Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

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

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

This really is a full service blog.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Give Me Some Attention!

Give Me Some Attention!

by | 164 Comments

This post is in: 

I’ll let Adam and Cheryl comment more substantively, but if there really is a Trump/Kim meeting, this is probably how North Korea will feel about it:

That’s a parody account, btw. Open thread.

Reader Interactions

164Comments

  1. 1.

    MomSense

    Has anyone considered that trump may just need an excuse to go to a non-extradition treaty country?

  3. 3.

    Betty Cracker

    As someone who despises Trump to the depths of my soul, I feel an obligation to question my bias when evaluating this type of development. But then I read something like this (CNN):

    Reflecting his craving for affirmation, the excited President told Jon Karl of ABC News, even at this early stage of the process “hopefully, you will give me credit,” offering little sign he appreciates the magnitude of the task he faces.

    As always, Trump views everything through the lens of his malignant narcissism. He alone can fix it! It’ll knock this Stormy person out of the headlines! Obama never met with Kim! Blah blah blah.

    In the unlikely event that any good comes of this for the nation and the world, it’ll be an accidental byproduct of Trump’s pursuit of gain for himself.

  8. 8.

    rikyrah

    When President Obama talked about meeting without preconditions with leaders of Cuba, North Korea and Iran, folks came unglued including members of his own party. But when Trump agrees, it’s alright. See how whiteness works?https://t.co/wLv7gulIGA

    — 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) March 9, 2018

  9. 9.

    But her emails!!!

    The biggest issue I have with this is that the Presstitutes are being freaking stupid in their coverage of this. The big deal about this meeting is not that North Korea has agreed to meet with Trump, it’s that Trump has agreed to meet with North Korea despite several straight administrations, both Democratic and Republican, setting North Korea abandoning it’s nuclear ambitions as a prerequisite for direct 1 on 1 talks.

    It’s not as if the whole Korean thing is an issue that just happened yesterday. It’s literally an issue that’s been going on for decades and yet the press seems to know piss all about the subject.

  10. 10.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Cheryl Rofer: Ah, lovely.

    @Betty Cracker: Other than an alleged (and only potentially offered) program ‘freeze’ this is literally a situation that has no benefit to America, as far as I can tell. A talented diplomatic team and wise president might be able to turn it into a win-win. We do not have those at the moment.

  11. 11.

    Yarrow

    @MomSense: Given the discussions I’ve seen about Russia and China funding North Korea (especially Russia and NK military), it wouldn’t surprise me if going to NK would be a way for him to flee to Russia.

  12. 12.

    rikyrah

    Need weekend plans? The #PA18 special election is Tuesday and @ConorLambPA is neck-and-neck in a district that went heavily for Trump.

    Sign up here for our remote phonebank: https://t.co/SIJU06gdcW

    — Swing Left (@swingleft) March 9, 2018

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    That does not look like the belly of a 239lb man. Unless he is below 5 feet in height.

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    Typical attendance for Boston @MomsDemand monthly meeting: 30 people

    Tonight in a snowstorm at Old South Church: Nearly 1,000 new volunteers #mapoli pic.twitter.com/I91xPLdFqb

    — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 9, 2018

  17. 17.

    germy

    Hungary no longer wants to arrest former White House aide Gorka
    Washington Post-Feb 12, 2018

    BERLIN — Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka appears to be no longer wanted for arrest by Hungarian police, according to media outlets in Budapest. Gorka, a Hungarian citizen, was long listed as “wanted” on the website of the country’s police, but his name has now disappeared from the site.

  18. 18.

    SFAW

    @Amir Khalid:

    That does not look like the belly of a 239lb man. Unless he is below 5 feet in height.

    But his retread-hippie doctor assured us that Shitgibbon was the most-excellent-doubleplusgood-most-healthiest Preznit since Fred Trump created the USA!!! And the guy from Walter Reed said Dumbert Dumbert’s BMI was within an order of magnitude of 29.5!

    So you must be lying!!!!!!

  19. 19.

