Exxon’s Rex Tillerson is top candidate for secretary of state https://t.co/bcmujkGsYi
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 9, 2016
Asked why Tillerson is qualified to be SecState, Trump cites his "massive deals w/Russia," he "knows the players" https://t.co/QvgtJkkkrP pic.twitter.com/M6BkacXs5N
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 10, 2016
In case it isn't clear: if you're a Western oil executive with "close ties to Putin," it means you bend over backwards to please Putin.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) December 10, 2016
From Ioffe’s Politico article:
… It’s hard to imagine Tillerson publicly chiding Putin today because he is now so very dependent on that friendship. In 2011, he negotiated a multibillion-dollar deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft, the Russian state oil giant cobbled out of Khodorkovsky’s seized empire and run by Putin’s former KGB buddy, Igor Sechin. The deal would have allowed Exxon access to the Russian Arctic shelf—which, according to U.S. government estimates, is thought to contain some 22 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas deposits—in exchange for helping Rosneft, which didn’t have the technological capabilities, drill for the stuff.
In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, seized the Crimean peninsula and started an insurgency in Eastern Ukraine, triggering a wave of American and European sanctions. But that summer, Tillerson thought it best to stay away from the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and instead sent his deputy, who, acting on behalf of Exxon Mobil, signed another energy deal with Rosneft and Sechin, who had ended up under sanctions…
… Russia had become an international pariah, and its economy—to say nothing of its rule of law or judiciary—was in shambles, but Western companies were bowing and scraping before a man who had just shocked the world by violating international law. Tillerson was at the head of that line. Instead of using their deep ties to Russia—by this point, it is said Tillerson had become buddies with Sechin—to push the Kremlin on the “rule of law” that had so bothered Tillerson six years prior, Russia’s new friends pushed on the White House. Shortly before sending his emissary to St. Petersburg to sign the deal, Tillerson told reporters in Texas that he was lobbying Washington against sanctions…
The lesson of Putin’s 16-year tenure is a lesson that all businesspeople, foreign and domestic, have learned: To do business in Russia, you have to be on good, personal terms with Putin and Sechin. And you have to understand that those two gatekeepers to Russia’s riches are fickle and sadistic, and, as former KGB operatives, know little of real friendship. To do business in Russia—both for Exxon Mobil and for Tillerson’s own massive retirement fund, whose fortunes would rise significantly if a Trump White House lifted sanctions—you have to dance to Putin’s tune, and take whatever favors and humiliations he sends your way. Putin may act a friend and pin state medals on your breast, but he is, ultimately, a cynic. And to play ball with him, you have to be a cynic, too. Forget your honor, your rule of law, your independent judiciary, your human rights, your international law, and focus on the gold coins he throws to your feet. And forget looking dignified as you gather them up.
That, "Don't worry, it's all set" look. pic.twitter.com/vplv8rJsSR
— Schooley (@Rschooley) December 10, 2016
If HRC chose a SecState who ran an oil giant and got a medal from Putin, the GOPers defending Trump would re-convene the Salem witch trials.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 10, 2016
For background on Tillerson, and Exxon's singular foreign policy, read @SteveCollNY https://t.co/cSPtRPcZEu
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) December 11, 2016
(via RawStory)
Whether I choose him or not for "State"- Rex Tillerson, the Chairman & CEO of ExxonMobil, is a world class player and dealmaker. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2016
Ex-CIA guy, who ran against Trump (primarily in Utah):
It must be clear that Donald Trump is not a loyal American and we should prepare for the next four years accordingly. @realDonaldTrump
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) December 10, 2016
debbie
I’d also bet Putin’s behind Trump’s poking China with a stick over Taiwan.
Mike E
@debbie: Jiggery-pokery is what we got for the foreseeable future, sadly.
MazeDancer
Secretary of State is 4th in line of succession to POTUS. Putin covering his bases.
If Manchin and Heitkamp are nominated to Cabinet are they still able to vote on confirmation before they’re confirmed? Two less pro-Russia votes could matter. Because now, with a 52-48 split in Senate, it only takes 3 GOP to defeat a nomination.
In Tillerson’s case the 10-9 split on Foreign Affairs has speculation thriving that he won’t survive committee.
Roger Moore
Somebody should point out that our foreign policy extends beyond Russia. I don’t think Trump realizes this.
JPL
Tomorrow we find out who the Trump selects. I’m not sure it’s Tillerson, because Trump might not want to take on the
some repubs. CNN is saying several Republicans were hacked by China, so maybe they could be bribed.
Hal
Sigh. Holy fuck this country.
Keith P.
Has Trump nominated anyone with bad hair?
Yarrow
@JPL:
Huh? That’s new.
NotMax
Welcome to Warren Harding 2.0.
Yarrow
@NotMax: With more authoritarianism.
JPL
@Yarrow: Shit.. I meant Russia..
Yarrow
@JPL: Oh, okay. By “several Republicans” do you mean elected officials or the usual “both parties were hacked” stuff?
rikyrah
@Yarrow:
Phuck OUTTA here
JPL
@JPL: CNN is reporting that several Republican members of Congress and other Republican organizations were hacked by RUSSIA, not China.. I wonder what the Russians have on Comey.
JPL
@Yarrow: http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/12/politics/gop-russia-hacking-trump/
I assume that there is info that can be used in order to bribe certain members. I’m obviously just speculating though
Central Planning
jesus fucking christ. How much money does he need to retire? Hundreds of millions isn’t enough?
ETA – I know. “More” and “No” are the SAsTSQs.
Lizzy L
Could be T is trolling everybody by waving Tillerson around so ostentatiously. It fits his style. Get everyone riled up at bright shiny object, then juke.
Or it could be he just wants Tillerson and doesn’t give a flying phuck what anyone says. That also fits his style.
God, I hate this.
SiubhanDuinne
I could be all wrong on this historically, but it continues to seem wrong to me that Trump has named (or at least floated) names for Ambassador to China, Ambassador to the UN, etc., without having first named his choice for Secretary of State. It seems to me that a PEOTUS would name his cabinet choice first, THEN in consultation with that person select key Ambassadorships.
