Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

“But what about the lurkers?”

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Second rate reporter says what?

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Donald Trump Foreign Policy Speech: Part the First

Donald Trump Foreign Policy Speech: Part the First

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At noon today Donald Trump is going to give a foreign policy speech. The reporting indicates that these are prepared remarks that he will present with the assistance of a teleprompter. It will be interesting to see how much nuance and polish his aides, and specifically whoever was tasked to assist him with preparing this speech, will have been able to apply to the off the cuff remarks he has been hammering in regards to foreign policy. The key items to look for, and to compare and contrast today’s remarks with how he usually presents them, are:

  • The economic impacts of our foreign policy, specifically the defense components of maintaining an expeditionary force posture with significant overseas basing, exercise, and operational commitments. Mr. Trump has repeatedly asserted that our allies, partners, and clients have been taking advantage of us, they are costing us tremendous amounts of money, and that they will have to start paying up and beefing up their own defenses or they could find themselves without American military support.
  • NATO. Mr. Trump has repeatedly asserted that NATO is obsolete, too expensive, and not doing much for the US but getting it into trouble. Interestingly enough this is very close to the position held by Vladimir Putin. It should be interesting to see how Mr. Trump presents this portion of his speech since hiring Mr. Manafort as his senior advisor. Mr. Manafort’s has ties to Vladimir Putin, originally via Victor Yanukovych, for the purposes of shaping opinion in regards to Russia’s actions in Crimea and the Donbass.
  • Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Trump has repeatedly argued that nuclear weapons are a terrible threat and at the same time argued that if Japan and South Korea don’t open their wallets and start paying the US to secure them, then it would make sense for them to develop their own nuclear deterrent for dealing with North Korea.
  • China. Mr. Trump has relentlessly and repeatedly hammered that China is killing us economically while saying he alone could do proper and profitable, Nation to Nation, business with China. It will be interesting to see and hear what, if any, actual strategy Mr. Trump has to accomplish this.
  • Terrorism. Mr. Trump has repeatedly argued he is the only one who will get properly tough with terrorists, especially the Islamic State and its supporters. He has asserted that he would bring back water boarding and then transition to worse, would target the families of terrorists, and would knock the Islamic State out so fast. Here too it will be interesting to see what, if any, specifics are brought forward and how coherent they are or are not.

Here’s a link to the live feed, which I’m going to try to embed below. I’ll be back later tonight with an policy and strategy analysis of his remarks (and hopefully a link to the full transcript provided a transcript is released).

 

Reader Interactions

264Comments

  2. 2.

    Adam L Silverman

    @TaMara (HFG): You want to listen for anything that sounds like ends, ways, and means. What he would do (ends), how he would do them (ways), and what resources he would spend to achieve them (means).

  3. 3.

    c u n d gulag

    I’d rather stick my private parts in a blender, and put it on frappe, than listen to tRUMP talk about ANYthing – especially, foreign policy!!!

    I’m going to HATE the next 6+ fucking months!!!

    This will be the nastiest, dirtiest election since the 19th Century – and that’s saying something!

  5. 5.

    starscream

    I can’t imagine any Obama voters flipping for him. (Anyone too sexist to vote for HRC was probably too racist to vote for Obama anyway.) So the only way he wins is by bringing in millions of new voters. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.

  6. 6.

    RandomMonster

    I’m just wondering if, with a prepared speech, we’ll still get plenty of “You’re gonna get the best foreign policy ever!”-type lines…

  7. 7.

    Emma

    *whines and stamps foot* Do I hafta?

    In all seriousness, I suppose Team Hillary has to listen to his Drivelness to smash him to pieces. Me, not so much. If the choice were between Trump and Vlad Draculea, I know who I would vote for.

  11. 11.

    NotMax

    Expecting specifics from Trump is like expecting to win the lottery.

    Statistically it is possible but the odds are greatly stacked against it.

    He may, however, qualify for an entry in Guinness’ book for most platitudes uttered during one speech.

  12. 12.

    singfoom

    Whatever he does, it’ll be tremendous and spectacular and he’ll get the best people on it. Seriously, has nobody else noticed that’s all he ever fucking says?

    Whatever the question, whatever the subject, it’s a variation on the above. He’ll do it great. He never explains how he’ll achieve the tremendousness and spectacularity. If he goes beyond that in this speech, I’ll be surprised.

    Plus, the rubes don’t want policy details, they want the above. They’ll get confused at which points to scream and yell “MURICA” at if there’s too much detail.

    ETA: Holy shit the live feed comments. Jesus Christ, what a fucking cesspool of jingoism and racism and all the bad isms and the speech hasn’t even started yet.

  13. 13.

    MattF

    Anyone know who wrote the speech? Der Trump must have announced a national security ‘team’ at some point, but there’s no telling if any of the, um, teammates have survived.

  19. 19.

