Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

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

I was promised a recession.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Let there be snark.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

We still have time to mess this up!

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Open Season Open Thread

Open Season Open Thread

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Are you an autocrat who brutally represses your people and kills journalists who are critical of your regime? Are you in need of international validation? Want the global human rights squad to look the other way? Boy, are you in luck!

Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an “enemy of the state” and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is in no way based on that — this is an unacceptable and horrible crime. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!

That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!

That’s an official statement Trump issued a short while ago. The language is remarkably similar to his mealy-mouthed obfuscation of Putin’s interference in the U.S. election.

Any dictator who kisses Trump’s ass and facilitates his family’s scams is off the hook, even if they subvert our democracy or kill a U.S. resident who works for the paper of record in this nation’s capital. Wow.

In other news, House Dems plan to investigate Ivanka Trump’s use of personal email for official business. Eat hot karma, Princess Complicity!

Reader Interactions

137Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    Are you an autocrat who brutally represses your people and kills journalists who are critical of your regime? Are you in need of international validation? Want the global human rights squad to look the other way?

    …Possibly…

  2. 2.

    TenguPhule

    They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran.

    I’m going to bet on the Iranians coming out on top.

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    Any dictator who kisses Trump’s ass and facilitates his family’s scams is off the hook, even if they subvert our democracy or kill a U.S. resident who works for the paper of record in this nation’s capital. Wow.

    Realpolitik has its place, unfortunately or otherwise. But Trump made it explicit that he didn’t give a shit about this murder simply based on money. Beyond the horrible tragedy of it, it was just hanging a big price tag on the US that could no longer be denied.

  5. 5.

    TenguPhule

    but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!

    I think we’re going to have to retire the Presidency office and replace it with something else. It can’t be salvaged after this.

  6. 6.

    EricNNY

    Thanksgiving is going to be delightful this year. Every time someone brings anything GOP up, I’m merely going to scream “EMAILS!!!1!” and take another bite of turkey.

  7. 7.

    TenguPhule

    @Corner Stone:

    But Trump made it explicit that he didn’t give a shit about this murder simply based on money. Beyond the horrible tragedy of it, it was just hanging a big price tag on the US that could no longer be denied.

    We know what the Trumps are. Now they’re just dickering over their price.

  9. 9.

    Kraux Pas

    Are you an autocrat who brutally represses your people and kills journalists who are critical of your regime?

    Or do you simply aspire to be?

  10. 10.

    The Moar You Know

    I’m going to bet on the Iranians coming out on top.

    @TenguPhule: If you’d ever observed the Saudi military you’d mortgage your house and put it all on Iran. Totally safe bet. About the only thing they can/will do is drop bombs, poorly.

    There’s a reason we fight their wars for them, and a reason that a bunch of schlubs with a few trucks and a few guns have fought them to an absolute stalemate in Yemen. They simply will not put themselves in personal danger and fight.

  11. 11.

    kindness

    I wonder how the Crown Prince gets about and isn’t fragged in the process? Even in foreign lands, he isn’t safe any more.

  12. 12.

    Cacti

    Prior to the Dotard, I’ve never seen a POTUS who was wholly incapable of friendship with any elected leader of a free country, while having a schoolgirl crush on every dictator he ever met.

  13. 13.

    clay

    Republicans grew a spine and defied Trump when they passed sanctions on Russia last year. Let’s see if they’ll do the same again. (I’m not being snarky; I think there’s a decent chance they may do it.)

  14. 14.

    MazeDancer

    All we can do is fight.

    Except not over the Thanksgiving table. There – before and after, of course – you can write PostCards.

    If your guest list leans left, do consider having some PostCards around for people to fill out during cocktails. Or late night third helping noshes.

    Start a new tradition – Eat Turkey. Change the World.

    Two Secretary of State runoffs – Louisiana and Georgia. Very important to have fair elections in both.

    Get addresses to go: PostCardPatriots.com

  15. 15.

    Corner Stone

    @kindness:

    I wonder how the Crown Prince gets about and isn’t fragged in the process? Even in foreign lands, he isn’t safe any more.