    MJS

    This really should be couched in terms of KJU saying to Trump, “I’ll think about getting rid of my nukes if you come to me and ask nicely”, because that’s what’s happening.

  21. 21.

    germy

    Sinclair runs the most local television stations in America. It owns or operates 173 in total. It is forcing every one of them to run “journalistic responsibility” ads that sound awfully Trump-ish. Said one anchor, “I felt like a POW recording a message.” https://t.co/AcZ677JIKt

    — Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 8, 2018

  23. 23.

    Gelfling 545

    For some reason when I think of the two meeting I picture Pinky and the Brain. Imagine the chaos that pair would sow if they got together.

  31. 31.

    MattF

    So, he scares everyone by waving his dick at NK, and then makes everyone grateful by going ‘Nah, lying again’. Art of the deal.

  32. 32.

    germy

    White privilege = Obama suggested he would meet with North Koreans & Republicans beat him up; Trump throws out idea of meeting after a year of taunts & he's considered a great strategist.

    — Rev. Dr. Barber (@RevDrBarber) March 9, 2018

  33. 33.

    SFAW

    @kindness:

    Dana Loesch is owned one more time. Anyone else see the Daily Beast article Dear Dana; How Do You Sleep At Night?. Damn that one’s gotta burn.

    Wow. That was all kinds of outstanding.

  35. 35.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Neo-con’s Neo-con Max Boot, so… but I think he’s on the right track here

    Moon and Kim have, for their own reasons, snookered the credulous American president into a high-profile summit that is likely to end in disaster one way or another. Kim is evidently willing to suspend his nuclear and missile tests while the talks are underway, but this is a minimal concession that can easily be reversed. He is most likely willing to do even that much only to buy time for his engineers to finish developing a nuclear warhead that can fit on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

    Boot goes on to speculate that trump could agree to pull troops from South Korea, which even I don’t think even trump would do, just like I think Kim won’t denuclearize. I read that the Japanese fear he’ll agree to something like a limit to the NK ICBM program and leave nukes in place, pose for some pictures and declare victory and go home.

  36. 36.

    Spanky

    @MomSense: His ego will never allow him to do anything of the sort. He’ll be protesting his innocence and proclaiming his greatness right up until the jerk of the rope.

  39. 39.

    Barbara

    I’ll keep an open mind on North Korea but I assume this is North Korea realizing that there is a lot of vanity and narcissism that it can play to, combined with a supine Republican political establishment that will not rise up against Trump for the kind of deal they would have impeached Obama over. Why not give it a go if you are North Korea? It’s unlikely (let’s hope) that this window will remain open for long.

  42. 42.

    Cermet

    I, as anyone here knows, I hate the rump with a passion. This meeting is near useless and no president has ever agreed upon such a meeting previously. The rump is giving up a lot for nothing in return. Frankly, I don’t care. What matters is future (read competent presidents) will now be able to meet and maybe get a real agreement that prevents the murderous, bloody handed, petty and fat dictator from creating a hydrogen bomb that fits on the ICBM putin gave them (along with the key knowledge to make a hydrogen bomb.)

  43. 43.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Cermet:

    g up a lot for nothing in return. Frankly, I don’t care. What matters is future (read competent presidents) will now be able to meet and maybe get a real agreement

    We already had this ability, it does us no good if the first person to do it is guaranteed to do it badly.

  44. 44.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Paleo-con and frequent dickhead Tom Nichols, but this is a sequence of events I’d bet a grand on

    Given North Korea’s track record, here is what is more likely to happen. Kim and Trump will meet, and Kim’s regime will reap hours of footage of an American president shaking the hand of the Supreme Leader that will run forever in North Korea and go viral around the world. Kim will play the gracious host, and agree to everything, knowing that this kind of flattery will trigger a torrent of praise from Trump and perhaps even elicit reckless talk about lifting sanctions. (The North Koreans will surely have done their homework on the president’s psyche, which is on display all day, every day, on social media.)
    After the summit, Pyongyang will then dig in on further talks. When those talks fail, Kim will blame Trump, leaving the president bewildered and angry. Trump will go back to his insulting ways, which will pave the way for Kim to exit any preliminary agreements. The whole business will fall apart, and North Korea will look like the sure winner: the co-equal of a United States president who has been humbled in front of America’s allies and embarrassed in front of its enemies. The unveiling of a functional, nuclear-armed North Korean ICBM will follow.