    MomSense

    @singfoom:

    Oh my it’s like howler monkeys on those live feed comments.

    I just saw “nuke mexaca” Is that nuke Mexico?? Why?

  24. 24.

    Percysowner

    I don’t want Donald Trump to become President because he would be a total disaster for this country. However, in my heart of hearts, I also don’t want him to become President because I don’t ever want to hear his voice again. I’ll skip the speech and read recaps.

  26. 26.

    Adam L Silverman

    @singfoom: That’s why I replied to Tamara that we want to watch for remarks that point out ends, ways, and means. If the speech doesn’t have those specifics, especially the ends and the ways – candidates are often fuzzy on the means – then there really isn’t any there there.

  31. 31.

    Adam L Silverman

    Former Congressman Mike Rodgers (GOP) is making several good points regarding Trump’s positions on NATO in his response to Blitzer’s questions.

  32. 32.

    Germy

    I’ve been out of the loop. Is Cruz scheduled to make a major announcement today?

    EDIT: I just checked TPM. It’s scheduled for 4:00. I’m guessing it’ll be about Carly.

  33. 33.

    singfoom

    Who’s the supposed audience for Trumps detailed foreign policy? I mean, I would imagine that most foreign policy wonks on either side of the aisle know he doesn’t know anything about foreign policy that he’s just parroting whatever his advisers tell him.

    So what, it’s just a compare and contrast of FP positions against the RNC standard?

  34. 34.

    Adam L Silverman

    They’re playing clips from Trump’s phone interview this morning on CNN. He sounds exhausted.

  36. 36.

    Miss Bianca

    Well, I’m not going to listen, cause someone had to borrow my headphones, but I may just take a break from Amazon training videos to partake of the Hunting of the Snark…or the Substance in Trump’s remarks, presuming anyone finds any…

  38. 38.

    Adam L Silverman

    @singfoom: Its the media, foreign and defense policy experts, his opponents, American voters, foreign leaders, etc. You want to compare and contrast what you hear him say today in prepared remarks with and against his off the cuff remarks on these topics he’s been making for months.

  40. 40.

    Mustang Bobby

    @schrodinger’s cat: Doesn’t China own a lot of our debt? I can’t think it’s a good idea to really piss off a creditor. What’s to prevent them from retaliating by either hiking up the interest rate or just calling in the loans? How does that work?

  41. 41.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    @singfoom:

    John Wayne would just swagger in and tell people what to do. Dirty Harry would hiss commands. Stallone would grunt a couple of sentiments about how things need to get done, Arnold would shout for people to “get to dah choppah” and Bruce Willis would wryly describe some poignant memory while lighting a cigarette and tossing a grenade.

    When all you got to emulate is action stars, there’s no room for nuance.

  44. 44.

    MattF

    @singfoom: I agree. I’m having difficulty taking this seriously. Compare and contrast: what if Hillary Clinton gave a big speech on foreign policy? I think people would be paying attention.

  45. 45.

    singfoom

    I’ve been informed by the youtube commenters Khalizad is an illegal immigrant in addition to other slurs i will not repeat. Hilarious, as he’s doing Trump’s intro.

  46. 46.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mustang Bobby: They own about 11%, give or take, depending on what’s going on. But that’s about 11% of the foreign owned debt, which is itself only about 1/3 of American debt. Between 2/3 and 3/4 of American debt is owned by Americans – individually or collectively (retirement accounts – pensions, 401Ks, corporate debt ownership for hedging purposes). I think Trump’s working on what he’s done in his own business career: if you owe the bank a $1,000 dollars, the bank owns you. But if you owe the bank millions of dollars, you own the bank. In the latter of scenario calling in your markers causes as much, if not greater harm to the lender than to the debtor.

  47. 47.

    singfoom

    @MomSense:

    I just saw “nuke mexaca” Is that nuke Mexico?? Why?

    I think that’s a misspelling, I’ve seen “NUKE MECCA” several times.

  48. 48.

    chopper

    At noon today Donald Trump is going to give a foreign policy speech

    it was nice of him to warn twitter. gonna need to bring a few more servers online.

  49. 49.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    I’m pretty sure his AIPAC address was scripted.

    ETA: What Adam said at #17, with more context and useful links.

    ETA2: I really should never comment until I’ve read through the entire thread.

  50. 50.

    RoonieRoo

    I can’t listen. I just can’t. I can feel my blood pressure rising just at the thought. I’m going to have to once again take advantage of my lovely BJ friends to tell me what nonsense he is saying.

  52. 52.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LAO: He’s traditionally been a Reagan-Bush apparatchik. He was a major foreign policy player in the Bush 43 Administration. Was our Ambassador to Afghanistan after 9-11. Is a neo-Con: he came out of the University of Chicago political science/IR graduate program that produced Wolfowitz and many others. He’s now a senior official at the conservative think tank, Center for the National Interest, that is hosting this.

