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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Open Thread: Supervising “President” Man-Baby

Open Thread: Supervising “President” Man-Baby

by Anne Laurie|  August 1, 20179:32 pm| 204 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Military, Republicans in Disarray!, Decline and Fall, Fucked-up-edness, Not Normal

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Seven Days in May is NOT a healthy Plan B for preserving democracy y'all. https://t.co/saWeUdLjiI

— On Trial for ??? (@ZeddRebel) August 1, 2017

Mattis and Kelly made a pact not to leave the country at the same time so one of them can always keep tabs on Trump.https://t.co/CjUUU2Bz7Q

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 1, 2017

Q: Action movie screenplay, or real-life “governing”?

Raised voices could be heard through the thick door to the Oval Office as John Kelly – then secretary of Homeland Security – offered some tough talk to President Donald Trump.

Kelly, a whip-cracking retired general who was sworn in as White House chief of staff on Monday, had demanded to speak to the president alone after Trump complained loudly that the U.S. was admitting travelers from countries he viewed as high risk.

Kelly first tried to explain to Trump that the admissions were standard – some people had legitimate reasons to visit the country – but the president insisted that it was making him look bad, according to an administration official familiar with the exchange about a month ago.

Kelly then demanded that other advisers leave the room so he could speak to the president frankly. Trump refused at first, but agreed when Kelly insisted.

It was an early indication that Kelly, a decorated retired Marine general who served three tours in Iraq, is not afraid to stand up to his commander-in-chief.

Tapped to bring order to a chaotic West Wing, Kelly began to make his mark immediately Monday, ousting newly appointed communications director Anthony Scaramucci and revising a dysfunctional command structure that has bred warring factions. From now on, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, all senior staffers – including the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon – will report to Kelly instead of the president.

Sanders said Tuesday that Kelly had spent his first day on the job speaking with members of Congress, getting to know White House staffers and working to put new procedures in place.

“It definitely has the fingerprints of a new sheriff in town,” said Blain Rethmeier, who guided Kelly through the Senate confirmation process for the Homeland Security post. Rethmeier said that what stood out about Kelly during the time they worked together was the way Kelly commanded respect from everyone he encountered – and the way he respected others….

A: C’mon — fiction has to be minimally plausible.

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Previous Post: « Tuesday Evening Open Thread: News That Doesn’t Suck
Next Post: Late Evening Open Thread: Always Good When the Cavalry Comes Over the Hill! »

Reader Interactions

204Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodingers_cat

    August 1, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    Kelly hagiographies have already begun? Wonderful.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    August 1, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Yep. Like clockwork.

  3. 3.

    MaryL

    August 1, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    If this is true, then I doubt Kelly will last long. Trump may enjoy the novelty of having a general stand up to him, but I bet it wears thin pretty quick if they’re interacting regularly.

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 1, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: The Village needs a narrative. They’ve found one that allows things to appear “normal”.

  5. 5.

    schrodingers_cat

    August 1, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    Patrick Stewart can play him on SNL.

  6. 6.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    August 1, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    Golf.com reports that during a recent visit to his New Jersey golf club (which Trump has visited four times since his inauguration), the president told fellow members the reason why he frequents his own properties.

    “That White House is a real dump,” he said.

    Imagine the wall-to-wall hysteria and scandal if a Democrat said this.

  7. 7.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    @Freeyourmindkid
    Following
    More
    So can we all finally agree that “Make America Great Again” is really code for a return to Jim Crow?

  8. 8.

    schrodingers_cat

    August 1, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I find all this hero worship of generals a tad sickening. Especially in light of Kelly’s tenure at the DHS.

  9. 9.

    A Ghost to Most

    August 1, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    Damn, I was counting on their continuing incompetence.

  10. 10.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    Brian Beutler:

    Kelly deserves about as much praise for firing Scaramuci as Reince Priebus, Trump’s first chief of staff, would have deserved if he had fired former press secretary Sean Spicer for urinating on the press corps from the briefing room podium. Moreover the odds that Kelly will be an effective chief of staff are frankly very low. […]
    If we must grade Trump officials on a curve, though, the appropriate test isn’t whether Kelly has the mettle to fire a middling buffoon, but whether he can restrain the one who inhabits the Oval Office from gutting the rule of law. The only questions that matter now are whether Kelly can prevent Trump from moving against Robert Mueller, the Justice Department special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation, and whether he will resign if he can’t.

  11. 11.

    Baud

    August 1, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    @A Ghost to Most: Don’t give up hope!

  12. 12.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    White women benefit most from affirmative action — and are among its fiercest opponents https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11682950/fisher-supreme-court-white-women-affirmative-action via @voxdotcom

  13. 13.

    schrodingers_cat

    August 1, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    FFS give me a break. Kelly was standing right behind T, when he signed that infamous travel ban executive order.

  14. 14.

    Jeffro

    August 1, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    @MaryL: It’ll last until the first time Kelly slips and blurts out (about whatever Trump has just decided to do), “Jesus, that is really fucking stupid. Are you serious?”

    So, about a week…

  15. 15.

    p.a.

    August 1, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    It may go something like this?

  16. 16.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 1, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I don’t blame you, but the Village is behaving as I have come to expect the Village to behave.

  17. 17.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    @MaryL:
    Not only that but his access is limited to and through Kelly. That doesn’t sound like it will go over well at all.

  18. 18.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: These aren’t hagiographies. These are leak driven hit pieces intended to look like hagiographies. These are intended to be put in front of the President by those who don’t want Kelly or anyone else as a strong chief of staff implementing a proper org chart and a disciplined process in the White House. You and others see these as talking Kelly up. What they really are are evidence that will be shown to the President that Kelly (and Mattis) don’t trust the President, that Kelly supported Comey, that Kelly thinks he can tell the President what to do. It hasn’t been 48 hours and the knives are out.

  19. 19.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    August 1, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Seven Days in May?

    James Mattoon Scott was tall, handsome and charismatic – ie a white Obama (photo)

    Mattis and Kelly are not. Moreover, Kelly is really thin skinned.

  20. 20.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Ivanka, Jared, and probably Bannon will nominally report to Kelly, but they still will have unfettered access to Trump.

  21. 21.

    Jeffro

    August 1, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I’m adding it to the list of things I want to check in with my RWNJ dad and brother about…I have a feeling that their propaganda channel of choice might not have reported these last few stories:
    – Trump owning up to writing Trump Jr’s misleading statement (about “adoptions”)
    – Trump not signing the Russia sanctions bill
    – Trump not making a peep about Russia kicking out 755 of our people
    – Politico publishing the WSJ transcript, the one the WSJ was withholding because Trump was such an addled mess
    – the GOP donor who created & pushed the Seth Rich ‘fake news’ (along with Fox and the WH, to possibly include Trump himself) in order to distract from Russia stories

    Why do I have a feeling that Faux Snooze is 0 for 6 reporting on the above?

