not merely hysterical and ineffective “resistance.”

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Brennan has proven beyond any doubt that the left's most trusted institutions (FBI/CIA) are run by corrupt a-holes.

James Pawlak said...

He needs a historic view. That same view would allow him to see the exact likeness between those and Hitler's followers. It appears that they follow the maxim, "Tell a lie often enough and it becomes the truth".

traditionalguy said...

Why is this riot of fictional news happening? Because those Media teams are in a war that they are losing. The Russia did it Big Lie is their last gasp now. But that lie is a bridge too far because they must convince rational voters that 1) Trump = Russia and 2) Russia and the USA are at war just like they were 30 years ago in the USSR days.

They are doing this futile bonzai charge anyway. If they are gonna lose, they want to take out as many Patriotic Americans as possible with their death in service to the World Government that pays them.

CStanley said...

Personally I'm more with Andrew McCarthy on his opinion that the summit was ill conceived, but at the same time agree that the reaction has been hysterical and overwrought.

And that Tucker Carlson question is something I've been mulling over. It's easy to chalk it up to left/right, Communist sympathyzers vs Red Scare mentality, but I'm more interested in understanding the different factions that have vied for power in post-Soviet Russia and why certain US politicians have aligned with one to the other. Obama and Hillary cozying up to Medvedev, but then changing course probably with Putin's re-ascendancy comes to mind. I'm sure if one could follow the money this would all make more sense, especially since Russia is basically a mafia protection racket pretending to be a government.

So basically what I'm postulating is that for the politicians, there is good Russia/ bad Russia, and the politicians of each party know how to propagandize so that their base will vacillate between fearing Russia and wanting harmonious relations with them, according to how the deals are going.

Tina Trent said...

Here's a thought experiment. Look at the transcripts of, say, Obama (or Bush or Dad Bush or Clinton or Reagan or Carter -- or JFK or FDR -- addressing the press after a private meeting with any world leader.

Does the Reuters correspondent challenge any other president to denounce the leader standing next to him? Do reporters belligerently demand that the president denounce Leader X for, say, Islamic state slave practices, murders of gays, enslavement and sexual mutilation of women? Does the AP reporter abuse the president in the presence of Leader Y?

Never. Not once. Those jibone reporters should have been thrown out of the room.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The LEFT would be happy to drag all of us into a World War with Russia, and anyone else, if it would help them to get revenge for losing the election to Trump.

They don't care about the (literal) fallout. They are insane in their mad desire to regain the control they thought they had over the American people. Loss of power. Loss of control, has driven them to insanity.

Unfortunately, their actions and perpetual poking at the Russian Bear is eventually going to bring disaster upon the whole world.

It comes down to this. It is a battle between us (normals), or them (the insane left). I choose US.

Ray - SoCal said...

I see Helsinki as a Pyrrhic victory as best for the anti Trumpers. The hysteria is unbelievable. Kristellnacht?

I would have written left before instead of anti trumpers, but even some of them are scratching their heads in wonder at the current insanity.

When people accused Obama of treason, I thought of them as tin foil hat types. Interesting the double standard.

Peter Strzok also grew up in Iran.

What a coincidence...

Brennan just did a great job of discrediting himself, and Trump will make it stick - “he’s a bad man”.

Putin is somehow going to use the Mueller charges against the 12 Russians, some type of Political Judo. I wonder what he will do.

Hmm, there sure is a lot of pressure / outrage against Trump. Reminds me of how Community Organizers work / build pressure. Another coincidence, I’m sure.

mockturtle said...

Althouse leaves no Cohen unturned in her daily blogs.

Robert Cook said...

"Treason was the Dems declaring a common business interest with terrorists in Iraq. You blow stuff up and we'll blame it on Bush and we'll both come out ahead."

Geez...there's just no end to the stupidity.

Sprezzatura said...

https://www.emptywheel.net/2018/07/16/at-helsinki-summit-putin-reenacts-the-june-9-trump-tower-meeting/

Tina Trent said...

@Henry: funniest comment ever posted. Ever.

And there are a lot of comments out there.

Anonymous said...

There was always a subset of ideologues primed to go batshit about Russia. (E.g., Max Boot, or John McCain.) But I've wondered if the strategy of flogging "Russian interference" and Russian collusion was first hit upon as a good plan to turn the deplorables against Trump, based on the wider "elites'" cartoon notions of the world view of flyover rubes.

They've always had tin ears about this stuff, imagining that those flyover dumbasses' understanding of international relations and love of country is just some retarded gloppy stew of Red Dawn and Rocky references. So they figured that screaming about "treason" and the Rooskies would be just the thing to separate Trump from his supporters. Wave the flag, talk yourself hoarse about what noble patriots you are, and have the MSM bang on about every rube's favorite villain 24/7. Rubes are easily manipulated by that sort of dumb shit, right?

Just a theory about why the PTBs seem to have gone in en masse for the stupidest, craziest political attack plan I've seen in my lifetime.

If there's any truth to this, the funniest part would be that it's the lefties who've eaten up the propaganda to the last crumb, while the intended targets seem disinclined to take even a nibble.

Robert Cook said...

"The left does see an alliance between Trump and Putin. That alliance is that both are old fashioned macho men."

You see Trump as a "macho man?" Bwahahaha!

Well, he is childish, and a blowhard and braggart. I guess for some, that's a convincing counterfeit of being macho.

Tommy Duncan said...

Can anyone name all of the campaigns against Trump? Here are a few I can recall:

Russia, Russia, Russia
White House chaos
Manafort/Flynn
Pussy grabbing
Collusion
Mental incompetence
Small hands
Obstruction of justice
Paris climate meeting
Stormy Daniels
North Korea summit failure
NATO funding insults
Mistreatment of illegal children
Helsinki treason

The list provides perspective. I know there are more entries.

Shouting Thomas said...

For a commie weenie like you, Cook, I must point out the obvious.

1. Trump is a billionaire
2. He has dated and mated a phalanx of gorgeous women.
3. Buildings all over the world bear his name in huge lettering at the top of the structure
4. He's President of the United States
5. He defeated both parties and the media to win the presidency

You see, what determines who's a macho man is achievements. And, oh, beautiful, desirable women are the ones who ultimate make the decision.

Chris N said...