But then I’m not the President-elect so what do I know?
lamh36
So…somebody kept calling my mom’s phone named “Isaac”…but I couldn’t answer cause I lost my voice. So when my mom comes in I say…”somebody name Isaac been calling your phone”. She says “oh, that Isaiah (my cousin) I spelled it wrong and I just never changed it”.
BWAHAHAHA… Life with my my mama
Yarrow
@JPL: I’ve been saying the same thing for awhile now. I watched McConnell’s statement today. He looked off. He didn’t look confident. He looked like someone made him go out there. I think they’ve got something on McConnell and Comey. Who knows how many more.
debbie
@Roger Moore:
If he really cared about improving America’s economy, he would focus more on fostering a better relationship with China, wouldn’t he?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Lizzy L: I assume he’s got Reince (or somebody) on one shoulder whispering that he doesn’t want to risk a loss by having the R Senate reject his nominee, and Bannon on the other saying Fuck them, they’re weak, you’re TRUMP, you can bend them to your will! Can’t figure out where Conway fits int
Morzer
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Donny Putinobitch is doing things in his usual random throwing shit at a wall style and knows precisely nothing about his nominees other than the fact that they are rich, corrupt and approved by the Russian thugs who own his bankrupt traitor ass.
PhoenixRising
The RNC was hacked by Russia.
Reince Priebus was the chair of the RNC.
He’s been appointed to chief of staff, not a position the Senate oversees.
If the Electoral College rubber stamps this like it’s a building permit–hey, the application is completed & the check covering the fee cleared!–somebody has some ‘splainin to do.
Roger Moore
@NotMax:
We can only hope Trump manages to depart the presidency the same way Harding did.
PhoenixRising
@JPL: It ain’t bribery if the options are, Do what’s best for Russia or we release the tapes of you and a goat in carnal relations.
That’s blackmail.
What are the odds that everything on the RNC’s servers is as fundamentally innocuous as Podesta’s polenta recipes?
Barbara
The only economic goal Putin has is making oil prices high again. Which would make Trump an economic as well as an actual traitor. He really is the Manchurian president. Good job Comey!
Morzer
@PhoenixRising:
But now we know that RNC stands for: Russia’s Newest Corporation.
Applejinx
I’ve been watching Hypernormalization. Got to say, all this is so totally consistent with what that BBC feature was talking about.
We are being trolled. Putin and his ex-avant-garde-theater henchman and Trump and all, they have worked out how to troll on a geopolitical scale, and the more you get yanked around by it the better they are pleased. You’re being TROLLED. On purpose.
If this is how things go from now on, I’m glad I’m up in Vermont. I’ve said before, one good thing about the USA is we’re damn huge. I prefer being in a pretty rural, out of the way place, because the more important you are the more you’re a target for being trolled. And I don’t like it. (not from frickin’ Trump and Putin, anyway)
gogol's wife
Where is Lawrence Harvey when you really need him?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Major Major Major Major
@JPL: Comey was all too happy to do this for shits and giggles I suspect. Maybe they offered him something but given his past I doubt it was a threat.
Schlemazel
@JPL:
The CIA tells us that Russia hacked both the DNC and the RNC so this is not news, it is CNN.
What did Russia decide to do with the material it took from those two locations? One they leaked, the other is still secret
Ruckus
@Morzer:
This is exactly my take as well.
Trump knows nothing about politics, foreign relations, protocol, business…….. What he does know is that he owes a lot of money to someone and they have him by the short hairs. So he has to do whatever he/they say, which is find money, in any way he can.
Roger Moore
@Barbara:
Higher oil prices aren’t an entirely bad thing. Yes, they benefit Putin (and a bunch of repressive Middle Eastern governments) at the expense of American consumers, but higher oil prices would also drive down consumption and encourage more rapid adoption of renewable energy. Lower consumption and faster adoption of renewables are exactly what we need to deal with climate change, so there’s a substantial silver lining.
seaboogie
@SiubhanDuinne:
Trust me on this – the President-Elect knows far less than you do. Or I do. Possibly less than my cat.
Roger Moore
@Morzer:
FTFY.
Adam L Silverman
@Keith P.: Are we counting Bolton, who, when he was US Ambassador to the UN on a recess appointment (remember them?), was voted most offensive nose hair by the other representatives on the Security Council?
Larkspur
Who is fifth in line? I’m just curious.
ETA: crap, it’s Munchkin, Treasury.
Barbara
@Roger Moore: Yes, I realize. But from the perspective of the average American consumer high oil prices represent hardship at this point in time, especially in many states that went for Trump.
PhoenixRising
@Schlemazel:
The RNC hack’s contents are not secret from the RNC.
So if you thought McConnell looked a little bit uncomfortable today, ask yourself, what does he know that the Russians also know that he’s afraid we will learn?
Interesting times.
Ruckus
@Schlemazel:
The what may be secret but the gist/rational is pretty obvious.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: That’s a typo. CNN is reporting, based on a senior former law enforcement official, that pretty much everything on the GOP side was hacked but the RNC. Congressional members, thought leaders and people at think tanks, folks at Conservative magazines. The kompromat is likely extensive. At this point the only two questions anyone should be asking whenever Senator McConnell has a press availability is: 1) where is your DD 214 and 2) what does your DD 214 say about your discharge?
The other question that should constantly asked is was Director Comey’s email compromised? And can he provide proof.
Finally, the GOP should for now on be referred to as the Russiapublican Party.
Ruckus
@seaboogie:
Trust me on this, your cat is more honest and knows more. And remember, I’ve never met your cat.
Morzer
@Ruckus:
I think Trump definitely sees this as a huge chance to get really rich quickly – and might not be especially eager to actually be president and do all that hard work. If he can get megabucks quickly, he might even shrug his shoulders and walk away before inauguration, especially if some sort of deal is reached allowing him immunity from any and all further investigations/prosecutions. I suspect that’s where his focus is and that’s why he’s just flinging out nominations like the village idiot who got his hands on a random name generator.