  22. 22.

    Mike in NC

    August 1, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    Kelly will be a marked man as soon as he appears on the cover of TIME magazine. Trump collects those like baseball cards.

  23. 23.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    @ProPublica 4m4 minutes ago
    More
    You know who was subpar student and still got into Harvard?

    Jared Kushner

    Oh & his dad donated $2.5 mil.
    https://twitter.com/ProPublica/status/892561715279392770

  24. 24.

    MaryL

    August 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: That is diabolical.

  25. 25.

    amygdala

    August 1, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: What could possibly go wrong with that? I worked for a malignant narcissist for several years. They feed off this sort of discord like it’s fancy chocolate. Ugh.

  26. 26.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    hero worship of generals a tad sickening

    Only a tad?
    I find it to be a lot worse than a tad. We are supposed to have civilian control. Government set up specifically for civilian control. For a very, very good reason.
    And as you noted, Kelly has shown his stripes at DHS. And they aren’t good.

  27. 27.

    germy

    August 1, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    “That White House is a real dump,” he said.

    Imagine the wall-to-wall hysteria and scandal if a Democrat Obama said this.

    I can just see the NY Post headline: “Go Back To Kenya”

  28. 28.

    Luthe

    August 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Exactly. The more golden and powerful the press makes you look, the faster you go to the doghouse. Look at Bannon after the Time cover.

  29. 29.

    Baud

    August 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Oh cool.

  30. 30.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    August 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    Run the country like a business

    Run the country like a military

    Run the country like a reality game show

  31. 31.

    Mike in NC

    August 1, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    I read Seven Days in May long after the movie came out. In the book, the military coup centered around the US getting bogged down in a war in the Middle East with no end in sight. Rod Serling must have thought that so implausible that he changed the screenplay to make the Cold War era Soviets the bad guys.

  32. 32.

    EriktheRed

    August 1, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Chuck Pierce:

    Frankly, I don’t want this president* to project competence in office. The only thing slowing our slide toward an authoritarian government is the fact that the president* is so bad at it. I don’t want the message to be coherent if the policy is destructive and retrograde. If the president* starts performing the role of The President without throwing himself into the orchestra pit three times a show, then the theater-critic wing of America’s punditocracy may decide that Kelly has made a silk purse out of this particular sow’s ear. It will not be true, but it might be something you can sell.

    http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a56741/mooch-fired-by-john-kelly/

  33. 33.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    August 1, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    @lamh36: he took a deserving spot from a hard working white

  34. 34.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    @MaryL: This is how several people have been scuttled already. Ben Carson had one of his longtime campaign aides hired as his senior assistant at HUD. Guy was already there before Carson was confirmed. Someone slipped the primary campaign season op-ed this aide had written arguing why Carson was a better choice than the President into the reading list. Shortly after Carson was confirmed his aide was fired for not being loyal to the President and escorted out of HUD headquarters. Elliot Abrams, Tillerson’s choice for his deputy at State, never even got that far. The morning he met with the President someone (believed to be Bannon or Miller or someone working on their behalf) slipped several of the op-eds he’d written opposing the President’s proposed policies during the campaign. The President met with him and Tillerson was told he wouldn’t be hired because he wasn’t loyal. Similar with a couple of folks Mattis wanted as senior deputies at DOD.

  35. 35.

    amygdala

    August 1, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    @Jeffro: Don’t forget Trump’s claim that the Boy Scouts dubbed his Jamboree speech the best ever, while BSA denies there was even a convo.

  36. 36.

    Baud

    August 1, 2017 at 9:56 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: How did the Mooch ever get in the door?

  37. 37.

    MomSense

    August 1, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I figured it was Bannon.

  38. 38.

    sharl

    August 1, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    @Jeffro: For the last week or two, Dave Weigel – either directly or via retweets of others (e.g., Media Matters) – has been doing comparative screen shots of what Fox is covering vs. a couple of the other networks (usually CNN and MSNBC as I recall). It’s going about how you would expect, if you have even the slightest familiarity with Fox.

    I’m not sure it’s relevant, but that phony Seth Rich story that Fox was pushing really seems to have offended Weigel down to his core. I’ve been following him since his days at Reason, so I know what he’s been subjected to over the years, and how tough his hide has become as a result. For something to jolt him at this point in his career, it has to be really beyond the pale.

  39. 39.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    A bit of truth…this is me for DAYSSS!!!


    If We Were Honest Making Plans

  40. 40.

    debbie

    August 1, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Pity Ivanka can’t just tell him to ignore those swipes.

  41. 41.

    MaryL

    August 1, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I can’t even imagine how miserable it must be to work there, and I was a BigLaw associate for 7 years so I know a thing or two about miserable workplaces.

  42. 42.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    @lamh36: Hey, sent a comment to you downstairs, Idris Elba is on Seth Meyers tonight.

  43. 43.

    Amir Khalid

    August 1, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    I agree with the consensus here that John Kelly has been set up to fail, and his first major confrontation with any member of la famiglia Trump will be his last. It makes me wonder: a general must have some political smarts about him. I remember one who knew enough to dismiss a post offered by the Trump administration as a “shit sandwich”. So why did Kelly bite into this one?

  44. 44.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    @Baud: He got himself alone with Jared and Ivanka and then the President long enough to end run the keep out hold that Priebus had in place to keep him out.

  45. 45.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    August 1, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I always thought Abrams was spiked because of his long support of sanctioning Russia, going back to Jackson-Vanik in the 70s.

  46. 46.

    schrodingers_cat

    August 1, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: What you say is certainly possible, we will know soon, enough.

  47. 47.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    @MomSense: I suspect Kushner, too. He wouldn’t accept all those absurd portfolios unless he was as absurdly self-deluded about his abilities, and he wouldn’t want any outsider interfering in his moves to promote his own family’s fortune and interests.

    Someone on MSNBC today, can’t remember if it was Stephanie Ruehle again, was without a trace of awareness making the case today that there was no way Kelly was going to tolerate the Mooch and his personal business conflicts of interest and entanglements foreign governments, especially the Chinese! I’m a doofus with a laptop and I remember the NYT story about how 666 5th Ave (really, universe?) is in hock up to the top floor to gov’t-allied Chinese and Russian banks. And wasn’t it his sister who was promoting her own vanity project in China by talking about her access to trump?

  48. 48.

    Brachiator

    August 1, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    @sharl:

    ..For something to jolt him at this point in his career, it has to be really beyond the pale.