At Peace Pavilion West, we just let Rasta Dale handle the finances, work assignments, and spiritual leadership.

Who needs Trump?

***Were starting our summer ‘This Land Is Your Land’ meet n greet where we put the goats in rebozos and all the little ones pet them.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Any war for Corrupt Hillary That's a war the Brennan-Colbert-Hillarywoodlander can get behind. Revenge!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Rand Slams Brennan: ‘Most Biased, Bigoted … Hyperbolic, Unhinged Director of the CIA’ Ever

Rand.

M Jordan said...

Reading these comments lifted my spirits. There is hope for America.

Ann, you’ve truly got the best commenters on the interwebs. The fact that you attract such a crowd is to your high credit.

Ralph L said...

Mental instability

Michael K said...

Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't bragging if you ca n do it. Try to remember tha t, Cookie.

Ralph L said...

Althouse leaves no Cohen unturned in her daily blogs.

She googles it hourly to keep tabs on her kids.

chuck said...

> The Nation, a left-leaning publication

More towards Communist, I'd say. And of course the Democratic Party has fascist roots. The old conflict continues ;)

Sebastian said...

"why do these people dislike Putin, the president of post-communist Russia more than they ever seemed to dislike the communist leaders?"

Easy. This is covered by the Universal Theory of Progressive Instrumentalism. Putin hatred is a tool, handy at the moment in the prog pursuit of gaining domestic power.

Putin hatred started sometime between 2012 and 2016, will continue as long as it can be used against Trump, and then be reversed, on some pretext or other, greased by speech honoraria, gifts to foundations, and donations to the O memorial in Chicago.

One caveat: a portion of the left liked communist leaders and wanted us to lose the Cold War.

chickelit said...

Blogger Angle-Dyne, Angelic Buzzard said...”But I've wondered if the strategy of flogging "Russian interference" and Russian collusion was first hit upon as a good plan to turn the deplorables against Trump, based on the wider "elites'" cartoon notions of the world view of flyover rubes.”

I’ve been thinking and saying something similar here for a while now. You say it much better though. I further imagine a gnashing of teeth on the pro-Hillary side—something along the lines of “dammit, this would have worked in the Cold War. Why aren’t we 50 points ahead?” Inga parrots the proHillary camp when when she asks “where are all the conservative patriots.”

Off topic, but I read late last night that Scott Walker is getting caught up in some brewing scandal involving a good looking Russian woman who is under suspicion by certain authorities for pro-Russia activities.

Fernandinande said...

@Tommy Duncan - Tacobowlgate. That's my favorite.

pacwest said...

It's a world gone mad.

chickelit said...

Sebastian wrote: “Putin hatred started sometime between 2012 and 2016, will continue as long as it can be used against Trump, and then be reversed, on some pretext or other, greased by speech honoraria, gifts to foundations, and donations to the O memorial in Chicago.”

There is a grain of truth to what Shouting Thomas wrote earlier. Putin hatred did ramp up around the time that he ((Putin) got involved in anti-gay agenda politics in Russia. Not before or after. I believe that this is reflected in the written historical record known as the Althouse archives.

Chuck said...

Dear Senator Paul;

We've never stopped having engagement with Russia. We've always had ambassadors, and such, and open lines of communication.

And when you talk about a hypothetical in which a President Obama did the same thing at the same time under the same circumstances as President Trump, I know what would have happened. A fringe-rightist group, typified by then-citizen Donald Trump would have howled protest that Obama was an anti-American tool. A traitor. I know this, because Trump was willing to go to an even more deranged place to attack Obama, which was to claim that his own private detectives were in Hawaii, finding out things that they couldn't even believe, about Barack Obama's origins.

You've got a lot of fucking nerve, Althouse, with this pro-Trumpist "derangement" drivel, when it was Donald Trump who did that recorded conversation with a reporter claiming to be "John Miller."

Now that is some kind of derangement.

Fernandinande said...

If one puts into google translate
"Цыпленок Цыпа said...
Blogger"


It comes out
"Chicken Chicken said ...
Blogger"

But if one - that's you - removes "Blogger" it translates to:
"Chicken Little said ..."

And if one now removes "said ..." it comes out:
"Chicken Chicken"

By this I conclude that the words "said" and "Blogger" cancel out each other.

Qwinn said...

Tommy Duncan, good list but woefully incomplete without "TWO SCOOPS!1!@1!!"

Known Unknown said...

"The goal is to shut this president down. It would have been done to any Republican president."

Nah, Trump's extra special because he didn't come from the GOPe mines.

Anonymous said...

Chuck: You've got a lot of fucking nerve, Althouse, with this pro-Trumpist "derangement" drivel, when it was Donald Trump who did that recorded conversation with a reporter claiming to be "John Miller."

Now that is some kind of derangement.


I hope they're letting you out for a little sunlight and exercise, Chuck. Too much time in the padded cell isn't good for you.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Inga parrots the proHillary camp when when she asks “where are all the conservative patriots.”

Yes, we are here minding our own business, reading the Althouse blog when along comes Inga demanding, demanding, that we condemn Trump to prove we are patriots. So did Ritmo. And this insane behavior of theirs they blame on us. These two use "patriot" as an expletive 29 days a month, but suddenly demand, demand, that we prove our fidelity to the country. Unbelievable. They don't even know what country they live in.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Blogger Angle-Dyne, Angelic Buzzard said...”But I've wondered if the strategy of flogging "Russian interference" and Russian collusion was first hit upon as a good plan to turn the deplorables against Trump, based on the wider "elites'" cartoon notions of the world view of flyover rubes."

Exactly. Like I said yesterday, the left is trying to neutralize Trump's strong points. He's Making America Great Again? He's patriotic? No, no, he's in bed with a KGB man! He's a traitor and if you like him, you're a traitor too! They imagine that will work with the deplorables. Similarly, I don't think the imagery of Putin and Trump as gay lovers proves the left is homophobic. They're using it because they think conservatives are homophobic.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


"Blogger sparrow said...
This is all top down spin from the endangered elite. We are watching the fall of the proud."

Trump makes them bark like dogs again. I love the assumption that this is just undisciplined rambling from Trump. Along with the outrage comes an inevitable conversation. Why would Trump say that? What did Brennan and Comey say and do? Dems desperately don't want to talk about it but they can't resist the opportunity to emote, opening whatever can of worms Trump wants them to open. Everytime.

