I kind of like this defense, it seems like it could be lots of situations:
A senior Trump administration official acknowledged Monday that Obama raised the issue of Flynn, saying the former president made clear he was “not a fan of Michael Flynn.” Another official said Obama’s remark seemed like it was made in jest.
I thought US intelligence was kidding when they said “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S”!
Villago Delenda Est
You had me at
“senior Trump administration official”“incompetent assclown”, Doug.dedc79
Just think – some WH official thought saying this was better than saying “no comment.”
West of the Rockies (been a while)
Can I just say here how I hope they all stroke out as soon as possible? From, Newt “Uh-oh, dad’s mad again” Gingrich, to spitty, liver-spotted Giuliani, Smirks O’Hannity, the Colterwocky, et al, may they all find themselves standing around the arc of the covenant as it’s being opened by Nazis.
Gin & Tonic
Like I said downstairs, this sounds like a senior official whose name rhymes with Ronald Hump, and who has nobody around who can say “Shut the fuck up, Donnie.”
low-tech cyclist
From the Pet Shop Boys to Elvis Costello. You’re cookin’ today, Doug!
Doug!
@low-tech cyclist:
Just listened to Imperial Bedroom yesterday.
Jeffro
@dedc79:
I know, right? The lies that these goofs tell to try and exonerate themselves are gonna be what hangs ’em. Let’s get Reince and Spicy to testify under oath about what they knew, and when.
MJS
To be fair, Obama has been known to make jokes in Trump’s presence. On the other hand, when he does so, the jokes are directed AT Trump.
gvg
someone thinks people make jokes about National Security. I can’t comprehend how stupid they are and I will never be able to predict them well.
ET
Since Trump brought in a lot of people who really didn’t think Obama and his administration didn’t know things, what it really was is that they disagreed and to those people disagreement=they aren’t smart, it gave them license to dismiss what was being said and treat it as a joking situation. That says more about the incoming crew than it does about the out going crew. The Flynn screw up was on Trump & Cos head. They might not want to admit that but it was (and is).
Villago Delenda Est
@West of the Rockies (been a while): This sounds like a plan.
Jeffro
@Doug!: Ah, but when’s the last time you listened to some Imperial Teen?
Hunter Gathers
In all fairness, Dubya was told this and thought that Bin Laden was going to join a picket line.
Villago Delenda Est
@ET: The deserting coward’s crew had the same problem…and the result was 9/11.
ruemara
Standing in the Rodin and reading up on this. These fuckers really are that stupid.
amk
good job, nutjobs.
Fair Economist
@Hunter Gathers:
Nah, if he thought bin Laden was going to help *unions* Bush would have done something.
Mnemosyne
@low-tech cyclist:
I’m still waiting for a quote from “Tiny Steps.” Maybe he thinks it’s too on the nose.
Hunter Gathers
@Fair Economist: I doubt that George would have followed through. He would have been distracted by a nearby butterfly.
The Moar You Know
@amk: Furie always struck me as a nice guy. I’d blow a blood vessel if someone took my artistic work for the use of a bunch of no-neck racist thugs.
Mnemosyne
@Hunter Gathers:
Squirrel. Always a squirrel.
Doug!
@Mnemosyne:
Already used it.
Mnemosyne
@Doug!:
D’oh! Missed that one.
TenguPhule
@West of the Rockies (been a while): Strokes don’t inflict enough pain to punish them.
Big Jim Slade
(S)he’s telling all of those lies
(S)he swore she’d never told before
But I doubt it.
Also, seems like plenty of the orange fellow’s actions are summed up by , “I wanna be a kid again about it”
TenguPhule
@gvg:
To be fair, there is a precedent.
Mind you, it was set by George Washout Bush.
“Where the White WMDs at?!”
--bd
And here I am, a lurker using “History Repeats” as my news–feed only Twitter account handle.
KG
@Jeffro: It’s never the crime that takes you down, it’s the cover up. That’s the shit they teach you first day of Politician School. If you get caught, either: a) own up to it, do the non-apology apology, and watch it blow over; or, b) ignore it until it goes away in three days. But never, ever, ever try to cover it up once it’s out in the open.
Barbara
@dedc79:
I laughed when I read that. Like they are so incompetent they can’t even fathom just how incompetent they are. More seriously, it’s an admission of just how freaked out they are for what Flynn might mean for them.
Epicurus
Does anyone in the Trump “Administration” have even the faintest idea as to what comprises humor? /end rhetorical question
SiubhanDuinne
Sure, Mom told me not to touch the hot stove, but I thought she was joking.
bemused
Listening to Spicer talking about Obama and Flynn is making my head explode.
TenguPhule
@Epicurus: They must, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to avoid saying anything actually funny in its own right with such precise accuracy.