  45. 45.

    SpotWeld

    There’s an old joke that starts with a celebrity being approached in a restaurant by a fan. The fan begs for the favor of the celebrity to come over his table in a little while and act like the two know each other pretty well. The stated intent is allow the fan to impress his date who hasn’t arrived yet. The celebrity agrees with good humor and after an appropriate wait approaches the fan’s table letting the date see the friendly greeting and first few words of cordial small talk.

    The celebrity is then cut off by the now dismissive fan with a comment to the effect of “Not now; can’t you see I’m in a date!”

    I get the impression that this is the exact set up that North Korea is leading Trump into.

    N. Korea doesn’t want to disarm, and likely want to avoid a hot war. But they desperately want to elevate their stature in the international community. Showing that they can make Trump dance to their drum would serve that purpose.

  46. 46.

    MattF

    @SpotWeld: It’s a reasonable prediction. Trouble is that everyone knows how Trump responds to flattery– what Trump will do in reality, such as it is, is not predictable.

  47. 47.

    Betty Cracker

    Because this is a meeting between two nuclear-armed narcissists, the “victory” will be about whose narrative prevails:

    1. Trump’s bullying taunts and threats were effective, bringing Kim to the negotiating table to talk denuclearization.
    2. Kim’s successful pursuit of nukes brought the US to the negotiating table, elevating DPRK to world power status.

    Does anyone think Kim will really give up his nuclear program? Seems unlikely since it’s the only thing saving his ass. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but given that Kim immediately benefits by a rise in stature just by meeting with Trump, whereas Trump needs to extract meaningful concessions on the nukes program to plausibly claim victory, I’d put my money on Kim if I were making wagers on the outcome.

  48. 48.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SpotWeld: that was Don Rickles’ second best Sinatra joke. The best, IMHO, was: “Ladies and gentlemen, Frank Sinatra once saved my life. He said, “All right, boys, that’s enough.”

  50. 50.

    Spanky

    Somewhat OT, a headline that warms the cockles of my bitter heart:

    Martin Shkreli to be sentenced Friday, faces more than a decade in prison

    Although longer would be better, of course.

  52. 52.

    jonas

    The problem here, is that there has been very little real groundwork laid for the two leaders to discuss. All this is is two narcissistic authoritarians wanting a photo op. The way this normally works is that diplomatic teams from both sides work for a long time to hammer out an agreement that then leaders then formalize during a highly-scripted summit. “Let’s just meet face to face an’ git ‘er dun!” is not how you do it, especially when nuclear weapons are in the mix. How many years did the Obama administration have to work on Iran?

    I can’t wait to see how all those Republicans who were so furious over Obama’s deal with Iran react when, I guarantee you, Trump gets squat-all from DPRK. Because the US is not going to agree to abandon our security agreements on the Korean peninsula and Kim won’t budge on the nuclear program until all US troops are out of Korea and the US and South Korea formalize a treaty ending the war that includes an ironclad guarantee protecting his regime. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.

  54. 54.

    SFAW

    @Betty Cracker:

    Because this is a meeting between two nuclear-armed narcissists,

    I sometimes wonder how much of Kim’s routine/schtick is performance art. Yeah, I realize he had a similarly-pampered upbringing as the Snowflake-in-Chief, but he seems to have a better strategic and tactical sense than Shitgibbon, even if the things Kim often does are vile/scary.

  56. 56.

    Mnemosyne

    @SpotWeld:

    Don Rickles swore that he did that to Frank Sinatra as a prank. He tells the story in the documentary about him, Mr. Warmth.

    (Great movie, by the way, even if you’re not a fan of Rickles. The story of how he met his wife of 50+ years is classic.)

  57. 57.