JPS said...

Qwinn,

"Tommy Duncan, good list but woefully incomplete without 'TWO SCOOPS!1!@1!!'"

Doesn't Trump like his steak overdone? And eat it with ketchup?

Chuck - you've got a lot of fucking nerve telling our host she has a lot of fucking nerve, don't you think?

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

You've got a lot of fucking nerve, Althouse

Wow

Who the hell do you think you are to talk to the owner of this blog like that? You are SUCH a creep, Chuck. What part of 'she can say what she wants and if you don't like it you can fuck right off' is complicated to you? You sound like a deranged asshole who dreams about showing up on her doorstep to set her straight about what she can and can't say.

Meade, for serious, watch out for this fruitcake.

Francisco D said...

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve, Althouse, with this pro-Trumpist "derangement" drivel, when it was Donald Trump who did that recorded conversation with a reporter claiming to be "John Miller."

I have come to believe that you are a very troubled man Chuck. You are using this blog to act out your issues and I do not appreciate it.

Is this something you do all day with other web-sites?

Matt Sablan said...

It is lose-lose for Trump. If he took a hard line with Putin and called him out, he'd be called a warmonger looking to line his fat cat's friends pockets with war money from war with Russia.

The vast majority of people crying treason would not have been happy no matter what he did. And this is coming from me: And I've been clear I didn't like his original mealy, mushy "eh, whatever" response either. I at least understood it was the best response he could give to a question that, if answered wrong, could sabotage diplomacy.

MayBee said...

Rand Paul, I appreciate you

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"Who the hell do you think you are to talk to the owner of this blog like that? You are SUCH a creep, Chuck"

He swings from vicious attacks on Althouse to fawning flattery of her when she criticizes Trump for something.

Chuck is, in his own way, almost as nuts as Trumpit. And, yes, Althouse and Meade, I'd watch out for him.

gilbar said...

oh for Cripes sake people! You're saying that what Trump has done; was Acceptable?
Here's a Short list:
Did or didn't Trump send a "RESET" to the Russians, that they were No longer the enemy?
Did or didn't Trump tell Putin; "I'll have more flexibility After the election?
Did or didn't Trump LITERALLY invite the Russians into Syria, to shoot at our Allies?
Did or didn't Trump openly MOCK people concerned about russia, saying the 1980's called?
Did or didn't Trump sit back, and do next to nothing, when russia invaded the Crimea?

Face it Folks! Trump would not have been doing all of that, unless he was bought and paid for by the russians. Hell! Trump probably will use the IRS/FBI/CIA to hound his opponents just like STALIN did!

Robert Cook said...

Shouty Tom, I'm sure if Bill Gates were single and wanted to swing with the ladies, he'd have his pick of beauties. He's far richer, smarter and more truly accomplished than Trump will ever be. Does this make Gates "macho?"

No. It makes him a smart, rich, accomplished person, but not macho.

Henry said...

Chuck wrote:

And when you talk about a hypothetical in which a President Obama did the same thing at the same time under the same circumstances as President Trump, I know what would have happened. A fringe-rightist group, typified by then-citizen Donald Trump would have howled protest that Obama was an anti-American tool. A traitor. I know this, because Trump was willing to go to an even more deranged place to attack Obama, which was to claim that his own private detectives were in Hawaii, finding out things that they couldn't even believe, about Barack Obama's origins.

You do realize that your statement supports Althouse's Trump Derangement Syndrome tag. The fact that Trump was an Obama Derangement Syndrome participant has no bearing on whether or not he is the derangement target now.

You seem to argue that he deserves to be a derangement target, and maybe in some consequentialist, amoral way he does. But it is possible to hold no sympathy for Trump, recognize the derangement of the mob, and recognize, as well, that the derangement damages the institutions the mob claims they are protecting.

MayBee said...

So the John Miller thing makes it reasonable for the former CIA director to accuse the president of Treason.....how?

Rick said...

And when you talk about a hypothetical in which a President Obama did the same thing at the same time under the same circumstances as President Trump, I know what would have happened. A fringe-rightist group, typified by then-citizen Donald Trump would have howled protest that Obama was an anti-American tool.

We don't have to consider hypotheticals. Obama's comment to Medvedev that he would have "more flexibility" to agree to Putin's proposals after his final election was far worse than Trump's actions. Then there certainly wasn't this level of general hysteria although I can't be sure literally no one called him a traitor. But his act showed he intended to or wanted Putin to believe he would agree to things beyond what Americans supported.

The difference in media reaction demonstrates reality: the mainstream left is as or more extreme and untethered from reality as the fringe right.

Robert Cook said...

Ann, you’ve truly got the best commenters on the interwebs."

Oh, my god.

Pookie Number 2 said...

I think it would behoove idiotic and inarticulate commenter Chuck to read Chuck’s comment from yesterday explaining why inarticulate idiots are unconvincing.

Browndog said...

Daily reminder this has nothing to do with Russia, or Putin, or anything else.

Get.Trump.

If you are a high ranking member of the government, both former and active, and you deem Trump a traitor--enemy of the State--What's your next move? Who do you deem to be the defacto leader of free America? Or, maybe we don't need one right now. Maybe everyone gets a voice in setting policy and agenda. You know, since the person we elected to do it is no longer eligible.

chickelit said...

“Shouty Tom, I'm sure if Bill Gates were single and wanted to swing with the ladies, he'd have his pick of beauties. He's far richer, smarter and more truly accomplished than Trump will ever be. Does this make Gates "macho?" “

The jealous beta detractors of Gates said the same thing they said about Trump: “Two words: “Micro soft,”

Don’t tell me me you don’t remember that, Cook. BTW, you’ve been saying some things lately that I agree with.

Loren W Laurent said...

It seems there are many that will willfully defenestrate all attempts to diplomatically moderate our relationship with a nuclear-armed Russia, solely to damage Trump.

Meaning they will gladly put this country in danger to satisfy their desire for a man's scalp.

Do I dare call this treasonous?

-LWL

chickelit said...

@fernandistein: In.a former career, one of my duties involved proofreading and correcting silly machine translations of foreign languages.

