In his memoirs, President Reagan wrote the following*:
I don’t like having representatives of a foreign country – any foreign country – trying to interfere in what I regarded as our domestic political process and the setting of our foreign policy.
Wisdom that the Republican Party and conservatives seem to have forgotten.
Open thread!
* These remarks were specifically in regard to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin going behind President Reagan’s back to lobby Congress directly against the Reagan administration’s decision to sell AWACs to Saudi Arabia in 1981. Begin had been specifically warned against doing this by one of President Reagan’s senior advisors.
SFAW
Yeah, whatever. As if the current Rethug Partei gives a shit about what that RINO, Reagan, had to say.
If someone were to catalog all the instances of Rethugs violating their alleged “principles” — especially those they applied to Dems — the tome would be longer than (the combined length of) all 423 volumes of A la recherche du temps perdu
chris
Iran probably feels the same way.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D52H3pkWwAAnvto.jpg
SFAW
@chris:
One “troubling and escalatory indication”: “Ma-a-a-a-a! Iran’s on my side of the car! Make it stop!!!!”
Adam L Silverman
@SFAW: I’m not even sure what they did compared to what they were doing to make Bolton formally make this statement. It is just as likely that we were getting ready to rotate carrier groups anyway, and Bolton is just using that as an excuse for an extra helping of belligerency.
jonas
Wow. 1. Condemning foreign interference in our politics and 2. telling the PM of Israel to STFU. And this was a Republican?
Aleta
Why does Bolton get to make this statement? He got dibs because he’s the one who wants this?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran/u-s-deploying-carrier-bombers-to-middle-east-in-warning-to-iran-bolton-idUSKCN1SC01B
Adam L Silverman
@jonas: Yitzhak Shamir pulled the same play on Bush 41. Apparently it is a Likud tradition to go around the president directly to Congress when you don’t get everything you want.
Adam L Silverman
@Aleta: There’s three things here:
1) Other countries have basically told the US to pound sand over sanctions regarding Iranian oil.
2) I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find that all they’ve done is sped up both the carrier group’s and bomber wing’s already scheduled deployments to the area of responsibility (AOR) by a couple of weeks so that we look like we’re doing something tough.
3) Regardless of #2, by doing this it makes it harder for the US to take military action regarding Maduro in Venezuela, because it further reduces the available operational forces, which are already all accounted for.
Steve in the ATL
@jonas: btw congrats on your marriage to the Stark girl!
lollipopguild
@Adam L Silverman: Cuban troops in Venezuela=Bad. Russian troops in Venezuela=Crickets.
SFAW
@Adam L Silverman:
I have little doubt that it’s some bullshit “provocation,” similar to any of the 27 different reasons they used to justify invading Iraq.
Jay
“Allen again came to police attention in 1971 when his friend Donald Cheney reported to police in Manhattan Beach, California, that Allen had spoken of his desire to kill people, use the name Zodiac, and secure a flashlight to a firearm for visibility at night. According to Cheney, this conversation occurred no later than January 1, 1969.[89]”
Fu€k Cheney.
Adam L Silverman
@chris: @SFAW: @Aleta: As of 22 April 2019, Carrier Strike Group 12 (USS Abraham Lincoln/CVN 72, Carrier Air Wing 7/CVW 7, Destroyer Squadron 2/DESRON 2, and USS Leyte Gulf/CG 55):
They join the USS John C Stennis Carrier Strike Group (USS John C Stennis/CVN 74, Carrier Air Wing 9/CVW 9, Destroyer Squadron 21/DESRON 21, and USS Mobile Bay/CG 53), which:
Finally, the Kearsarge Amphibious Group – USS Kearsarge/LH 22 with the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Fleet Surgical Teams 2 and 8, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, and Tactical Air Control Squadron 21; USS Arlington/LPD 24 (amphibious landing dock); and USS Fort McHenry/LSD 43 (dock landing ship) is in the Persian Gulf.
All information from here:
https://news.usni.org/2019/04/22/2019-04-22-usni-news-fleet-marine-tracker-april-22-2019#more-47864
There is no additional Naval or Amphibious deployment.
Jeffro
Hmm Franklin Graham seems to think that Trumpov should get two years added to his term as “reparations “ for the “coup attempt” he has had to endure.
Does Obama get a half ‘callback’ term in 2022, then, for ol’ Mitch’s complete obstruction of his nominees, agenda, etc?
And there I go ahead a) semi-normalizing stupid ass RWNJ nonsense by even responding to it, and b) semi-engaging in false equivalence (trumpov’s a criminal who deserves investigating; President Obama was held up for the ‘crime ‘ of presidenting while black.
But also fuck Franklin Graham
plato
Obama: Join the club, ron.
Gravenstone
@Jeffro: Wonder if Billy knew just what a fucking little monster he was raising? Not that the elder Graham was faultless in his life…
Major Major Major Major
I’ve started the first episode of Scott & Bailey, per the hive-mind recommendation I got from y’all the other day.
zhena gogolia
@Jeffro:
He’s saying that in addition to Falwell’s kid? See thread below.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jeffro:
Think it was Falwell Jr, not Franklin Graham, who called for the “reparations.” A distinction without a difference. They are all evil and deranged and dangerous.
Fuckem all: Graham, Farwell, that unmitigated racist sexist antisemitic islamophobic looney tunes Pat Robertson, and everyone else on the Christianist right.
eemom
So it’s come to this? We are now extolling Reagan as a paragon of foreign policy wisdom? Wow.
Oh well….you’re in good company anyway. Shining city on a hill and all that.
Pardon me while I puke my last gut out.
patrick II
@Jeffro:
Regardless of which one it was, I am getting very tired of such politically involved and harmful people standing above the fray because of their “religiosity” taking potshots. I would like it very much if someone did some oppo research (how much money are they making anyway?) and have someone of equivalent prominence take them on politically and publicly.
Adam L Silverman
@eemom: I conceptualize it as irony blogging,
`Aleta
@Adam L Silverman:
interesting, thanks.
StringOnAStick
Does anyone else pick up a whiff of racist signalling by Falwell using the word “reparations” ? Maybe it’s just being used to stir up anger; six of one….
Yutsano
@patrick II: It’s time for the Tax Exempt and Government Entities division to start getting some decent funding. The political rules for churches need to be enforced;. And the IRS needs to start revoking exemptions yesterday. Fuck the Republicans for trying to choke the one agency that actually has standing to enforce these rules.
John Steed
I wonder if Reagan thought Nicaraguans felt the same way.