  55. 55.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Mustang Bobby: I would be more worried about a trade war. Most of US debt is owned by us (we the people, individually and collectively). China will take it to the WTO for starters.

    According to the World Bank, 13.5% of our GDP comes from exports.

  56. 56.

    chopper

    @singfoom:

    it’s both. the crazy terrists are gonna take over mexico. ever wonder why when you say ‘mexico’ real slow it sounds like “MECCA SICKO?”

    it’s all here in this pamphlet.

  57. 57.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    @Mustang Bobby:

    China can dump its USTs on the open market – good deals for buyers, bad deals for new debt, especially if they start buying Euro or GBP denominated issues. They could maybe cause a shift in international investment strategy as a pre-emotive move ahead of the fall, as others may wish to follow.

    It’s a tremendous dumbass play.

  59. 59.

    Germy

    @Adam L Silverman:

    He’s traditionally been a Reagan-Bush apparatchik. He was a major foreign policy player in the Bush 43 Administration. Was our Ambassador to Afghanistan after 9-11. Is a neo-Con: he came out of the University of Chicago political science/IR graduate program that produced Wolfowitz and many others.

    And now Trump is saying everything the neo-cons did was a mistake.

  61. 61.

    Adam L Silverman

    Explicitly stating that the military lives that were lost in Iraq were wasted is not going to play well with the military. I’ve watched colonels break into tears asking general officers to explain why what we’re doing now isn’t betraying the sacrifice of their (the upset colonels) Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in Iraq.

  62. 62.

    singfoom

    So, basically a neo-con spun version of recent history without any reference to the fact that neo-con bullshit foreign policy lead us there.

    Where’d ISIS come from? Maybe it had something to do with the war in Iraq

  63. 63.

    Adam L Silverman

    And we’ve quickly gotten to believe me, believe me, I’m the only one, that can fix it. And the sparse applause are not a good sign.

  64. 64.

    Frank Wilhoit

    The U. S. A. does not and cannot have a foreign policy. Overseas actors (be they states, ethnicities, religions, non-starter actors, transnational cartels, contemporary or historical) are introduced into the political discourse *only* as allegories for domestic factions.

  65. 65.

    Major Major Major Major

    I called out to my dad, “How’s your blood pressure? Trump is on!”
    “Eh, I think we’re all right.”
    “Yeah, I would really prefer not to.”
    “But here’s a picture of a ferret on a roof, wanna see?”

    <3 my dad

  66. 66.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LAO: Crying out in despair and then going silence. This is how Annakin Skywalker became a Sith.

  68. 68.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Can we presume that that means these…[expletive deleted] Neo-Cons are looking to get the band back together under Der Drumpf?

    ETA: Or am i hearing that der Drumpf is throwing them under the bus? I haz a confused.

  69. 69.

    singfoom

    @Germy:

    And now Trump is saying everything the neo-cons did was a mistake.

    I’m totally not hearing this, can you explain? I’m heard him spin recent history along neo-con lines…

  72. 72.

    Yutsano

    @Mustang Bobby: China is our largest foreign creditor, but most US debt is owned by internal creditors like Social Security. I even own a bit as part of my TSP mix.

    EDIT: Or what Adam explained much more in detail than I did you

  76. 76.

    singfoom

    Ah yes, our friend Israel. Because remember folks, if you call out Zionism, you hate the jews. Remember to conflate the two so that if you criticize Israel, it’s really because you’re an anti-semite.

  78. 78.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Miss Bianca: They make think the former, but even if he hires a bunch of them, they aren’t going to get what they want.

    There’s two dynamics here: if you’re a policy/strategy person on the right in the US, you have to try to get into the campaign and then the administration if you want a job and to have influence. Unfortunately with Trump you have an opposing dynamic: he’s made it very clear, and demonstrated even more clearly, that he doesn’t listen to anyone. And when he does listen, he’s a drive by listener. The last person that tells him something is what he goes with. These are terrible attributes for a senior leader.

  79. 79.

    singfoom

    @Germy: Ok, but he called out that ISIS rose from a vacuum, and that vacuum was created BY the neo-con Iraq War and he DID not call that out. Seems like a tactical criticism more than a repudiation of the neocon worldview to me.

    YMMV

  81. 81.

    Adam L Silverman

    Even his planned applause lines, like the ones in regard to Israel, are getting sparse applause. The speech is not going over well based on the audience reaction.

  82. 82.

    Steeplejack

    I just tried to watch Trump’s speech on CNN and lasted about a minute. He was ranting about Iran, first about the brutal, disgraceful treatment suffered by our 10 sailors (I thought the Iranians detained them briefly until things got sorted out and even gave them juice boxes?) and then about how in negotiations you have to be able to “walk away” from a deal, and the failure to do this is the cause of all our foreign-policy woes. WTF.