    Leto

    @Barbara: This also fits into a narrative that NK has been pursing for decades now: international recognition of being, at least, a regional power player, if not an international one. If Trump does have the meeting it’ll be seen as validation of their status. The “leader of the free world” meeting with them; the American president usually only meets with peer allies/rivals, so as others have pointed out it’s all positive for NK, regardless of outcome, and basically bumpkiss for us. #somuchwinning

  58. 58.

    maya

    The most appropriate thing our country can do in appreciation for all he’s done for us would be to rename Interstate 495 around Wash. D.C. as the Donald J. Trump Beltway.

  60. 60.

    Yarrow

    @kindness: I can’t get through to the Daily Beast at all. Is anyone having that problem? I’m getting a “503 Service Temporarily Unavailable” page.

  61. 61.

    jimmiraybob

    It seems to me that in order to actually pursue denuclearization, Kim Jong-un would have to start killing off a lot of the hard-core military before they got him first. Have any of his generals disappeared yet? Or is he too entrenched as god-leader? This whole thing stinks – it’s like Grover Norquist declaring that he’s ready to meet with liberal Democrats to talk about new taxes. Or like Wayne LaPierre declaring that he’s ready to talk sensible gun control and a ban on assault-style weapons if only Nancy and Chuck will agree to meet with him.

  63. 63.

    Barbara

    @Major Major Major Major: No, I disagree and I think Cemert has a point. We should have had this ability, but we were locked into a position where we essentially made giving up the nuclear program a precondition for negotiation on any other issue. This is like expecting your opponent to give up the only leverage he has before starting the negotiation and it was a non-starter that led to a completely futile stalemate. I do agree it’s likely to go badly, and perhaps Cemert is wrong — it might just reinforce that the original futility was a good idea — but it might also lead to a situation in the future that is less obviously stillborn.

  64. 64.

    MJS

    @Cermet: You can’t believe that a Democratic president will not be loudly criticized for suggesting negotiations with North Korea simply because a Republican president already met with them. IOKIYAR is the guiding principle here.

  65. 65.

    Leto

    @Major Major Major Major: Agreed; if you put us 6ft in the hole as a starting position, when we were at least level, then you’re not really helping. Nothing about this administration is going to do us any good. Hollowed out State Dept, administration that doesn’t believe in diplomacy and won’t listen to subject matter experts…

    @Major Major Major Major: If they wanted less US influence on the peninsula they’ve found the right administration to start the separation. They’ll still use us as a defender, but there’s an opening here that they’re sure to take advantage of.

  66. 66.

    Captain C

    @jonas:

    Because the US is not going to agree to abandon our security agreements on the Korean peninsula

    I wouldn’t put it past Trump to “agree” to something to that effect, only to renege when he gets back to the U.S..

  71. 71.

    Adria McDowell

    @Spanky: Ala Saddam Hussein- who, no matter what you think of him, was waaaaaaaay smarter than Trump. And still is.

  77. 77.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    wheels within wheels– I don’t pretend to understand how all this works, and given that it’s trump and there pretty much are no rules, it’s probably a fool’s errand to try, but I wonder if the company that was going to reopen a big mill in Illinois (US Steel? It was a name I recognized) are re-thinking that kind of long term investment

    Kaitlin Collins @ kaitlancollins
    The South Korean national security official who brought Kim Jong Un’s invitation to meet Trump also asked for an exemption for South Korea on the new steel tariff, a South Korean spokesman says. Defense Secretary Mattis said they “will proactively consider” the request.

  78. 78.

    JPL

    South Korea wants an exemption from the steel tariff, which might account for the kind words to the orange asshole.

  80. 80.

    Barbara

    @Leto: I guess I had not fully focused on the idea that it is a meeting between Kim and Trump. Normally, you have lots and lots of pre-meetings between subject matter experts who pave the way for a meeting between leaders, which basically is like the cherry on top of a deal that has already been negotiated. Basically, you test the underlying bona fides of the overture before you commit the president or even a cabinet level official to a high profile public relations event. And sometimes you never have that kind of meeting (e.g., Iran deal). Of course, since Trump fancies himself a master negotiator . . . I think you can finish the sentence yourself.

