Spicer lays groundwork for Syriu Attack

[Breccia]

Oh, and should any of Trump's rabid fanbase think this is just some B-list story with nothing behind it, it's literally FOX News' top headline right now. So good luck with the la la la I can't hear you defense.

Odd, the CBO report isn't one of their main headlines...

[Wyrt]

Oh, and should any of Trump's rabid fanbase think this is just some B-list story with nothing behind it, it's literally FOX News' top headline right now. So good luck with the la la la I can't hear you defense.

Odd, the CBO report isn't one of their main headlines...

You linked the wrong thing.

[Skroe]

You know what the terrible part of this is? We're watching the boy who cried wolf in real time, with the world's only superpower.

The Trump White House blows it's national security cred on probable nonsense (unless its so highly classified that evidently, the Secretary of Defense doesn't know about it), so good luck being believed when there is an actual national security crisis.

Trump as a national security threat continues to be validated.

[PACOX]

Donkey Administration already blew its security cred by waiting how long to admit that the Russians were playing fuck fuck with the elections? Thats ignoring letting Flynn anywhere near a government desk.

Obama probably fucked up in Obama fucked up, just like Comey said he fucked up. But to sit there and absolve the houses and try to say Obama was colluding is some grade A bull.

[Skroe]

Donkey Administration already blew its security cred by waiting how long to admit that the Russians were playing fuck fuck with the elections? Thats ignoring letting Flynn anywhere near a government desk.

Obama probably fucked up in Obama fucked up, just like Comey said he fucked up. But to sit there and absolve the houses and try to say Obama was colluding is some grade A bull.

Oh of course. And nobody believes "Obama colluded" (that's just ridiculous of course). Trump says it because it's the kind of "no you!" a 10 year old would say, and he has the mind of a child.

But man, honestly... you all know how much I detest Trump... but you can't even write the name Obama without me getting pissed at him over this. Every suspicion, every weakness I detested about that guy joined together in a Megazord of fail with his handling of Trump Russia. His overall weakness on national security met his naive world view met his Ben Rhodes induced ridiculous narrative writing met his legendary navel gazing and fear of consequence. It's almost Shakespearean.

After Obama fixes the mess he left and helps the free world demolish this administration and send Trump-Russia figures to prison, the man needs to make like a Jimmy Carter and live in self-imposed exile.

Obama's failure to deal with Russian interference is as much a part of the arc of his historic presidency as his campaign, his inauguration, his response to the financial crisis, Obamacare, the end of the Iraq War, gay rights legalization and his re-election. It's the penultimate chapter. The last one is what he does to fix it as an influential private citizen who evidently, meets with forieign leaders more than Donald Trump does.

[Breccia]

You linked the wrong thing.

God dammit. Still, FOX News has said this (original story,following original post)
and Russia accuses US of provocation over Syria chemical-attack warning
and Syria needs Iran and Russia's approval to use chemical warfare: Gen. Keane (on FOX Business...um...for some reason)
all in the last 12 hours. So yes, real topic, real danger. Especially for the network that's short on good news these days.

[Deleted]

We are all doomed.

[Bullettime]

The concerning thing is how the state and defense departments have no fucking clue what he's talking about. This makes this pretty important to watch as Trump could be looking for his war moment to take the focus off the investigation. Trump wants to be a war time president and he may be looking for his window.

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We are all doomed.

It's a fucking problem because the White House is the only ones making the comments. Intelligence officials, state department, and the Pentagon all have said they have no fucking clue what he's talking about. He's been nonstop crying wolf and dick waving since he got into office, looking for his opportunity to be a war president. Being a war president is arguably what kept Bush in office for so long despite his abysmal approval and Trump is pretty desperately needing something similar.

[Breccia]

He's been nonstop crying wolf and dick waving since he got into office, looking for his opportunity to be a war president.

And don't forget, he called Clinton the warmonger. And knows more than the generals. And wanted better relations with Russia.

[Bullettime]

I mean, this is his way out. He starts a war. Noone will impeach a president during war time. The GOP will have an excuse not to because a transition is chaotic and they cannot afford that when there is a security concern. So he will start a war to save himself! It's moronically brilliant!

Pretty much. There could be a video tape released of Trump literally giving oral sex to Putin in exchange for cash and the GOP would not impeach him during wartime. They would in a lull like we have now if the optics got too bad but an actual war or conflict would give them to cover to refuse impeachment while still playing up that they're the good guys.

[Belize]

My bet is that they found a post-it note from the bush era that said "Make up WMDs, invade places"

[Edge-]

http://www.newsweek.com/white-house-...ard-say-629323

The best communication. This administration communicates better than any other before it, with few exceptions, and it will continue to win at communicating every day.