    This is just jolting him now? Where’s he been for the last 20 years?

  49. 49.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    In the mixed-news department, I managed to get an appointment at the end of August with one of the country’s leading hand and upper extremity surgeons in NYC. It’s mixed news because obviously the guy is wicked smart and has seen everything, so it’s good he agreed to take my case, it’s just a real drag that I have a case that needs the services of someone like that. Here’s hoping.

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    @MomSense: We will likely never know. And, remember, Bannon has at least one of his Breitbrats working for him Plus Gorka. Miller has been ingratiating himself with Jared and Ivanka. So who knows at this point.

  51. 51.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    So why did Kelly bite into this one?

    I think, given his performance at DHS, that he may be a fellow traveler on the immigration front.

  52. 52.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2017 at 10:08 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: and I suspect a couple others, like “bomb the shit out of them” and the general “Get Tough With ________” attitude (I at first started to type “policy”, but I remembered there are none before I hit the “l” key)

  53. 53.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:08 pm

    @Luthe:

    Look at Bannon after the Time cover.

    His power and access are undiminished. This “Bannon is on the outs” stuff is for the rubes from Podunk.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    August 1, 2017 at 10:08 pm

    @eclare:

    I think you sent it to me by mistake. I was thinking, I like Idris Elba just fine, but he’s not on my list of future ex-husbands … ??

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:09 pm

    @MaryL: Toxic staffs are usually the result of a toxic boss. No matter how good Kelly is there is only so much he can do given who the boss is. If the boss was competent and had a clear vision a flatter, enterprise type of organization might work. Provided it was staffed with the right people, not people that have decided that social Darwinism is a personal and professional ethos.

  56. 56.

    Jeffro

    August 1, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    @sharl:

    Dave Weigel – either directly or via retweets of others (e.g., Media Matters) – has been doing comparative screen shots of what Fox is covering vs. a couple of the other networks (usually CNN and MSNBC as I recall). It’s going about how you would expect, if you have even the slightest familiarity with Fox.

    I can’t bring myself to watch Fox News on TV, but I do pop over occasionally to its website (usually shortly after a really big Trump bombshell) and naturally it’s very similar. Trump bombshell drop on ‘regular’ news outlets? Fox will be blasting something about North Korea, MS 13, or John Podesta.

    They’re not really a news channel or even propaganda so much as they are a constant fear machine. “We like to keep your anxiety at a fever pitch 24/7, so that when we need you to prop up the GOP, you’ll be there for us”. It’s longish for a slogan, but it’s a tad more accurate than “We report, you decide”.

  57. 57.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I’m sure that contributed to it, but the reporting was very clear that someone had slipped a bunch of Abrams #NeverTrump op-eds into his morning reading pile.

  58. 58.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Good luck, hope he can put his smarts to good use for you. I still remember seeing your x-ray, wow.

  59. 59.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: If I can figure out how to do it without violating classification, I intend to write something tomorrow about Kushner’s caught on audio remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and peace process. Given that I worked on the last attempt.

  60. 60.

    Jeffro

    August 1, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    @amygdala: I’ll add that one too. I’m sure Fox has been running clips of the kids chanting “USA! USA!” non-stop…ugh…

  61. 61.

    Tehanu

    August 1, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Elliot Abrams, Tillerson’s choice for his deputy at State, never even got that far. The morning he met with the President someone (believed to be Bannon or Miller or someone working on their behalf) slipped several of the op-eds he’d written opposing the President’s proposed policies during the campaign. The President met with him and Tillerson was told he wouldn’t be hired because he wasn’t loyal.

    I loathe Elliot Abrams so it’s a good thing he didn’t get hired, but … holy mackerel.

  62. 62.

    Brachiator

    August 1, 2017 at 10:13 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    .Similar with a couple of folks Mattis wanted as senior deputies at DOD.

    It’s really hard to square this expectation that Kelly will be the answer to all of Trump’s problems with this consistent, persistent attitude that loyalty to Trump comes before everything.

  63. 63.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:13 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    So why did Kelly bite into this one?

    2 Possibilities.
    1. He thinks he can make it work, that by enforcing a bit of discipline and order things will improve.
    2. He’s a RWNJ himself and he’s going to make the WH, RWNJ heaven.
    I’m going with 3. Both of the above.

  64. 64.

    Another Scott

    August 1, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Sorry that you’re still having issues after your break. :-( . Here’s hoping he gets you back in fighting shape quickly.

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  65. 65.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Oops, was to Lamh36 in this thread. Prob sent it wrong downstairs. I’m sure the Bat signal will get to her.

  66. 66.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    @eclare: The first or the second? I put up a recent one a week or two ago, and the problem is it’s still all bits and pieces. I have the first (pre-op) one on my phone, and people get pretty grossed out when I show it to them. Kind of like a perverted bar trick.

  67. 67.

    Miss Bianca

    August 1, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Ah, it’s all starting to make sense with a little more context. At least, as much sense as anything connected with a Trumpian WH.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 1, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    I hate Trump so much for calling the White House a dump. Just fuck him, fuck him with every rusty farm implement within arm’s reach, fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. If he didn’t want to live in a dump, he could’ve stayed in Trump Tower in New York and spared himself the humiliation of living in a dump and spared the rest of us the humiliation of having him as the president of the United States. Fuck him. Seriously, fuck him.

  69. 69.

    Felonius Monk

    August 1, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    There’s a piece over at TPM about a BBC interview with Gorka. I found this to be the best comment on that piece:

    Poor Gorka, so desperately trying to be important enough to be thrown under the bus.

  70. 70.

    Face

    August 1, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    There’s no way those clowns (Bannon, Kushner, etc.) take a back seat to any one at this point. Power hungry x 1000. They’ll figure out a work-around, Kelly will blast them publicly (believing DJT will back him); instead, Trump will support them, and Kelly will bolt. This is as easy to predict as Natty Light at a frat party.

  71. 71.

    Another Scott

    August 1, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I know it often doesn’t matter, but Times of Israel has a story about it.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  72. 72.

    peach flavored shampoo

    August 1, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    There’s no way those clowns (Bannon, Kushner, etc.) take a back seat to any one at this point. Power hungry x 1000. They’ll figure out a work-around, Kelly will blast them publicly (believing DJT will back him); instead, Trump will support them, and Kelly will bolt. This is as easy to predict as Natty Light at a frat party.

