This is maybe slightly peripheral to foreign policy, but there's some overlap. Kevin Drum assembled a list of all the internal leaks out of the white house.
it occurred to me yesterday that we needed a record of the never-ending flow of leaks from the White House (and elsewhere) that are seemingly designed to show what an idiot Donald Trump is. Leaks, of course, are common, but leaks designed to embarrass the president aren't. Especially in the first month of a new administration.
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
This is maybe slightly peripheral to foreign policy, but there's some overlap. Kevin Drum assembled a list of all the internal leaks out of the white house.
it occurred to me yesterday that we needed a record of the never-ending flow of leaks from the White House (and elsewhere) that are seemingly designed to show what an idiot Donald Trump is. Leaks, of course, are common, but leaks designed to embarrass the president aren't. Especially in the first month of a new administration.
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
I'm skeptical they're all true, because seriously who is outwardly loyal enough to have access to Trump but also talks to the press every damn day?
This is maybe slightly peripheral to foreign policy, but there's some overlap. Kevin Drum assembled a list of all the internal leaks out of the white house.
it occurred to me yesterday that we needed a record of the never-ending flow of leaks from the White House (and elsewhere) that are seemingly designed to show what an idiot Donald Trump is. Leaks, of course, are common, but leaks designed to embarrass the president aren't. Especially in the first month of a new administration.
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
I'm skeptical they're all true, because seriously who is outwardly loyal enough to have access to Trump but also talks to the press every damn day?
He's the President. Every meeting probably has a dozen members of staff present just because.
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MortiousThe Nightmare BeginsMove to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
This is maybe slightly peripheral to foreign policy, but there's some overlap. Kevin Drum assembled a list of all the internal leaks out of the white house.
it occurred to me yesterday that we needed a record of the never-ending flow of leaks from the White House (and elsewhere) that are seemingly designed to show what an idiot Donald Trump is. Leaks, of course, are common, but leaks designed to embarrass the president aren't. Especially in the first month of a new administration.
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
I'm skeptical they're all true, because seriously who is outwardly loyal enough to have access to Trump but also talks to the press every damn day?
I'm a little surprised that articles about Trump backing down on One China aren't positioning it as Trump losing his first significant pissing contest with China.
Significant for who? Americans? Yeah right.
Yeah, Trump embarrassed himself on the one china policy. He proclaimed a change in policy, and then one phone call with Xi Jinping and he was publicly begging China to take him back. Once again he brags that he's a great negotiator, yet he got nothing from China and publicly lost credibility that he'll stand behind his policy declarations in the future. It does reveal Trump's true character - he lacks even the convictions of a warmonger, he's just a loudmouth.
Of course, the One China Policy is generally in America's interest, and is also basically meaningless because our agreements are very carefully crafted to not actually mention *which* government we believe should be in charge of a combined China, it's just a bit of polite international fiction.
Luckily for Trump, most Americans have even less understanding of the One China Policy than they do of TPP, so nobody in America really cares.
No lie, I don't even know what any US President could change about the One China Policy. It's like the non-policy to end all policies. It doesn't really say anything substantive of meaningful; it's just a prerequisite for diplomatic relations with the PRC. It's like if someone asked you if you liked cake or pie more, and your answer was that you like one of them. The substantive PRC/ROC foreign policy is outlined in other policies, such as the Taiwan Relations Act.
It's unclear to me what any American could find problematic about it, and what it could possibly be changed to that would be meaningful in any way: I guess the US could say there are TWO Chinas and fully come out for Taiwanese independence? But why?
This is maybe slightly peripheral to foreign policy, but there's some overlap. Kevin Drum assembled a list of all the internal leaks out of the white house.
it occurred to me yesterday that we needed a record of the never-ending flow of leaks from the White House (and elsewhere) that are seemingly designed to show what an idiot Donald Trump is. Leaks, of course, are common, but leaks designed to embarrass the president aren't. Especially in the first month of a new administration.
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
I'm skeptical they're all true, because seriously who is outwardly loyal enough to have access to Trump but also talks to the press every damn day?
Every Republican staffer? Every Republican period?
Like, the GOP back Trump because they are too cowardly to oppose him. That doesn't mean they like him.
I'm a little surprised that articles about Trump backing down on One China aren't positioning it as Trump losing his first significant pissing contest with China.
Significant for who? Americans? Yeah right.
Yeah, Trump embarrassed himself on the one china policy. He proclaimed a change in policy, and then one phone call with Xi Jinping and he was publicly begging China to take him back. Once again he brags that he's a great negotiator, yet he got nothing from China and publicly lost credibility that he'll stand behind his policy declarations in the future. It does reveal Trump's true character - he lacks even the convictions of a warmonger, he's just a loudmouth.