  82. 82.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: that’s embarrassing for the O’Bros
    ETA: and, more importantly, do you have an idea of what Moon is doing in all this? Seems pretty clear he got caught up in the swirl of trump’s mercurial personality

  83. 83.

    trollhattan

    Does anybody know where pornstar #2 of the Stormy NDA is, because I think Trump eated her. “Get in mah belly, nom-nom-nom!”

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @chris: Wow, I’m not particularly a bird person, but those photos are amazing. I just sent the link to a bird-watching friend.

    You might think about posting that link in the next “on the road” thread – I imagine there would be quite the audience for these photos on that thread.

  85. 85.

    japa21

    Tillerson has already lowered expectations for this meeting. He has said there will be no negotiating taking place, that it will be just a chat between two people who think and see the world in similar ways. (He didn’t really say the words after “between two people” although they would probably be very accurate.)

    So the greatest deal maker in the world is going to meet with a two-bit dictator just to talk. The question is, which is which.

  87. 87.

    hellslittlestangel

    The whole Korea situation should be resolved based on a nude Sumo wrestling match between Trump and Un.

    Think of the ratings!

  89. 89.

    trollhattan

    @WereBear:
    Forthcoming headline: “NRA riddles Daily Beast building with gunfire in drive-by shooting. Spokesman Wayne Lapierre says in statement ‘They know what they did.'”

  90. 90.

    WaterGirl

    @Cheryl Rofer: I know that’s a spoof account, but what I want to know is if that’s a real picture of Donald Trump. Sure looks like it’s him.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @germy: I wonder if they’re alive, and what Otto Warmbier’s parents think of this development, having been used as a prop.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    @WaterGirl: In case people still can’t get to it, here’s the first part:

    An open letter to the NRA’s top apologist: You are contemptible. You don’t scare me, and neither do your sick fans.

    Linda Tirado
    LINDA TIRADO
    03.09.18 5:26 AM ET
    Dear Dana,

    I live with my family in a rural part of Appalachia. I have two small girls, one in second grade and one who’ll start school this fall. Their dad is a Marine, a combat vet. I was raised on firearms. I’m from the country; I couldn’t tell you when I shot my first round. I just know that I’m most comfortable with the Ruger P89 because I get a solid double tap every time on that one, though I’ll tell you I struggle with a Desert Eagle. It would be, we’ll say, unwise to approach my house, generally speaking.

    If we lived in a reasonable world, I wouldn’t have to make that clear. But I don’t live in a reasonable world. I live in the dystopia that you fight to preserve, one in which a single crazed person can buy a military-grade weapon and come visit my house anytime he thinks I have spoken too loudly. You and I both know that happens every day in this nation. Still, somehow, you sleep enough at night that you look rested on air, assuming that’s not just a genius makeup person and a lot of concealer.

    Maybe y’all just have a different idea of personal worth in Missouri; I was raised in Utah. Women where I come from value honesty and truth. We honor benevolence and strength. We do not set rabid mobs on each other’s children for any reason, least of all one so tawdry as a paycheck. Still, when I ponder what created you I can’t help but remember all the women I’ve met in Missouri. They are for the most part inspirational. I would hate to hold a whole state responsible for how you turned out. And hey, my hometown has produced a few bitter apples; I won’t hold you against the people you grew up with either.

    Before we get into the meat of it, I should tell you that you need to get your arm tattoo covered. Despite all the warnings in the Bible about how man can twist Scripture to his own use, you dared to ink a reference to the words of Paul on yourself. To be clear, I am heavily tattooed myself. It’s not the ink I’m judging here, it’s the blasphemy. I fundamentally can’t believe that you look yourself in the mirror every day and tell yourself that the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the Word were meant literally.

  97. 97.

    germy

    @WaterGirl: I’d like to see George H.W. Bush’s letter to the NRA reprinted; the one where he quits the group because of their comments about ATF agents.