Unknown said...

It is been awhile since I observed Althouse. What a pleasure. Thank you Ann for being an intelligent soothing online presence. I would like to mention a novel Michael Houellebecq's 'Submission'.

chickelit said...

Robert Cook said...oh my god in response to “Ann, you’ve truly got the best commenters on the interwebs."


Why are you here then so often and for so long, day in and day out? Seriously.

MayBee said...

Exactly, Rick We don’t have to wonder what people would do if Obama did the same thing because Obama did the same thing
There was no 18 month national freak out The CIA director didn’t accuse him of treason the FBI director didn’t tell everyone to vote against his party This is not a hypothetical exercise

Darrell said...

When Chuck goes completely bonkers--probably tomorrow--he can start his own blog copy Althouse's posts and modifuing them the way he would do it. Then he can create fifty sockpuppets and comment how he believes commenters should respond. They might even let him continue if he is institutionalized.

narciso said...

they covered that story with a pillow, until it stopped moving (h/t iowahawk) they suppressed operational Cassandra, because it involved an employee of the Ukrainian arms export agency, in a plot not unlike that of 'act of valor; similarly with the boosters to north korea, that came out of yuralmash,

buwaya said...

As always, follow the money.

This is orchestrated to generate material to feed into the propaganda machine.

These people are professionals, none are making casual, personal comments - some on the fringes, outside the system are, but they don't feed the systemic Wurlitzer.

And professionals serve specific interests from which they derive their livelihood in various ways.

Ralph L said...

Why are you here then so often and for so long, day in and day out? Seriously.

Because his erudition isn't needed elsewhere.

Chuck said...

MayBee said...
So the John Miller thing makes it reasonable for the former CIA director to accuse the president of Treason.....how?


"The John Miller thing" makes Trump a laughable sociopath. No more, no less.

I don't think that "the John Miller thing" excuses any particular comment from any former CIA director, one way or another.

Also; I don't think that anything tweeted by Peter Strzok excuses any attack on Robert Mueller, who relieved Peter Strzok.

buwaya said...

To correct the good professor cited in the article Althouse posted, you do not need a psychiatrist, but an auditor.

Chuck said...

buwaya said...
As always, follow the money.
...


God damn it, I really do wish we could "follow the money" that the Trump Organization borrowed to build and operate Trump Turnberry, Trump Aberdeen and a handful of other Trump projects.

Any ideas on how to "follow that money"?

mtrobertslaw said...

By the way, what is the batting average of our so called "intelligence community"? Well, for starters, there's Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya. Not a confidence-building track record.

mockturtle said...

Browndog has it right. As I've said before, outrage is the Left's default setting.

narciso said...

never mind,

https://twitter.com/CahnEmily/status/1019260659186446336

Michael K said...

As the election approaches, especially if it looks like the left is losing, I expect things to get much worse.

The atmosphere on this blog from the trolls got very nasty and they thought they were winning. Imagine when they are losing and realize it.

Robert Cook said...

"'why do these people dislike Putin, the president of post-communist Russia more than they ever seemed to dislike the communist leaders?'

"Easy. This is covered by the Universal Theory of Progressive Instrumentalism. Putin hatred is a tool, handy at the moment in the prog pursuit of gaining domestic power.

"Putin hatred started sometime between 2012 and 2016, will continue as long as it can be used against Trump, and then be reversed, on some pretext or other, greased by speech honoraria, gifts to foundations, and donations to the O memorial in Chicago."


It has nothing to do with Trump or any fantasy "Universal Theory of Whatzit." The "hatred" of Putin is simply a contrivance. In order to continue to justify the ongoing post-WWII project of American global hegemony--and the continuing budget increases for all associated government agencies (the intelligence and military agencies) and payments to munitions makers and other corporate entities who service war--we must have an existential threat, a menace so great, so implacable and powerful, so omnipresent, that it is always just days, weeks, or months away from exterminating or conquering the home of the free and the land of the brave, (so-called).

Well, after 15 years of a valiant try, "terrorism" fizzled out, it became apparent it was a failure as being that vast, all-powerful, existential threat. At worst, it was a nasty nuisance. So, we had to revive the tried-and-true--Russia! And so, a few years ago, the project to turn Russia back into our once and always mortal enemy began to become visible, little by little, until...here we are.

And that is why Putin is Satan!

narciso said...

it's like the matrix


http://thefederalist.com/2018/07/18/just-like-obama-trumps-russia-policy-speaks-louder-words/#.W080Af1oBmk.twitter

Darrell said...

Trump has one of the most recognizable voices in the world. If he called me saying he was Sam Adams, I would say "What can I do for you, Mr. President?. And "Give my best to Melania and Ivanka and the rest of you wonderful family. God Bless," just before I say goodbye. WaPo reporters and Chuck are certifiable idiots.

Michael K said...

Cookie still gets his news from "Little Orphan Annie"

Chuck said...

Known Unknown said...
"The goal is to shut this president down. It would have been done to any Republican president."


I think that is true. The record sort of bears that out. I remember very, very well how President George W. Bush was treated. I remember how Republican Presidential Nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney were treated.

Nah, Trump's extra special because he didn't come from the GOPe mines.

John McCain wasn't exactly the establishment GOP poster-child. He was a centrist of the first order.

No; Trump is extra-special because he represents so much of what Steve Bannon talks about in terms of the establishment GOP being an enemy of the Trump Team. I think Steve Bannon rather hates most of the establishment GOP. And I presume that the feeling is mutual. I hope the feeling is mutual. I don't make it a habit to hate other Republicans. I hate people who claim to be Republicans, when they also claim that the Republican Party is a huge problem for the United States of America.

Darrell said...

Althouse,

Are you having second thoughts about deleting my "Chuckhead" comment yesterday?

Chuck said...

Oh, what the fuck. I'll just leave this right here:

The unbelievable hilarious "John Miller" tape.


It is such a neat window into the completely twisted soul of Donald Trump.

Browndog said...

Also; I don't think that anything tweeted by Peter Strzok excuses any attack on Robert Mueller, who relieved Peter Strzok.

Ironically, Strzok held the exact same views when Mueller chose him to be on his team.

