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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / The Ambassador To NATO Should Know Better Than This

The Ambassador To NATO Should Know Better Than This

by Cheryl Rofer|  October 3, 20186:19 pm| 35 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Rofer on Nuclear Issues, All Too Normal, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Decline and Fall

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Another day, another run at nuclear war by the Trump administration.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO set off alarm bells Tuesday when she suggested that the United States might “take out” Russian missiles that U.S. officials say violate a landmark arms control treaty. (Washington Post)

Her words were

The question was what would you do if this continues to a point where we know that they are capable of delivering [the banned missiles.] And at that point we would then be looking at a capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America in Alaska.

This is ambiguous, and Nuclear Twitter lit up. The words are ambiguous, not clearly signaling that the bombers and missiles are flying or might any time soon. But “take out a missile,” particularly since the discussion of North Korea’s nuclear capability has been phrased that way recently, are dangerous words. It could refer to a preventive attack, or it could be a brag about more than our missile defense system is likely to be able to do. Either way, probably not a good idea to threaten our nuclear equals on the other side of the globe.

It turned out that she was talking about a threat that Tom Cotton and a few other warmonger senators have made: If Russia builds a missile that violates that Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and we think they may be doing that, then we will build something equivalent. This is a dumb response to a treaty violation, but that is the timeline we are living in now.

I’ve had some respect for Kay Bailey Hutchison in the past. What bothers me is that the US Ambassador to NATO should understand the current status of missiles relevant to the INF Treaty, Russian sensitivities about the possibility of a first strike, and how to handle the English language. It appears that all three of these were absent from the speech.

 

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Reader Interactions

35Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    October 3, 2018 at 6:28 pm

    fryshocked.gif

    Wasn’t she a hawk in Congress?

  2. 2.

    Mary G

    October 3, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    Even formerly reasonable Republicans have gone crazy from exposure to Twitler and too much time in their Fox News bubble. I’m starting to think the fact that he’s let a lot of State Department positions, including ambassadors, stay empty is a feature not a bug.

  3. 3.

    AThornton

    October 3, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    This is the Trump administration. Nobody knows anything about anything.

    On the good side the GOP is facing a “spending tsunami” the like of which they’ve never seen and suburban white women and even some suburban white men are saying they plan to vote Democrat in 30 & some odd days.

  4. 4.

    AThornton

    October 3, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    And tick-tock motherfuckers ….

    “After today’s ratings changes, there are 15 GOP-held seats in Lean or Likely Democratic (including seven incumbents) and Democrats would only need to win 11 of the 31 races in the Toss Up column to flip the majority. There’s still time for political conditions to change, but today the likeliest outcome appears to be a Democratic gain of between 25 and 40 seats (they need 23 for House control)…

  5. 5.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    Just to add the Reuters story about this.

    Beyond impolitic, beyond provocative. Totally outrageous and unprofessional behavior for an ostensible diplomat. Just shy of Khrushchevian shoe banging.

  6. 6.

    ruemara

    October 3, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    These are the least competent bastards

  7. 7.

    But her emails!!!

    October 3, 2018 at 6:50 pm

    The Russians helped install these asshats. It should be incumbent on them to be a little less thin skinned about the verbal diarrhea issuing from their meat puppets.

  8. 8.

    sdhays

    October 3, 2018 at 6:51 pm

    I sort of wonder what Spankee’s reaction was when he found out 1) he has an Ambassador to NATO and she’s a woman and 2) his Ambassador to NATO threatened to attack his best buddy Vlad. Did he shit his pants? It would irresponsible not to speculate.

  9. 9.

    billcinsd

    October 3, 2018 at 7:00 pm

    What countries do we have in Europe?

  10. 10.

    Tilda Swintons Bald Cap

    October 3, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    @But her emails!!!: Winner !

  11. 11.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    What bothers me is that the US Ambassador to NATO should understand the current status of missiles relevant to the INF Treaty, Russian sensitivities about the possibility of a first strike, and how to handle the English language.

    Three words.

    Appointed by Trump.

  12. 12.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:02 pm

    @NotMax: And it was yesterday.

  13. 13.

    JPL

    October 3, 2018 at 7:02 pm

    I always thought of her as a moderate, but maybe not. Is it possible that it’s not Trump’s party, but Cotton’s party. If so help us all.