    Crown Prince of SA or anyone named Trump? Hmmm…

  17. 17.

    jl

    ” Are you an autocrat who brutally represses your people and kills journalists who are critical of your regime? ”

    In the spirit of candor and honesty, I have thought about it a few times. It would be cool if special powers come with the position. Like being able to control the climate through sheer will power and dedication to the top, best, and classy. I see Trump has promised us a great climate.

    We will have only the best, top, very classy, climate.

    Rising see levels can be controlled by Trump sitting on his throne on the beach, commanding the sea to retreat while his cabinet beats the surf, very strongly, with sticks. Big sticks, only the best, top, sticks. This is a tried and true authoritarian approach to governance that has a history going back over a thousand years. The pix of Trump sitting on his gold toilet on the beach will be jarring, but we need to get with our new authoritarian aesthetic.

  19. 19.

    Kraux Pas

    @clay:

    Republicans grew a spine and defied Trump when they passed sanctions on Russia last year. Let’s see if they’ll do the same again. (I’m not being snarky; I think there’s a decent chance they may do it.)

    And then no one cared when they didn’t hold Trump accountable to enforce the sanctions.

    This is what is known in Republican circles as “a win-win” or “the lapdog media coming through again!”

  21. 21.

    artem1s

    seems remarkably close to the kind of spineless support statement the Bush Crime Family used to issue on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The current GOP support of this pig comes straight thru Prescott, Poppy and Barb’s vile progeny and toadies. Even if the 2016 interference only accidentally put the GOP in the WH, make no mistake, it was intended to hamstring the next President and harness them to foreign powers that the Bush’s and Darth Cheney routinely do business with. This is why they GOP puts up with the chaos in the WH. The real insanity will come if the Mueller investigation looks too closely at the GOP primary and why they all went from being #NeverTrump to swearing loyalty oaths. Someone’s secrets are in the hands of Putin and probably the Saud royal family.

  22. 22.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    The House Dems should investigate the administration’s response to Khashoggi’s murder by the Saudi state and the Trump family’s connections to that regime.

  23. 23.

    Kraux Pas

    @jl:

    Rising see levels can be controlled by Trump sitting on his throne on the beach, commanding the sea to retreat while his cabinet beats the surf, very strongly, with sticks. Big sticks, only the best, top, sticks. This is a tried and true authoritarian approach to governance that has a history going back over a thousand years. The pix of Trump sitting on his gold toilet on the beach will be jarring, but we need to get with our new authoritarian aesthetic.

    Well, just to be sure that it works, we should chain them to the spot at low tide to give them the proper incentive to succeed.

  25. 25.

    Kraux Pas

    @MattF: If Trump is advocating a Realpolitik POV in this case and this case only, it’s not an embrace of that outlook. It’s a cynical ploy attached to this particular situation and should be considered an outlier.

  26. 26.

    Spanky

    @The Moar You Know:

    There’s a reason we fight their wars for them, and a reason that a bunch of schlubs with a few trucks and a few guns have fought them to an absolute stalemate in Yemen. They simply will not put themselves in personal danger and fight.

    The Saudis always got Yemenis to do the dirty, hard jobs in SA, so all they need to do is hire … oh wait.

  27. 27.

    Yutsano

    @The Moar You Know: Adam can elaborate more, but it’s the structure of the Arab militaries that makes them weak fighters. Orders have to be shot up the chain of command and no one is allowed to act until the order from a higher-up connected to a political faction approves of the movement. It’s meant to keep the military under the thumb of the rulers. Israel runs their military with much more Western efficiency, where field commanders can change policy at will based upon ground conditions. Guess who else operates like this?

  28. 28.

    jl

    @Kraux Pas: ” we should chain them to the spot at low tide to give them the proper incentive to succeed. ”
    Those sorts of incentive schemes only work for the ‘lesser’ people like you and me.