Along with everyone else that signed up for this witch hunt. I safely assume this based on track record, political affiliations, and the fact not one person resigned following the unprecedented and unethical raid on the home/office of the President's personal attorney.

narayanan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mockturtle said...

There is some truth in what Cookie says. But 'terrorism' is not the main threat of global jihad and I continue to see Islamic jihad as a bigger threat than Russia.

narayanan said...

Even though Sessions has recused himself -
- can he not instruct DOJ to initiate the extradition request under 1999 treaty that Putin mentioned? and have the Russians discover "evidence" against them?

Darrell said...

We get a neat little window into the completely twisted mind and soul of Chuck, right here every day.

It's disturbing.

mockturtle said...

Does anyone else remember the 1967 publication, REPORT FROM IRON MOUNTAIN ON THE POSSIBILITY AND DESIRABILITY OF PEACE?

Pookie Number 2 said...

It's disturbing.

Nah - it’s hilarious watching him squirm between “I like lying about Trump!” and “Why doesn’t anyone believe me about Trump?”

It’s sad that he lets this issue absorb so much of his energy, but his self-destruction is more amusing than disturbing.

narciso said...

well what was happening in 2012, Obama had decided al queda was dead, after ubl's death, Benghazi and the nawal offensive, was inconvenient to that, Islamic state was building up it's cadres, as general Flynn was telling him, but it was downgraded to 'jayvee status'

buwaya said...

The military-industrial complex as a driver for US policy theory seems obsolete.
This was arguably true, or plausible anyway, as an institutional leftover of WWII.
But that was long ago.

In real terms, as a % of GDP or even of that portion directly influenced by US government policy, it is trivial. Most of Washington does not live off the national security teat, nor do its owners in New York or LA or Silicon Valley.

Drago said...

The desperation of LLR Chuck in his abject worship of the democrats and their narratives is taking an unseemly (even for him, a self-identified smear merchant) turn from the terrible to the much much worse.

One does hope, on a human level, that he is receiving some sort of counseling for his varied afflictions.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

This is not a hypothetical exercise

That's right. We know Obama promised flexibility. We know Obama invited Putin into Syria to shoot our allies. We know Obama looked the other way when Putin invaded Georgia. We know Bill Clinton transferred missile technology to China in 1995 in exchange for a lot of campaign cash in 1996. We know Teddy Kennedy asked the Soviets for assistance in beating Reagan in 1984. We know current flaming idiot John Brennan (CIA retired) voted for the CPUSA candidate (backed by Moscow naturally) in 1976. Maybe the Democrat/Progressive perfidy goes back further. I don't know.

But we DO know all of the above happened in the real universe, not Chuck's hypothetical one. And we know there has not been a national day of garment rending and overwrought "day of infamy" comparisons with any of these far weirder prior acts. Because the DNC-Media complex smothers those stories when they might blow back on Democrats. But they spray gasoline and fan the flames to #FakeNews if there's even a slight chance the public might turn on Trump.

Just like LLRs do.

Francisco D said...

"It is such a neat window into the completely twisted soul of Donald Trump."

Let me fix that for you: "It is such a neat window into the completely twisted soul of Chuck, the phony Republican lawyer."

We need to be careful about this guy. I am beginning to think (as others here already do) that Chuck is at high risk for physically acting out his pathologies.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

You can skip Chuck's comments by simply repeating his mantra: "But Trump!"

Chuck is very invested in Trump's buts.

narciso said...

now what is actually going on, muzin and allaham, were part of Qatar's influence operation, which included hacking ambassador otaiba's emails, the uae the kingdom Jordan and Egypt are in coordination against Qatar's proxies in Libya, Egypt, Syria, yemen et al, they are also narrowly allied with iran, as are Kuwait and oman, mueller seems to pulling more on that latter string,

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Chuck said: I remember very, very well how President George W. Bush was treated. I remember how Republican Presidential Nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney were treated.

Yes. Me too. I also remember how they rolled over like whipped puppies and pissed on their own bellies to try to appease the big bad media and become liked by the press.

I also recall how that strategy turned out. Trump decided that he wasn't going to be a whipped puppy and would stand up for himself and MORE importantly for his Voters.

Working out rather well so far. Winning!


Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

On MSNBC, where illiterate histrionic analogies litter coverage every day, a contributor compared Donald Trump’s meeting in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin to Pearl Harbor and Kristallnacht, just to be safe.

Social media is teeming with similar hyperbole — “treason,” “traitor,” etc . — and not just from anonymous trolls. It’s difficult to accept anyone with a working brain actually believes this rhetoric, and they certainly don’t act like it. But if well-heeled pundits keep telling everyone The Fourth Reich is imminent before retiring to their townhouses in Capitol Hill every night, some people might actually start believing them. And if email phishing and hacking is truly comparable to Pearl Harbor or Kristallnacht or the Holocaust there’s really no reason why those accepting these analogies shouldn’t also support military reprisals abroad and coups at home.

-David Harsanyi

Chuck said...

"Mob violence."

Isn't it one of the most-favored claims of the Tea Party; to be falsely accused of "mob violence"? I think that the Tea Party always had a very good claim in that regard. Repeatedly, and regularly, they were falsely and/or hysterically accused of violence, even when the left was actively committing anti-Tea Party violence.

Althouse and Meade witnessed a lot of that in Madison with the anti-Walker protests in the early part of this decade.

Where is the "mob violence" on the part of Trump's critics from the Russia meeting? George Will wrote a column. General Michael Hayden sent out a Tweet. John Brennan used a word, "treason," that many anti-Trump Republicans objected to. Most in Republican leadership expressed measured disagreement with Trump.

There was no "mob violence." If it was "like mob violence," then Donald Trump is "like a white supremacist." That is to say, nobody knows if Donald Trump really harbors white supremacist views. He says some weird things some times that might raise the question, but he'd never acted out any overt white supremacist actions. Just like there are a lot of people who harbor a deep hatred of Trump, but who haven't even come close to acting out any "mob violence" in opposition to this latest Trump foreign policy debacle.

narciso said...

mueller is certainly targeting nader, and wikistrat, on the basis that the former had Russian contacts, yes having been an aide to maliki, the actual Iranian catspaw, unlike the way they froze out chalabi,

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The Democrat Party Media is our real Kristalhacht.

narciso said...

now one would think on the social media influence front, this would be a conflict of influence because mueller has represented facebook in the past,

Darrell said...

