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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Seriously: Mr. Khizr Khan Has Very Long Fingers

Seriously: Mr. Khizr Khan Has Very Long Fingers

by Anne Laurie|  July 30, 201612:58 am| 95 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Military, Daydream Believers, Rare Sincerity

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Thanks to several commentors for the link.

I’d post this during the daytime when more people would see it, but if it makes you sob as much as I am, better to be in private.

ETA: For those whose browers won’t show the embed, watch here: MSNBC.

Via Gawker:

My conscience compels me under these very difficult circumstances—very raw emotions—I am a very composed person. I don’t become that emotional in public discourse. But there is so much at stake. And I appeal to both of these leaders [Mitch McConnell & Paul Ryan]: This is the time. There comes a time in the history of a nation where an ethical, a moral stand has to be taken regardless of the political cost. The only reason they’re not repudiating his behavior, his threat to our democracy, our decency, our foundation, is just because of political consequences.

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Reader Interactions

95Comments

  1. 1.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 1:09 am

    I know where Humayun Khan got his guts. Mom and Dad.

  2. 2.

    ? Martin

    July 30, 2016 at 1:15 am

    So let’s recap this day for Mr. Trump.

    He said he was finally going to start going after Hillary. He canceled the party Latino outreach event they wanted him to participate in. He booed a 4 star general. He accused the fire marshal citizen of the year of working for Hillary and being what’s wrong with government. He got eviscerated by a Pakistani family. And he’s started weaseling his way out of the debates.

    A candidate would normally do one or two things per week to report on. Trump is like explosive political diarrhea – the media just doesn’t know how to cope with it.

  3. 3.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 1:17 am

    @? Martin: And his namesake son campaigned at the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 1:18 am

    @Adam L Silverman: And celebrated the Flag of Treason.

  5. 5.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 1:21 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: Its a job…

  6. 6.

    Trentrunner

    July 30, 2016 at 1:24 am

    Trump’s gone from Gish Galloper to Gish Stampeder, with no real idea what he’s doing, and no incentive to change because his feedback mechanism (audience approval, media attention) tells him it’s “working.”

    Looks like I picked the wrong lifetime to not ever drink.

  7. 7.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2016 at 1:26 am

    The clip shown on Maddow of Trump verbally bashing Tim Kaine* for the horrible things he did as governor of New Jersey** is devastating. And displays DT’s pathetic ignorance.

    *Democrat governor of and senator from Virginia

    **Tom Kean, Republican from New Jersey

  8. 8.

    Trentrunner

    July 30, 2016 at 1:26 am

    Also, just read a long, depressing thread at LGM about how SCOTUS nominee Garland received no mention at this week’s DNC, indicating there’s no real political impetus for Dems to push for his getting a hearing and vote.

    Another governing norm our GOP has just blown right through.

  9. 9.

    Mike J

    July 30, 2016 at 1:28 am

    I want to know what Trump or Hillary will do about this:

    Wall Street Journal Verified account @WSJ
    Corpse flowers are blooming simultaneously across the country—and botanists don’t know why

  10. 10.

    Barbara

    July 30, 2016 at 1:30 am

    @Trentrunner: They might have been warned off by Obama to avoid politicizing Garland. Several speakers including Clinton spoke more generally about the court.

  11. 11.

    Citizen Alan

    July 30, 2016 at 1:30 am

    @Trentrunner:

    I almost wonder if that was intentional — if the Dems are growing more confident of victory and don’t want to encourage the GOoPers to just go ahead and confirm Garland when Hillary can name someone stronger with a Dem Senate backing her.

  12. 12.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 1:31 am

    @Mike J: We’re doomed!
    http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/PhantomMiria6/media/00074zp7.gif.html

  13. 13.

    Lizzy L

    July 30, 2016 at 1:32 am

    From Bipartisan Report:

    “Despite the fact that Senator Harry Reid and other high ranking intelligence officials from both sides have asked that Donald Trump not be given access to classified information just yesterday, today, Trump was given his first shot learning sensitive information this afternoon.