Quinerly
@Larkspur:
Treasury, then Defense, then AG, I believe.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow:
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/12/12/the-lead-russia-hacking-jim-sciutto.cnn/video/playlists/atv-donald-trump-russia-hacking/
Tapper’s interview with Jim Sciutto at the link. Its autoplay, but worth the three minutes.
Major Major Major Major
@Ruckus: “there’s nothing in the rulebook says a cat CAN’T be president…”
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: You are not wrong.
Morzer
@Major Major Major Major:
So, if a cat has nine lives, does that mean that each life can get two consecutive presidential terms, leading to any given cat being eligible for 18 consecutive terms?
Barbara
@Morzer: Well, this is my kind of wishful thinking! I do wonder whether Trump is having a grand old time showing the Republican Party how outrageous he can get while they grovel before him. What are the chances that the Russians have told Trump what they have on each and every potentially troublesome Republican player?
GregB
Comrade Reince assured us the Republican’s weren’t hacked!
This whole fucking shitshow is out of control.
Someone is going to crack like Bud McFarlane.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The cabinet picks are being run by Priebus and Pence, not by Bannon. That’s why so many of the actual Trump staffers and supporters from the campaign have been shut out so far.
Barbara
@Major Major Major Major: Not many cats live to be 35.
Ruckus
@Barbara:
A special hardship for those states who voted for Trump? And I’m supposed to be concerned for them why? They asked for this, good and hard. My hope is that is exactly how they get it. That may be the only enjoyment that will come from this disaster.
Central Planning
@Barbara: But if there’s 9 lives, 4 years across 9 lives gives you 36. Good to go!
ChrisB
@Major Major Major Major: A 35 year old cat?
Morzer
@Barbara:
It looks to me as if Trump has figured out that he can leverage the attention paid to the presidency by markets to manipulate the stock market. The only reason to do something so reckless is to make money. If Trump cared about the presidency, why risk getting his ass in a sling by this sort of reckless behavior? It might make sense if Trump really thinks he can make bank and embarrass the GOP into letting him skate in return for an agreement to discover a “health” issue or something similar leading us to the Era of President Pence. Mind you, I don’t rule out early onset Alzheimer’s, which hit his father and would probably kick in right about now.
Major Major Major Major
@Central Planning: hell, three 12-year lives gets you there. Now we just need to pick the right cat.
Barbara
@Ruckus: I know, I know. It takes time getting used to the idea of the Untied States, for real, and not as a typo.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Did you see video of McConnell today when he was calling for investigations? He looked so different from when I’ve seen him before. I mean body language, tone. He looked like someone forced him to go up there and say those things. There was a tell, too – touching his glasses. He looked rattled. I bet he knows they can blackmail him. The only thing he doesn’t know is when it will happen.
I just don’t want them to take the country down because they’re trying to protect themselves. We have to stop this.
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
Unless he gets special privileges somehow, he didn’t serve enough time to get any thing from the VA. But I’m thinking that you are referring to why he was discharged being different than what is listed on his Wiki page.
Adam L Silverman
@Schlemazel: They’re holding it as kompromat. The unstated threat is: do what we want or we’ll punish you with information you don’t want to see the light of day.
Larkspur
@Central Planning: My dear cat friend Mocha lived till he was 21, so let’s times THAT by nine.
Jazzman
Jesus Howard Christ. The Trump Administration hasn’t even formally begun yet and already it stinks to heaven. The GOP brought this skunk to the garden party; let’s hope the smell stays on them for years to come. Ain’t gonna be no honeymoon for this president.
Major Major Major Major
@ChrisB: cats have nine lives, do try to keep up.
Kropadope
@Keith P.:
Of course not, it would wound his pride for having the yuuugest, best, bad hair. Bad hair like you wouldn’t believe.
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: The next tell will be if the bank that picks up his note on Trump Tower that’s coming due for auction is a Russian one or if its picked up by some company no one’s heard about, but when you start digging it turns out to be owned by a bunch of Russian oligarchs.
Morzer
@Yarrow:
My guess is that it’s something connected to Elaine Chao, who has some interesting family ties as well as a record of unethical behavior in office.
Ruckus
@Major Major Major Major:
I didn’t say her cat was smart enough to be president. Just smarter than the one we supposedly elected.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: Already coming. OPEC has capped production and they now have an agreement, including with Russia, for the non OPEC states to cap production. The plan is to get the per barrel price no less than $50 and more preferably around $70 a barrel.
Kropadope
@SiubhanDuinne:
In this particular case, possibly more than the president elect.
Mai.naem.mobile
I think Josh Marshall was onto something when he said a few weeks ago just to bargain with Lumpy and pay off part or all of his debts. That it would be cheaper than what he’s going to put this country through. Start the bidding at 350M. $1 from every American is a bargain. Even $2 from every American is a steal.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@JPL:
More like blackmail, not bribe.
The Dangerman
So, I picked the wrong week to go long on Boeing and Lockheed while shorting Exxon? Trump, you fucker.
Mike in NC
What is the latest about Rick Perry being Secretary of Energy? Didn’t the idiot want to abolish DOE?
Ruckus
@Morzer:
I’ve said this before, I think early onset Alzheimer’s has set in. I say this as someone with a parent who’s early onset was around 63-65 yrs old. Now I’m not a doctor, didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn, even in the last 2 yrs let alone last night, but I have first hand experience with a classic case.
lamh36
Course not…he just wanted Romney to grovel at his feet…Romney once again pwnd!
Morzer
@Mike in NC:
I am surprised he didn’t get Education. Just think what he could do once he learned to memorize three items consistently!
PsiFighter37
Is it too much to hope that there a lot of Republican electors growing a conscience over the coming week?
Of course it is.
Chuck Schumer had better be ready to fight tooth and fucking nail over every domestic policy, and find the not-too-batshit insane Republicans on foreign policy to not muck things up. I do not envy his task, but the man managed to elect 15 Democrats over the course of 2 election cycles running the DSCC…so I do think he knows his politics.