    On a side note: I saw some reports that the reason Trump won’t go to visit troops or tries to avoid going to disaster areas is because he is skeered. No surprise there. But the paraphrase of his thinking ‘thinks people will try to kill him’. Well, any trip to those areas is more dangerous than to others, what part of ‘war zone’ or ‘disaster’ does Trump not understand?

    If I were president, I’d be nervous about flying into Afghanistan. Someone might try to shoot the plan down, or bomb the transportation route. Flying into disaster zones can be dangerous. But Trump’s phrasing is odd. Thinks one of the US troops, or Afghan president, might try to shoot him? Sounds more than just ordinary cowardice, which we know about already, But some deep seated pathology like the germophobia, or fear of stairs.

    Edit: maybe some family homeless after a fire or hurricane will take it personally, and go after Trump? I can see how Trump would think that way. That is what he does.

  29. 29.

    Kraux Pas

    @Kraux Pas: ETA: I expect continued aggressive chest thumping to be the essence of our FP going forward until the malignant orangutan is removed.

  33. 33.

    Kraux Pas

    @jl:

    On a side note: I saw some reports that the reason Trump won’t go to visit troops or go to disaster areas is because he is skeered. No surprise there. But the paraphrase of his thinking ‘thinks people will try to kill him’. Well, what part of ‘war zone’ or ‘disaster’ does Trump not understand.

    I mean he would be a bigger target over there but I’m sure we have contingencies to handle the additional security, even in war zones. And of course war zones are dangerous. And apparently he doesn’t even believe in our current crop of foreign engagements. Of course he’s too much of a chicken shit to end them.

  34. 34.

    Mary G

    The way it’s phrased hints that no one in State was willing to help write it – the maybe he did and maybe he didn’t are pure Twitler, and so undiplomatic. Probably Jared and Stephen Miller helped.

  35. 35.

    Corner Stone

    I think the real issue is that no one has yet told Trump we have McD’s on some of the larger FOBs in the combat area. That and a touring Playbol model or two would get him there rikki tik.

  37. 37.

    sukabi

    @OzarkHillbilly: didn’t see a comment section…but I’ll add mine here…someone should check on the condition of the ‘artist’, his delusions are out of control.

    Either that or he’s found his fortune in pandering to the delusions of the 27%.

  39. 39.

    jl

    Nice to see Trump back in his philosophical inquiry mode.
    We haven’t had a president like this since the Founders and Framers. And maybe Teddy Roosevelt, in pragmatics. What can we really know, and know bigly enough to make a decision?

  45. 45.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    @Kraux Pas:
    He’s afraid of being perceived as a failure. So he’s too afraid to do nearly anything and the actions his admin do take are desperate flailing attempts to distract from wrongdoing/failure…that result in more wrongdoing/failure.

  46. 46.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @TenguPhule:

    Anybody know if Iran is paying people to work for its interests and against those of Bin Salman and Netanyahu? I could be persuaded, for a price…

  47. 47.

    jl

    Were the turkeys pardoned today in the WH long enough to get some good info? House Dems should subpoena them. Would get better testimony out of them than most Trumpsters. Smarter, more honest birds than current WH humans.

  48. 48.

    LuciaMia

    Hey, whats a little murder between friends? Christ, this administration gets more like the Sopranos everyday.

  49. 49.

    Betty Cracker

    @jl: You’ll be shocked, but Trump was a giant dickhead at the turkey pardoning, made it all about recounts, etc.

  51. 51.

    Kraux Pas

    @jl:

    Were the turkeys pardoned today in the WH long enough to get some good info?

    Wait, are we talking Thanksgiving or Trump’s political allies?

  52. 52.

    FlipYrWhig

    maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!

    It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, OK?

  53. 53.

    Roger Moore

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Note to Mr. McNaughton: If you need to caption your political painting so people can recognize who the people in the painting are supposed to be, you might be a lousy painter.

  54. 54.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Yutsano:

    it’s the structure of the Arab militaries that makes them weak fighters. Orders have to be shot up the chain of command and no one is allowed to act until the order from a higher-up connected to a political faction approves of the movement. It’s meant to keep the military under the thumb of the rulers.