Of course, the One China Policy is generally in America's interest, and is also basically meaningless because our agreements are very carefully crafted to not actually mention *which* government we believe should be in charge of a combined China, it's just a bit of polite international fiction.
Luckily for Trump, most Americans have even less understanding of the One China Policy than they do of TPP, so nobody in America really cares.
No lie, I don't even know what any US President could change about the One China Policy. It's like the non-policy to end all policies. It doesn't really say anything substantive of meaningful; it's just a prerequisite for diplomatic relations with the PRC. It's like if someone asked you if you liked cake or pie more, and your answer was that you like one of them. The substantive PRC/ROC foreign policy is outlined in other policies, such as the Taiwan Relations Act.
It's unclear to me what any American could find problematic about it, and what it could possibly be changed to that would be meaningful in any way: I guess the US could say there are TWO Chinas and fully come out for Taiwanese independence? But why?
There's a perfectly sound argument that there plainly are two Chinas, that there doesn't seem to be any reason for that to change, that Taiwan was never more than a Chinese frontier and that it doesn't really have that much in common with the mainland, and also that quite obviously the GMD is never regaining control of the mainland so the one-china policy isn't in Taiwan's interest either. One China is politically useful but also kind of nonsense, that's one thing that Trump wasn't actually wrong about.
It's just... Why bother officially changing the policy, when we effectively already have a policy of Taiwanese independence? We're not going to allow China to seize Taiwan, the longer Taiwanese independence lasts the even less likely such a thing becomes and the more distinct the two countries grow, and official recognition of Taiwan doesn't actually really do much to our daily with either country. All a change in official policy would do is to take face away from China, which they will have to find some way to retaliate over. And America gains nothing from it.
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Indeed, while many Republican staffers may be cruel people who lack empathy, many of them are probably very smart. Trump is quite clearly surrounded by people who are overwhelmingly smarter and more capable than him, but these people are also cruel and self serving. I imagine the place is a nightmare of backstabbing and hate, probably filled with even more anti trump rhetoric than these forums behind closed doors.
These people know that if they just destroy the appearance of fairness in democracy then the economy will collapse and society will follow and all their political contacts and degrees in economic psycology won't be worth a bag of beans. They want to turn the heat up slowly, and say all the right things that no-one realizes what is happening. Keep society producing as if it was a free democracy, with the people believing they have a say, while in fact all power rests with people like them. Trump isn't doing that, and it's going to create a nightmare for them.
Either Democrats will succesfully backlash at the polls, and they will lose power for decades, or they wont and the US will see productivity and knowledge economy growth collapse to Russian levels.
A scary part of that NYT article was that Mattis was seriously considering interdicting an Iranian ship in international waters to check for contraband weapons bound for Yemen.
Easy to forget that the "reasonable" part of the Trump administration was removed from command by Obama for being too hawkish on Iran.
And while Mr. Obama liked policy option papers that were three to six single-spaced pages, council staff members are now being told to keep papers to a single page, with lots of graphics and maps.
WASHINGTON — These are chaotic and anxious days inside the National Security Council, the traditional center of management for a president’s dealings with an uncertain world.
Three weeks into the Trump administration, council staff members get up in the morning, read President Trump’s Twitter posts and struggle to make policy to fit them. Most are kept in the dark about what Mr. Trump tells foreign leaders in his phone calls. Some staff members have turned to encrypted communications to talk with their colleagues, after hearing that Mr. Trump’s top advisers are considering an “insider threat” program that could result in monitoring cellphones and emails for leaks.
New Trump appointees are carrying coffee mugs with that Trump campaign slogan into meetings with foreign counterparts, one staff member said. And Mr. [Stephen] Miller was once allowed to act as chairman of a weekend meeting of the national security deputies, stunning career officials.
Last week, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was exploring whether the Navy could intercept and board an Iranian ship to look for contraband weapons possibly headed to Houthi fighters in Yemen. The potential interdiction seemed in keeping with recent instructions from Mr. Trump, reinforced in meetings with Mr. Mattis and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, to crack down on Iran’s support of terrorism.
But the ship was in international waters in the Arabian Sea, according to two officials. Mr. Mattis ultimately decided to set the operation aside, at least for now. White House officials said that was because news of the impending operation leaked, a threat to security that has helped fuel the move for the insider threat program. But others doubt whether there was enough basis in international law, and wondered what would happen if, in the early days of an administration that has already seen one botched military action in Yemen, American forces were suddenly in a firefight with the Iranian Navy.