Barbara
@Yarrow: I think that there are probably enough Republican senators who are horrified by the prospect that Trump is the equivalent of a Russian stooge that they could force McConnell’s hand by telling him that they will vote as a bloc to make sure nothing comes to a vote, including measures using budget reconciliation. Whether they would go so far as to caucus with Dems and really kick him in the balls I doubt, but if he were recalcitrant they might. This is national security stuff and not the kind of thing you try to use to get your wife a nice little cabinet post. Someone yanked his chain hard, that’s for sure.
GregB
@Mike in NC:
Secretary of Ahhh….Errrr…Ummm
Morzer
@lamh36:
Poor Mittens. Perhaps he can marry his car elevator and find consolation that way.
PsiFighter37
@Adam L Silverman: One of the more shocking things to happen in the past couple months is that Jake Tapper sorta kinda finally remembered he was in the journalism profession – and started fucking acting like it.
Mark Halperin, however, is still and always will be a tool.
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Thank you. Praise from Caesar is praise indeed.
Yarrow
@lamh36: Roger Stone said as much in an interview with InfoWars. Said they wanted to toy with him. They are sadists. They are coming for the country. No one is safe.
Morzer
@PsiFighter37:
Mark Halperin strikes me as using journalism to get ahead with the GOP. Tapper still has visions of committing journalism once in a while.
lamh36
Um…hmmm
PsiFighter37
@lamh36: What a goddamn fool. I hope he enjoyed his frog’s legs at Jean-Georges.
(not to go all elitist liberal and incur Corner Stone’s wrath, but JG’s food is not as good as the other 3-star Michelin restaurants in NYC)
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: Yep. The disclosures on Friday that he decided to play partisan games rather than worry about National security is itself a problem for him. The fact that the White House pushed back on him and the Republicans today by questioning their patriotism is another. And I’m sure he’s gotta be very scared about what kompromat they may have on him, his wife, his staff, the way he runs his campaigns, if he’s using his position to enrich himself, etc. If what’s long been rumored about the actual reasons for his discharge during boot camp is true and it is leaked, he’s done. And remember part of the point of kompromat is that even if those rumors aren’t true, part of the influence op is to doctor material and release it with the legit stuff. At which point it doesn’t matter that its not real/true.
lamh36
PsiFighter37
@Morzer: Maybe Obama’s burn at the WHCD stuck to him…kinda the same way that Obama’s burn to Trump in 2011 did, apparently…
@lamh36: Fuck West Virginia. Cole, why the hell do you stay there? Move to a sane part of the country.
Yarrow
@Barbara: Not if there’s kompromat on them. Some of them will cave. McConnell needs them to fall in line or his own kompromat will be released. He’ll have leverage on anyone who has something to hide. And he’ll be pressured to deliver lest his own secrets be revealed. No wonder he looked rattled today.
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: There have been longstanding rumors that the real reason for the separation during boot camp/initial military training are not what he has officially stated. He worked for a Congressman when he went into the Army and went right back to work for him when he left the Army. And shortly after that separation his DD 214 disappeared. And it has never been found.
Morzer
@Ruckus:
Seeing Trump’s interviews makes me believe this. He can’t stay on topic, obviously has trouble understanding questions, and just blunders off into these raging non-sequiturs all the time.
Barbara
@Morzer: Or maybe he can grow a fucking pair and come up to Meg Whitman’s stature and just keep needling Trump. I figure that the more people needle him non-stop and keep him focused on stupid stuff the less likely he will try to provoke China into attacking Taiwan.
Adam L Silverman
@Mike in NC: He might have, but he couldn’t remember that specific agency. So he might have wanted to abolish the Department of Defense or Congress or the Supreme Court for all we know.
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
I’d go with a company several shell corporations removed. I once won a lawsuit against a company for $130K but collecting was the problem. There were 4 or 5 layers that had to have the vail pierced and no lawyers wanted to bother for $65K, other than the senior partner, who just happened to die about a month after we won.
PsiFighter37
@Yarrow: There has been a lot of rumors floating around about McConnell, IIRC. I don’t really recall specifics…I know his wife’s family is involved in some pretty shady shit, but it would be really nice if some ugly crap about Jowls McTurtleFace came out.
@lamh36: Giving Bernie Sanders, political independent, the position of chair of outreach in the Democratic Senate caucus, was Chuck Schumer’s biggest mistake so far as Democratic leader of the Senate. It better goddamn well be his last. I will be very, very happy when that loser asshole goes away and enjoys his grift money with Jane in the middle of nowhere. Fuck that asshole.
Major Major Major Major
@PsiFighter37: listen to you, just sneering all over the place.
@lamh36: shocked, gambling, etc.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: My family is more gigantopithecus or ursas horribilus, not pan paniscus, but thanks, I think.
Larkspur
Am I hallucinating or does it seem like Lindsay Graham has not been thoroughly Trumped yet? Because I’m willing to send Lindsay a nice thank you note if it seems like he has a spine.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@lamh36: glad I didn’t bother. I think a town hall in an Obama voting area that Clinton lost is a great idea. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Hayes, or whoever made that decision at MSNBC, thought bringing Bernie! along was a good idea.
liberal
@lamh36: funny tweet within that thread
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: What a terrible place for us all to be in. See my comment just above. McConnell will be pressured by Trump’s people to deliver what they want. And if there are any Senators who are standing on principle, MicConnell will be pressuring them like crazy. Because if he can’t deliver his life is over. And, since it’s the Russians, that could be literally.
We’re all caught in this mess. All those Republicans trying to keep their secrets from getting out. If they didn’t have secrets they’d stand up for the country. But they do, so they’ll try to slow walk it and see if they can keep their secrets hidden. And let Russia do whatever they want while Trump pillages and loots everything.
We have to stop them.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: This is the third time now. Also, her position requires a bachelors degree. She doesn’t have one. She was a cosmetologist before she got her current position.
Morzer
@Adam L Silverman:
Do the longstanding rumors indicate the direction in which the truth might lie?
Askin’ for a friend.