    “Trump attended an intelligence briefing this afternoon in which he was told sensitive information for his own safety and for the safety of Americans. Within hours he was neck deep into one of his classic word salads when he proved Harry Reid and other Pentagon officials right.

    “In what was the biggest faux pas of his entire political career, Trump accidentally revealed sensitive and classified information about the locations of secret military bases. Trump arrogantly spoke to an audience at a Colorado Springs rally today, when he said that the U.S. should not have to pay rent for its military base in Saudi Arabia.

    “There’s just one problem with this. There isn’t supposed to be an American military base in Saudi Arabia. This revelation could and should mean huge consequences for Donald Trump, who has called for the arrest and indictment of Hillary Clinton for mishandling of classified emails.”

  14. 14.

    Trentrunner

    July 30, 2016 at 1:34 am

    @Citizen Alan: Many conditional links in that chain. I should think a bird/justice in the hand/court is worth more…

    Just depressing.

  15. 15.

    ? Martin

    July 30, 2016 at 1:37 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Oh, right. Forgot about that. See how hard it is to keep up?

  16. 16.

    Mike J

    July 30, 2016 at 1:40 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Feed me, Adam.

  17. 17.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2016 at 1:40 am

    @Lizzy L

    It’s as if Trump’s strategy (?) is to run an extremely unhumorous Emily Litella campaign.

    “We can’t acknowledge that? Oh. Never mind.”

  18. 18.

    piratedan

    July 30, 2016 at 1:43 am

    @Citizen Alan: or conversely use it as an argument for Conservatives to show up at the polls despite their feelings about Trump to ensure that sluts don’t get health care and that every zygote is sacred.

  19. 19.

    ? Martin

    July 30, 2016 at 1:43 am

    @Lizzy L: I would need to see confirmation of that. It seems much more likely that Turmp was simply referring to Prince Sultan which we turned over to Saudi Arabia a decade ago, and which he’s too stupid to realize we don’t have any longer.

    It’s damn tough to keep a military base secret in an age of privately owned mapping satellites.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 1:47 am

    @Mike J: I don’t know you that well. This request makes me feel very uncomfortable…

  21. 21.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 1:49 am

    @Lizzy L: Except the BBC reported on this in 2013:
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21350437

    So its entirely possible he didn’t get that info in today’s briefing. Or, conversely, they’re only briefing him on stuff that’s already leaked.

  22. 22.

    akryan

    July 30, 2016 at 1:51 am

    @Lizzy L: I saw that same article retracted today. Apparently he hadn’t been any briefings at the time he said it. That doesn’t make it much better though. All it means is that he flat out made up the story of us paying rent on a base. So, the options are A) he really did get the details of a secret base and then blew it’s cover or B) he completely made up the story just to make a campaign speech. I think it’s B. There actually are bases like this though. I think The Guardian had an article about it a while ago.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    July 30, 2016 at 1:51 am

    @Mike J:

    I knew those goddamned things were really triffids.

  24. 24.

    mtmofo

    July 30, 2016 at 1:52 am

    Reverb Press retracted their story on the Saudi base.

    http://reverbpress.com/politics/trump-may-have-just-leaked-a-huge-intelligence-secret-only-hours-after-his-first-briefing/

    This story was reported based on information from several sources. Upon further review, those sources seem to have come from a single source with unverifiable information. While possible, there is no evidence that we are comfortable with at this time that Donald Trump has received any intelligence briefings before making his comments on Friday. We hereby retract this story. We sincerely apologize for any confusion. — Reverb Press

  25. 25.

    Mary G

    July 30, 2016 at 1:52 am

    The pictures of Trump holding twin babies today cracked me up. You could just tell he hated it and was freaking out about germs.

  26. 26.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 1:59 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Just to see if he’ll blurt it out.

