US set to sanction Russia, Iran and North Korea

[cubby]

Witnessed. No matter who wins, a charity will get money it deserves.

Agreed. Should be fun to see his tweets afterwards - tears or not.

[Breccia]

Agreed. Should be fun to see his tweets afterwards - tears or not.

You know, tears or not, the stress has GOT to be getting to him. I've said several times, his age, his weight, his habits...he might be President for life.

[cubby]

You know, tears or not, the stress has GOT to be getting to him. I've said several times, his age, his weight, his habits...he might be President for life.

That's an interesting biological point on an otherwise horrific idea. And I agree - it has to be getting to him in one way or another. It seems people like him (constitutionally speaking, the bio one, not the political one) always stay in decent health, like they're born to live through anything.


My wife and I have been discussing what happens if Trump survives the political turmoil and makes it onto the ballot in 2020. And also if he wins.

[Breccia]

TMy wife and I have been discussing what happens if Trump survives the political turmoil and makes it onto the ballot in 2020. And also if he wins.

Stay on topic. Even 2018 is a long way away and Trump's losing allies fast.

[cubby]

Stay on topic. Even 2018 is a long way away and Trump's losing allies fast.

Fair enough - and good point. It's just hard not to imagine a frightening future, ala X-Men-Days-of-Future-Past/The-Handmaid's-Tale, where Trump after Trump is elected as President, with nepotism run amok.

However, I will stay on topic.

Those sanctions are gonna suck for Cheeto regardless of which way he goes.

[ringpriest]

THe list reflects what the US military consensus generally is from their speeches and statements.

THey do Syria/Iraq because they're ordered to... with all the enthusasim of a root canal.
They do Afghanistan because it's unfinished business from 16 years ago.

But they make it very clear: they're laser focused on readiness/training, recapitalizaiton, modernization and great-power warfare again. The Army is shifting infantry BCTs to armored BCTs. The Marines are speed-buying new air-droppable armor. The Air Force blatantly just said it needs 165 B-21s and 200 bombers total in order to conduct a 180 day air war against the Russian Federation or China.

Regardless on how these plans pan out down the road, it is Russia (and China) that are driving defense priorities, not terrorism.

Such focus is good (for the US), while it lasts - but the military has still spent over a decade fighting brushfires (and smaller) conflicts; such mentality is hard to truly shake (and it has damaged America's ability to fight a "real" war), and the Saudis do not help in this regard. In addition to being far and away the primary fuel source for Salafist Terrorism, America's "Strategic Partnership" (read mercenary relationship) with the Saudi regime exposes the US to costly but strategically irrelevant conflicts with Iran, in Mesopotamia, and around the Red Sea (and possibly in Arabia itself if/when Salman faceplants and the regime collapses).

And that's all assuming the 5th/4th-generation war (or 21st Century Global Great Game) going on between Russia and China on one side and the US on the other doesn't succeed in getting Herr Dummkopffuher in the White House to stick America's vital appendages into Venezuela or somewhere similar (if America's rivals are clever or lucky, they'll get Boko Haram to launch a number of sub-9/11 terror attacks inside the US).