GregB
@TenguPhule:
Could you please just cut the shit with your endless posts ruminating of ghoulish violence or just go ahead and become a Republican already.
germy
SiubhanDuinne
@Barbara:
A subset of Dunning-Kruger.
germy
WaPo headline:
Doug!
@germy:
He’s right in the sense that it’s good news for all humans
Roger Moore
@KG:
That’s only true for peccadilloes that aren’t actual crimes, like sex scandals. There are plenty of politicians who have gone down for real crimes like bribery.
Roger Moore
@Epicurus:
I’m pretty sure it includes passing around racist memes about Obama.
TenguPhule
@Doug!: No he’s not. Trump isn’t human.
Any claims to the contrary require proof via autopsy.
TenguPhule
@GregB: What part of simply stating that a stroke isn’t punishment enough is “ghoulish violence”? Or is this yet ANOTHER case of hearing the voices in your head instead of what I actually said?
rk
Let me get this straight. The argument these guys are making is that Obama hired Flynn and did not vet him properly so it’s Obama’s fault that Flynn turned out to be a crook. They hired Flynn despite Obama’s warning because they thought it was a “joke”.
I wish Obama had given Trump and his entire team a big bottle Labelled “POISON” and told them not to drink it.
germy
Charlie Pierce:
mai naem mobile
Senior WH official = John Miller or John Barron, no??
Also, you damn well know as soon as Obama said Flynn is dangerous, don’t hire him, Dolt 45 made sure Flynn was his numerous uno hire. Idiot.
TenguPhule
@rk:
That’s today’s alibi. Who knows what next week’s version will be.
Gravenstone
This strikes me as the obverse of the typical Republican defense when they know they’ve crossed some moral line in their statements, “I was only joking. Can’t you take a joke?” Here, it’s once they realize that they’ve made a potentially lethal (career wise and possibly literally) mistake regarding Obama’s warnings, “we thought he was only joking.”
TenguPhule
@germy:
This is sadly why the investigations in Congress have no fucking teeth anymore.
trollhattan
@germy: Donald Trump is now John McCain? Who knew?
germy
@trollhattan: Everything is always good news for some republican or another, if the headlines are to be believed.
Jeffro
@KG:
Another drawback of having an outsider as (temporary) president – they didn’t go to Politician School
Another 100 days or so of this, and America will be ready to bring back people that actually know something (anything) to run the government. Make Government Boring and Functional Again!
trollhattan
Dear God, just say nooooo!
TenguPhule
@trollhattan:
Did you know Trump was a POW? He never tells anyone about it.
Jeffro
@bemused:
WH Press Corps: “Sean, we understand that President Trump thinks it a great idea to blame Obama for Flynn…and that Trump’s voters are probably dumb enough to buy it…but it doesn’t fly in about eight different ways. Would you care to try again?”
Spicer: [goes full Melissa McCarthy on them]
trollhattan
@TenguPhule:
Trump has long been a prisoner of his good looks, relentless work ethic, magnetic personality and boundless charm. Just try and pry that out of him.
germy
@trollhattan: They put Biden at the top of the list with his quote “Guys, I’m not running.”
Jeffro
@SiubhanDuinne:
They’re in the quadrant where they don’t know much, and don’t even know that they don’t know much.
At least Don Rumsfeld knew there were unknown knowns. Goofs like Spicer and his boss don’t know, don’t know that they don’t know, but they’re pretty darned sure that they know it all.
TenguPhule
@trollhattan: Touche.
SiubhanDuinne
@trollhattan:
Listicle seems to assume that the Shitgibbon will be the only Republican candidate. Personally, I believe — assuming he’s still even in office by then — that he’s going to be primaried six ways from Sunday and that he’ll lose his own party’s nomination.
The Moar You Know
@GregB: I suspect you’re upset because the rhetoric employed, while extreme, is truthful and helpful.
To Democrats.
Gravenstone
@SiubhanDuinne: It’ll make for some epic Twitter rants once Pence formally declares for the primary opposite Orangemandias. Should we all be so unfortunate that both remain in office at that future point.
Jeffro
@trollhattan: That list is pretty hysterical…basically every Dem Senator plus a couple of oddball choices…
Former Vice President Joe Biden: Biden, 74, – too old
Sen. Wilmer, 75 – not a Dem
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): Warren, 67 – no thank you
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): Harris, 52, – YES
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.): The vocal gun control advocate has been another strong Trump critic. The White House reportedly asked consultants to look into Murphy, 43, and four other possible Trump challengers. – YES
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): Klobuchar, 56,- HMM
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg: Zuckerberg, 32, – GAG ME
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.): YES
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.): YES
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper: – too old
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Cuomo, 59, – HECK NO
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley: – ZZZZ
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro: OK
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.): – NO
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.): NO
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio): NO
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick: Patrick, 60, left office in 2015 and now works at Bain Capital. – NO
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio:- LOL
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: MIGHT RUN, HOPE NOT
Environmental activist Tom Steyer: ???