  83. 83.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Germy: In terms of a critique that the neo-Cons and the Bush 43 Administration didn’t understand the context, he isn’t wrong.

  84. 84.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: Ah, fustercluck situation! Couldn’t happen to a pleasanter set of gentlemen. > : > .

    ETA: Was it determined who is actually *in* his audience? Must check upthread…

  86. 86.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’m still waiting for any semblance of “ends, ways, means.” So far, it’s only about how terrible our foreign policy is, but nary a word about what he envisions and how he would get there.

    Maybe he’s saving it for his peroration.

  90. 90.

    singfoom

    You have to say the words. If you don’t say the words “Radical Islam”, you’re not serious…?

    Annnnnnd BENGHAZI!

  94. 94.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LAO: I’m not sure why he thought these were the guys to host the speech. I’m wondering if everyone else they approached said no.

  99. 99.

    Adam L Silverman

    @RoonieRoo: He keeps turning his head to face them and read. And the cadence matches what they’re usually set for. I think if he wasn’t it would be more like the town hall with Chris Matthews in presentation.

  102. 102.

    Adam L Silverman

    He’s just made it clear that we need to be treated well. I think that is really the core, defining concept at the heart of whatever his doctrine may be.

  106. 106.

    bemused

    I’d like to have the cameras on the audience and see the people who are actually clapping. I’m guessing family and staff.

  109. 109.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    He said he can fix it. He’s the only one. Why isn’t that enough for you??? Why don’t you bahleeve him?

    This guy has no idea what a farce his campaign is. Wowza.

  111. 111.

    Adam L Silverman

    that global warming pause was supposed to be an applause pause. He didn’t get anything.

  112. 112.

    singfoom

    “I will singlehandedly bomb ISIS. I have already added weapon hardpoints to my learjets and have begun my own bombing campaign. I won’t tell them where I’m going to bomb.”

    Lol, the military getting smaller. Drumpf, can you say “force multipliers?”

    And he’s slagging the B-52s?

  113. 113.

    Germy

    I’ll give him this: He says “President Obama” instead of “Mr. Obama” like the news readers on NPR

  117. 117.

    singfoom

    @schrodinger’s cat: Well, he was talking about muslims. Remember, when you get to the US border, there’s a separate No Documentation entrance for muslims.

    They don’t even wand you. It’s true!

    Melania is a good Christian, so she went through the documentation door.

  119. 119.

    Adam L Silverman

    @RoonieRoo: Its clearly not the audience in the room. His team has announced that this is the first of a number of policy speeches to roll out and showcase his actual policies and strategies on major issues facing the Nation. The intention is, I think, to show him as more presidential and palatable for the general election and to allay the heebee jeebees he’s giving all of our allies and partners.

    Based on what I’m hearing, I’m not sure its working. While his presentation is better, because of the teleprompter, I haven’t heard anything coherent in a policy or strategy manner.

  120. 120.

    tinare

    Is the audience just not mic’ed well because even veterans are not getting much in the way of applause.

  122. 122.

    Adam L Silverman

    He’s clearly positioning himself to run not against Hillary Clinton, but against her and Bill Clinton’s record from the 90s.

  125. 125.

    bemused

    He’s nervous, sucking in his breath. He’s way out of his element, comfort zone, with audience and topic.

  126. 126.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    I have to believe that a great many of the people who have voted for him in primaries and put him within brass-ring distance of the nomination did so just for the lulz, just to egg him on, but have no intention of voting for him in November.

    —–

    Jesus Christ, this was supposedly written by professional speechwriters? It is honestly one of the worst speeches I’ve ever heard, and I’d say the same thing if Barack Obama were saying the words.

  127. 127.

    different-church-lady

    @bemused:

    Evidently his raging rally fans are not in this audience.

    Why would they be? This is a policy speech. They wouldn’t be at all interested.

  135. 135.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    But he has all the best words!

    I still don’t know what he meant by that. He’s a clown who makes angry, stupid people feel good about themselves.

  136. 136.

    Adam L Silverman

    @SiubhanDuinne: I doubt it was written by professional speechwriters. He’s repeatedly told interviewers that he’s his own senior advisor. He clearly demonstrates that he is unwilling and unable to take input from anyone and he’s an admitted micromanager. My guess is he wrote a bunch of stuff down, someone took it and smoothed it to remove a lot of his normal off the cuff repetitions, and then it got loaded into the teleprompter.

  137. 137.

    Brachiator

    Can’t stream or watch Trump just now. Will check it out later.

    How long did he speak?

  140. 140.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Brachiator: He started 1/2 an hour late, and despite explicitly stating he was on his final point six minutes ago, he’s still going.

  141. 141.

    Mike J

    @Germy: Put “Mr. Bush” in quotes in google. All the places that typically use formal modes of address used it.For decades people have made fun of what they viewed as the NYT’s overly formal insistence on the use of mister. It’s right there in the style guide.

