Trump puts Breitbart news nutjob on Security Council, downgrading the military chiefs of staff

[Jhhnn]

I think this (removing the Joint Chiefs/Director of Security) is the bigger news. Bannon is the real threat here. He probably timed his appointment with the Muslim Ban, because he knew the stupid Mainstream Media will eat that story up.



Trump voters can be lumped into several categories. I have no problem with the Trump voters that mistrusted Hillary as the primary reason. She was untrustworthy and totally out of touch with the voters. She campaigned as if she deserved the vote because #NeverTrump.

Only delusionists could possibly trust Trump more than Hillary.

 

[nakedfrog]

They're silent because they have no excuses for this. It's a uniformly bad move that shows that Trump sees a bigoted hack like Bannon as more important than trusted experts in the field. It's not about making the right decision -- it's about whoever will tell Trump what he wants to hear.

Don't worry, if you miss being told to cry more or that you can have some coloring books instead of actual responses to valid criticisms, there's this thread.

 

[KMFJD]

But Bannon was a junior naval officer for 7 years. He clearly knows more than the long term professionals in intelligence and military strategy.

Not more than cheeto bennito who went to military school and managed 4 or 5 draft deferments...

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Dodging the question by invoking a fantasy scenario?

Actually I was having a civil discussion with one who is able to do so. He disagrees with my perspective without resorting to nonsense. He got it. You don't.

 

[Pens1566]

Well, he was an officer in the Navy. /sarcasm

That line of thinking only puts everyone who has ever read a Tom Clancy novel ahead of him in the merit list.

 

[HomerJS]

Notice how Christians have a special exception on the Muslim country ban. Jews are screwed. Bannon's handywork. We all know he hates Jews. More of that white nationalist stuff

 

[Thump553]

Remember back in the bad old days when Cheney was about as horrible an adviser/controller as we could imagine any US President having? I have a feeling history will treat him more kindly now-after all, all Cheney did was destabilize the entire Mideast (which will probably last decades), cost the USA billions of dollars and thousands of soldiers squandered away.

Trump/Breibart should be able to pass that easily-especially if they hand Europe to Russia and screw up containing China's expansionist dreams as well.

 

[HomerJS]

Bannon is Cheney with a smidge of anti-semitism

 

[superstition]

Bannon is Cheney with a smidge of anti-semitism

Is he planning to cut off the funding of Israel?

Is their wall fully built?

 

[bshole]

Remember back in the bad old days when Cheney was about as horrible an adviser/controller as we could imagine any US President having? I have a feeling history will treat him more kindly now-after all, all Cheney did was destabilize the entire Mideast (which will probably last decades), cost the USA billions of dollars and thousands of soldiers squandered away.

Trump/Breibart should be able to pass that easily-especially if they hand Europe to Russia and screw up containing China's expansionist dreams as well.

Hand Europe to Russia? Europe is NOT Americas to give. They are independent countries with militaries and nuclear weapons.

China's expansionist dreams? They have been isolationist for their entire history and now they want to take over the world?

 

[superstition]

China's expansionist dreams? They have been isolationist for their entire history and now they want to take over the world?

Japan was isolationist for most of its history.

Commodore Perry threatened to blow up Japan's castles that were near the oceans if it didn't open up because America wanted Japan's whales.

 

[nakedfrog]

Hand Europe to Russia? Europe is NOT Americas to give. They are independent countries with militaries and nuclear weapons.

China's expansionist dreams? They have been isolationist for their entire history and now they want to take over the world?

They seem to be kind of interested in some sea territory at the moment, if you've noticed.

 

[senseamp]

Authoritarians view the term "national security" as their own regime security. Hence the need to stuff the national security apparatus with political commissars like Bannon and purge it of people whose absolute loyalty to the regime is in question.

 

[Jaskalas]

Authoritarians view the term "national security" as their own regime security. Hence the need to stuff the national security apparatus with political commissars like Bannon and purge it of people whose absolute loyalty to the regime is in question.

Congress, by law, gave that position to the DNI, is it even within Trump's authority to exclude him?

 

[Commodus]

Congress, by law, gave that position to the DNI, is it even within Trump's authority to exclude him?

That seems to be the running theme of the Trump administration: it doesn't matter if it's illegal, we'll issue an order anyway and count on a kiss-ass Republican Congress to ignore the violations.

 

[fskimospy]

Congress, by law, gave that position to the DNI, is it even within Trump's authority to exclude him?

It's hard to see how Congress can make the President include anyone in his own briefings. That's almost certainly unconstitutional. The issue here is that no sane person would want to exclude the DNI from national security briefings.

 

[jana519]

Notice how Christians have a special exception on the Muslim country ban. Jews are screwed. Bannon's handywork. We all know he hates Jews. More of that white nationalist stuff

I have a theory that Bannon's Jew hating is mostly private and compartmentalized. Yeah, you might see a few fringe anti Semitic pieces on Brietbart, but it's pretty tame relative to the virulent anti-Semitism one sees in Europe.

I don't think we'll see Bannon using his NSC power to promote his anti-Semitic platform. But who really knows for certain? Maybe the guy is batshit crazy and will do just that.

 

[Thump553]

Hand Europe to Russia? Europe is NOT Americas to give. They are independent countries with militaries and nuclear weapons.

China's expansionist dreams? They have been isolationist for their entire history and now they want to take over the world?