  73. 73.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    @Tehanu: He’s not exactly my first choice for anything, but he fell into the “globalist” category (neo-Con, Jewish, accepting of international rules and the global system – Jared, Ivanka, Gary Cohen, and Dina Powell – who is a Copt of Alexandrine descent, Mnuchin are also in this category). So the nationalists (Bannon, the Breitbrat on his staff, Gorka, Miller – who technically, because he’s Jewish should be in the first category, but he’s trying to pass, so…, Sessions, and a few others are in this category) made sure the fix was in.

  74. 74.

    Miss Bianca

    August 1, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I like Idris Elba just fine, but he’s not on my list of future ex-husbands …

    He is on mine. Or as close to such a formulation as I am likely to come. Now, the question is: Does lamh get him first? Or later? : )

  75. 75.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Hopefully you are good to go by the start of ski season.

  76. 76.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    @Brachiator: It cannot be squared.

  77. 77.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: It was the first. I hope this doctor can help you, sounds awful.

  78. 78.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    @Miss Bianca: She ain’t letting him go. Just saying.

  79. 79.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’m sure hoping. I was planning to be on the bike by the end of July, too, but that’s clearly out the window.

  80. 80.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    I had an ortho like that in Columbus, OH. He fixed a buddies foot after it was crushed and he said it was like a jigsaw puzzle, pieces all over the place and he had to take out each piece and try to figure out what bone it was and where it went. In about 3 months my buddy was walking without assistance and if you didn’t know about the accident, you couldn’t tell. Also did my shoulder and ankle. That was fun. They work better than the other side.
    His brother was an ortho in a different part of town as well but that family tree didn’t spread evenly.
    In any event good luck.

  81. 81.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    @Ruckus: Agreed, good synopsis.

  82. 82.

    Miss Bianca

    August 1, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: yeah, I’d be a fool to try to break that one up. Oh, well. C’est la vie.

  83. 83.

    MomSense

    August 1, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Let’s just hope this new specialist can help you.

  84. 84.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @Another Scott: I’ve listened to the audio. What I want to do is provide some context as to why it’s important to do exactly the opposite of what Jared is suggesting. That one needs to read the history of the dispute – broadly and deeply, as well as the history of past attempts by the US and others that have failed. I just have to make sure that when I write it up I’m on the right side of the line.

  85. 85.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @Ruckus: Which hospital? I had my knee rebuilt at the OSU hospital. My ortho was the guy who rebuilt broken Buckeyes. I figured that, in that city, he had to be the best.

  86. 86.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Well he did say he now understood that the issue was “emotionally charged”, so there is that. What could go wrong?

  87. 87.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    @eclare: Oh. yeah. I know. He’s on a PR push for Dark Tower. It opens this Friday…I’m not sure if it’s gonna work…must as I stan for Idris, honestly, I’m just not sure the movie is meant for a summer type release…ya know….hmm

  88. 88.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Fuck him. Seriously, fuck him.

    How do you really feel?
    And QBINTBSA

  89. 89.

    mai naem mobile

    August 1, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: so in your opinion who’s the leaker(s) ? Bannon? Kushner? Hope Hicks? Deep State?

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @eclare: A lot could go very, very wrong.

  91. 91.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @lamh36: Oh good, you are aware of Dark Tower. I’ve been meaning to mention it to you, but it kept slipping my mind. Sorry.

  92. 92.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    @Miss Bianca: If I get him first no one else will EVER have him…

    :-) ;-) :-)

  93. 93.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    @mai naem mobile: I have no idea. I doubt it’s the Deep State because I can’t see what the 1970s Turkish security services would have to do with any of this.

  94. 94.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    About that Russia sanctions bill; does Congress have a 2/3 majority to override a veto?

  95. 95.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    August 1, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: These leaks are then, presumably, not IC leaks but from someone like, perhaps Kushner or Bannon, who resent their diminished access to Trump?

  96. 96.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @lamh36: I told her that.

  97. 97.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Could not agree more…what a low class alternative fact POS occupying the White House. How 63M could look at that, and say, yeah, that is what we need, is terrifying.

  98. 98.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @lamh36:
    http://imgur.com/LxEj2uP

  99. 99.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Yes. By a lot.

  100. 100.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @West of the Rockies (been a while): I think everyone is leaking.

  101. 101.

    trnc

    August 1, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I fully expect some DT tweetstorm as a response to the publication of him being pantsed by Kelly.

  102. 102.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Snark. I realize that.

  103. 103.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Yes, it passed by more than 2/3s in each chamber. Whether that could be sustained to overcome a veto will not be known until the time comes to do so. It may be that he’s trying for a pocket veto.

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Had his own office, in Westerville, I went to OSU medical if I remember correctly, for my shoulder surgery, imagine my buddy went there as well. My shoulder was 16-17 yrs ago, and I didn’t drive there so I may have gotten it wrong. Rather groggy going home. But I do remember that’s where I went for all my MRIs, and there were a few of them.

  105. 105.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    I know that pissed me off too. It’s a national historic landmark with so much history. None of that matters to his little mind. He’s a piece of shit. As if his tacky resorts are better than the WH.

  106. 106.

    Another Scott

    August 1, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    @eclare: And why can’t everyone see what a good guy Bibi is? I mean, Jared’s known him a long time – he’s a family friend. Why everyone can’t see that Israel was just doing perfectly reasonable stuff with no possible ulterior motives?

    And clearly nothing’s been accomplished in 40-50 years. I mean Egypt getting the Sinai back and reopening the Suez Canal and Camp David and …

    …

    (erk)

    I just can’t.

    The kid grown man is an idiot. He’s beyond parody.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  107. 107.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    @West of the Rockies (been a while): I would expect so, but I have no actual idea. I’m speculating, albeit informedly speculating, but speculating nonetheless, based on what has been done with past hires, attempted hires.

  108. 108.

    Mike in NC

    August 1, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: If Trump really thinks the White House is a dump, it’s only because his incredibly bad taste requires his own home in NYC to resemble Versailles to the extent that Liberace would have found it tawdry.

  109. 109.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: LOL… I keep having to tell folks back up off my BAE…LOL…

  110. 110.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: LOL

  111. 111.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    @Mike in NC: Makes me think he would be right at home at that palace in St. Petersburg.

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    August 1, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’ll let the two of you fight it out while me and Chiewetel walk off into the sunset together. ?

    ETA: Or Daveed, if I decide I don’t want a British accent after all.

  113. 113.

    MomSense

    August 1, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: @Adam L Silverman:

    It’s probably some insane version of Survivor (West Wing) where Bannon, Kush, Gorka, Miller and the rest of the cast strike up temporary alliances to take down other players.

    What a mess.

  114. 114.

    Bill Arnold

    August 1, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    So why did Kelly bite into this one?