Barbara
@Yarrow: They don’t all have stuff on them and some might actually not care. Sasse, Collins, Flake, Heller (unlikely), McCain and Graham are the leading contenders. But even Cotton, Portman and Hatch might be having heartburn at this point. This is someone who really might give Russia U.S. intelligence on all kinds of things. I mean, it really is horrifying.
Major Major Major Major
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: just guessing, but ratings.
raven
@Adam L Silverman: They probably blanket partied his sorry ass.
raven
@Adam L Silverman: Steam and clean I bet, love you long time Mitchie. . .
debbie
@Ruckus:
I think he’s just in way over his head.
lamh36
Romney’s statement about SoS…whatever Mittens…you got pwnd by Trump and bent over for NOTHING
Jean-Paul Bevilacqua @jpbevi 3m3 minutes ago
“It was an honor.” Really?
What a bunch of spineless, pathetic cowards.
mkro
Now you can see why Trump called Putin a better leader than Obama. Trump clearly admires Putin’s autocratic style and the oligarchy that rules the Russian state gov’t. He’s essentially trying to emulate that here is the US complete with our version of Russia’s state-owned oil companies by hiring Exxon’s CEO directly in the Fed Govt.
None of this should be a surprise. Trump literally told everyone this was during the campaign. Too many media types like Chris Cillizza and Mark Halperin telling us that it was all for show.
Morzer
@lamh36:
Mitt Romney confirms that he feels happier and better without his testicles and thanks Donald Trump for removing them in public.
Yarrow
@Barbara: We have no idea what they have or what they don’t have. And as Adam said above, in some ways it doesn’t matter. They can put out real stuff along with fake/doctored stuff and by the time anyone has figured out what is what the damage is done. The Republicans are all in danger of being blackmailed.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Major Major Major Major: I guess– Sanders was on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me this week, and I couldn’t listen, even fast forwarding through Bernie!, because I couldn’t bear to hear the self-congratulatory “WOOOOOO!”s of affluent middle-aged white people– and yeah, that’s a tote-bagger calling the NPR podcast subscribers, etc– at the mention of his name.
Major Major Major Major
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: note to self, skip this week’s podcast.
Fuck Bernie. I maintain that he will be co-opted by Trumpism.
GregB
I recommend the Twitter feed of Evan McMullin.
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
Never found? That is very strange. The one thing the DOD seems to be good at is not letting anything go. Yes one is supposed to produce the DD214 you got when discharged when you enroll at the VA, but they are very helpful in finding it if you don’t have it, if for example your ex set it on fire in the front yard with all your clothes when she threw you out, or if you are homeless and figured that hanging on to that manila envelop was more than you could carry. etc. Not having it? I find that to be rather suspicious.
Larkspur
I have my window open and I can hear coyotes on the nearby ridge. Also some high-pitched squeaks. So far, no ice weasels. Jeez, when you’re on edge everything seems prophetic. I’d better go away and listen to some music.
gogol's wife
@Morzer:
And he’s appeared in the BJ comments section, so he has to have some good in him.
Major Major Major Major
@Larkspur: ice weasels?
gogol's wife
@Adam L Silverman:
What happened during boot camp?
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: Wouldn’t surprise me.
trollhattan
@lamh36:
Didn’t see that coming [rolls eyes past point of no return]. What’s undocumented is Rafalca’s head appearing on a lovely down pillow in La Jolla.
Mike in NC
@Barbara: If Putin gives an OK for Trump Tower Moscow and will pay for it, Trump will OK letting Vlad occupy the rest of Ukraine and Poland. The Art of the Deal in action.
Yarrow
@Major Major Major Major: Yep. I think he’ll be used by Trump. He’ll be the “Trump has a point” guy they haul out to show how bipartisany they are. And he’s got some Russian connections too. Lord knows what’s going on there.
tobie
@lamh36:So glad I missed seeing that putz from Vermont on TV tonight. I knew that at one point or another he’d stick the shiv in the Democratic Party. God knows how Chris Hayes didn’t see this coming.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
A friend, who’s mom also had early onset Alzheimer’s, was flabbergasted to listen to this wonderful woman, who he’d never heard swear once in his 40+ yrs of listening to her, set off on topics that had nothing to do with what anyone was saying and swear like a drunk sailor on liberty. (I’ve been a drunk sailor on liberty and I swear more when sober than when drunk so that might be a bad example)
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: Some will chafe at this reality. I expect Senators McCain and Graham, who are already moving on this, are two of them.
jk
h/t https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-12/trump-said-to-postpone-announcement-on-future-of-his-businesses
I’m fully confident he’ll postpone this news conference again next month.
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@Tilda Swinton’s Bald Cap: So good I had to repost them.
Adam L Silverman
@Morzer: I have no idea. Which is why I’m neither stating what they are, nor am I linking to any of the places I’ve seen them. I’ve simply seen them remarked on before. Moreover, while its not something I personally or professionally think is a big deal, there also not something I’m going to broadcast because I have no way of substantiating them.
Morzer
@Ruckus:
I shall pour myself a strong cup of coffee and await the next chapter in the Ruckus Revelations.
Morzer
@Adam L Silverman:
Tease!
Another Scott
@Barbara: But, as I mentioned in an earlier thread, Putin really doesn’t have much leverage in oil prices now. Just about everyone in OPEC needs much more money than they’re taking in. Iran has been under sanctions for years and are desperate to produce more. Saudi Arabia is hurting and needs more money. Venezuela, ditto. Russia, ditto. They all have incentives to pump more oil than they “agree” to.
And if prices do go up, then production in the shale belt and in Canada becomes more economical again, so there will be more US production. Plus, US oil companies want to drill off the east coast and lots of other places. All of which will drive down prices.
In the year term, my guess (and it’s just a guess), oil prices will be flat to falling, and Putin will continue to be under pressure.
I don’t think that Trump has some grand design to reward Putin or pick a fight with China or anything else. I think that he’s convinced himself that he’s some master negotiator and that by breaking conventions that he can get a “great deal” that will show everyone what a great man he is. He thinks that it’s risk free to say that he’s not bound by previous agreements. He thinks it’s risk-free to say that he’ll put incompetent people in charge of Intelligence or Labor or Defense (if only to try to force the bureaucracy to be off-balance and cowering) and that it really doesn’t matter who is there because they’ll do what he says and he’s more powerful if everyone else is off-balance.