And while Mr. Obama liked policy option papers that were three to six single-spaced pages, council staff members are now being told to keep papers to a single page, with lots of graphics and maps.
“The president likes maps,” one official said.
Two people with direct access to the White House leadership said Mr. Flynn was surprised to learn that the State Department and Congress play a pivotal role in foreign arms sales and technology transfers. So it was a rude discovery that Mr. Trump could not simply order the Pentagon to send more weapons to Saudi Arabia — which is clamoring to have an Obama administration ban on the sale of cluster bombs and precision-guided weapons lifted — or to deliver bigger weapons packages to the United Arab Emirates
There is a surprisingly decent chance they are going to accidentally start a war with Iran and no good is going to come of a bunch of Trump fans like Stephen Miller creating foreign policy.
Wasn't there speculation at some point that Trump would be harder on Saudi Arabia?
Why am I not surprised that trump would rather look at pictures then read words.
WASHINGTON — These are chaotic and anxious days inside the National Security Council, the traditional center of management for a president’s dealings with an uncertain world.
Three weeks into the Trump administration, council staff members get up in the morning, read President Trump’s Twitter posts and struggle to make policy to fit them. Most are kept in the dark about what Mr. Trump tells foreign leaders in his phone calls. Some staff members have turned to encrypted communications to talk with their colleagues, after hearing that Mr. Trump’s top advisers are considering an “insider threat” program that could result in monitoring cellphones and emails for leaks.
New Trump appointees are carrying coffee mugs with that Trump campaign slogan into meetings with foreign counterparts, one staff member said. And Mr. [Stephen] Miller was once allowed to act as chairman of a weekend meeting of the national security deputies, stunning career officials.
Last week, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was exploring whether the Navy could intercept and board an Iranian ship to look for contraband weapons possibly headed to Houthi fighters in Yemen. The potential interdiction seemed in keeping with recent instructions from Mr. Trump, reinforced in meetings with Mr. Mattis and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, to crack down on Iran’s support of terrorism.
But the ship was in international waters in the Arabian Sea, according to two officials. Mr. Mattis ultimately decided to set the operation aside, at least for now. White House officials said that was because news of the impending operation leaked, a threat to security that has helped fuel the move for the insider threat program. But others doubt whether there was enough basis in international law, and wondered what would happen if, in the early days of an administration that has already seen one botched military action in Yemen, American forces were suddenly in a firefight with the Iranian Navy.
And while Mr. Obama liked policy option papers that were three to six single-spaced pages, council staff members are now being told to keep papers to a single page, with lots of graphics and maps.
“The president likes maps,” one official said.
Two people with direct access to the White House leadership said Mr. Flynn was surprised to learn that the State Department and Congress play a pivotal role in foreign arms sales and technology transfers. So it was a rude discovery that Mr. Trump could not simply order the Pentagon to send more weapons to Saudi Arabia — which is clamoring to have an Obama administration ban on the sale of cluster bombs and precision-guided weapons lifted — or to deliver bigger weapons packages to the United Arab Emirates
There is a surprisingly decent chance they are going to accidentally start a war with Iran and no good is going to come of a bunch of Trump fans like Stephen Miller creating foreign policy.
Wasn't there speculation at some point that Trump would be harder on Saudi Arabia?
Why am I not surprised that trump would rather look at pictures then read words.
Because they kind of look like the things in his colouring books? Though he probably needs supervision to work with crayons.
So President Trump's rally in the U.K. is different from candidate Obama's rally in Germany because...
One of them was only a Senator at the time?
One of them was free?
One of them is liked by us?
I'll agree, the Trump one seems off to me. But everything he does seems off. If he'd announce a plan to give puppies and ice cream to everyone, I'd probably assume the people he hates most that day are allergic and lactose intolerant. When the Obama thing comes up as an argument, what's the proper counter?
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
so thisis clearly fucking weird because he's posing and it's awkward but it's an insanely perfect picture with him still and them swarming. him, not a care in the world, smiling for the camera, with bannon and flynn and a foreign leader swirling behind it
It's okay. They're not poors, so they can be trusted.
Except all the waiters and what not who were around.
100 bucks says a paperless immigrant got to look at classified information.
Yeah, just ask Romney how treating the help as invisible and without opinions works out.
This explains all the WH staff leaks, too.