I love Trump more today than yesterday.
But not as much as tomorrow. . .

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Jeebus Chuck, WTF are you on about "mob violence" when what we are saying is people are freaking out rhetorically? Over-the-top LANGUAGE you simpleton. Like the kind you use.

steve uhr said...

It is almost as if Cohen has been blacklisted from the media. He used to be the go-to guy to discuss Russia. Now you hardly see him (though I do not watch Fox News - not offered on Sling)

President-Mom-Jeans said...

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve, Althouse"

You've got a lot of fucking sperg, Chuck.

Sniveling little cunt, I bet you look like a fatter version of Strozk. Except he wasn't an incel.

Qwinn said...

Does anyone remember the list of 52 or 53 "Communist Goals" as documented in The Naked Communist? It was entered into the Congressional record in 1961, I think. Reading it now, it makes Nostradamus look like a poker. Pretty much every single item has been adopted by today's Democrat party.

Ironically, one of the 3 or 4 items I used to be able to point to that didn't seem to have come true yet was something like "Infiltrate and control the FBI.".

Then there's "infiltrate one or both US political parties."

Darrell said...

Gov. Walker is seen in a picture with that Russian woman--Maria Butina-- that the Feds charged with being a Russian agent. The first thing she always said to people she met here was that she is trying to promote a better relationship between the US and Russia. That makes her a really sneaky spy, according to the Mueller braintrust. Wisconsin Lefties can now claim that Walker has been compromised and is an agent of Putin.

Michael K said...

Chuck, it's coming and soon. As they find that hysteria isn't working , they will go got the real thing. Like those Trump rallies in 2016'

It' s coming.

Qwinn said...

If someone could find and post that link of Communist goals from 1961, I'd appreciate it. I would, but only have phone access at the moment. Reading it now in the current context is like getting hit by a semi, it explains the last 60 years of US politics so completely.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'm an agent of Putin too!

...and I didn't even get any money from a secret Uranium One deal.

Darrell said...

45 Communist goals....


http://unitedstates.fm/communismgoals.htm

Anonymous said...

Russia has been malevolent since 1917. It's only taken 100 years but the left
has finally acknowledged the obvious.

Chuck said...

Michael K said...
Chuck, it's coming and soon. As they find that hysteria isn't working , they will go got the real thing. Like those Trump rallies in 2016'

It' s coming.


I don't represent, or associate with, or know much, about the radical left. My "side" is with the anti-Trump conservatives and Republicans. My side isn't rioting. I don't want to get injured in a riot and mess up my golf game. We've got day jobs too.

What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

We're all Putin's butt buddies, now.

hombre said...

Here is a great analysis by Angelo Codevilla, who is qualified to offer it: https://amgreatness.com/2018/07/17/diplomacy-101-vs-politics-writ-small/

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Qwinn:

I like #3 but damn if they haven't got most of them done!

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...


21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use [“]united force[“] to solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court

narciso said...

I'm all confused, I thought walker was an exclusive puppet of the Koch bros, who are the successors to Richard mellon Scaife, who took the ball from the murchisons and the olin foundation,

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The communists had great success taking over our public schools. *See red lipstick chick from the Bronx.

James K said...

Here's the list--1963, actually:

Communist Goals

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms.

Seems like a reading comprehension problem, to me. But it depends on how exactly people plan to do what you want, Chuck. Ginning up a pretext (to quote Strzok, your doppelganger) to do so might indeed result in people preparing for a hot war. The other side has been attacking and burning and egging and shooting congressmen and breaking windows and attacking senators so far, with no response from us normals who voted for Trump. But we can only take so much from Bernie Bros. and antifa and your GOPe friends who want to void the People's vote. Don't you have any qualms about siding with antifa and the other would-be assasins?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.”

Did Cook help write this?

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Darrell said...

Gov. Walker is seen in a picture with that Russian woman--Maria Butina-- that the Feds charged with being a Russian agent. The first thing she always said to people she met here was that she is trying to promote a better relationship between the US and Russia. That makes her a really sneaky spy, according to the Mueller braintrust. Wisconsin Lefties can now claim that Walker has been compromised and is an agent of Putin.

7/18/18, 10:39 AM

Hold on now. Walker was one of those Republican candidates who Chuck insists would have been much more effective than Trump because he wouldn't have been crass and vulgar and embarrassing. Walker was perfectly acceptable to the Chamber of Commerce and GOPe types like Chuck.

And yet, the left is now tarring Walker - Mr. Bland TV Dad - with the same traitorous brush as Trump. Why, it's almost like they'll seek to destroy and smear ANY Republicans, even ones with the Chuck stamp of approval. How can this be?

Browndog said...

Both the communists and islamists (Muslim Brotherhood) developed similar 100 yr. plans to advance their ideology world-wide.

Coincidentally, around the same time.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis

Since at least the Wilson admin this has been part and parcel of the Progressive movement and its political arm, The Media/DNC complex.

Seeing Red said...

Or Cookie, Putin’s simply not our kind. He’s a vulgarian.

narciso said...

yes hegel who was the fount for progressive if not dirigiste thought, didn't believe in unalienable rights, that's why germany turned out swell for a century and a half,

Drago said...

LLR and #DickDurbinCuckholster Chuck in full blown Dem Narrative mode.

Again.

Unexpectedly.

I. Did. Not. See. That. Coming.

LOL

Big Mike said...

What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms.

I can certainly picture it.

Achilles said...

Ann Althouse said...
Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob.

There are a lot of people in DC that serve a different group than the one they present themselves as being a part of.

There are a lot of traitors in DC.

Trump’s greatest accomplishment is pulling off their masks.

Steve M. Galbraith said...

I agree with Cohen's characterization of the absurd hysteria by the media over Trump's dismal performance in Helsinki (it's not treason by any definition of the word); but his account of US/Russian relations - that things have gotten worse from the beginning after the collapse of the USSR - is simply false.