  98. 98.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl:
    Thanks so much for the link. I have a new person to follow, and if she had a thread of self-awareness (yeah, I know) Dana would be hiding under a rock.

  100. 100.

    trollhattan

    @chris:
    Amazing set, thanks!

    I know (internet know, but anyway) a few folks who dedicate their free time stalking kingfishers and there are some fine examples in that collection.

  102. 102.

    chris

    @schrodingers_cat: Cats are doing well. Here’s a repost of the king of the beasts. Steve comes along on our shorter walks.

    It’s hard to get a good picture of Pumpkin. She spends 20 hours a day orbiting the wood stove, coming out only for food and the occasional skritch. We don’t know how long she lived outside but she’s got this figured out and hasn’t been out since I lit the fire in early October. I think that she’s much older than we originally thought so I’m happy to let her enjoy her retirement.

  103. 103.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jager:

    Who is going to hold his belly up while waves his dick?

    Reminds me of an old routine.

    Patient: What’s wrong with me, Doc?

    Doctor: You have Dick-Do Disease.

    Patient: Oh no, Doc! What does that mean?

    Doctor: It means your belly sticks out more than your dick do.

    Patient: What can I do about it, Doc?

    Doctor: Diet.

    Patient: What color?

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    @trollhattan: @JPL: Yay! I had never heard of the writer before, but boy, can she write! I found reading her letter to be oh-so cathartic!

    Looks like I won’t need to post any more excerpts. That one was super-long and more than I would usually post, but it seemed like the time to make an exception.

  109. 109.

    trollhattan

    O/T an attorney speaks truth.

    Former pharmaceutical company CEO Martin Shkreli is known for having a scientifically punchable face — and even his attorney concedes he’d like to slug him.

    His attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said during the hearing that he was sometimes frustrated by the 34-year-old Shkreli’s self-defeating antics.

    “There are times I want to punch him in the face, because he’s made my job more difficult by some of the things he’s said,” Brafman told the court.

    Let us savor.

  111. 111.

    Corner Stone

    @SFAW:

    And the guy from Walter Reed said Dumbert Dumbert’s BMI was within an order of magnitude of 29.5!

    If that is 239lbs then I am a case of pumpkins.

  112. 112.

    Corner Stone

    @trollhattan:

    Former pharmaceutical company CEO Martin Shkreli is known for having a scientifically punchable face — and even his attorney concedes he’d like to slug him.

    Of non-DC Most Punchable Faces he clearly ranks in the top 10.

  113. 113.

    Schlemazel

    @jonas:
    First, they will never actually acknowledge that Dump got nothing. After that it is pretty simple to claim ‘victory’ and it will become ‘common knowledge’ that the best way to deal with leaders like Kim is to threaten and verbally abuse them.

  114. 114.

    Corner Stone

    @trollhattan:

    Forthcoming headline: “NRA riddles Daily Beast building with gunfire in drive-by shooting. Spokesman Wayne Lapierre says in statement ‘I am unaware of this incident as I was busy having my daily infusion of newborn’s blood.’”

  117. 117.

    bemused

    @WaterGirl:

    I just discovered Tirado’s twitter feed and started laughing by third tweet. She’s got an attitude that warms my pissed off heart.

  119. 119.

    2liberal

    has anyone ever watched those auto-start videos that popup on every screen , with larry king and I think jesse ventura? what are those things advertising anyway? i just pause them on every page and it’s just a PITA.

  120. 120.

    chris

    @WaterGirl:

    Wonderful photo! I kind of fell in love just looking at it. So majestic!

    We stopped because his tongue was out and I could hear him panting. Had to let him catch his breath before I took the pic.

  121. 121.

    Corner Stone

    I’m getting the feeling this whole NK offer to meet with KJU is really a hard sell by the South Koreans.

  122. 122.

    Schlemazel

    @2liberal:
    ora.tv
    No idea what they are peddling but between the cryptkeeper & the congenital liar I assume it is a Puntin operation. They have disappeared since I installed privacy badger.

  126. 126.