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OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
I think the aristocracy has forgotten they're speaking the same language as the servants, so no, in fact they can't make their plans while being served while still being in complete secrecy.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
I think the aristocracy has forgotten they're speaking the same language as the servants, so no, in fact they can't make their plans while being served while still being in complete secrecy.
Posts
This is horrifying, and i hope it continues, as its better to know it so we can deal with it, then allow this shit to continue to happen in the dark.
There was speculation at some point that would put him on both sides of everything.
He's the President. Every meeting probably has a dozen members of staff present just because.
Most of them?
All of them?
It’s not a very important country most of the time
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
No lie, I don't even know what any US President could change about the One China Policy. It's like the non-policy to end all policies. It doesn't really say anything substantive of meaningful; it's just a prerequisite for diplomatic relations with the PRC. It's like if someone asked you if you liked cake or pie more, and your answer was that you like one of them. The substantive PRC/ROC foreign policy is outlined in other policies, such as the Taiwan Relations Act.
It's unclear to me what any American could find problematic about it, and what it could possibly be changed to that would be meaningful in any way: I guess the US could say there are TWO Chinas and fully come out for Taiwanese independence? But why?
Every Republican staffer? Every Republican period?
Like, the GOP back Trump because they are too cowardly to oppose him. That doesn't mean they like him.
There's a perfectly sound argument that there plainly are two Chinas, that there doesn't seem to be any reason for that to change, that Taiwan was never more than a Chinese frontier and that it doesn't really have that much in common with the mainland, and also that quite obviously the GMD is never regaining control of the mainland so the one-china policy isn't in Taiwan's interest either. One China is politically useful but also kind of nonsense, that's one thing that Trump wasn't actually wrong about.
It's just... Why bother officially changing the policy, when we effectively already have a policy of Taiwanese independence? We're not going to allow China to seize Taiwan, the longer Taiwanese independence lasts the even less likely such a thing becomes and the more distinct the two countries grow, and official recognition of Taiwan doesn't actually really do much to our daily with either country. All a change in official policy would do is to take face away from China, which they will have to find some way to retaliate over. And America gains nothing from it.
These people know that if they just destroy the appearance of fairness in democracy then the economy will collapse and society will follow and all their political contacts and degrees in economic psycology won't be worth a bag of beans. They want to turn the heat up slowly, and say all the right things that no-one realizes what is happening. Keep society producing as if it was a free democracy, with the people believing they have a say, while in fact all power rests with people like them. Trump isn't doing that, and it's going to create a nightmare for them.
Either Democrats will succesfully backlash at the polls, and they will lose power for decades, or they wont and the US will see productivity and knowledge economy growth collapse to Russian levels.
like what
how is that appropriate?
I'm just imagining him doing that here in Canada and to put it lightly, I would be extremely pissed*
*or; the Canadian equivalent:
He's your president, too. Fakenews.
Easy to forget that the "reasonable" part of the Trump administration was removed from command by Obama for being too hawkish on Iran.
That sounds like an actual SNL skit
Would that rule it out? We're pretty well past the boundaries of all sense and reason, here.
That is some straight North Korea shit.
Why am I not surprised that trump would rather look at pictures then read words.
Because they kind of look like the things in his colouring books? Though he probably needs supervision to work with crayons.
hahahaohgod
This part in the story makes me fucking infuriated
But hey, at least he didn't have a private email server OH WAIT
Jesus fucking christ
Except all the waiters and what not who were around.
100 bucks says a paperless immigrant got to look at classified information.
This presidency is a bad joke.
LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME FEEEEEED ME I NEED IT
Surely Abe knows better than this, so WTF?
He is a guest, it would be impolite.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Not up to him, he can sit back and lol at the absurdity of this fool he has to deal with now
One of them was only a Senator at the time?
One of them was free?
One of them is liked by us?
I'll agree, the Trump one seems off to me. But everything he does seems off. If he'd announce a plan to give puppies and ice cream to everyone, I'd probably assume the people he hates most that day are allergic and lactose intolerant. When the Obama thing comes up as an argument, what's the proper counter?
so thisis clearly fucking weird because he's posing and it's awkward but it's an insanely perfect picture with him still and them swarming. him, not a care in the world, smiling for the camera, with bannon and flynn and a foreign leader swirling behind it
That picture makes me fucking rage
Yeah, just ask Romney how treating the help as invisible and without opinions works out.
Why would he care? He represents Japan, not the US. To him, this is a goddamn goldmine of information to file away in his head.
This explains all the WH staff leaks, too.
Well, Abe's people aren't. Probably.
I think Abe's getting a kick out of this knowing that the nuclear fireball of utter idiocy is thousands of miles from his shores