    Out of curiosity, I watched an nbc news interview with kelly (april 2017) (there is at least one newer interview.)
    He seemed did not seem evil in that interview. Bad (except to those who share his politics), but at least thinking and rational, and not entirely (or maybe mostly not) driven by internalized talking points and other internalized propaganda.
    Anyway, I’m thinking that Kelly at core is a US patriot and believes in the defense of (his interpretation of) the US constitution.
    […more writing snipped. Worrying, it is, for sure.]

  115. 115.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: oh yeah…the Dark Tower def on my radar. I never read the books, so the casting didn’t matter to me, but once Idris became attached along with McConaughey(sp?) I read up on it and figured hey…maybe.

    I mean one of the only reasons I saw Pacific Rim, and Guillermo Del Toro has had me since Hellboy, so 2 big reasons to see Pacific Rim…and I loved Idris in it, but was pleasantly surprised how good I found it.

    I want to give Dark Tower the same chance, but universe is plotting to make it difficult…I’ve got work on opening weekend, and if I don’t see movies the opening weekend/week, I tend to lose interest, esp a movie, I wasn’t already interested in.

  116. 116.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I had this conversation with someone earlier today. He is a vile, tacky, tasteless, shitstain of a human being. He is the epitome of cliche outer-burough, nouveau riche douchebag.

  117. 117.

    sharl

    August 1, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    @Brachiator: It IS a bit surprising, because Weigel started is career covering the political libertarian and conservative beats – and I think he might still be a registered Republican in DC, which is a very small and rather unusual constituency on a couple of levels – so it’s not like he doesn’t know that crowd. I think it was sudden rise and empowerment of the Breitbart keyboard nazis (alt-right or whatever) that caught him unawares, accompanied by right-wing media management teams at Fox and elsewhere desperately trying to adjust their business model on the fly to stay on the good side of Trump (successfully so for Fox), so we get conspiracy mongering as a distraction from having to cover Russia or the health care debate
    ….[Quite understandably, left-leaning outlets like this blog are more attentive to the wrasslin’ between the liberals and far leftists, but there’s been quite a shake-up over on the right as well, giving us the nazi-frog crowd versus much of the conservative “intelligentsia” who became never-Trumpers. AFAICT there’s a large inter-generational split within both left and right. It’s all quite messy…]

  118. 118.

    Miss Bianca

    August 1, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    @lamh36: LOL!! OK, you win! *No way* am I a contender, obviously! : )

  119. 119.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Or this:

    (2) We've seen the White House do this *many* times already: they're floating what Trump WANTS to do to figure out if and when he CAN do it.

    — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) August 2, 2017

  120. 120.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Speaking of movies…came across this article today.

    Why the lack of Indian and African faces in Dunkirk matters | Sunny Singh

    What a surprise that Nigel Farage has endorsed the new fantasy-disguised-as-historical war film, Dunkirk. Christopher Nolan’s movie is an inadvertently timely, thinly veiled Brexiteer fantasy in which plucky Britons heroically retreat from the dangerous shores of Europe. Most importantly, it pushes the narrative that it was Britain as it exists today – and not the one with a global empire – that stood alone against the “European peril”.

    To do so, it erases the Royal Indian Army Services Corp companies, which were not only on the beach, but tasked with transporting supplies over terrain that was inaccessible for the British Expeditionary Force’s motorised transport companies. It also ignores the fact that by 1938, lascars – mostly from South Asia and East Africa – counted for one of four crewmen on British merchant vessels, and thus participated in large numbers in the evacuation.

    But Nolan’s erasures are not limited to the British. The French army deployed at Dunkirk included soldiers from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and other colonies, and in substantial numbers. Some non-white faces are visible in one crowd scene, but that’s it. The film forgets the racialised pecking order that determined life and death for both British and French colonial troops at Dunkirk and after it.

    This is important, firstly, because it is a matter of factual accuracy in what purports to be an historical portrayal – and also because it was the colonial troops who were crucial in averting absolute catastrophe for the allies. It is also important because, more than history books and school lessons, popular culture shapes and informs our imagination not only of the past, but of our present and future…

  121. 121.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:44 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:
    If he votoes it, it will make him look worse re: Russia. Not signing it and letting it become law is best case scenario for him. Which will still piss off Putin.

  122. 122.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    I love Josh Marshall’s dignity wraith thing

    ((Molly Jong-Fast))Verified account @ MollyJongFast
    No one has ever been able to get Trump to behave, why would Kelly be the first?

    Josh Marshall‏Verified account @ joshtpm 38m38 minutes ago
    Like some sea creatures, the wraither first stuns it’s victim with a drug that convinces them that they’ll be different.

  123. 123.

    Mnemosyne

    August 1, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    @lamh36:

    That’s interesting, because I noticed that Patty Jenkins very specifically put Indian and other minority soldiers into Wonder Woman, which is historically accurate for WWI, and even more so for WWII.

  124. 124.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    @Mnemosyne: This type of historical accuracy is what happens when you put women in charge of things.

  125. 125.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    August 1, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Sounds like an org chart with dotted lines.

  126. 126.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    @lamh36: Huh, thanks. It has gotten such good reviews. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know the history of Dunkirk.

  127. 127.

    Felonius Monk

    August 1, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:@Adam L Silverman:

    Trump Aide Says Trump May Not Sign Sanctions Bill, Let It Become Law Without Him

    Bullshit. It’s a Pocket Veto and if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

  128. 128.

    gratuitous

    August 1, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    All right, I’m confused. Again. I thought Trump was smarter than all the generals, and now he’s hiring them left and right to save his faltering administration? Sad!

  129. 129.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Yep.

  130. 130.

    lamh36

    August 1, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    @Mnemosyne: LOL…no fight from me…

    I like Chiwetel, but my fav character of his is still Lola from Kinky Boots…so it gets a bit strange thinking about it…lol. He might be weirded out when I beg him to sing “Cha Cha Heels” for me…constantly.

    LOL

  131. 131.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @lamh36:
    Oh, Nolan, you could have made something truly beautiful. Instead you took the Michael Bay route of historical dramas. Looking at you, Pearl Harbor

  132. 132.

    debbie

    August 1, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Have you been watching him on Blackish?

  133. 133.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:52 pm

    @Felonius Monk:
    Congress will (hopefully) still override him. It passed with 2/3 in each house.

  134. 134.

    Mnemosyne

    August 1, 2017 at 10:52 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Prezacktly. ?

  135. 135.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 10:52 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: How so?

  136. 136.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @Felonius Monk: But Congress is now in session.

    If the President does not act on a measure-approving or vetoing it-within 10 days, the fate of the
    measure depends on whether Congress is in session. If Congress is in session, the bill becomes law
    without the President’s approval. If Congress is not in session, the measure does not become law.