    I was thinking last night, in connection with the deployment to the border and the disgust that must engender in the military, that Donald Trump has not yet realized that the military’s power can be directed in any of several ways.

  55. 55.

    The Moar You Know

    Are they Yemenis?

    @Spanky: Shit, based on him still being alive I’d bet good money on them being Israelis. They ain’t Saudis.

  56. 56.

    jl

    @Betty Cracker: Yeah, I made that comment right after watching the clip. On the Turkeys testifying, we have to take whatever good ideas Trump offers us. Those damned turkeys might know some stuff. We all know how Trump telegraphs the truth underneath the delusions and lies.

  57. 57.

    LuciaMia

    Trump won’t go to visit troops or go to disaster areas is because he is skeered.

    I think its simply a case that he cant be bothered. And is only now going because of the overwhelming criticism,

  58. 58.

    Barbara

    I can’t even joke about this. I know that the Yemeni war is so much worse from the standpoint of human rights, but for someone to stand up and basically excuse murder and torture because it’s good for his bottom line is too sad. He is depraved.

  59. 59.

    The Midnight Lurker

    Great… now I’m going to spend my holidays trying to explain to my grandchildren why the news keeps playing a recording of a screaming man. Merry fuckin’ Christmas!

  64. 64.

    TenguPhule

    @jl:

    Thinks one of the US troops, or Afghan president, might try to shoot him?

    To be fair, If I’d had to serve multiple tours in a combat zone and has a live weapon when he shows up, it would be awfully tempting.

  65. 65.

    LuciaMia

    Were the turkeys pardoned today in the WH

    Even this cute little ceremony he manages to muck up. Runs a bit too far with the joke that incoming Democrats will supeona the turkeys. Then goes on about the great economy and prosperity. Was waiting for him to remind people again that he really won the popular vote but because of all those illegalimmigrants…

  67. 67.

    C Stars

    @EricNNY: I like your style. Also want to see video.

    My in-laws (formerly Republican) are hugely ashamed of Trump. I don’t know whether or not they voted for the guy (I’m betting not, but don’t know for sure), but likely 100% of their friends did. So our turkey day should be relatively harmonious and hopefully we can avoid the topic of the moral-degenerate-in-chief altogether.

  69. 69.

    Gravenstone

    @TenguPhule: I’m sort of coming to grips with the facts that this cretin’s every pronouncement is being recorded for posterity. If nothing else, it will make the job of future historians (whatever species they end up following us with) so much easier to point to where things went balls up.

  70. 70.

    Gravenstone

    @The Moar You Know: Since they all seem to be part of the meandering royal family, they can’t endanger themselves only to have some cousin (three times removed) move in on their turf.

  71. 71.

    Gin & Tonic

    Between that and the Russians about to take control of Interpol, it’s a tragic week for the rule of law.

  76. 76.

    sukabi

    @OzarkHillbilly: thanks for the link to twitter comments…i’m impressed, not one comment that thinks this is anything other than propaganda and bad painting…waiting for his statement that his first “satire” painting is being misconstrued.

  77. 77.

    EricNNY

    @C Stars: Lucky guy. Mine will involve copious amounts of wine to dull the ignorance. We’ll all agree to not talk politics but there’s always one who just can’t let it go.

  78. 78.

    gene108

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??:

    The House Dems should investigate the administration’s response to Khashoggi’s murder by the Saudi state and the Trump family’s connections to that regime

    Dems may want to launch dozens of investigations, but they need to keep in mind the media can follow one or two stories, at most, at a time.

    Multiple committees doing multiple investigations on multiple topics will overwhelm the media and they will just not bother to cover the investigations.

  81. 81.

    TenguPhule

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Between that and the Russians about to take control of Interpol, it’s a tragic week for the rule of law.

    Week?

    More like 2 years running.

  82. 82.