We had very normal, indeed cordial relations with Moscow when Yeltsin ran the country. Both Moscow and Washington had numerous agreements to reduce arms and help Russia dismantle its nuclear arsenal. We had trade, investments....a very normal friendly type relationship. It's only been in recent years, since Putin's ascended to power, that things have soured. To be sure, the hysteria from the left about the threat from Russia is just that: hysteria. But the problem is not, as Cohen absurdly stated, that the US needs some sort of Russian "bogeyman" for our own desires; the problem has been Putin's aggressive anti-US approach.

cubanbob said...

What I find amazing is that all the rabid frothing at the mouth and howling at the moon crowd demanding Trump resign or be imprisoned for treason stemming from the Russian interference in the 2016 election ignore the fact that the Russians would not have been able to interfere in the election if President Obama had followed the law on the books at the that time and not allowed his subordinates to violate it. But then again had he done so Hillary and who knows how many others couldn't have profited from graft. If the DNC had not been corrupt and conspired to with the Clinton campaign the Russians wouldn't have had material to work with. What remains unknown to us but certainly not to Putin is how much dirt they have on Obama and the Clintons amongst others and those people know that hence this massive squirrel operation. Trump should order a US Attorney to investigate the whole sordid Obama-Clinton mess and the Mueller team and require Sessions and Rosenstein recuse themselves and fire them if they refuse.

Bay Area Guy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Achilles said...

Chuck said...

What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms.

If the uniparty goes there it is on..

Rumor is Mueller gave the Posestas immunity so he could charge manafort and throw him in solitary.

We see what you people are up to Chuck.

We know why you defend Hillary constantly and call us Trumpkins.

Both the democrats and republicans in the uniparty are traitors to the republic.

bagoh20 said...

I watch these people on MSNBC and CNN, etc, and I can't understand how they can be either so dishonest or so stupid about this stuff.

To them it's armageddon, treason, the worst thing any American President has ever done, yet Trump gave Putin absolutley nothing. Do they not know that past highly honored Presidents have given away half of Europe to Stalin, and kissed Soviet leaders on the cheek. Kennedy admitted privately that he was weak in his negotiations with Khrushchev and within weeks the Soviets were shipping missiles to Cuba. Bush, saw Putin's soul, and liked what he saw.

Again, Trump gave Putin nothing, but he has imposed sanctions, expelled dozens of diplomats, assaulted their energy business, strengthened NATO, admonished Germany for dealing with Russia, killed hundreds of Russian troops, and that's just in the first 18 months. Nobody has ever been tougher faster.

How does that translate into Trump and Putin in a love affair, or Trump being weak or "surrendering". Well, it only does in a fevered mind or or one that hates so much it will express any lie, and the distant from the truth is unimportant. It is nothing short of mass hysteria.

A few times, although rarely, I have seen a few of these fevered pudits confronted with some of the facts, and they simply ignore them and restate their craziness. Nobody ever admits to the facts as important. They just revert to what is wrong with Trump as an entity in their fantasy. They seem satisfied to say he's just bad, and they can say it a hundred different ways with no evidence.

These people are the ones giving Putin what he wants, and as a nation they make us look ridiculous, petty, and foolish. Putin is laughing at us, and not because of Trump. Trump is turning the screws on Russia, while the critics are playing into Putin's hands.

narciso said...

probably craig and sloan, from skadden arps as well, they were the managing partners on the Russian account,

Chuck said...

Achilles said...
Chuck said...

"What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms."

If the uniparty goes there it is on..

Rumor is Mueller gave the Posestas immunity so he could charge manafort and throw him in solitary.

We see what you people are up to Chuck.

We know why you defend Hillary constantly and call us Trumpkins.

Both the democrats and republicans in the uniparty are traitors to the republic.


Oh, I cannot thank you enough. You are typical of the kind of commenter I was talking about. I could hardly have hoped for a better and quicker confirmation of the point I was making.

Thanks again and have a nice day.

I Callahan said...

No one should be too surprised about Chuck’s flailing around. He’s showing the exact same symptoms as Bill Kristol and the rest of the NeverTrump brigade. We should be concerned, but not surprised.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

This is all revenge for Hillary losing.

Now D-voters are saying they don't want any more Hillary.

Lets make Hillary and Strozk the face of the modern democrat party.

Darrell said...

How much shit could a shitChuck chuck if a shitChuck could chuck shit?

The eternal question.

Darrell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Darrell said...

"Hello, Wilbur"

Mr. Ed trying to pull a fast one on a Washington Post reporter.

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Let's remember (just google his work): Cohen has been, to be blunt, an apologist - no other word for it - for Moscow for decades. During the Cold War he was always defending Soviet actions and criticizing US response.

That doesn't mean his analysis today is wrong. But we need to remember that he comes from a very pro-Moscow point of view.

He's right about the hysterical over-reaction to Trump's comments. They were indefensible and awful but not treasonous. But his view that the US is creating some sort of Russian "monster" for our own interests is absurd. Putin's policies towards the US is the problem; it's not the US creating mythical beasts.

buwaya said...

Russia has been "malevolent" to someone or other since the middle ages.
The Poles for instance have had a consistent beef with them for over 500 years.

Tsarist Russia was the British Imperial bogeyman since the 1840's, if not a bit earlier, as Russia threatened some British interests.

This status has varied as circumstances changed. Sometimes better, sometimes much worse.

Perspective is useful.

bagoh20 said...

"What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms."

What would have happened if Obama's campaign and administration was treated as Trump's has been with infiltration, openly documented biased investigators pursuing manufactured offenses for years, and then impeached Obama purely on partisan motivations and openly expressed hatred.

I would expect a nationwide riot with profound destruction, and we would deserve it. Alternatively, we could just accept such corruption as what this nation is now.

walter said...

Excellent summary Bagoh.
And isn't it the case that the hackers made a run at the RNC as well?

bagoh20 said...

Two questions:

What did Trump give Putin?

What recent President has been tougher on Russia than Trump?
(Pointing at a fake red line doesn't count)

buwaya said...

I predict violence also.
The state of discourse has been leading up to it for many years.
This should concern all of you.

The political-cultural-economic contradictions are getting ever worse.

Its telling that my favorite metric, gun sales, have not dropped off. The American people, or very large factions of them, have stayed uneasy even with a largely friendly executive (Obama was the greatest gun-salesman in history).

This is a critical matter. When the US volk feels unthreatened, gun sales will fall.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...


CNN and MSNBC should be up on wires, depicted as balloon babies in diapers.