And keep in mind that any country that announces their attacks before they do them is stupid. I mean, what kind of idiots do that? You just give your enemy time to prepare!

[Breccia]

Still not fake news. Being taken seriously.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/33...emical-weapons

GOP rep predicts 'massive' retaliation from Trump if Syria uses chemical weapons

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is predicting "massive" retaliation from the Trump administration if Syria uses chemical weapons.

"We have to maintain that using chemical weapons will cost you far more than any gain you'll get," Kinzinger, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Examiner.

"I think if they're used again, frankly it's gonna be a much more massive campaign."

His comments come after White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement Monday that the U.S. had “identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime” in Syria.

“As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. If, however, Mr. Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price,” Spicer added.

U.S. warships launched 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in early April in response to a chemical attack believed to be carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Kinzinger in the Examiner interview also pushed back against comments from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who earlier this week called the White House warning "unacceptable."

"We consider unacceptable any such threats to the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic," Peskov said. "We strongly disagree with the wording ‘another attack,' because, as you know, despite all the demands of the Russian side, there was no independent international investigation of the previous tragedy with the use of chemical weapons."

Kinzinger said on Wednesday, however, that "we know that the regime used chemical weapons."

"No sane person would doubt that. Some crazy people might," he told the Examiner. "And [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and his infrastructure of course might deny that because it would do them no good to admit they were complicit in the least."

[Edge-]

Remember when Trump campaigned on not being a globalist and getting us more involved in foreign wars?

[Lothar from accounting]

Remember when Trump campaigned on not being a globalist and getting us more involved in foreign wars?

You mean back when he didn't need the extra job security of being a wartime president?

[Breccia]

Remember when Trump campaigned on not being a globalist and getting us more involved in foreign wars?

There was a time I didn't think Trump would start WW3. I'm...less confident now. Syria knows full well Russia has its back now more than ever, just for Putin to prove a point and show Trump his place. It is possible -- maybe not likely -- that both Syria and Trump will start some shit just to prove a point as well, then it gets ugly.
@Skroe, thoughts on above?

[Felya]

There was a time I didn't think Trump would start WW3. I'm...less confident now. Syria knows full well Russia has its back now more than ever, just for Putin to prove a point and show Trump his place. It is possible -- maybe not likely -- that both Syria and Trump will start some shit just to prove a point as well, then it gets ugly.
@Skroe, thoughts on above?

What do you think Trump's ego would dictate, if he was finally convicted that Russia did help him win, because they thought he was incompetent? Just last week he bitched about Obama not doing anything about it.

[Skroe]

There was a time I didn't think Trump would start WW3. I'm...less confident now. Syria knows full well Russia has its back now more than ever, just for Putin to prove a point and show Trump his place. It is possible -- maybe not likely -- that both Syria and Trump will start some shit just to prove a point as well, then it gets ugly.
@Skroe, thoughts on above?

Trump is largely irrelevant. Putin talks a big game and is reckless, but his generals know as well as the US's does that Russia is no match for a fight. He'll stay clear of that.

It wouldn't be World War III in the way people imagine it. The largest challenge the US military would face would be calibrate the response right. THey would need to punish Russia to such a degree it sends a message, but not so far as to threaten the existence of the regime, the state or give Russia cause to use nuclear weapons.

It would be a big challenge for the US military not to beat the Russian military to death too much.

[Breccia]

It wouldn't be World War III in the way people imagine it.

That's reassuring.

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What do you think Trump's ego would dictate, if he was finally convicted that Russia did help him win, because they thought he was incompetent?

I don't believe he's capable of believing he's incompetent. He could be convinced Russia thinks he's incompetent, but in such a case, I think he'd try to make deals that he thinks would be good for the USA -- only for Russia to take him to the cleaners.

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See, this is exactly what I was talking about.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/34...to-justify-new

Syria: US warning meant to justify new attack

The Syrian government said Thursday that a White House warning earlier this week was only an attempt by the U.S. to justify another attack against Assad regime.

The White House allegations that Syria was preparing for a chemical attack were "devoid of any truth and not based on any facts," state television quoted a foreign ministry source saying, according to Reuters.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement Monday the U.S. had “identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime."

Such an attack “would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children,” Spicer added, noting the activity was “similar to preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack.”

“As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. If, however, Mr. Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price.”

U.S. warships launched 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in early April in response to a chemical attack believed to have been carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley on Wednesday credited the White House's statement with stopping a chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Bolded above refers to this story where Mattis and Haley say "there was no attack, therefore, we stopped it." Or, to use an actual quote, “So I would like to think that the president saved many innocent men, women and children.”