    Mart

    @Paul T: I gotta think Qatar not bailing out Kushner, UAE bailing out Kushner with $500M or $1B; and the Qatar blockade is tied into Drumps Saudi excuses somehow. Also too – blowing up shit in Yemen is fun!

  83. 83.

    TenguPhule

    @Gin & Tonic:

    What’s that smell? Oh, it’s just 40 million metric tons of soybeans rotting in storage. You get used to it.

    Natto is an acquired taste. Or so I’m told.

  87. 87.

    Gin & Tonic

    @EricNNY: We will have copious amounts of wine, but largely because we enjoy each other’s company, and other than the grandkids, everyone is varying degrees of leftish (the grandkids are 3 and 1.5, so their political opinions are not yet fully-formed.)

  88. 88.

    TenguPhule

    @EricNNY:

    We’ll all agree to not talk politics but there’s always one who just can’t let it go.

    Have Frozen on constant repeat on every TV.

  91. 91.

    TenguPhule

    Romaine lettuce is not safe to eat, CDC warns U.S. consumers

    Ditch your Caesar salads, folks.

    Romaine lettuce is unsafe to eat in any form, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday in a broad alert in response to a new outbreak of illnesses caused by a particularly dangerous type of E. coli contamination.

    The CDC told consumers to throw away any romaine lettuce they may already have purchased. Restaurants should not serve it, stores should not sell it, and people should not buy it, no matter where or when the lettuce was grown. It doesn’t matter if it is chopped, whole head or part of a mix. All romaine should be avoided.

    The CDC alert, issued just two days before Americans sit down for their Thanksgiving dinners, reported that 32 people in 11 states have become sick from eating contaminated romaine. Of those, 13 have been hospitalized, with one patient suffering from a form of kidney failure.

  92. 92.

    cain

    @Corner Stone:

    @TenguPhule: Iran needs Nat Gas prices to go up. Curiously, so does Russia. Hmmm…I wonder what happens next?

    That would require going against the energy sector a Republican stronghold. I’m not so sure that is going to work out well for them.

  95. 95.

    Jeffro

    @EricNNY:

    Thanksgiving is going to be delightful this year. Every time someone brings anything GOP up, I’m merely going to scream “EMAILS!!!1!” and take another bite of turkey.

    Wait…did I already share my strategy here on BJ earlier this week, or are you just reading my mind?

  99. 99.

    TenguPhule

    Your daily reminder that we are living in the worst timeline possible.

    Next up is a pair of candies that we realize are meant to be a joke, but because they are an actual thing that people can eat, we have chosen to take them seriously. Archie McPhee’s vegetable candy and gravy candy are your sides and sauce to this cursed Thanksgiving meal and hoooooo boy. Buckle in. The vegetable candy is not as bad as it sounds, actually! It’s sweet, and the carrot and green bean candies definitely emulate the taste of those vegetables, but not in a completely offensive way. Corn is sweet on its own, and the corn candy tastes like creamed corn. It is very disconcerting.

    As for the gravy candy: Oh my god. First of all, the tin has some sort of hideous gravy monster on it, and his ghastly visage will be forever imprinted on my brain. Open the tin, and you’ll find that the product you’re about to consume smells exactly like dog food. Read the label, and you’ll find that it contains “artificial roast beef flavor.” Put one in your mouth and you will make the same grotesque expression as the gravy monster, who is starting to make more and more sense. It tastes like minty Life Savers served in a beef consommé. It tastes like sugar cubes mixed with bouillon cubes. Go ahead and prank someone with these, but the price will be your eternal damnation.

  101. 101.

    Paulwartenberg

    That official statement reads very much like a tweeted screed, complete with EXCLAMATION MARKS for added emphasis!

    the line “we may never know what happened” when Turkey has FREAKING AUDIO RECORDINGS OF THE ENTIRE MURDER is the biggest bullshit line in the entire statement.

    There is no goddamn way any sane nation, our allies or our enemies, should believe a goddamn word that comes from this White House. I mean, it’s been like this since January 2017, trump’s goddamn surrender to the Saudi royal family on this shows how gutless and weaselly everyone from trump on down will behave.