    Which he has done. He cannot be trusted with anything classified. He doesn’t know how.

  27. 27.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 2:00 am

    Anne, I’m not seeing the link. Just a big blank spot.

  28. 28.

    Amir Khalid

    July 30, 2016 at 2:07 am

    @Adam L Silverman:
    What can candidate Trump be briefed on without an unacceptable risk of him leaking it? I understand that President Trump will have to be told everything, but there must be some filters in place for the not-yet-elected.

  29. 29.

    Lizzy L

    July 30, 2016 at 2:08 am

    @akryan: I didn’t see the retraction. Thanks. Adam, Martin, I appreciate your comments. I suppose it’s possible that Trump was referring to the base we turned over to SA, but how the hell to know what Trump remembers or knows? The man is less reliable than a cuckoo-clock. He’ll say anything. If not today, then tomorrow or next week, he’ll breach confidentiality.

  30. 30.

    piratedan

    July 30, 2016 at 2:09 am

    Latest Trump idea from his speech in Colorado… since our communications are compromised (nevermind who compromised them or that he’s asked his opponents to be hacked by outside agencies), we should restore communique via courier….

  31. 31.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:09 am

    @akryan: See my comment 21.

  32. 32.

    Miss Bianca

    July 30, 2016 at 2:10 am

    @? Martin: OMG – that last image made me LOL. So gross, but so right on!

    @piratedan: Pony Express! Pony Express! Out here, that idea would really catch fire!

  33. 33.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:10 am

    @? Martin:

    He said he was finally going to start going after Hillary. He canceled the party Latino outreach event they wanted him to participate in. He booed a 4 star general. He accused the fire marshal citizen of the year of working for Hillary and being what’s wrong with government. He got eviscerated by a Pakistani family. And he’s started weaseling his way out of the debates.

    So, giving his voters what they want, disparaging swarthy Americans and government employees. He’ll probably rise in the polls.

    Also, we shouldn’t be paying Saudi Arabia rent for our base on their land, we should get rent for them having their country around our base.

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2016 at 2:13 am

    @Lizzy L

    Suspect it’s not a base in the traditional sense, more like a center of listening posts.

  35. 35.

    Joeff

    July 30, 2016 at 2:14 am

    @Trentrunner: Pretty sure that’s not correct. But may have been Sanders who mentioned.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:15 am

    @? Martin: @Lizzy L: This is the major ongoing program in Saudi Arabia:
    http://www.usasac.army.mil/OPMSang/about.html

    ETA: Here’s the info on the OPM-Saudi Arabian National Guard basing:
    http://www.usasac.army.mil/OPMSang/eskan.html
    Our personnel are housed at Eskan Village.

    You’ll find a fair amount there about what it is. The bottom line is the Saudis are paying for what we’re doing there. They also pay for the equipment they buy from us for their Air Force, Army, and National Guard. That is done through the Senior Defense Official’s Office at the US Embassy Riyadh. Whatever he’s saying about the Saudi’s not paying, they’re paying. In fact President Nixon cut a secret deal with them in the early 70s and they’ve been paying and buying debt through it as well ever since.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-05-30/the-untold-story-behind-saudi-arabia-s-41-year-u-s-debt-secret

    I have no idea where he first got this idea that we’re just giving stuff away or not getting paid for material and training by most of our allies and partners, especially those that have the wherewithal to pay. He’s held these views since at least 1987 when he called out the Reagan Administration about it. It didn’t make sense then, it doesn’t make any more sense now.

  37. 37.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:16 am

    @NotMax: The article at 21 indicates we operate drones out of that base.

  38. 38.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:17 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: Fortunately I do not have to make those decisions or give those briefings!

  39. 39.

    rikyrah

    July 30, 2016 at 2:17 am

    Mr. And. Mrs. Khan were wonderful.

