President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[frank ryan]

--would love to invade the Baltics and bring home those rogues as part of Putin's stated goal of restoring the glory of the CCCP.

Oh yeah, forgot that they breached Estonian territory and abducted an Estonian intelligence officer. I guess to some America is an evil imperialist and blood thirsty country while Russia is just your average nation.

In terms of Ukraine, let’s not forget they shot down a civilian airliner.

[creekster]

I'll put out some suggestions from the article that I shared.

First and foremost... the article explains that compromise is inevitable, yet will still require respect for both nations’ interests.

Or in other words, the bipartisan Russia fear-mongering here in the US has just got to end. It's gotten beyond stupid. "Russia’s critics present a long bill of requirements to be met before they would relax sanctions or otherwise improve relations. Putin could save time by agreeing to be an American vassal."

1. End the Russia sanctions, they accomplish nothing.
2. Trump and Putin could make a bilateral commitment to stay out of other nations’ elections.
3. The two presidents should agree to mutual forbearance on supporting war (e.g. stop fucking with other countries; Russia w/ Ukraine, the US w/ {insert long list here})
4. Trump should propose that both countries withdraw from Syria.
5. addressing the faltering Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
6. revisiting the soon-expiring Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

End Russia sanctions because they accomplish nothing? Even if true they at least have symbolic value and should not be ended unilaterally.

A lateral commitment to stay out of each others' elections (at least if you define being IN each others' elections as the media seems to define the Russian involvement in 2016). That's funny. They could also make an equally likely-to-be-maintained bi-lateral commitment to stop sleeping.

I see no equivalence between what the Russians did in Ukraine and what we are doing anywhere else right now. You are offering too much here for too little, even in a real politik analysis.

Both countries withdraw from Syria? Maybe, but the devil there is in the not so little details. Advisors? Arms sales? citizen mercenaries? Enforcement/verification? dealing with incursions from ISIS on Syrian territory?

Addressing the treaties? It needs to be done. But not by Trump. I don't trust him to even understand them, let alone negotiate extensions or enhancements.

I agree with you about the fear mongering. A lot of it is overwrought nonsense (And with that Frank Ryan sends my name to Mueller as a possible subject for investigation). But just because we are being stupid about the Russians' doesn't mean they aren't out to get us, and we should still be very wary.

[Walter Sobchak]

End Russia sanctions because they accomplish nothing? Even if true they at least have symbolic value and should not be ended unilaterally.

A lateral commitment to stay out of each others' elections (at least if you define being IN each others' elections as the media seems to define the Russian involvement in 2016). That's funny. They could also make an equally likely-to-be-maintained bi-lateral commitment to stop sleeping.

So the former can be symbolic but the latter cannot be? Oh, brother. US meddling to get Yelstin elected was such a source of pride it was featured as a TIME cover page, remember?

I see no equivalence between what the Russians did in Ukraine and what we are doing anywhere else right now. You are offering too much here for too little, even in a real politik analysis.

Hey Mr. Putin sir, please stop occupying Crimea. Oh, why do we not leave Iraq and Afghanistan you ask? Well, it's complicated. Oh, and don't mind the permanent US military bases we have built there.

Uh, yeah.

Both countries withdraw from Syria? Maybe, but the devil there is in the not so little details. Advisors? Arms sales? citizen mercenaries? Enforcement/verification? dealing with incursions from ISIS on Syrian territory?

Well the US should withdraw unilaterally. If Trump can get Putin to come along too... great. If not, NBD. We have no business being there as there no security threat to the US in Syria. Russia probably won't go along with this as they have been allies with Syria for a long, long time. At least longer than we were allied with Saddam, amirite?

Addressing the treaties? It needs to be done. But not by Trump. I don't trust him to even understand them, let alone negotiate extensions or enhancements.

It's an agenda item and starts a dialogue. The details can be ironed out by others.

I agree with you about the fear mongering. A lot of it is overwrought nonsense (And with that Frank Ryan sends my name to Mueller as a possible subject for investigation). But just because we are being stupid about the Russians' doesn't mean they aren't out to get us, and we should still be very wary.

Agree. However, the scare tactics work, so I doubt the rhetoric will de-escalate. Trump uses the scare tactics by exploiting immigrants. The Dems use the scare tactics by exploiting Putin/Russians.

[frank ryan]

End Russia sanctions because they accomplish nothing? Even if true they at least have symbolic value and should not be ended unilaterally.

A lateral commitment to stay out of each others' elections (at least if you define being IN each others' elections as the media seems to define the Russian involvement in 2016). That's funny. They could also make an equally likely-to-be-maintained bi-lateral commitment to stop sleeping.