  137. 137.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Really? Roger Ebert’s review of Pearl Harbor is the funniest movie review I have ever read, the movie was so bad.

  138. 138.

    JWR

    August 1, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    @mai naem mobile:

    @Adam L Silverman: so in your opinion who’s the leaker(s) ? Bannon? Kushner? Hope Hicks? Deep State?

    Given their past animosity, I’d say it was Bannon, or some like-minded back stabber(s) who share his dislike of Kushner, and/or Kushner’s role.

  139. 139.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    @Felonius Monk: The Senate will not be going into a formal recess to prevent recess appointments.

  140. 140.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 10:59 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Gross historical inaccuracy. In Pearl Harbor, for balance (I guess, since he portrayed them non-sterotypically) the evil Japs were depicted as firing on American civilians during the attack when that never happened. The Japanese were bad enough. Bay didn’t have to show them doing evil things they never actually did.

    Edit: On top of that, he also made our troops look like assholes, explained here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HyvuFEPSR-Y

  141. 141.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 1, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @lamh36: @eclare: What is interesting, not that I don’t agree with the point in the commentary lamh referred to, are these takes by The Guardian:
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/30/dunkirk-lesson-nigel-farage-brexiters-war-stories-british

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/26/dunkirk-brexit-retreat-europe-britain-eec

  142. 142.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Have you seen Dunkirk? I think it is a bad idea to assume that Nolan’s movie was intended to tell the full story of the evacuation. He used the history to tell three stories on different timelines (One week, one day, and one hour) that culminate at the same moment. If you go to see it and expect an “A Bridge Too Far” or “The Longest Day” experience, you are at the wrong movie.

  143. 143.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: No I haven’t. But what would it have hurt to have Indian troops?

  144. 144.

    Felonius Monk

    August 1, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    Congress will (hopefully) still override him.

    If the bill is pocket vetoed, then Congress will have to start the process all over again. The original bill is dead. There is no overriding a pocket veto.

  145. 145.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: FFS, I am aware of the shittiness of Michael Bay. How is Nolan guilty of the same?

  146. 146.

    Lurking Canadian

    August 1, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    I yield to no one in my contempt for Trump, but this story is pissing me off something fierce. Trump doesn’t work for Kelly. Kelly works for Trump. The people of the US, may God have mercy on them, didn’t vote for Kelly to be Commander in Chief of the US armed forces, they voted for Trump.

    Kelly shouldn’t be the one giving orders in the White House. The fact that Trump is running a completely fucked up gong show notwithstanding.

  147. 147.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    August 1, 2017 at 11:11 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Maybe, or is it a sign Kelly doesn’t give a frap and would be happy if Trump fired him.

  148. 148.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: Watch the movie and then comment.

  149. 149.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    @Lurking Canadian: And yet the job of a presidential CoS is to make sure that POTUS has all the info that he needs to make a decision but is not overwhelmed with random shit. Good CoSs control access to POTUS but also make sure that POTUS has heard all sides of any issue. It’s a tough gig.

  150. 150.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Did you not read the comment? I would say not showing any of the Indian forces counts as insulting historical inaccuracy:

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40724861

    What is well known, she told me, is that four companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, including a unit of the Bikaner State forces, served in France during the campaign on the Western Front, and some were evacuated from Dunkirk. Among them were three contingents of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. One contingent was taken prisoner by German forces.

    According to one account, India also provided more than 2,500 mules – shipped from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Marseilles – to the war effort as the British animal transport companies had been phased out. An Indian soldier, Jemadar Maula Dad Khan, was feted for showing “magnificent courage, coolness and decision” in protecting his men and animals when they were shelled from the ground and strafed from the air by the enemy.

    The Indian soldiers and the mules were eventually ordered towards the coast. Many of the men could not take their animals on the retreat and gave them away to local people in France, according to the same account.

    Historian John Broich says the Indian soldiers in Dunkirk were “particularly cool under fire and well organised during the retreat”.

    “They weren’t large in number, maybe a few hundred among hundreds of thousands, but their appearance in the film would have provided a good reminder of how utterly central the role of the Indian Army was in the war,” he told Slate.

    “Their service meant the difference between victory and defeat. In fact, while Britain and other allies were licking their wounds after Dunkirk, the Indian Army picked up the slack in North Africa and the Middle East.

  151. 151.

    Mike in NC

    August 1, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    @eclare: We’ve been to the Hermitage. Still not enough gold leaf for Trump! (But my wife, an art major who loves museums, was thrilled to see it.)

  152. 152.

    eclare

    August 1, 2017 at 11:28 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks will read those tomorrow. I probably won’t see the movie, but I’d like to know more.

  153. 153.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I read the comment. I also saw the movie. Nolan makes no attempt to tell the full story of Dunkirk. Instead, he uses the event to tell three stories with three different timelines.

  154. 154.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    @Mike in NC: Russia’s on my bucket list, at least St Petersburg and Moscow, don’t know much about the rest of the country.

  155. 155.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 11:34 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Nolan makes no attempt to tell the full story of Dunkirk.

    In my view, that’s the problem. By not showing other non-white Commonwealth troops, he makes it seem like the UK were the only ones with skin in the game at Dunkirk. I think including Indian/African troops would make the movie even better.

  156. 156.

    Mike in NC

    August 1, 2017 at 11:36 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: We spent a few days in Saint Petersburg during a Baltic Sea cruise in 2014. Quite spectacular, especially the Neva River boat ride and the many surrounding canals. Appreciated why they call it the Venice of the North.

  157. 157.

    Ruckus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    @Lurking Canadian:
    You are correct. Of course the problem is that drumpf is/always has been delusional, and in my mind in early dementia. Seeing as how he also has access to nuclear weapons (although he may not have any idea about that nor any idea on how to access them – one can only hope) there really should be some rational or even semi rational checkpoint there. Is Kelly that checkpoint? Fuck if I know. Nancy Reagan supposedly was actually in control at the end of Ronnie’s rein as he was apparently in full blown dementia by then. Non of us voted for her either. Is any of this bullshit reasonable? Fuck no it’s not.

  158. 158.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:38 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: How do you know? You haven’t seen it. You cannot say what would make it better or worse if you don’t know what is in it. I am done with this discussion with you until you see it.

  159. 159.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 1, 2017 at 11:47 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Alright. Maybe I’ll give it a look. I don’t know why you’re being so defensive.

  160. 160.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:47 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    What is well known, she told me, is that four companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, including a unit of the Bikaner State forces, served in France during the campaign on the Western Front, and some were evacuated from Dunkirk. Among them were three contingents of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. One contingent was taken prisoner by German forces.

    500 soldiers.