  40. 40.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:19 am

    @Amir Khalid: The President, after consulting with both the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of Central Intelligence, will make that determination. It will include what he can be briefed on, the format for what he can be briefed on, and the breadth and depth of what he can be briefed on. It will not be taken lightly and the decision will not be made willy nilly.

  41. 41.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:20 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I have no idea where he first got this idea that we’re just giving stuff away or not getting paid for material and training by most of our allies and partners, especially those that have the wherewithal to pay.

    His zealous opposition to trade (when that’s the mood he’s in) plus years of Republicans deriding the <1% that we spend on foreign aid as a budget buster have possibly brought him to look at all foreign investment as a loss. Or else, maybe he's confusing Saudi Arabia with Israel? Or does Israel pay for the equipment they get from the U.S. too?

  42. 42.

    ? Martin

    July 30, 2016 at 2:21 am

    @Adam L Silverman: The idea is very simple – everyone is ripping him off, and he’s fantastically generous to everyone else. That applies to literally every thing.

  43. 43.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:22 am

    @piratedan:

    Latest Trump idea from his speech in Colorado… since our communications are compromised (nevermind who compromised them or that he’s asked his opponents to be hacked by outside agencies), we should restore communique via courier….

    And since our high tech and especially remotely controlled weapons are also at risk of getting hacked, let’s go back to muskets!!!

  44. 44.

    Cat48

    July 30, 2016 at 2:23 am

    I knew about the drone base in Saudi Arabia, can’t remember where I read it. The WP & NYT leaks everything they learn. Sometimes the WH can get them to hold it a few days.

    The article in WP about email hacks by Russian Intel said that experts said that they often tried “to salt data”? Does anyone know if that means forge documents? Assange told Richard Engel, NBC, that the next material he released would contain enough information to indict Clinton. The interview was last Monday

  45. 45.

    Lizzy L

    July 30, 2016 at 2:25 am

    @Adam L Silverman: That is what I would assume and expect; thank you for confirming. I believe that they will tell him nothing, fucking nothing, the open mention of which could harm the country.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2016 at 2:26 am

    @Kropeadope

    Optimal operational range would encompass Yemen, critical parts of Iraq and Syria, Egypt and Somalia, so wouldn’t be a surprise. A prime question is whether they are deployed armed or limited to intelligence gathering missions.

    Whatever is there pales in relation to established bases such as in Bahrain.

  47. 47.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:29 am

    @Cat48:

    Assange told Richard Engel, NBC, that the next material he released would contain enough information to indict Clinton. The interview was last Monday

    Republicans have been making that promise for years. I don’t find Assange much more credible on the matter. It’s more likely he’ll enable someone to steal HRC’s identity. Maybe that person will frame her for a crime. I see where they’re going with this now.

    @NotMax:

    A prime question is whether they are deployed armed or limited to intelligence gathering missions.

    Sounds like a little from column A, a little from column B.

    The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.

    The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen.

    A drone flown from there was used in September 2011 to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was alleged to be AQAP’s external operations chief
    ……
    US officials told the newspaper that the first time the CIA used the secret facility was to kill Awlaki.

    Since then, the CIA has been “given the mission of hunting and killing ‘high-value targets’ in Yemen” – the leaders of AQAP who government lawyers had determined posed a direct threat to the US – the officials added.

  48. 48.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:30 am

    @Kropadope: Israel is a special case. We give them a lot of aid. Some of that is returned in military sales. We also provide them specific material and equipment on loan. And then there’s Task Force Sinai. So its not quite so clear cut.
    http://www.nv.ngb.army.mil/nvng/index.cfm/public-affairs/news-releases/757th-battalion-goes-to-work-in-sinai-peninsula/
    (in the picture the outgoing commander – on the right – is a friend and former student of mine)

    We deal with each country differently. Some we do a lot of subsidizing because they can’t afford to pay and we’ve decided its in our interest to have them in our geostrategic orbit and to partner with them. In others they can afford to pay and we have worked out a system for that, including for helping to cover the cost of basing US military personnel. The biggest issue with NATO is not with the members not paying their dues, but rather with some of the member states not meeting their manpower minimum requirements. This has been exacerbated by the austerity policies put in place in parts of the EU post 2008. And while its an issue, its not a crisis at this point. And the Baltic states are not just current on dues, but also on the manpower requirements because they’re scared to death of what Putin may or may not do.