I see no equivalence between what the Russians did in Ukraine and what we are doing anywhere else right now. You are offering too much here for too little, even in a real politik analysis.

Both countries withdraw from Syria? Maybe, but the devil there is in the not so little details. Advisors? Arms sales? citizen mercenaries? Enforcement/verification? dealing with incursions from ISIS on Syrian territory?

Addressing the treaties? It needs to be done. But not by Trump. I don't trust him to even understand them, let alone negotiate extensions or enhancements.

I agree with you about the fear mongering. A lot of it is overwrought nonsense (And with that Frank Ryan sends my name to Mueller as a possible subject for investigation). But just because we are being stupid about the Russians' doesn't mean they aren't out to get us, and we should still be very wary.

Nice dig. I think there is a lot more evidence that thinking no shenanigans happened between Russia and Trump is foolish than being extremely worried or confident that something is.

And some things don’t add to the evidence they are colluded but are concerning like the fact Trump never held a cabinet meeting to address Russian interference in the election, fired the national cybe-security advisor and did not appointment a replacement, constantly putting forward a pro-Russian line while aggresssivey insulting our trusted allies and insists on meeting Putin alone.

Not being worried or suspicious isn’t reasoned skepticism, it’s foolish.

[BlueK]

Nice dig. I think there is a lot more evidence that thinking no shenanigans happened between Russia and Trump is foolish than being extremely worried or confident that something is.

And some things don’t add to the evidence they are colluded but are concerning like the fact Trump never held a cabinet meeting to address Russian interference in the election, fired the national cybe-security advisor and did not appointment a replacement, constantly putting forward a pro-Russian line while aggresssivey insulting our trusted allies and insists on meeting Putin alone.

Not being worried or suspicious isn’t reasoned skepticism, it’s foolish.

If Obama acted like this around Russia and Putin and N. Korea, for that matter, the Republicans would be freaking out. It's silly to try to pretend otherwise.

[Commando]

Trump doubles down on being a sex offender as a way of life. MAGA!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Trump doubles down on being a sex offender as a way of life. MAGA!

That speech/rally yesterday was a clinic on how to degrade the office of POTUS. Good grief, he even mocked Bush Senior's Thousand Point of Light campaign. Unreal.

[BlueK]

That speech/rally yesterday was a clinic on how to degrade the office of POTUS. Good grief, he even mocked Bush Senior's Thousand Point of Light campaign. Unreal.

Nothing to see here. He nominates conservative justices.

On MSNBC Evan McMullin just said Trump himself is a national security threat. sound the apocalyptic alarm.

[frank ryan]

That speech/rally yesterday was a clinic on how to degrade the office of POTUS. Good grief, he even mocked Bush Senior's Thousand Point of Light campaign. Unreal.

He is, by any measure, not a good person.

[frank ryan]

Nothing to see here. He nominates conservative justices.

On MSNBC Evan McMullin just said Trump himself is a national security threat. sound the apocalyptic alarm.

Walter or Ted or someone will call you apocolyptic or paranoid.

[BlueK]

Attacking a respected former President for his charity work? Seriously? Who can defend that? Trump is a piece of garbage.

[Crockett]

Nothing to see here. He nominates conservative justices.

On MSNBC Evan McMullin just said Trump himself is a national security threat. sound the apocalyptic alarm.

The left went into a total meltdown and end-of-the-world hysteria when Kennedy announced his retirement. They understand the stakes. Don't tell me appointing 2 Supreme Court justices (maybe more) isn't worth it. Their impact will last decades. Trump will be out in 2-6 years.

NEWS FLASH: McMullin is a joke.

[Crockett]

It continues to be bizarre that you view Trump as a misunderstood conservative when he is a populist authoritarian strongman, act as though he is restrained by reasonable advisors, and screech when your constant inaccurate parallels between Obama and others to Trump are pointed out. You're not a picked on truth-teller here, you're under informed. Commando is a moderately conservative immigration attorney.

Your post is bizarre. I don't claim Trump to be a misunderstood conservative. I agree he is a populist. I do think he is governing largely as a conservative tho, with some exceptions (including trade policy).

BTW, which inaccurate parallels have been pointed out?

[Crockett]

Do you think Trump is governed by scruples? Do you think his actions are informed by a sense of right and wrong? This is a guy that said he would kill the families of suspected terrorists. This is a guy who said he respected Putin and defended Putin's murderous actions by saying that the U.S. isn't innocent either, that we've killed people as well. Trump is a sociopath. Of that, I'm certain. Not only is he a sociopath, he's a sociopath with a mandate. What part of that do you disagree with?

This is the sound of the goalposts moving.

Thank you for your diagnosis, Dr.

[Crockett]

They're totally going to make out like in that mural.