Europe is pretty simple-Trump drops USA sanctions and reneges on our NATO obligations ("they aren't paying their fair share") while Putin manufactures some sort of dispute with an eastern European country and invades to protect Russian nationals living there just like he did in the Ukraine.

As to China, I guess the whole South China Sea thing has sailed over your head-not to mention the trade treaties China is pursuing with every major Asian country now that we have torpedoed TPP. True that China is more interested in achieving it's goals without overt military action, but they are rapidly expanding their military capability in order to keep all options available.

Frankly both scenarios are natural progressions of what has been developing for a while now-things that USA and European sanctions and Obama's realignment of our military forces to Asia together with the TPP were designed to counter.

 

[senseamp]

Congress, by law, gave that position to the DNI, is it even within Trump's authority to exclude him?

What authoritarian regimes like to do is break the law, just to see who will put loyalty to them above the law and who will not. Also, they perceive law as something that only applies to their opponents, while their law is the word of their leader.

 

[agent00f]

I make no apologies for finding both unacceptable any more than people who thrust Hillary upon us because she was The One in their minds.

That said Trump is still an idiot.

A judgement put forward (I can't call it a diagnosis since no examination was made) from a respected teacher of psychology at Johns Hopkins, was that of "malignant narcissism" and what I know professionally it seems a reasonable belief.

What that means in this case is that Trump has an inbuilt paranoia of those who do not conform to his views and so Bannon is selected on that basis to the exclusion of others who might not mirror his personality and wishes.

"Trump is about the worst possible and the standard-bearing centrist democrat is just as bad" really says all that needs to be. "I had this opinion once and I'll die before it changes", no real mystery whether this fits with progress or conservatism, same as "I'm really an independent".

 

[superstition]

Japan was isolationist for most of its history.

Commodore Perry threatened to blow up Japan's castles that were near the oceans if it didn't open up because America wanted Japan's whales.

Not the only bellicose thing the US did to Japan, either. I wonder how differently WWII would have turned out if not for Perry's aggression, though.

 

[Thebobo]

Its really good he asked the pentagon for a strategy to combat ISIS. They've spent the last couple of years just sitting around just waiting for someone to ask.

Its all about Trump after all. Watch him take credit for "the plan" when they come back and tell him the current plan is working fine.

 

[VRAMdemon]

I can't decide. is Trump Putin's bitch, Bannon's bitch, or do they just pass him around. Also whats up with this Bannon. He has the classic look of an alcoholic.: pasty, doughy rash like complexion; dull, rheumy eyes; overweight and unshaven. The guy looks like a walking heart attack.

 

[ivwshane]

I've the distinct feeling that the Trump administration is going to be a whole lot more secretive in their plans for "Making America Great Again....(for the very wealthy)" than the highly secretive Bush/Cheney admin. was in their run up toward having what was to be their short little loot, scoot and parade down Main St. Baghdad and oh yeh, uhhhh, that spreading democracy by forceful military action and finding those nukular WMD thingy's over there.

Transparency and the truth is going to be the Trump Admin's biggest hurdle to overcome in the four years they've got to accomplish their personal agendas.They will plug any leak they're able to and over-zealously deny and and discredit any facts that do find their way into the light of day.

With Trump hiding his tax documents, his refusal to divest his businesses, his naming his family members to be his closest advisers, his mistrust and hatred for our intelligence services (well, just until he can have them see things his way), and on and on and on, it all leads to Trump saying one thing up front while doing the opposite behind our backs.

And just like Bush and Cheney alluded to, it's all for our own good, ya' know?

Here we fvcking go again.

Ya think?!!

Bannon's a smart guy, the sort to look at Bush's massive boost after 9/11 or the Reichstag and seek to recreate those type of events. Trump isn't exactly the sort to let anything get in the way of self-interest, so it rather makes sense that they wouldn't want people affected by moral ethnics to have undue influence over executive decision making.

The number one play the right uses is the accuse others of doing what they themselves are doing. Knowing this and the fact that have been claiming false flag operations for years, I truly believe someone like bannon would do something like that. The question is, does he have enough support in government to pull it off? No. But he could purposely ignore a potential threat and achieve the same thing.

Yes, I've said as much. I would definitely choose Cheney over Trump. Cheney is competent and not mentally ill, although he supports plenty of policies I believe to be evil. Much more than any one policy I believe in maintaining the institutions of state. Cheney would do that, Trump is already undermining them.



It's your right to support whoever you want of course but that doesn't mean that other people shouldn't hold you accountable. (Not you personally, but people espousing that view generally)

While I agree with what you are saying, it's really hard to take you serious knowing that you yourself didn't even bother voting.

I think this (removing the Joint Chiefs/Director of Security) is the bigger news. Bannon is the real threat here. He probably timed his appointment with the Muslim Ban, because he knew the stupid Mainstream Media will eat that story up.



Trump voters can be lumped into several categories. I have no problem with the Trump voters that mistrusted Hillary as the primary reason. She was untrustworthy and totally out of touch with the voters. She campaigned as if she deserved the vote because #NeverTrump.

You do realize that #nevertrump is a Republican thing right?

/facepalm

 

[ivwshane]

Check his post history, he has no problem talking shit about those who voted for Clinton while he takes no responsibility for his actions.

His head is planted firmly in the sand.

Dodging the question by invoking a fantasy scenario?

Actually I was having a civil discussion with one who is able to do so. He disagrees with my perspective without resorting to nonsense. He got it. You don't.