The flaw in this point of view is, of course, that he’s not the only player with agency. China, especially, is used to taking a very long view. Iran, also too. McConnell and Ryan aren’t going to roll over as he tries to neuter the House and Senate. The courts aren’t going to roll over. The people aren’t going to roll over for a deeply unpopular man with a mountain of flaws.
Donnie is not used to people saying “No”. His hubris is going to be his downfall. Let’s hope it comes before additional thousands of lives are destroyed. :-(
Cheers,
Scott.
Morzer
@jk:
I wonder whether this is Trump preparing to fold his tent and scurry away from the table with his winnings.
Major Major Major Major
@Yarrow: I predict he’ll go to the mat for an infrastructure bill which will be brilliant politics for the republicans. They only have to hold their nose and vote for stimulus once and the Dems will eat themselves over it. Meanwhile it’s stimulus.
gogol's wife
@Morzer:
If only that were true.
Lizzy L
@lamh36: This is not a surprise. I’m expecting him to do the same thing to Carly Fiorina. He’s systematically dominating and humiliating the Republicans who ran against him, except Christie. Kasich and Jeb Bush are too smart to bite at the lure if it were to be waved at them, so it won’t be. Cruz — I dunno what’s up with Cruz. Rubio is an empty suit, T is not going to waste time with him. Carson’s not a politician, he was always a joke, so not a threat, so the best way to show dominance over him is to put him in a position for which he has no qualifications whatsoever.
About Christie:
Putting Rick Perry in charge of the Energy Department is just a big FU, same with Pruitt for EPA,and DeVos for Education.
Morzer
@gogol’s wife:
Trump’s done some very peculiar things for a man supposedly about to become president. There’s no obvious political gain in many of them, but generally some buck-raking angle. It does make me wonder whether his recent activities are about cashing out his chips and then discovering a need to spend time with his families.
Ruckus
@debbie:
Oh he is, way, way, way in over his fucking head. Though I still think that dead ferret on his head has raised his IQ a few dozen points. Don’t over look that yes men can and will do a lot for not all that much money. He had enough money at one time to afford a bunch of yes men. They didn’t serve him well, as they usually don’t, but it did allow him to coast on his inheritance for a while. That while was up quite some time ago.
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: He wasn’t in long enough to qualify for the VA. He worked for a Congressman and then became one.
Morzer
@Lizzy L:
Rubio recently tweeted a lack of enthusiasm for a president owned by Russia, or words to that effect. I wonder what Little Marco knows about the immediate future.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
It sort of more looks like Mittens removed them himself and then handed them to Trump. Either way though Trump’s got em and Mittens doesn’t.
Adam L Silverman
@gogol’s wife: I do not know. I do know there are rumors that it was not what McConnell claims happened. I’m not going to speculate.
randy khan
@PhoenixRising:
Precisely.
It’s 100% certain that there’s a lot in the Republicans’ emails about how awful Trump would be, how he knows nothing, etc., etc. And even without the likely individual blackmail material, that would have been brutal – certainly enough to turn 100,000 votes in select states.
gogol's wife
@Ruckus:
I think they were lightly sauteed and presented as “frog’s legs.”
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: Already done:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/opec-russia-upbeat-about-oil-output-deal-as-meeting-begins-2016-12-10
EZSmirkzz
So has anyone read anything by anyone left of center that wasn’t a bunch of sad sacking, poor me, poor me, pour me another drink? (That’s for Atrios)
Some basic realities of the American political scene are; the left center does not have a media complex that’s going to carry their water when they are carrying on in the tradition of Hubert Humphrey’s politics of happiness and joy, while the bile and bucolic wisdom of the center right are going to be splashed across your TV screen because, a) that’s corporate media and their customers are advertisers, not viewers, and b) they are corporate drones making yuge bucks and so they have a personal stake in the Republican transfer of wealth ever upward from their viewers, and c) they are not going to risk all of that on sad sacks moaning and groaning about this that or the other thing bordering on conspiracy theory, much less obvious facts which don’t fit the current center right narrative.
Long story short, the deck is stacked against you before the dealer even starts dealing off the bottom of the deck.
There is no such thing as liberal purity, or orthodoxy, except on (your favorite site here.) Everyone else is obviously a dupe, and not worth talking too, especially if one might learn something from them, or shudder, and perish the thought, try to organize and start of movement that wasn’t invented at (your favorite site here.) We can all get along your way. There is no other way.
Jesus said, “suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven made.” The corollary is that Christians should be seen and not heard. That was something that just popped into my head, so alas, I digress.
People of faith are humanitarians natural allies when it comes to feeding the poor and looking out after those in need, so insulting Christians and other religious faithful is a sure fire way of getting them on board with your science based secular humanitarianism, so constantly reminding them you think they are rubes will establish your superiority of education and enlightened thinking, and your grandchildren will thank you for leaving your goals for them to achieve in 2060.
Having only one issue to be passionate about will leave you with more time to consider other deep thoughts, like defining trolls and such, freeing up dictionaries for other less well informed individuals than yourself. With little to no effort, just like the baby boomers, you can change the world too if you don’t loose the car keys also too. (Pinched from Johnny Ramone) Try to be dispassionate about every issue, so if it goes sideways your reputation for being right on the internet remains intact. Unlike your research papers in college, reputations for being dispassionately right cannot be downloaded off the net. Become the public cube of margarine you were meant to be, no one will really know you if aren’t butter.
As usual, this stuff applies to someone besides yourself, like the author. Especially the author. Remember, politics is too important to be dull, and so should you be as well.
jonas
@GregB:
He has that on the personal word of the head of Russian Intelligence Services!
Morzer
@gogol’s wife:
Oafs Romney in Surrender Monkey sauce
gogol's wife
@Morzer:
It was a kind of House of Atreus deal.