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez: NO
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton: Dayton, 70, – too old
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe: The term-limited governor will be out of office in January 2018. McAuliffe, 60, is a well-connected ally of both Bill and Hillary Clinton and a former DNC chairman. – CAN’T SEE IT (although he’s been a good governor)
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom: Newsom, 49, – NO
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: Sandberg, 47, NO
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz: Schultz, 63, – NO
Former first lady Michelle Obama: SIGH…won’t run…
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: C’mon, man…
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii): Gabbard, 36, – she’s welcome to run on the GOP ticket
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.): Ellison, 53, – NO
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.): Maloney, 50, – NO
California Gov. Jerry Brown: Brown, whose term is up in 2018, doesn’t think he’ll run for office again, but wouldn’t rule it out. Brown, 79, has run for president three times. – Oh sure, Jerry…
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey: Winfrey, 63, – NO
Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.): – NO
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean: Dean, 68, – NO
Former Vice President Al Gore: Gore, 69, – NO
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.): Warner, 62, – NO
Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.): – he’s welcome to run with Tulsi Gabbard
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti: who?
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.): who?
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu: who?
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.): HMM…
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee: too old
I’d be shocked if it wasn’t one of the 3-4 Dem senators near the top of the list: Harris, Gillibrand, Booker, Klobuchar. Also not gonna worry about it too much for now.
Yates is on in 30!
bemused
@Jeffro:
Ha, ha, sob. That pretty much nails it.
Mnemosyne
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yeah, but the scary thing is wondering which even worse hair
ball the Republican base will cough up instead of Trump. Brownback?
TenguPhule
@trollhattan: Well played.
The Moar You Know
@SiubhanDuinne: The only way Trump loses is that he loses to someone even viler. The GOP, as a party and institution, is no longer interested in governance at all, just winning the election and continuing the looting.
And the Dems still don’t have a solution to the Bernie problem. Nominate someone who is not Sanders, Sanders will take them out. Nominate Sanders, watch the GOP read his 70s kiddie pr0n novel on TV, watch him lose by a 100% EC blowout.
TenguPhule
@SiubhanDuinne:
Assumes facts not in evidence. After the House vote on the Tryancare, they’re now all wedded at swordpoint and must rule or die as one body.
TenguPhule
@The Moar You Know:
The natural progression of entropy to maximum.
Chyron HR
@The Moar You Know:
Yeah, but then he might fuck off, which solves the problem going forward.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@trollhattan: Just. Shoot. Me. Now.
ETA: Al Gore, really?
The Moar You Know
@Jeffro: If Dems ran that smarmy piece of shit on their ticket, I would never vote Dem again. That’s a goddamn promise. Any of the others, well, mostly bad ideas but not “quit the party” bad. But anyone to do with Facebook, AKA the world’s best spying agency? Bridge too far for me.
LurkerNoLonger
@Jeffro: No more old, white men, please. Thanks.
The Thin Black Duke
@Chyron HR: St. Bernie might be with the dead parrot by then, if we’re lucky. And yeah, that’s how bad the Bernie Sanders problem has become that I can imagine such a scenario as good news.
Matt McIrvin
@Gravenstone: Exactly–it’s projection, as usual. These guys cover for every stupid or shocking thing they say by insisting it was a joke, and they maintain deniability by saying everything in such a manner that it might or might not be interpreted as a joke. Naturally they assume everyone else is doing the same.
Roger Moore
@The Moar You Know:
The obvious solution to this is to have one of the Democratic candidates pull out all the opposition research we know has been done on him. Hillary didn’t want to go into the gutter to take Wilmer out, which was a defensible decision given what she knew at the time but looks bad in hindsight. I don’t expect the Democrats to make the same mistake a second time.
There are other things the party could do to hurt him. Requiring candidates to disclose their taxes would be a good first step. BTW, I think the Commission on Presidential Debates should also consider making that a condition for candidates getting an invitation to the debates.
Chyron HR
@The Thin Black Duke:
Yeah, no. You better hope he lives to be three hundred, because the moment he passes away several million people are going to be screaming that the Democratic party had him murdered for opposing their neoliberal agenda.
Aleta
Meanwhile in going down the tubes the wrong way, Steven Fry is under investigation for blasphemy.
(ETA link is to The Independent.)