  49. 49.

    Karmus

    July 30, 2016 at 2:32 am

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Anne, I’m not seeing the link. Just a big blank spot.

    Same here, with two different browsers.

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:34 am

    @Kropadope: That’s actually the arguments against RFID or biometric smart guns or smart security enhancements to existing guns. The only current firearms that might be susceptible to this are the Trackingpoint guns.
    http://tracking-point.com/
    They’re very expensive and from what I’ve read are definitely a niche product (they don’t sell a lot).

    There’s no way to hack revolver or a pistol or a shotgun or a bolt action, lever action, AR or AK pattern rifles or equivalents.

  51. 51.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2016 at 2:35 am

    @Adam L. Silverman

    No idea of what the actual requirement numbers are but they can’t be very large.

    Combined population of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia is less than that of either New York City or London.

  52. 52.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:36 am

    @Cat48: The concern, which I touched on the other day in my post on this, is that salting data meant changing voter registration information for GOTV or things like that. The concern, of course, if they’re doing that then we have to be concerned that they could do the same thing at the state and county level with the official voter registration rolls and/or the election returns.

  53. 53.

    Mike J

    July 30, 2016 at 2:36 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I have no idea where he first got this idea that we’re just giving stuff away

    Americans typically think we spend 20-30% of the federal budget on foreign aid. As you know, it’s less than 1%.

  54. 54.

    Aleta

    July 30, 2016 at 2:37 am

    It still seems unreal, almost beyond belief, that T..p is the candidate the Rs have put up. He’s the antimatter Republican.

  55. 55.

    Anne Laurie

    July 30, 2016 at 2:40 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: Damn. Here’s the link — I promise it’s worth giving MSNBC the traffic.

  56. 56.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:41 am

    @NotMax:
    http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50316.htm

    And not to knock you, or anyone else here, but almost all of this stuff is at least generally explained, and in some cases with specific details, on public facing websites. US policies are either on the White House site or the appropriate agency websites. It simply boggles my mind that reporters can’t be bothered to take a minute and do the search for “US policy on X” so that they’re accurately reporting.
    (I know what to look for, and usually where, because of what I do)

  57. 57.

    Anne Laurie

    July 30, 2016 at 2:42 am

    @piratedan: As a commentor on a previous thread said: Like drug courier and Al Quada do!

  58. 58.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:42 am

    I’m off to bed.

  59. 59.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:43 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The biggest issue with NATO is not with the members not paying their dues, but rather with some of the member states not meeting their manpower minimum requirements.

    Well, when the Americans have bases everywhere, what do you need your own military for?

    This has been exacerbated by the austerity policies put in place in parts of the EU post 2008.

    Man, that same old story’s getting old. You’d think people would’ve learned by now.

    Some we do a lot of subsidizing because they can’t afford to pay and we’ve decided its in our interest to have them in our geostrategic orbit and to partner with them.

    And it’s always good to have friends.

    And the Baltic states are not just current on dues, but also on the manpower requirements because they’re scared to death of what Putin may or may not do.

    All I know about my grandparents’ home country of Lithuania is kugele, rye bread, and polka. Still, I’d be furious if Trump just let Putin walk in there. Do you think they could possibly stand against Russia on their own?

    @Adam L Silverman:

    That’s actually the arguments against RFID or biometric smart guns or smart security enhancements to existing guns. The only current firearms that might be susceptible to this are the Trackingpoint guns.

    Yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of drones, but mostly just being a wiseacre.