  143. 143.

    Aqualad08

    Whoever wrote this speech deserves to have the English language forcibly removed from his or her brain…

  144. 144.

    Adam L Silverman

    He just told everyone in the room not to apply for a job. And he just insulted his host and the man who introduced him, Ambassador Khalilzad.

  146. 146.

    Germy

    “Many of the old people frankly don’t know what they’re doing” Like the neocon who just introduced him?

  147. 147.

    Tom

    @Adam L Silverman:

    April 1983 – Ronald Reagan is president. A suicide bomber blows up the American embassy in Beirut. 63 dead, including 17 Americans, among whom were 8 CIA employees, including their top Middle Eastern analyst.

    In response, Reagan sends the Marines to Beirut. However, he insists they operate as “peacekeepers”, which means (among other things) sentries were ordered to keep their weapons unloaded.

    October 1983 – Ronald Reagan still president. A suicide bomber blows up the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 US servicemen. Subsequently Reagan withdraws the Marines, or, to put it in terms Fox News viewers would comprehend, “turned tail and ran”.

    Bonus piece de resistance: The bombings were carried out at the behest of radicals in the Iranian government. At the same time these bombings occurred Reagan was secretly and illegally selling missiles to that government, and he continued to do so after the bombings.

    This isn’t hard, people. Any time anybody goes “Benghazi!”, you respond with “Beirut!”. At first you’ll get blank looks, but with repetition it will begin to sink in.

  148. 148.

    Hal

    Carly Fiorina is not popular or well liked as a public figure. Why do so many Republicans not get that little fact? They trot her out, tout her business experience and then sit back while everyone else points out how terrible she was at HP. I just don’t get the obsession with Carly.

  151. 151.

    NotMax

    @Adam L. Silverman

    No link, but it was reported to have been written for him, then that draft presented to him so he could personally edit and revise it in consultation with campaign muckymucks last night while on his flight home.

  152. 152.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mike J: Yep, what really should raise the hackles is when both President and Mr. are jettisoned and all you get is “William Jefferson Clinton” or “Barrack Hussein Obama”. George Will started that crap early on in 1993 as a way to look like he was being respectful to President Clinton when writing about him while signaling that he didn’t think he was a legitimate president by leaving the appropriate style guide appellations off.

  154. 154.

    LAO

    I appreciate the repudiation of neo-con values but other than that, this has been a real shit show.

  157. 157.

    Emma

    @srv: Because when she explains her disagreement with them, she can tell them so in actual, real, meaningful sentences.

  158. 158.

    RoonieRoo

    @Adam L Silverman: And it is moments like that that make me sad that I can’t listen without having my head explode. Maybe someone will clip it down and post it.

  160. 160.

    Adam L Silverman

    @srv: I’m a bit surprised about that. Usually you don’t specifically insult your hosts. I’m not arguing that these people shouldn’t be insulted, but that’s just not normally how things are done at this level.

  161. 161.

    RK

    Trump is clueless on virtually all policy and this is like watching a 5th grader give a report that his parents wrote for him.

  162. 162.

    LAO

    I wish they would pan the audience.

    ETA: The camera would pan. Trump is panning the audience is a literal manner.

  163. 163.

    Mike J

    For people asking whom Trump is addressing, It is The Center for the National Interest. They were originally named for their founder. The Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom.

  165. 165.

    Aqualad08

    Mr. Trump, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

  172. 172.

    Punchy

    @Adam L Silverman: I hope yer joking when you say you expect to hear specifics. There wont be any because he doesnt have any. And they’d be picked apart and mocked if he tried. So this will be 80% jingoism and 10% xenophobia, with 10% pure stupid mixed in between. This will be “foreign policy” like NASCAR is a “real sport”….

  173. 173.

    Adam L Silverman

    After I can get my hands on a transcript, so I have something to refer to, I’ll have a formal post analyzing this. I think, however, from the remarks he delivered, that the key, core foreign policy value for Trump is that the US should be treated fairly. That seems to be the theme that runs through everything he says whether its domestic, foreign, or defense issues he’s talking about.

  175. 175.

    NotMax

    Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz remain in no danger of being supplanted in the pantheon of war.

  176. 176.

    RK

    I’m not sure what it says about America that Trump is going to be the nominee of a major political party but none of it can be good.

  178. 178.

    Peale

    @Mike J: That’s the problem. Makes her seem elitist. It would help to have an endorsement. I’m thinking it might be nice to have Wolfowitz on her side…

  180. 180.

    RoonieRoo

    @Adam L Silverman: So basically, his foreign policy is the same as his toddler policy for how the election should be run. America should be treated fairly, he should be treated fairly by the RNC, his businesses should be treated fairly by the world. Fairly is defined as whatever he wants or thinks he is owed as opposed to reality.