Omnes Omnibus
@gogol’s wife: srv (among others) has appeared in the BJ comments section too.
Morzer
@Lizzy L:
I wonder if this is an attempt to unify the party behind Donny Putinobitch by systematically compromising everyone who opposed him. Fiorina emerged from their meeting to spout gibberish about who really was behind the hacking, which suggests that this was the real reason for the meeting. If Christie and Rubio refused, it might be because they suspect that it’s about to get much worse for Trump.
Lizzy L
@Morzer: I doubt he knows anything. But that shows more balls than I thought he had…
Morzer
@gogol’s wife:
A very nice classical reference! Well played, ma’am!
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: Someone needs to check out the John Sherman Cooper Papers, Senatorial Series II 1956-72, Office Copy File from 1967, Box 792, at the University of Kentucky. Margaret I. King Library, Special Collections.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Morzer: @Lizzy L:
I will raise whatever glass I have handy to Li’l Marco, as well as Monty McBurns and Lindsey Smithers, if they live up to their skeptical talk about Tillerson
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: I’m familiar with the telegram. It raises questions, but it doesn’t answer them. And neither does anything else in the late John Sherman Cooper’s papers.
Dadadadadadada
@Lizzy L: Cruz’s humiliation came with that video of him making campaign calls the day before Pussygate. After that, even Trump figured Cruz had had enough.
lamh36
The number of idiots in the TL responses trying to carry water for Mitt Romney are full of shit…
@davidfrum
How does Romney now speak out when Trump next disgraces himself & the country on something Romney cares about?
seaboogie
@Major Major Major Major:
Well, except for the part where you have to be 35, and a natural born citizen. First cat was 24, current one is 21, so together they’d qualify, but in one life – not possible. Plus they are foreign nationals, citizens of Catopia, and we are their willing slaves. Ask Samwise…their secret signal is a long stare, a slow blink, a huge yawn and a long “I’m am so over this shit” stretch….
Omnes Omnibus
@EZSmirkzz: Any chance of an executive summary?
lamh36
So my laptop screen is completely kaput!!! I don’t feel like having to pay for another laptop yet, so I’m using an old big-backed computer monitor attached to the laptop, so I can see the screen.
I’m gonna ride this thing til the wheels turn off and it stops working. So far it’s working really well!
Morzer
@Omnes Omnibus:
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The problem with Senator Rubio is he never shows up to work. So the odds of him actually being in the Senate to do anything is slim.
EZSmirkzz
@Omnes Omnibus: That was it, the book is due in April.
jk
@Morzer:
Trump is an amoral swine and the Washington Press Corps has demonstrated that it does not have the backbone to hold him accountable for a goddamn thing. At this point, I’m ready to sign up for that giant asteroid crashing to Earth that will result in our extinction.
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: What if I am actually a tub of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter?”*
*Hypothetical question, I am actually lard.
Ruckus
@efgoldman:
They found my service medical records from 1973 about 5 yrs ago.
They lose nothing. They may take a while to get it. They don’t do everything in triplicate for nothing.
EZSmirkzz
@Omnes Omnibus: Now we’re cooking!
Morzer
Anyone who wants a taste of how Trump’s owner operates might find this of interest:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/the-poison-flower/508736/
Morzer
@Omnes Omnibus:
I am currently cosplaying a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Is this good enough for internet credibility?
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: No bacon?
Ruckus
@Morzer:
The Donald won’t walk away. He’ll never understand that he’d gone as far as he could and that he got what he was aiming for. He really is a republican, selfish, greedy, and has no limits, other than not wanting his knees removed. That’s the next step after listening to the discussion of breaking them and that not being enough of a threat.
Morzer
Also, for those curious about Donny Putinobitch’s debts:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/guide-donald-trump-debt
Morzer
@Omnes Omnibus:
That’s my costume for tomorrow. With some cheddar cheese and garlic. Yuuge and classy!
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: Sure, they signed a deal, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually cut production. Cheating has always been a problem with OPEC.
The weakness of the world economy isn’t going to make it easy for oil prices to rise, either. IEA (from November 10 – before the OPEC/Russia announcement):
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
EZSmirkzz
@Morzer: Only if (your favorite site here,) doesn’t insist on mayo or salad dressing with the peanut butter. I think bananas are optional on (not your favorite site here.)
Ruckus
@gogol’s wife:
Maybe frogs goodies, they can’t possibly be big enough to be frogs legs.
Omnes Omnibus
@Morzer: You win. I was planning dressing as a bunch of asparagus. Green is my color.
PsiFighter37
It’s official, at least according to NYT’s front page.
What a clusterfuck. Might as well give Vlad the keys to Eastern Europe while we are at it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: Ew.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
I’m no fool, I’m charging up front for the show.
GregB
On the bright side, Trump won’t need to name any diplomats to Lithuania, Latvia and Eastonia.
Quinerly
No mercy being shown in the comments on Mittens’ Book of Faces page. Brutal.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: You fool. Let people in for free. Charge them a fortune to get out.
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
I thought I said that somewhere in this thread.
If I remember correctly one has to serve a min of 2 yrs active or have been wounded/disabled in the line of duty to receive benefits.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus:
Too lazy to look it up right now, but that matches my memory.
Jinchi
@Roger Moore:
No. Higher oil prices will start up the fracking boom, again. That’s a silver lining for the oil industry and many of Trump’s voters, but it’s not good for the climate.
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: I think you did.
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
LOL
I’m smarter than you think. When they hear the stories they’d run thru doors and walls to get away. They’d either be gone or injured and sue. No Sir, I’m collecting up front. Hell then I can leave at any time and still show a profit.
randy khan
@efgoldman:
Ever since Christie was dumped as head of the transition, I’ve assumed that the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey was not going to be called off Christie for Bridgegate. I think it could be more Kushner than Trump, but that’s just a guess.
burnspbesq
@Roger Moore:
Theoretically, yes … but that huge installed base of F-350 Super Duties and the like isn’t going away overnight.