    They need to put the handcuffs on trump and his brood as soon as goddamn possible. Screw protocol. We’ve never had a President* this crooked before (and that’s forgiving Nixon and Andrew Jackson a lot).

  102. 102.

    Miss Bianca

    @TenguPhule: “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t! Who knows! Who cares, really! Except a bunch of traitor American journalists and traitor Democrats, but I repeat myself! Anyway, it’s a mystery! It’s certainly a mystery to me!”

    Jesus wept. I mean, it’s not just the debasement of the office that is killing me by inches – it’s the debasement of even the language of state. At this rate, Trump will have regressed to “gah gah goo goo” by the time Mueller Time rolls around, and we will have the court stenographers dutifully logging each loggorheaic squirt out of his mouth hole.

    Man, I need a drink. Guess I’ll have to drown my sorrows with the remains of this morning’s coffee till I get out of work and over to the liquor store.

  106. 106.

    TenguPhule

    Buchanan’s staff would not comment on the record about his comments afterward. On Tuesday morning, his headquarters at U.S. Army North released a statement that did not answer whether or not some troops will be sent home, or when.

    “We are continually assessing our resources and refining requirements in close coordination with [the Department of Homeland Security],” the statement said. “We may shift some forces to other areas of the border to engineering support missions in California and other areas. No specific timeline for redeployment has been determined. We will provide more details as they become available.”

    So much for Trump’s redeployment. Looks like the Troops aren’t coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    General in charge of border mission wants to begin redeploying troops

  108. 108.

    TenguPhule

    @Miss Bianca:

    Man, I need a drink. Guess I’ll have to drown my sorrows with the remains of this morning’s coffee till I get out of work and over to the liquor store.

    I have half a bottle of rum I poached from my brother’s wedding. This looks like a good day to explore its contents.

  109. 109.

    Brachiator

    WTF?

    That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi.

    Once again, Trump ignores or denies the conclusions of the United States’ intelligence agencies. We have a very good idea of what happened and how it happened. Trump is a liar. But you all knew that already.

    In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Not with a dead journalist. Trump sounds like a sick Monty Python skit.

    Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this journalist what I sent to the embassy not half an hour ago…

    Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Jamal Khashoggi…What’s,uh…What’s wrong with it?

    Mr. Praline: I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it, my lad. ‘E’s dead, that’s what’s wrong with it!

    Owner: No, no, ‘e’s uh,…he’s resting.

    Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead journalist when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.

    And apparently, we have always been at war with Iran. Who knew?

    They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.

    Trump has also fully embraced the Netanyahu Doctrine (and that of American neo-cons), that America’s interest lies not in supporting democracy or encouraging the liberation of oppressed peoples, but in making partners of authoritarians and brutal dictators who help insure a “stability” which allows corporate interests to do their business in peace.

    Any dictator who kisses Trump’s ass and facilitates his family’s scams is off the hook, even if they subvert our democracy or kill a U.S. resident who works for the paper of record in this nation’s capital. Wow.

    Hell, we’ve got dictators imitating Trump, crushing media while accusing them of propagating “fake news,” and blatantly lying when called into question about their actions, Trump is setting the new standard of behavior for autocrats.

  110. 110.

    Gin & Tonic

    @TenguPhule: I remember a few years back there were ginger Altoids. Someone put an open tin of them on a table we have at work where the Halloween candies, baked goods, etc. go for sharing with a simple sign: “I dare you.” Not sure anyone did.

    So I just Googled them, and people are selling unopened tins (they’ve been discontinued) on eBay for $100 and up. My advice is to buy a couple of cases of that gravy candy and put it in storage. 10-15 years from now they’ll be worth a fortune. Sure-fire profit. Better than Bitcoin.

  111. 111.

    dmsilev

    but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!

    It’s like that infamous line of Bill O’Reilly about how the tide goes in, the tide goes out, you can’t explain that. Except that yes, yes we can. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence and knowledge can explain that, just like anyone not named ‘Trump’ knows full well that the Saudi Crown Prince was very much involved in the murder.