  181. 181.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Paul in KY: I think you kind of missed my point. You would be correct that they would be naive if it wasn’t within a greater context: they were given lawful orders, as were the men and women under their command, and exerted tremendous effort to achieve the goals, no matter how misbegotten behind those orders, which led to the deaths of their colleagues, friends, and subordinates. That makes it very hard to confront the reality that you’re validly raising. A lot of them do, some just can’t make that final leap, some do both and recognize that they’ve got an intellectual and emotional disconnect on the issue.

  182. 182.

    Mike J

    @Adam L Silverman: While it’s hard to argue against fairness, one of the competing ideas is that with great power comes great responsibility. The counter argument to THAT is that America sucks and is weak.

    Many people are going to be upset when they hear campaign speeches that talk about America being a strong country that works for good in the world.

  183. 183.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Punchy: Hope, while it springs eternal, is not a strategy. I was hoping someone would have been brought in to do a professional job on this. Apparently that wasn’t the case. The presentation was better, because the use of the teleprompter forced it to be, but there was nothing he hasn’t rambled off before. It was internally inconsistent and incoherent and other than “we will be treated well”, I can’t see anything that could be teased out to become a Trump Doctrine.

  184. 184.

    Patricia Kayden

    @starscream: Plus quite a few Republican voters won’t vote for him because of his odious campaign so I don’t see a path to victory for the Trumpster. Mind you, a path to victory was already small for whichever Clown Car Occupant came out on top even when Trump wasn’t a candidate. Now he’s made it even more difficult for Republicans to gain the White House and keep the Senate.

    Go Trump!!

  186. 186.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    That also seems to be the theme of his entire campaign. How many times has he played some variation on “The Republican Party/the media/the other candidates aren’t treating me fairly” where by “fairly” he means he is special, deserves no criticism or hard questions, ought to get preferential treatment. He has a very grudging, resentful idea of fairness, and I don’t for a minute trust him to modify his own warped definition on behalf of the country.

  187. 187.

    Adam L Silverman

    @RoonieRoo: That seems to be the case. I’m not sure if that’s National Security Narcissism, but I’m going to coin that term and run with it.

  188. 188.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: But what the hell does “the US should be treated fairly” even mean? Our allies are business partners who have been screwing us – sorry, US! – over?

  189. 189.

    Adam L Silverman

    @pamelabrown53: The remarks about the old timers that had gotten things wrong and needed to be replaced by catching a wider net for younger and fresher talent.

  192. 192.

    gogol's wife

    @Germy:

    This is great. I’m laughing hysterically and I don’t even have to watch it. You guys are the best.

  193. 193.

    patroclus

    TanZANia, San BORNadino, we need new people not old people, they need to treat us “fairly,” our “Muslim allies” (who can’t be admitted into the U.S.), no applause – this was an utter disaster of a speech, that sounded like the speaker did not know much of anything about what he was talking. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will run rings around this turd.

  194. 194.

    Miss Bianca

    @NotMax:

    Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz remain in no danger of being supplanted in the pantheon of war.

    Hell, *Custer* doesn’t.

  195. 195.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Adam L Silverman: I assume that all Americans believe that America should be treated fairly. I don’t see how that’s a foreign policy statement of any great import. How lovely that we can look forward to many more of such astounding insights from the Donald during the general election.

  197. 197.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Adam L Silverman: Who is being unfair to the US? This shit makes no sense.
    Do Americans really expect to be treated like toddler by other countries?Like someone colorfully put it in a thread last week.

    Who is the best country in the world, you are !

  198. 198.

    Redshift

    @Hal:

    Carly Fiorina is not popular or well liked as a public figure. Why do so many Republicans not get that little fact? They trot her out, tout her business experience and then sit back while everyone else points out how terrible she was at HP. I just don’t get the obsession with Carly.

    It’s a milder version of McCain’s Palin hail mary play — trying to boost his chances by doing something striking, whether or not it’s actually a good idea.

    They’ll trot out the wingnut rhetoric from earlier in the campaign about the GOP having the most diverse field (historic ticket of a vagina-American and a reptoid-American!) Either overtly or as subtext, they’ll push the idea that Fiorina can make attacks on Hillary that would be sexist coming from a man (because they actually are sexist, but never mind), contrasted against Trump’s crude sexism on display last night.

    But ultimately, I think throwing a hail mary just reinforces the idea that you know you’re doomed.

  199. 199.

    Mike J

    James FallowsVerified account @JamesFallows
    Trump starts speech saying he is against “randomness” and “chaos.”

    [Fill in the closing line of Tweet]

  201. 201.

    Paul in KY

    @Germy: Oh yeah, that’s what they said for public consumption. But at no time ever did they really think (or want) to bring Democracy to the Mideast/Iraq. Most of the neocons were likudnicks & were most interested in removing Iraq as a nation-state that could ever give Israel any serious military trouble.