  60. 60.

    Cat48

    July 30, 2016 at 2:44 am

    @Kropadope:

    After all the hacking by the FSB & GRU, It would be awfully hard to believe computer data at this point to indict someone with data pawed over by Russia & Wikileaks. Also, they hacked DSCC.

  61. 61.

    Anne Laurie

    July 30, 2016 at 2:44 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I have no idea where he first got this idea that we’re just giving stuff away or not getting paid for material and training by most of our allies and partners, especially those that have the wherewithal to pay. He’s held these views since at least 1987 when he called out the Reagan Administration about it. It didn’t make sense then, it doesn’t make any more sense now.

    You’re old enough to know that it’s the worst thieves and grifters who raise a stink about those other lesser T&Gs!

  62. 62.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:50 am

    @Kropadope: I don’t know. I doubt it. Putin has spent a lot of petroleum profits trying to rebuild the Russian military and its capability. And this is really not my area. What they should be able to do, what we need them to do should the worst happen, is to be able to hold the line until we can get ourselves and the rest of our NATO allies into place. And here too the sequester kills us. In my professional opinion we are one Army Corps short. V Corps cased its colors about 2 years ago and almost all of 1 AD was relocated to Ft. Bliss. So we have a theater Army Commander with not a lot of theater army! I understand the need to constrain defense spending, and I’m also not sure that a lot of what Putin is doing isn’t just maskirovka to get what he wants by making everyone else freak out over what he might do, but we have too little expeditionary Landpower capacity in Europe. And being one corps short makes it hard to meet other commitments.

  63. 63.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 2:50 am

    @Kropadope: I was tracking. And I’m going to bed.

  64. 64.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 2:52 am

    @Mike J:

    Americans typically think we spend 20-30% of the federal budget on foreign aid.

    Americans (in particular, Teabagger Americans) are really, really stupid. These are the people who hold up signs saying “Keep the Government out of my Medicare/Medicaid”, after all.

  65. 65.

    piratedan

    July 30, 2016 at 2:52 am

    @Anne Laurie: Trump believes it because that’s how he does business, stiffing folks despite contracts and obligations. The guy has what you would classify as a very narrow set of “ethics”, if it doesn’t benefit him., why bother doing it?

  66. 66.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 2:53 am

    @Anne Laurie: That link goes to http.com :(

  67. 67.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:53 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    I have no idea where he first got this idea that we’re just giving stuff away or not getting paid for material and training by most of our allies and partners, especially those that have the wherewithal to pay. He’s held these views since at least 1987 when he called out the Reagan Administration about it. It didn’t make sense then, it doesn’t make any more sense now.

    You’re old enough to know that it’s the worst thieves and grifters who raise a stink about those other lesser T&Gs!

    It’s our government’s MO to give most of the goodies to the people who have the most. Of course members of this rarified class will be fighting each other over the table scraps plentiful whole roasted chickens.

    @Cat48:

    After all the hacking by the FSB & GRU, It would be awfully hard to believe computer data at this point to indict someone with data pawed over by Russia & Wikileaks.

    It would be awful hard for most of us to believe, some other people are highly motivated to believe anything negative about Ds generally and HRC in particular.

  68. 68.

    Anne Laurie

    July 30, 2016 at 2:56 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: arrrgh FYWP! Try it now, it should be fixed!

  69. 69.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 2:56 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Thank you for your opinion and I will leave the tab open to research that which I didn’t fully understand in the morning. Have a great night.

  70. 70.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2016 at 2:59 am

    @Kropadope:

    some other people are highly motivated to believe anything negative about Ds generally and HRC in particular.

    I doubt most of them are in DOJ.

  71. 71.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 3:02 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Fortunately, you are right. Still, that likely won’t stop the Republicans from wasting additional years of Congressional time and hundreds of millions of dollars investigating and pushing for charges.