Enhanced Voting Techniques
So they thought Obama was joking when he fired Flynn?
germy
@Aleta: I wonder if The Creator will be called on to testify?
germy
@Roger Moore: I thought the missus was under investigation for that college business.
liberal
@Gravenstone: Not just Rethuglican office holders, of course. In fact, I think it’s even more used by right-wing media types. “Can’t you take a joke? I’m an entertainer, after all.” I’m pretty sure Limbaugh uses this all the time.
germy
I miss no drama Obama
The Dangerman
Close! What Obama thought was Trump’s election was a fucking joke.
Peale
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Yep. They managed to convnce themselves that Obama didn’t take his role seriously and like all liberals that he hated the military. No no no. He constantly disrespected the generals and was always making sure only incompetent people kept their jobs as long as they kissed his ass while the true military geniuses were fired.
The Thin Black Duke
@Chyron HR: Unfortunately, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Whether it’s because he’s Putin’s sock puppet or he’s been consumed by his inner Monster of the Id, Bernie Sanders hates the Democratic Party, and he’ll do his damnest to destroy it.
Gelfling 545
@ET: No, it’s President Obama’s fault because he fired Flynn which caused Trump to look at Flynn and go “Whoa! Just whay we’re looking for “.
Gin & Tonic
@germy: Die-hard Flynn groupies in the WH leaking to Lake to undermine McMaster.
hovercraft
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
They thought that Obama was a joke, and a weakling, so anyone he fired was obviously much better at foreign policy than Obama. So when Obama warned him, he was just being petty and trying to get his revenge on a person who something something. By hiring him and promoting him they put Obama in his place. See how Machiavellian they are!
Fair Economist
@The Moar You Know:
Maybe a good cop/bad cop routine? Have a (sacrificial) candidate read from the kiddie pr0n novel in a debate while another candidate calls for “decorum” and says it’s horrible that people are digging up the dirt on Wilmer’s porn issues, tax issues, gun issues, etc. There’s plenty of old folks on that list who might be willing because they don’t really want the job anymore.
@Roger Moore:
Ooh, that’s a good one.
liberal
@The Moar You Know:
Purity pony!!1!
Aleta
High time for Trump to testify under oath; that tweet about Yates requires it.
ETA That “senior Trump administration official” who says the Obama said he was “not a fan of Michael Flynn” and the one who said “Obama’s remark seemed like it was made in jest” should be called to testify under oath too if they aren’t too cowardly to come forward under their real names.
Jay C
@The Moar You Know:
There’s always the possibility that the “Bernie problem” may solve itself by 2020. Sen. Sanders will turn 79 just before the election: I’m guessing that would put him squarely in the “too old” category as a candidate: as an “inspirational” spoiler he (or, more likely, his fanbase Berniacs) might cause some trouble, but the fact remains that the further Left – while it can mess up Democratic Party processes to a nontrivial degree – has little-to-no serious national influence: and the Dems nominating a solid, pragmatic (and competent-seeming!) progressive
will probably get more voters nationally: leaving the Berniebots in the dust as the whiny losers they persist in making themselves out to be.
trollhattan
@Gelfling 545:
Trump to Flynn: “You hate Obama, I hate Obama, BESTIES!” [pinkie swear]
japa21
@germy: Boy, Bolton would have been so much better. Not. McMaster may be our saving grace in this administration.
JCJ
@Jeffro:
So this shows that whoever wrote this list isn’t very bright – Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok. While I think she would be a good choice a female Asian born outside the US would likely not have much of a chance.
Hal
@Jeffro:
Very big sigh. Especially because I think she would win huge. But I get why she would never want to run for office and she’s done her part as First Lady. Hell, the vitriol she received for saying kids should eat more vegetables probably pails in comparison with what she would receive as a candidate.
MCA1
@JCJ: Beyond that, she’s nowhere near the natural politician that Harris, Murphy, Gillibrand, Booker or whatever other young gun Dems are. Happy to have her as one of my senators, but she’s not all that impressive as a rhetorician/speaker/leader.
Also, why was Schiff not on that list? He’s the kind of starched shirt old school rock serious patriotic type (and I mean that in all the good ways – like, he comes off as the only adult having anything to do with the Russia investigations process) that “Never Trump but her email so Gary Johnson” types would love.
mai naem mobile
@Jeffro:
I don’t know why people don’t consider Ash Carter (Obamas Defense sec) and Jeh Johnson (Obamas DHS sec.) Ash Carter is a little older than I would like my candidate would be (65 in’20) but he’s not ancient and he looks healthy. Both Carter and Johnson have good background stories.
Also,I don’t think he’ll have the time but I really like Adam Schiff. Also, Chris Van Hollen and Jean Shaheen.
Roger Moore
@germy:
I don’t know if she’s under investigation, but there was certainly a bunch of funny business involved. I’m sure it would show up on their taxes, which is a big reason Wilmer didn’t want to produce his. It’s for exactly that kind of thing that candidates should be required to share their taxes.