    “They weren’t large in number, maybe a few hundred among hundreds of thousands, but their appearance in the film would have provided a good reminder of how utterly central the role of the Indian Army was in the war”

    ???? In the later war, the Indian Army was vital. At Dunkirk, it was minor. The movie was about Dunkirk.

  161. 161.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:49 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I am not being defensive. I am arguing a point.

  162. 162.

    NoraLenderbee

    August 1, 2017 at 11:51 pm

    “That White House is a real dump,” he said.

    Because a black family lived there.

  163. 163.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 1, 2017 at 11:57 pm

    @NoraLenderbee: Icky!

    Honestly that is a part of it. The other is that it is a small and very un-gilded palace. Buck House. Versailles. The Winter Palace. Etc. Tacky nouveau riche shithead.

  164. 164.

    SFAW

    August 1, 2017 at 11:57 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    In my view, that’s the problem. By not showing other non-white Commonwealth troops, he makes it seem like the UK were the only ones with skin in the game at Dunkirk. I think including Indian/African troops would make the movie even better.

    Don’t forget: the Italian guy from Brooklyn — preferably Flatbush — whose Mom always sends him a salami; the Jewish kid from the Upper East Side; the slightly-effeminate-but-actually-tough-as-nails PFC who saves 15 of his pals (but who sacrifices himself so that they may live); the German kid from Indiana, whom everyone in the company thinks is a spy, or at least a sympathizer; the old guy from North Carolina, who enlisted because it was “the right thing to do”; and the pacifist medic who braves withering machine gun fire to save as many of his brother Tommys as he can.

  165. 165.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:00 am

    @SFAW:
    What’s that supposed to mean?

  166. 166.

    The Moar You Know

    August 2, 2017 at 12:00 am

    I hate Trump so much for calling the White House a dump. Just fuck him, fuck him with every rusty farm implement within arm’s reach, fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. If he didn’t want to live in a dump, he could’ve stayed in Trump Tower in New York and spared himself the humiliation of living in a dump and spared the rest of us the humiliation of having him as the president of the United States. Fuck him. Seriously, fuck him.

    @SiubhanDuinne: My reaction to that was pretty unexpected. I’m not a very patriotic person, I would say. But I was instantly offended to the core. Not OK at all.

  167. 167.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:00 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Fine. I’ll watch the movie and get back to you

  168. 168.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 2, 2017 at 12:02 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: It means that no one ever tells the complete story of anything.

  169. 169.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 2, 2017 at 12:02 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: You are really easily susceptible to peer pressure.//

  170. 170.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:05 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    But there were no Americans at Dunkirk. It was 1940. The US didn’t enter the war until late 1941. That’s a fallacious argument.

  171. 171.

    danielx

    August 2, 2017 at 12:08 am

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Villagers gotta village.

  172. 172.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 2, 2017 at 12:08 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Not related at all related but I wonder why the prison dude doesn’t have jump wings. He would have been offered the option.

  173. 173.

    Mnemosyne

    August 2, 2017 at 12:10 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    FWIW, you’re kind of stepping into the middle of an ongoing controversy about history and portrayals of history. It’s not necessarily directed at Nolan specifically, but he managed to step in it by ignoring it.

  174. 174.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 2, 2017 at 12:12 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: When did I say that any Americans were there? Get a grip.

  175. 175.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:13 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    I guess that was more aimed at SFAW’s comment.

  176. 176.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:13 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    What’s that supposed to mean?

    It means the physics/science in Interstellar was not completely accurate.

    Or, to be less abstruse: making sure that every check-box has been checked — “ooh, look, they have Indians! From India! And Africans! And persons from this group! And persons from that group!” — just to make sure no one’s ox is gored, and that EVERYONE is included, might be considered a directorial affectation that serves no sensible purpose. Not every 100-percent-historically-accurate film is well made, and not every historical inaccuracy detracts from the film (unless someone is predisposed in that direction).

    We ain’t talking Freeman Gosden/Charles Correll and Sam Jaffe territory here, you know.

  177. 177.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 2, 2017 at 12:13 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t like heights.

  178. 178.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    August 2, 2017 at 12:16 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s public housing, you know who lives in public housing.

  179. 179.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:17 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    It’s public housing, you know who lives in public housing.

    Lying Littledick, for one.

  180. 180.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:18 am

    @SFAW:
    Look, I don’t think having an Indian/African soldier as a main character in a movie about an event where they existed historically is too much to ask.

  181. 181.

    M. Bouffant

    August 2, 2017 at 12:21 am

    We should all remember that 25 yrs. ago Kelly was perfectly willing to murder Americans w/ the Light Armored Recon Battalion he commanded.

    Completing duty under instruction and selected for lieutenant colonel, he was assigned as commanding officer, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (1st LAR), 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. During his tenure, 1st LAR was called in to provide augmentation support for police in the city of Long Beach, California during the Los Angeles riots of 1992.

    And he’s skeered of immigrants, & happy to monger fear for all it’s worth.

    Kelly indicated days into the administration his interest in having the U.S.–Mexico border wall completed within two years. On April 21, 2017, Kelly said the U.S.–Mexico border wall would begin construction “by the end of the summer.” Two days later, Kelly said he believed “a border wall is essential” as there were “tremendous threats” such as drugs and individuals coming into the US. On May 2, Kelly stated his surprise in office holders “rejoicing in the fact that the wall will be slower to be built and, consequently, the southwest border under less control than it could be.”

    In May 2017, Kelly said of terrorism, “It’s everywhere. It’s constant. It’s nonstop. The good news for us in America is we have amazing people protecting us every day. But it can happen here almost anytime.” He said that the threat from terrorism was so severe that some people would “never leave the house” if they knew the truth.

    I’m reminded more & more of Japan in the 1930s & ’40s, when the Army held many senior gov’t. positions.

  182. 182.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:21 am

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Eh, I just don’t want hard feelings. Besides, I always have to consider the possibility that I might be wrong.

  183. 183.

    pappenheimer

    August 2, 2017 at 12:22 am

    Watching Dunkirk made me suspect something that the internet confirmed – there are no more working Stukas. Which, given their loss rate in ANY airspace the Luftwaffe did not have absolute control over, should not have been surprising.

  184. 184.

    Omnes Omnibus

    August 2, 2017 at 12:22 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Sorry, I do judge by that. I am a bad person. Five jumps is easy. Ranger is different.

  185. 185.

    Yarrow

    August 2, 2017 at 12:24 am

    @The Moar You Know: It’s so offensive. The White House is the people’s house. America’s house. He’s insulting us when he insults it.

  186. 186.

    Adam L Silverman

    August 2, 2017 at 12:30 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: It is what it is.