  72. 72.

    guachi

    July 30, 2016 at 3:12 am

    If classified information is published in the newspaper it is still classified. If Trump were to reference this hypothetical article in, say, an unclassified email he’d be releasing classified information.

    [It’s late. But if I have this wrong I’d be embarrassed]

  73. 73.

    Cat48

    July 30, 2016 at 3:28 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It really is a good idea to check voter registration about 100 days ahead. I’ve never had a problem bc I’m in the precinct book, but this political hacking has me worried.

  74. 74.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 3:30 am

    @Anne Laurie: On target! Fire for effect! And thank you!

  75. 75.

    Villago Delenda Est

    July 30, 2016 at 3:35 am

    @guachi: When it’s been published in a paper, the point of it being classified is lost. After all, it was classified. It wasn’t supposed to appear in a paper!

    This is why our classification system SUCKS. Too many things are classified not because of actual National Security concerns, but out of ass covering concerns.

  76. 76.

    Cat48

    July 30, 2016 at 3:41 am

    @Kropadope:
    I agree about some thinking the worst about D’s. I believe that we have been the adults since Obama was elected. Some white people & the Teaparty turned crazy.

  77. 77.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    July 30, 2016 at 4:08 am

    Has anyone seen the TPM Polltracker chart today? Very odd. Both candidates are in a nose dive.

  78. 78.

    jl

    July 30, 2016 at 4:14 am

    @guachi:

    ” If classified information is published in the newspaper it is still classified. If Trump were to reference this hypothetical article in, say, an unclassified email he’d be releasing classified information. ”

    IIRC that is a tricky area. It’s been so long since I had a clearance I am getting rusty at all the Byzantine details. I think the basic idea is that if you mix classified information with unclassified version of the same info, that the whole document or communication becomes classified. Or, if you vouch that classified info matches an unclassified report, then you have released classified information. That gets into the ‘Sure, people know, but they don’t know that we really know that the unclassified report is true using our best classified sources’. To me that quickly gets into the hall of mirrors “You now know that we really truly know what you thought we knew from stuff in the NYT, but before we just thought maybe you kind of maybe sort of knew but didn’t really know and were guessing and blah blah blah yadda yadda.”

    Think Trump would be able to keep all that straight, and if he did, he would have the discipline to keep the two sources of info separate? I doubt it.

    Some agencies have more expertise in some areas than others, and it’s better to use unclassified sources anyway. They may be more accurate and easier to work with and check. The security classification system can get insane. (Edit: like different agencies keep track of same kind of info in many areas, some of which they suck at, and fight over level of classification, and sometimes very good info is mixed in with ridiculously bad info)

    So, that is my best recollection. I guess we need to put that on the list of stuff to pester Adam about.

  79. 79.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2016 at 4:33 am

    @jl: Or in Sec. Clinton’s case they classified it after she left State.

  80. 80.

    Kropadope

    July 30, 2016 at 4:55 am

    @Cat48:

    I agree about some thinking the worst about D’s. I believe that we have been the adults since Obama was elected. Some white people & the Teaparty turned crazy.

    I dunno, given what I remember from the Bush admin, they weren’t any more eality-based or mature then. They were just in charge. And the stories I heard from the Clinton administration, oy. Some people date the Rs losing their shit to Gingrich’s house in 94, but the signs were there for decades before that. Ronnie Raygun was just Bush Jr. 1.0

  81. 81.

    satby

    July 30, 2016 at 5:22 am

    Good morning! Time for a morning thread?

  82. 82.

    Matt McIrvin

    July 30, 2016 at 8:13 am

    @Dog Dawg Damn: Ipsos/Reuters just started releasing their tracking poll. For whatever reason, their polls always have a very high “undecided” response relative to other polls (probably they don’t push leaners to make a choice). I think that’s all you’re seeing there.

  83. 83.