    Schlemazel

    @Yutsano:
    Thats the only part that does not make sense to me. Why did the rear admiral doctor lie? Was it a career-based decision? I have little faith in the political beings that obtain star rankings but this would fall well below what I assumed the bottom would be.

  127. 127.

    WaterGirl

    @bemused: Yeah, I googled her twitter, too. She doesnt take any shit. Amazed that there were so few hostile tweets toward her after publishing that letter. Maybe they are so dumb that it takes them a long time to make it through a letter of that length. Or maybe they watched the first few of their peeps get shot down (not literally) and decided they didn’t need to comment after all.

  130. 130.

    Schlemazel

    @Schlemazel:
    just looked ora tv up
    Ora TV is a television production studio and on-demand digital television network launched in 2012 by television host Larry King and funded by América Móvil, a business venture of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.

    Maybe not so much evil as silly

  134. 134.

    Yutsano

    @Schlemazel: I honestly don’t get that either. Once you’re an admiral in the Navy Medical Corps you’re pretty much set. I mean Dolt45 could demote you but not that far down. The only reason I can come up with is the admiral is some kind of true believer who wanted to suck up to the President. Otherwise I got nothin’ there.

    @Corner Stone: Good. He knew he was throwing away his credibility by lying for the Orange Asshole. Let him stew in that. I hope that albatross never leaves his neck.

  135. 135.

    Steve in the SFO

    Question about Stormy Daniels. Is she in fact a star in her profession, or is she merely a pr0n actress?

  138. 138.

    Schlemazel

    @Yutsano:
    I was wondering if the workup was done by someone sucking up or taking dump at his word & the doctor was left with only the written results. He might have known they were BS but it was all he had to work from

  139. 139.

    Corner Stone

    @Steve in the SFO:

    Question about Stormy Daniels. Is she in fact a star in her profession, or is she merely a pr0n actress?

    She’s fairly well known in the genre. Most prominently in her starring role in the Ninja Nuns in Bondage series.

  141. 141.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    I have a feeling Trump isn’t going to make it back to the US if he agrees to meet with Kim. They’ll hold him hostage.

  144. 144.

    Schlemazel

    @Corner Stone:
    Reeeeeeeeealeeeeeee?
    So bondage & hair furor. Why am I surprised? Spanked with a Forbes magazine . . . I wonder if she also peed on him?

    Word from the OSS was the actual fuhrer loved to be humiliated by women also

  145. 145.

    Yutsano

    @Schlemazel: It’s my understanding it was done by the admiral himself. It’s also possible Dolt45 refused to get on the scale and insisted that his weight was what he says it was. It’s not like anyone could have forced him to do such a thing.

    @ Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) : Depends on where it happens. I can tell you right now them meeting in North Korea is way beyond a no go. These meetings are almost always conducted on a neutral ground location, like Reagan and Gorbachev meeting in Iceland. There is no reason for Dolt45 to go to North Korea, save his own ego. But if he does get kidnapped then Dense better be with him. Let Paulie Boy be acting until there’s a resolution.

  146. 146.

    Spanky

    @Yutsano:

    Let Paulie Boy be acting until there’s a resolution.

    Paulie: “Gentlemen, the missiles are flying! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

  147. 147.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @Yutsano:
    Would even Trump be stupid enough to meet in the DPRK? Who knows. Can the president overrule his staff? I think he can.

    Now that you mention Reagan and Gorbachev, I remember this story of them meeting. Reagan was being his asshole self and questioning Gorbachev on atheism; some stupid argument on “no atheists in foxholes” or some such shit.

  148. 148.

    Corner Stone

    @MomSense: It’s my understanding she has also been nominated for an AVN Award for her work in the adult furries genre in Play Panda for Me, which was an adaptation of her original adult remake of Lay Misty for Me.

  149. 149.

    Brachiator

    @WaterGirl:

    An open letter to the NRA’s top apologist

    Just got a chance to read this. Powerful stuff. Thanks for the link.

  150. 150.