MacMacConnell said...

If Trump is impeached, the Democrats, Cuck Republicans, the Left, the media and the Resistance will not like the new rules they have established.

Rusty said...

"What I do see here on these comments pages from time to time, Michael, are repeated claims from Trump supporters that if somehow Trump is impeached and removed from office, that they will take up arms."

Here's the deal, Chuck. When you overthrow a legitimately electd president of the United States the people that elected him will get pissed off. They played by the rules and you and your friends fucked them over. So you need to learn that actions hve consequences.
I'll tell you one thing. It will be the only coup in history to keep aomeone in office.

Rusty said...

Mac .You think Antifa is violent? Wait till the TEA party types take it to the streets.

bagoh20 said...

The Dems had little problem with Putin before Trump. They hate Putin now because they think (wrongly) that Trump is his buddy. Trump's method with everyone is pretty consistent and obvious: he's the good cop and the bad cop. Thing about that strategy is that the target can't really do much about it even when they suspect that's what going on. You still have to acknowledge the risk that the bad cop will execute, becuase the good cop and the bad cop effectively require the same concession.

MayBee said...

I just wandered over to Tapper's Twitter timeline to see what he has to say about this ridiculous talk of treason.

And it's filled with talk about war in Montenegro via NATO. What are people getting us into now? What the what is going on?

walter said...

I can't remember, Chuck.
Have you been similarly concerned by Dems stalking and in person confrontations with Trump admin?
You know..actual actions..not mere keyboard typing?
I do remember you saying essentially the upheaval/disruption that taking trump out doesn't concern you because you've got yours. You know..damn the greater good.

n.n said...

Not just Democrats. Lots of Republicans compelled to join the mob.

Yes.

I feel myself drifting left of center. Now, what do we have to do to reconcile moral (individual dignity, intrinsic value, inordinate worth), natural, and personal imperatives, in order to promote the general Welfare, here, there, everywhere?

Matt Sablan said...

"John McCain wasn't exactly the establishment GOP poster-child. He was a centrist of the first order."

-- And still The Next Hitler when needed.

Drago said...

Bagoh20: "I watch these people on MSNBC and CNN, etc, and I can't understand how they can be either so dishonest or so stupid about this stuff."

Because they know the lefties and LLR's like Chuck will go along with literally anything if it returns dems to power to finalize the fundamental transformation of America.

Some leftists, like Cookie/Dershowitz/Stephen Cohen wisely recognize that the trajectory for such a transformation might very well have unforseen consequences and twists and turns and the "new rules" championed by the lunatic left and self-identified smear merchants like LLR Chuck might very well be brought to bear against them.

Drago said...

walter: "I can't remember, Chuck.
Have you been similarly concerned by Dems stalking and in person confrontations with Trump admin?"

LOL

To ask that question of our LLR and Durbin Cuckholster is to answer the question!

Darrell said...


James Comey

@Comey
This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that “Ambition must ... counteract ambition.” All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.
8:50 PM - Jul 17, 2018

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

buwaya said...
"Russia has been "malevolent" to someone or other since the middle ages.
The Poles for instance have had a consistent beef with them for over 500 years.

Tsarist Russia was the British Imperial bogeyman since the 1840's, if not a bit earlier, as Russia threatened some British interests."


My Grandfather left Lithuania in 1905 to escape Russian conscription.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

They also thought Mao was profound. A forward thinker...

That said, their acute phobia of Putin, as with Trump, is that both leaders say and may place their native populations first, which undermines profits from exploiting labor and environmental arbitrage, redistributive change through elective regime change (e.g. coups), forced anthropogenic conflicts, replacement populations, Planned Parenthood, etc. For example, the Republicans will end the born unPlanned penalty tax, but let's see if they can restore market function to determine price and mitigate progressive costs to assure affordable medical care.

Drago said...

Galbraith: "Putin's policies towards the US is the problem; it's not the US creating mythical beasts."

China represents a greater threat by orders of magnitude in all the most important dimensions.

But only every single one.

For that matter Mexico is a bigger threat to the US (with their new Chavezite Preezy) than Russia.

We can whack entire battalions of Russians without fear but we cannot stop a literal social/political invasion from Mexico.

MacMacConnell said...

Rusty
If Trump was really Hitler or even Putin, there would have been a rash of his political enemies accidentally hanging themselves during apparent bouts of auto-erotic fixation or tripping out second story windows. After a time, they just start hanging from light post.

I don't think it will come to that because Trump isn't Hitler, just like every Republican Presidential candidate since WWII wasn't either despite what Democrats have said since WWII. He's not a Putin operative either. He's President of Team America.

tcrosse said...

If Trump is impeached, the Democrats, Cuck Republicans, the Left, the media and the Resistance will not like the new rules they have established.

For every action there is a reaction, equal in force and opposite in direction.

MacMacConnell said...

"For every action there is a reaction, equal in force and opposite in direction."

No Dem would be able to dine out here in Missouri.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Buwaya realistically said: I predict violence also.
The state of discourse has been leading up to it for many years.
This should concern all of you.


Yes. And anyone who doesn't realize that violence or outright civil war is a possibility is not paying attention or fooling themselves.

Most people don't want violence or war. Most people on the 'right' have more to lose in a conflict than those who are the Anti-fa types. Homes, families, businesses, peaceful lives; just want to be treated fairly and left alone.

However, you can only push people so far. You can only shove in their faces that there are rules for the little people and that the insiders/elites are not punished for breaking the rules...cough...Clinton. Make it more than apparent that there is a huge double standard.

You can only denigrate and insult people for so long before they decide to push back or even accept the insults and make them their own. Call me racist? Fine. I'll show you racist! (for Chuck.....that wasn't a threat. Just an illustration. Unwad your panties).

The hysteria and constant crisis mode of the left....most of whom have never really experienced war, violence or who have never served in the military.... is only making a real war a reality.

Do we want this? HELL no. Rational people want to be left to live their lives in peace.

However..............forewarned is forearmed praemonitus, praemunitus

Matt Sablan said...

Again: I didn't like Trump's approach. But I got it. They were there for diplomacy, so I get why you don't poke Putin in the eye at that moment. Still, better ways to answer it. But, "TREASON!11Eleventy!!" is overkill.

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