  187. 187.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:36 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    Look, I don’t think having an Indian/African soldier as a main character in a movie about an event where they existed historically is too much to ask.

    I agree. I think Nolan should have had Idris Elba play Churchill, because why the fuck not? He’s English, ain’t he?

    Do you really not see the contradiction within your own arguments? You blockquoted that the non-whites were a small component (percentage-wise) of the Dunkirk force, (“maybe a few hundred among hundreds of thousands, “) but there SHOULD be a non-white main character because … they were brave, or organised, or cool under fire, or something.

    Whether Nolan did it his way, or your way, is immaterial. He made his choice, and down-talking a flick — which you haven’t yet seen — because you don’t agree with the possible-lack-of-inclusiveness-of-ALL-peoples-by-not-having-a-bit-player-as-a-main-character, seems to be a variant of pearl-clutching.

  188. 188.

    Mnemosyne

    August 2, 2017 at 12:38 am

    @SFAW:

    making sure that every check-box has been checked … just to make sure no one’s ox is gored, and that EVERYONE is included, might be considered a directorial affectation that serves no sensible purpose.

    Hang on, I need to put my film historian hat on for a minute here …

    A big part of the problem is that a lot of people don’t realize that the films and photos we see of the past were deliberately sanitized of non-white faces before they were even taken. When the Free French marched into Paris after they liberated it, the Americans demanded that all of the African and Arab troops be taken out of the parade so racist Americans back home would not be offended by the sight of non-white soldiers marching with white ones in their newsreels, and the British High Command backed the Americans up, so De Gaulle acquiesced. I’ve linked to the story before, but I can track the link down again if you need me to.

    What people are asking for is that filmmakers show the actual historical reality, not censored Hollywood “reality.” It doesn’t really take that much — put a few of the hundreds of British Indian or British Pakistani actors in the UK into period uniforms and have them mill around in the background with the other extras. Boom — problem solved and controversy over. The fact that Nolan couldn’t be arsed to even throw in a few token extras says more about him than I think he realizes.

  189. 189.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:45 am

    @SFAW: I disagree. It’s not pearl clutching. Like Mnem said, you could had some as extras, no big deal.

  190. 190.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:46 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    What people are asking for is that filmmakers show the actual historical reality, not censored Hollywood “reality.” It doesn’t really take that much — put a few of the hundreds of British Indian or British Pakistani actors in the UK into period uniforms and have them mill around in the background with the other extras. Boom — problem solved and controversy over.

    I don’t think that’s what Goku is asking for.

    The fact that Nolan couldn’t be arsed to even throw in a few token extras says more about him than I think he realizes.

    I agree.

    But, as a thought exercise: Is Chinatown or Knife in the Water less of a film because Polanski is a somewhat repulsive human (in at least some aspects of his life)? [Yeah, I realize it’s probably not an apples-to-apples comparison/analogy.]

  191. 191.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:48 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    Like Mnem said, you could had some as extras, no big deal.

    Well, which is it you want? XX comments ago, you wanted a main character, now you’re OK with a bunch of extras? Asking for a friend.

  192. 192.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 12:50 am

    @SFAW:
    I changed my mind.

  193. 193.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 12:54 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    Fair enough.

    As long as you don’t change it about Lying Littledick and the Rethugs (which might be a good name for the worst band ever), it’s all good

  194. 194.

    Mnemosyne

    August 2, 2017 at 1:00 am

    @SFAW:

    The last time I watched Chinatown, the whole Evelyn Mowbray was even creepier and more tragic than I remembered. She basically gets betrayed and/or abandoned and/or abused by every man in her life, including Jake.

    And anyone who watches Repulsion and doesn’t realize exactly why the Catherine Deneuve character has her mental breakdown is too stupid to live.

    It’s super weird to me that Polanski can identify so closely with victims of rape and sexual abuse and yet be a rapist, but that’s how fucked up his mind is.

    ETA: And I’ve read the relevant parts of the victim’s testimony from the case that caused him to flee the US. It was “rape rape,” as Whoopi Goldberg so inartfully phrased it, not statutory rape.

  195. 195.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    August 2, 2017 at 1:03 am

    @SFAW: It’s all good. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it looked really good. I’m sure otherwise it’s a good movie and I plan to see it.

  196. 196.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 1:06 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    Yeah, Chinatown was disturbing on a number of levels.

    I’ve never seen Repulsion, so I can’t comment. However, even without having seen it, I have sometimes been told I’m too stupid to live. By friends. Hmmm …

  197. 197.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 1:07 am

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    I’m sure otherwise it’s a good movie and I plan to see it.

    Me too.

  198. 198.

    Mnemosyne

    August 2, 2017 at 1:11 am

    @SFAW:

    Nightmarish, repetitive hallucinations of male arms shooting out of the walls to fondle her and almost being smothered by a male body coming down on top of her while she’s in bed in the middle of the night.

    But I’m sure it’s all just general existential angst, amirite?

    (Sorry, the morons on IMDb who insist they don’t see the pervasive incest/sexual abuse imagery really get on my nerves sometimes.)

  199. 199.

    Mnemosyne

    August 2, 2017 at 1:13 am

    @SFAW:

    Crap. I used the forbidden word for what Evelyn Mowbray and the heroine of Repulsion have in common, and now I’m in moderation. Hopefully I’ll be released soon.

  200. 200.

    SFAW

    August 2, 2017 at 1:31 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    I hope the Mod Squad releases you, but I gotta rack out, sorry. But I can guess what word you mean, I figure it has something to do with John Huston’s relations. Probably a worng guess, but that’s how I roll.

  201. 201.

    fuckwit

    August 2, 2017 at 1:48 am

    @lamh36: MAKE AMERICA WHITE AGAIN.

  202. 202.

    Sunny raines

    August 2, 2017 at 3:03 am

    trump is a WWF circus clown. Kelly fits in play-acting as big daddy authoritarian tough guy

  203. 203.

    Aimai

    August 2, 2017 at 3:05 am

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: trump can’t be alone with the thoughts in his own head. He needs people around him–psychophants (!sic) to cater to his bottomless emotional void. Kelly can’t give him what he needs and blockading the parade of boot lickers into the ovsl office will not be possible. Trymp will go on permanent vacation to mar a lago to prevent being alone with the job of president.

  204. 204.

    NorthLeft12

    August 2, 2017 at 6:44 am

    @Ruckus: Yes, I find the whole military adoration schtick a bit hard to take. Not only for generals, but virtually anyone who served in the military. And before anyone jumps down my throat, I do not disrespect or dislike anyone who served in the armed forces of whichever country, I just don’t idolize them.

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