Omnes Omnibus
@Ruckus: Got it. Take the safe money and avoid the downside risk. You are the one who knows your stories.
burnspbesq
@Major Major Major Major:
As long as the cat is native-born and 35 years old …
Lizzy L
@PsiFighter37: NYT says that Tillerson was recommended to T for the position by James Baker III, ex-Sec of State, and Robert Gates, ex-SecDef.
Ruckus
@Omnes Omnibus:
Also one can not have too much income unless certain things happened, such as being wounded, a POW, or certain other uncomfortable situations. And below that threshold of income, one may still have to pay copays. I know this because I will this yr, for the first time in my 55yr working life, be able to deduct my medical bills from my income, as my copays are that high.
burnspbesq
@Larkspur:
Ol’ Lindsey could get hisself arrested for impersonating a patriot at the rate he’s been going for the last couple of weeks.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Adam L Silverman: Draft-dodging is hardly kryptonite these days, as everyone did it apparently.
I’m assuming Adam is intimating something more nefarious, maybe sexual in nature?
Omnes Omnibus
@Dog Dawg Damn: He is very specifically avoiding saying anything. Don’t push him.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Omnes Omnibus: Oh, okay. Haven’t been following threads too closely lately.
Kompromat, it’s all the rage these days. Let’s just assume they’re all assholes and this is going to suck.
Adam L Silverman
@Dog Dawg Damn: He didn’t draft dodge. He was given a non punitive separation during boot camp. He has always claimed it was for an eye problem that he developed during Initial Military Training. My understanding is his DD 214 has been misplaced/missing since shortly after he left boot camp and went back to work as a Congressional staffer. I am not going to speculate on what is or is not on the DD 214 nor what actually may have happened to cause the separation.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Dog Dawg Damn: Yes, a quick google search confirms rumors of a court martial for sodomy. Unsubstantiated.
Omnes Omnibus
@Dog Dawg Damn:
From your comment. It will never go beyond that. If you choose to push it, it says something about you.
SFAW
@Dog Dawg Damn:
“Hardly kryptonite” applies only to Rethuglicans.
Dems, on the other hand, would immediately be DQ’ed, and would be lucky not to be executed for treason (wartime or not). Not that it matters now, but I guess we should be grateful that Hillary’s draft-dodging did not become a campaign issue. [The NYT was probably too busy manufacturing outrage on all the other non-issues.]
SFAW
@Ruckus:
Shee-itGolly!Sorry to hear it — that’s a lot of copay.
wmd
Hmm… I’m sure this has been discussed before, but maybe we should give some consideration to US intervention in the Ukraine.
Omnes Omnibus
@wmd: No.
ETA: Bullshit from 2014 is still bullshit.
Ruckus
@SFAW:
Well due to my advanced age the percentage is not 10% but 7 1/2%. However I still payed over 10% of my AGI so I’m good to go in any case. No one said that living was cheap or easy.
Morzer
@Ruckus:
Are you not aware of the internet tradition that the first hit is free?
pattonbt
@Another Scott: This. Plus Western investment in Russia (for oil & gas specifically) is fools gold. The lure (reward) is amazing (almost unlimited resources) but the risk is always too great. The Russians will get you to invest, bring the technology, spend the upfront capital, get things running, then kick you out and take over. You pay the capital (which is the biggest cost) and they reap the production cash flow – kind of inverse republican logic – privatize the cost (to private western companies), publicize the profit (well – publicize it to the Oligarchs). It’s like Lucy and the football, the Russians always pull the football back right when you think you’ve got it.
But now that fracking (the plus / minus of that debate to the side for the moment) is here, the US can finally be a player / spoiler in the market. The second oil gets over $50 / barrel, the US jumps back in. The US can produce and sell cheap, but the breakeven tends to be about $50. The problem for the oil reliant economies is $50 (really $80 or less) is disastrous. But the US market is incredibly flexible and can stop / start production very quickly.
The big thing to watch for is whether the US allows export. If that is allowed to happen, the US can jump in a big way and undercut the market massively. So the “cap” on production to raise the price of oil is just going to let the US producers come in and thus depress the price again.
If Russia really wants to influence the US to it’s (Russia’s) best economic interest, it would use all the pressure it can bear on keeping the US from ever becoming an exporter of oil / gas. So if you start to see Trump / Republicans go against US export (obviously something they have stridently fought for over the years) then you will know Russia is in on the game.
Morzer
@Dog Dawg Damn:
From Laundromat to Kompromat – how the GOP moved from cleaning Russia’s dirty money to doing Russia’s dirty work.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
This should be engraved on that stone that gets hung around their necks.
It’s the part that dirties them for years. If anything will anyway.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
Not when I’m the recipient.
Also I mostly ignore the stuff that I don’t like.
Keith P.
Remember when the GOP flipped the fuck out over Timothy Geitner working for Goldman? Yeah, good times.
sherparick
@Roger Moore: He is taking care of pissing off China, Mexico, and Europe himself.
romeo24
I’m a long-time lurker who has never posted before. As a New Zealander who has lived in Japan for the past 20 years, I’ve never felt confident posting on a blog concerned with American politics. But Mr. Trump (as he is so deferentially referred to here) will I think impact “the rest of the world” in ways never experienced in history before. And I include Hiroshima and Nagasaki in that estimation. Watching NHK (state TV) news just now, and a talking head from Somewhere Important has informed us that he thinks Mr. Tillerson will be an “interesting” SOS because he “speaks his mind” and is “not bothered by conventions”. The chairman of NHK is a right-winger who thinks that the job of the state TV is to parrot government views. Abe is currently in delicate negotiations with Putin concerning the return of the islands north of Hokkaido occupied and claimed by Russia at the end of WWII. Criticism of Russia is light on the ground at the moment. (Putin kept Abe’s foreign minister waiting for 3 hours before their meeting, though. Russian diplomacy?) The dick-waving between Japan and China continues unabated, however. North Korea, China, Russia, increasingly fascist Japan, and now Trump. Might be time to think of retreating back Down Under…
Steeplejack (tablet)
@romeo24:
Interesting take. Thanks for the perspective.