  202. 202.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    Explicitly stating that the military lives that were lost in Iraq were wasted is not going to play well with the military.

    @Adam L Silverman: Fucking shame, because it’s just about the only truthful thing Trumpster Fire has ever said. They were sent there to do a job that everyone knew could not be done – bring democracy to a “nation” that only intended to use it once – to vote in the theocratic dictatorship that the overwhelming majority of them wanted. So yeah, the money and lives? WASTED. Maybe when the officer corps realizes that they’ll quit backing idiots who send them and their men off to die for no reason whatsoever.

  204. 204.

    Germy

    @gogol’s wife: You missed a great performance.

    The audience wasn’t as enthusiastic as the rally crowds, but that was to be expected. Some polite applause.

  210. 210.

    Joy in FL

    Mr. Tump said something about how we should be spreading Western values instead of Universal values that most people don’t believe.
    He could not have been paying much attention to the meaning of the word Universal.
    Also I thought he really hated being stuck with a script. His delivery was pretty flat compared to his normal style.

  211. 211.

    Paul in KY

    @Adam L Silverman: See your point. Must be very sad for those who had to give stupid/counterproductive orders or even good orders that resulted in those deaths (that were for nothing, really).

  212. 212.

    Adam L Silverman

    @schrodinger’s cat: I personally feel disrespected by several small island nations, but I’m funny that way!//

    I have no idea. Nations have interests and allies and partners. This isn’t a micro level set of interactions.

  213. 213.

    Redshift

    @Miss Bianca: It means the same thing it does when he talks about being treated unfairly by the RNC – “I should get what I want, and shouldn’t have to bother with all these messy rules.”

    (Which, in fairness, is also the definition of “compromise” Republicans have been working from for years, so like most of Trump’s BS, it can’t be entirely blamed on Trump.)

  214. 214.

    RK

    @Ruckus: Trump is the least informed candidate I’ve ever seen. It’s both stunning and appalling. But Americans worship wealth and celebrity and Republicans authoritarians as well.

  216. 216.

    Paul in KY

    @Patricia Kayden: They say they won’t vote for him, but after 5 months of Anti-Hillary propaganda, I think most will fall into line. That’s what we should be expecting (the hard slog to a win).

  218. 218.

    Paul in KY

    @patroclus: VP Gore ran rings around Batshit McChimpy too. I watched the debates. That’s why Gore was sighing: at Dubya’s nutty non-answers.

    I don’t think Der Trumpenfuhrer is as good a politician as Dubya was (thank God).

  220. 220.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Paul in KY: It is hard to face that what you’ve trained your entire career to do, when you’ve finally been tasked with doing it and been successful at the tactical to low operational levels, which where most of the work was being done, it all still turned out to be a failure because of the strategic malpractice of the folks back in DC. This isn’t a doltenschloss type of thing. Iraq was a tactical success and strategic failure.

  221. 221.

    NotMax

    @RK

    Would still give Ben Carson the edge when it comes to uninformedness and strident vapidity.

  223. 223.

    scav

    To me, the whining about America being treated fairly just immediately brings to mind the underlying theme of white men (aka real americans) being treated fairly too. The traditional beneficiaries of power are not getting everything their way: Unfair! It’s all of a muchness.

  225. 225.

    Mnemosyne

    @Germy:

    I heard it that way a lot with Bush. It’s perfectly polite to refer to a president as “Mr.” (or, soon, “Mrs.”) since we don’t have none a’ those fancy titles of nobility in these here parts. You say “Mr. President” or “Madam President” in person, “President X” on first reference in a story, and “Mr. X” or “Mrs./Ms. X” on subsequent references.

    Plus, on the radio, it’s a bit of a mouthful to say “President Obama” over and over again.

  226. 226.

    Paul in KY

    @Redshift: I think he thinks he can still win nomination & this is a lifeline to the Repub movers & shakers that he will use Carly to torch Hillary. Trump, of course, will do that work himself.

  227. 227.

    pamelabrown53

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Thanks for the reply, Adam. You’re the perfect person to lead this discussion because you stick to the facts. I, for one, too easily just snarks against what sounds absurd rather than analyze what Trump is saying and how he might be interpreted.

  231. 231.

    RK

    @NotMax: When you call the EPA the Department of Environmental and claim you can slash 1 trillion from the deficit by paring down 2 programs that only cost 80 billion and saving 100s of billions more by reconfiguring another that doesn’t even cost 100 billion you’re pretty tough competition for least informed.

  232. 232.

    patroclus

    @Paul in KY: Well, Gore did run rings around Bush, but he had a “lockbox” tied around his neck while doing so. But after watching Barry McCaffrey swoon all over that turd of a 5th grade speech, I understand what you’re saying. The media will puff this up like they did Bush, so I guess the awfulness of this speech will be obscured just like 2000. It was really terrible (“universal values that aren’t shared by everyone”) and should be excoriated by anyone serious about foreign policy, but I’m guessing Mccaffrey-like gushing will instead be the reaction.