    Schlemazel

    @Yutsano:
    That sounds plausible too. In fact about the only implausible thing in the whole debacle was that he weighed 235 and was 6’3″

  153. 153.

    trollhattan

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:
    If they do it will end up like Bette Midler in “Ruthless People”

    “A trillion dollars and two submarines? How about fifty bucks and an Outback Stakehouse gift card?”
    “You’re bargaining? I’ve been kidnapped by Kmart!”

  155. 155.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    @SFAW: A lot of it is performance art, I think, which is not to say that that isn’t an essential skills in maintaining his hold on power. Kim may have had a privileged upbringing, but it was a privileged upbringing in a situation where he had to come to terms with the fact that many of his family members wouldn’t blink at the prospect of walking over his dead body to get their hands on supreme power, to say nothing of the rest of the senior government officials who were (and perhaps still are) just waiting for a moment’s weakness on his part to drag him down and install someone who seemed more capable, or at least more manageable.

  156. 156.

    Jonny Scrum-half

    @Betty Cracker: Agreed 100%. I hope that this comes to something good, but if it does I very much doubt that it will have been because of Trump, but rather despite him. In any event, if it’s good I don’t care if he gets credit. (That’s not really true – I do care, but I’ll deal with it.)

  157. 157.

    Jonny Scrum-half

    @rikyrah: There’s a lot that can be attributed to race, but I don’t think that people having a fit about Obama suggesting no preconditions to meet with Kim is one of those situations.

  158. 158.

    Jonny Scrum-half

    @germy: Don’t you think that’s really more a “Democrat/Republican” thing, rather than a racial thing?

  160. 160.

    jl

    I thought Trump used a golf cart.

    Regarding the talks, I’ve heard a lot of huffing and puffing about credibility and status chits being spent irresponsibly by the US. I tend to doubt that such chits really exist. The bottom line, if things get dangerous and IIRC, is that Russia and China have publicly announced that the NK uses it nukes first, it is on its own. The US can very credibly threaten to obliterate NK with its nukes. So, absent idiotic Trumpster stunts, that is a stable status quo. It is not a good status quo, but that is what we have after miserably irresponsible and failed GW Bush and Trump, and GOP, policy on NK.

    I haven’t followed the global nuke power positions on NK closely, over last couple of months so am happy to be corrected if I have that wrong.

    I’m much more worried about Trump acting ignorant and stupid at the talks, or going incoherent after he does something stupid at the talks. We have a high stakes and high profile meeting between two bad actors who are famous for stupid stunts, bad faith and reneging. One hope I have is that maybe South Korea has an outline of what they want and have handed it to the Trumpsters, and Trump just has to execute it. that hope comes from fact that seems like announcement was made by SK, and I hope as an SK initiative. I’d like to know more about that angle. I could be totally wrong, it’s just a poorly informed hope of mine. I trust SK to do something smart and competent, no trust at all in Trump or Trumpsters. Unless Mattis has authority to run the whole US side of it and tell Trump what to say and do. But that is unlikely, I am blindly guessing.

  161. 161.

    jl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I agree that is likely. I just hope the current plan drags things out until after the midterms. If things go well in midterm elections, with Dem majorities, there will some check on Trumpster malicious incompetence.

  162. 162.

    jl

    OK, my hopeful theory that maybe South Korea did some preliminary planning was just flushed down the toilet. Looks like Trump got a wild hair up his ass and told an SK diplomat or national security person at WH he was going to meet. Zero input from any Trump advisers or cabinet. I guess SK made the initial announcement to present a flimsy pretense to the world that some kind of thought was put into it beforehand.

    @joshtpm
    this turns out to have even stupider than i thought. I figured Trump just agreed without asking his top advisors. Turns out he agreed without even asking the ROK guy he was talking to.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/972182256700809217

  163. 163.

    Ohio Mom

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: the Warmbiers are solid Republicans.

    I don’t know what they think of Trump but I’ve seen photos of them happily appearing with Rob Portman, our state’s Rethuglican Senator.

    They seem to be okay with being used, you don’t have to give them a second thought.

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