  114. 114.

    Miss Bianca

    @OzarkHillbilly: OMFG

    ETA: Notice there’s no Nancy Pelosi. Or Kamala Harris. Hmmm…why would that be? I mean, c’mon, girls in heels trying their ladylike ineffectual best to run down the Trumper on the field would be so AWESOME in this painting! Right? Am I right??!!

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    @TenguPhule: According to reporting, the troops have new “force deployment” missions. IMO, Trump wants to cross the posse comitatus line just to see who tries to stop him.

  116. 116.

    Yarrow

    @C Stars:

    My in-laws (formerly Republican) are hugely ashamed of Trump. I don’t know whether or not they voted for the guy (I’m betting not, but don’t know for sure), but likely 100% of their friends did.

    For anyone in this kind of situation with Republicans who are ashamed of Trump and the subject of Trump does come up, a good question to ask them is, why don’t the Republicans in Congress do anything to stop him? They can and they haven’t. Why is that?

    If they already think Trump is terrible then it’s time to tie him to Republicans. Maybe they haven’t thought about it before because “their guy in Congress is good.” Hang Trump around “their guy’s” neck like an anvil. Make Republicans own it.

  117. 117.

    TenguPhule

    @Gin & Tonic:

    My advice is to buy a couple of cases of that gravy candy and put it in storage. 10-15 years from now they’ll be worth a fortune.

    I’m evil, but not that evil.

  121. 121.

    TenguPhule

    When asked about Trump’s statement on Saudi Arabia by reporters at the state department, Mike Pompeo said: “It is a mean, nasty world out there.”

    We are so fucked as a country.

  122. 122.

    cain

    @gene108:

    Multiple committees doing multiple investigations on multiple topics will overwhelm the media and they will just not bother to cover the investigations.

    They won’t cover any of it. There will be too busy following the latest outrageous Trump tweet or foreign policy mess. We’re pretty much going to be out in the weeds with Trump and his cronies still controlling the messaging.

  123. 123.

    TenguPhule

    Warning, Politico Link.

    Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith posed for a photo wearing a confederate soldier’s hat and holding a rifle in a Facebook post that surfaced Tuesday.

    Hyde-Smith took the photo during a 2014 visit to the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library. “Mississippi history at its best!” Hyde-Smith exclaimed.

    Saturday Morning Cartoon Villains. All of them.

  124. 124.

    cain

    @TenguPhule:

    Trump will blame Pelosi. The farmers will believe him.

    Well shit, in that case, we might as well make sure that Trump doesn’t get any money to bribe the farmers because of the trade wars. If we are going to own it we might as throw Trump farmers under the bus if they are going to blame us anyways. After all, getting a free govt handout is wrong, right?

  128. 128.

    Miss Bianca

    @TenguPhule: The Twitter comments are off the hook, tho’. My favorite so far: “It’s as if Norman Rockwell suffered a massive head injury.”

  134. 134.

    ruemara

    Looks like I’m gonna work on the peanut butter cookie recipe a bit more, so this batch will be baked and donated to the drop-in shelter & I found a recipe to make vegan marshmallow creme filling so the sandwich cookie idea is a go.

  135. 135.

    sm*t cl*de

    @The Moar You Know:

    @TenguPhule: If you’d ever observed the Saudi military you’d mortgage your house and put it all on Iran. Totally safe bet. About the only thing they can/will do is drop bombs, poorly.

    Like so much else, the Saudi armed forces exist primarily to provide the impression of gainful employment to a horde of little sheiklings. They are not going to put themselves in the way of potential harm. They feel safe bombing civilians.

  136. 136.

    jl

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: ” The ones from last year are dead. ”

    That’s pretty suspicious, investigate that too.

    I hear in the news that Trump will go to a war zone to prove he’s not too skeered. But he made it pretty clear he won’t visit the border troops because he doesn’t give a shit. I assume Mattis has explained to him that it is basically a logistics and construction training exercise, and no danger out of the ordinary.

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