  236. 236.

    Mnemosyne

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I don’t have the exact quote, but Al Franken said that conservatives love “America” like a four-year-old loves his Mommy, with people who don’t love Mommy as unquestioningly as he does being bad people.

  237. 237.

    pamelabrown53

    @srv:
    Yeah. He’ll be a yuuge success in foreign policy. One needn’t look further than Scotland and his golf course fiasco to illustrate his deft expertise

    Trump is the biggest flim flam man to ever darken America’s doors..

  238. 238.

    catclub

    @LAO: The only things that interest Trump are: Trump, his poll numbers, his winning margins, how well he does with all the groups.

  240. 240.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    The only things that interest Trump are: Trump, his poll numbers, his winning margins, how well he does with all the groups.

    @catclub: You forgot his daughter’s fine ass. That interests him quite a bit. I hope all of America doesn’t forget that, when it’s time to pull the lever or stay home.

  241. 241.

    Paul in KY

    @patroclus: I just don’t want ANY overconfidence from anyone, patroculus. We need to not leave anything to chance & never underestimate our opponent.

  242. 242.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman:Well, thanks to those two numbers you and srv pointed out, I think I perceive why…I shall have to watch the whole thing!

    Still nurse a soft spot for “1776”, myself…

  243. 243.

    The Thin Black Duke

    As a citizen of the United States, this fiasco makes me want to put a brown paper bag over my head. What’s worse, this putz will still get about 47 per cent of the country voting for him. It’s goddamned embarassing.

  247. 247.

    NotMax

    @Miss Bianca

    It’s pure fluff, but fun. The movie of the musical should be readily available online.

    One time when I was directing it, the musical director ranted on and on about one song because the score had 7 flats.

  249. 249.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    i actually think Ivanka can help Trump a lot. She’s attractive, well-spoken, reserved and thus reflects well on, and softens the hard edges of, the candidate.

    @RK: You would, but that’s because you’re an imbecile.

    The rest of America will see her and remember that her dad has said publicly he’d like to stuff her ass with his withered, limp sausage. And they’ll be sickened and horrified at a man who could do even contemplate doing that to his own daughter.

  251. 251.

    catclub

    @LAO:

    Well, he promised that ISIS will be gone very very quickly. I’m in.

    At the rate the US and its allies are presently grinding them down, he could be right.

  252. 252.

    Peale

    I’m sure that even the 15 months that Hastert will be too much, too harsh. He’ll be out in 3.

  253. 253.

    catclub

    @Yutsano:

    I even own a bit as part of my TSP mix.

    I was at a TSP/retirement talk and the description of the money market fund was really amazing – and a good deal for TSP members.

  254. 254.

    catclub

    @singfoom: There have been interesting articles on which GOP lines Trump does and does NOT cross.
    I think Israel is one. Contrast that with cutting SS.

  255. 255.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:
    @NotMax:

    I am now seriously considering getting season tickets to the 2016-2017 season at the Pantages because it would include:

    HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
    THE KING AND I
    FINDING NEVERLAND
    AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
    THE BOOK OF MORMON
    HAMILTON

    (And THE BODYGUARD, but I am not interested in that one.)

    We could see all of those for about $450 per person.

  256. 256.

    feebog

    Did not watch, as I had some actual work to do this morning plus a crew replacing windows in the dining room. I’ll catch the highlights later on MarginallySaneNationalBroadcastingCompany. If the comments here are any indication it was the usual bullshit with a teleprompter to make it slightly more understandable.

  258. 258.

    LAO

    @Peale:

    I’m sure that even the 15 months that Hastert will be too much, too harsh. He’ll be out in 3.

    Not how the BOP works. 15 months incarceration, less good time, equals about 12 months. And all prisoners qualify for a “half-way house” with 6 months of sentence remaining. (Doesn’t mean they get to move into a halfway house, merely they’re eligible). The best case scenario for Mr. Hastert is 6 months, with 6 months in a halfway house. It is extremely difficult to get a prisoner released early on health grounds. I expect he will spend his sentence at a medical facility.

  260. 260.

    catclub

    @LAO: Hastert did not even know enough to tell the guy: “You are now a computer consultant. I will be paying you in ACH transfers every month. The tax problems are your concern.” This would have made all these problems disappear.

  261. 261.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: If they ever do beauty pageants based on genetic perfection (purrfection?) she’s definitely going to be the hands on favorite.

  262. 262.

    Barbara

    @Peale: There is no parole in federal sentencing any more. Your sentence is your sentence, but you get credit for various things, like continuous good time and, if applicable, completing substance abuse programs. He will be lucky to shave off 3 months of a 15 month sentence. I was surprised simply given his health.

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