  14. 14.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:03 pm

    @But her emails!!!:

    The Russians helped install these asshats. It should be incumbent on them to be a little less thin skinned about the verbal diarrhea issuing from their meat puppets.

    Appearances need to be kept up.

  15. 15.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 7:04 pm

    First rule of sabre rattling: Actually have a sabre.

    This is scabbard rattling.

  16. 16.

    Mike in NC

    October 3, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    Hutchinson is an idiot. That’s why Trump hired her. Only the worst people!

  17. 17.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    @NotMax:

    First rule of sabre rattling: Actually have a sabre.

    This is scabbard rattling.

    The codpiece was empty.

  18. 18.

    MJS

    October 3, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    And Trump will file this under, “Russia, nobody’s been tougher on”, to be accessed the next time someone is indicted.

  19. 19.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:11 pm

    Cake or Death
    @Johngcole
    Replying to @Johngcole
    I just don’t think Democrats have completely internalized just how awful many of their fellow citizens are and just don’t realize they like what is going on.

    I remain hopeful that selection, natural or otherwise will cull their numbers to endangered or extinction.

  20. 20.

    debbie

    October 3, 2018 at 7:11 pm

    @JPL:

    No, she was quite the hawk. I always thought it was just anti-Obama posturing, but maybe she’s a legit fascist.

  21. 21.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    October 3, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    It appears that all three of these were absent from the speech.

    She’s a Trump hire.

  22. 22.

    JPL

    October 3, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    @debbie: I lived in Dallas in the mid eighties and that is not how she came across, but I now think you are right.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    @TenguP{hule

    Somewhat surprising that Mr. Cole doesn’t realize it is the job of a political party to offer up (and convince enough people of) something to vote for and not depend on campaigning to vote against the other party.

  24. 24.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    October 3, 2018 at 7:22 pm

    Well in case this is it… it’s been nice knowing you all virtually.

  25. 25.

    LosGatosCA

    October 3, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    John Bolton and Dick Cheney approve this gaffe.

  26. 26.

    But her emails!!!

    October 3, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    @NotMax:
    1. A platform of voting against the other party works for Republicans
    2. The Democrats have a platform full of good reasons to vote for them. Everything from civil rights to combating global warming to supporting education to letting people continue to purchase birth control
    3. Not Democrats fault that a sizable minority of people in the right places prefers tire rims, anthrax and fucking over brown people to actual policies.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    @ But her emails!!!

    Gerrymandering and voter suppression.

  28. 28.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    Well in case this is it… it’s been nice knowing you all virtually.

    This happened yesterday.

    It was clarified for all parties.

    Nine hours after she said it.

  29. 29.

    TenguPhule

    October 3, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    @NotMax:

    Gerrymandering and voter suppression.

    Which we need to employ against white Republican voters in shithole counties.

    Because fuck it, rule of law means nothing anymore.

  30. 30.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 7:39 pm

    @TenguPhule

    Tell me you didn’t just come out in favor of voter suppression. Please.

  31. 31.

    ArchTeryx

    October 3, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    @NotMax: I’m all for it, though I suspect for reasons differennt then TenguPhule.

    “They bring a knife, you bring a gun. They put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue! That’s the Chicago way!”

    If it becomes a tit for tat war of voter suppression, the odds of a nonpartisan neutral district drawer (which is our real goal) skyrocket. The other party understands nothing short of being fucked in the ass with no lube. So fuck ’em hard and often, and eventually, you may get the bastards to stand down and let the good cop have a word in edgewise.

  32. 32.

    J R in WV

    October 3, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Three words.

    Appointed by Trump.

    I would only add two words “From Texas!” Works in front of or behind your three words.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    October 3, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    @ArchTeryx

    Piling whipped sickness and perversion atop a sh*t sundae isn’t a remedy.

  34. 34.

    J R in WV

    October 3, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    @NotMax:

    ArchTeryx was around quite a bit a couple of years ago, haven’t seen a word from them since the election. That’s not a sure thing, but it is a pretty good sign of trolling. I won’t be pieing ArchTeryx for now, because of lack of volume. But it only takes a moment since M^4 and Alain and cleek made that invention so flawlessly easy to implement.

  35. 35.

    jl

    October 3, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    So, we may blow up the world, because our leaders can’t manage the kind of English usage we’d expect in a high school report from a grad C level student?
    Make America Great Again.

    Well, at least I know my TrumpAlert is working!

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