    Matt McIrvin

    July 30, 2016 at 8:23 am

    @Kropadope: The Bircher and McCarthyite tendencies in American conservatism have been there since the middle of the 20th century at least. The Birchers used to be beyond the pale when it came to national politics, but McCarthy got real traction for a while until he was smacked down (and before him there was HUAC, which wasn’t even all Republican).

    The passage of the ’64 Civil Rights Act, followed by Barry Goldwater’s candidacy whose core of support came from reaction to it, was really the moment at which the Republican Party started to see there was national partisan gain from paranoid behavior. They got crushed that year, and Goldwater was relatively sane compared to a lot that followed, but that was where the party started to commit.

  84. 84.

    debbie

    July 30, 2016 at 8:30 am

    @NotMax:

    Reminiscent of Palin’s “confusion,” no?

  85. 85.

    Manyakitty

    July 30, 2016 at 9:00 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Is there any chance that they’ll feed him misinformation, just to see what he does with it?

  86. 86.

    D58826

    July 30, 2016 at 9:04 am

    It seems much more likely that Turmp

    Interesting misspelling. Another letter or two and we can start calling him Turnip!

  87. 87.

    Bnad

    July 30, 2016 at 10:03 am

    And he’s started weaseling his way out of the debates.

    Every Trump supporter I’ve heard is fired up about the debates and certain The Donald will eviscerate Hillary in them. That’s why I’m near 100% sure they’ll happen.

  88. 88.

    Jeffro

    July 30, 2016 at 10:33 am

    @Citizen Alan:

    I almost wonder if that was intentional — if the Dems are growing more confident of victory and don’t want to encourage the GOoPers to just go ahead and confirm Garland when Hillary can name someone stronger with a Dem Senate backing her.

    I still think Obama should put McConnell & the GOP on notice that Garland’s nomination expires the morning of election day.

  89. 89.

    Jeffro

    July 30, 2016 at 10:35 am

    @? Martin:

    It’s damn tough to keep a military base secret in an age of privately owned mapping satellites.

    Perhaps the base is run by that awful Tom Kean fellow, and that’s what confused Donald?

  90. 90.

    Jeffro

    July 30, 2016 at 10:37 am

    @Mike J:

    Americans typically think we spend 20-30% of the federal budget on foreign aid. As you know, it’s less than 1%.

    30% foreign aid and the rest is welfare, amirite?

  91. 91.

    Jeffro

    July 30, 2016 at 10:50 am

    Btw Dan Drezner & POLITICO are noting that Trump’s most ardent supporters are ones who aren’t doing too badly, economically speaking, yet they seem to think the USA is crumbling around them. I think this is directly due to the “Fox effect” – constant RW spin, selective editing out of things like the Khan speech, and of course the ever-popular “BREAKING NEWS!!!”

    A constant state of near-panic, coupled with air quote “reporting” only on those bad brown people, cop shootings, and conspiracy theorists.

  92. 92.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 10:57 am

    @guachi: You have it right, the material is still classified and those with clearances who don’t need to know it are not supposed to be exposed to it. Even if that exposure is the Sunday paper. If they are it is called spillage.

  93. 93.

    Adam L Silverman

    July 30, 2016 at 10:59 am

    @Manyakitty: I have no idea.

  94. 94.

    Jay

    July 30, 2016 at 11:33 am

    Had a future Marine flyer friend in college who went absolutely bonkers over a coffee table book on military planes. Seems the pictures of the cockpits and their instrumentation were supposed to be classified.

    On the Baltic States. I was very put out that we didn’t jump right in and recognize them and support them when they broke away from the USSR. You see we never officially acknowledged their annexation in the first place and could have re-opened relations immediately. IIRC we had their embassies in Washington for years and wouldn’t let the Soviets have them.

  95. 95.

    Dadadadadadada

    July 30, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    @Lizzy L: Either he accidentally revealed classified info, or he can’t tell Saudia Arabia apart from, say, Bahrain (or wherever else we actually do have bases). My money’s on the latter.

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