So when is Emperor Donald going to cut to the chase and declare himself a deity?
3
Not sure how much more of this disgrace I can handle. I am legitimately worried about the kind of world my 4 year old is inheriting.
How do these republicans just stand there?
8
Dear conservative Americans,
I am not sure that you understand what your support for Trump will mean for you in the future. That’s because politics often feels remote, like something that is real but does not have a appreciable impact on our lives. For instance, if you have not served in the military what it means to serve may be difficult to understand. If you are not a government worker currently working without pay or just going without pay, the shutdown may seem more theoretical than real.
But our choices and preferences do, in aggregate, have an impact. For instance, Democrats and progressives pushed to expand the social safety net by trying to make health insurance affordable to all Americans. It’s fair to question the policy, but there wasn’t a question about the motivation. The goal was to reduce a burden Americans. And no one was held hostage to force the Republicans to agree.
Now compare that approach to the Republican effort to build a Wall. The wall will relieve no burden and Americans are being held hostage and made to suffer until the Democrats capitulate and are forced to agree. The approach demonstrates lack of concern and a lack of respect for fellow citizens not in the same party.
So in the future, if you ever, EVER reveal your support for Trump, YOU will be met with the same suspicion and mistrust and disrespect. If you think you can treat other Americans this way and still receive the best of what we have to offer, you’ve been fooled by Trump again.
4
Sure, Obama made mistakes in the Middle East. So did most leaders and diplomats throughout history.
But It’s 2019. Why should we take seriously anyone who believes, as does Pompeo, in rapture theology? It’s a medieval mindset that has no place in the modern world. That it is entwined with current US policy is truly frightening.
6
If Pompeo gave this speech in front of a joint session of Congress he would be booed and receive catcalls from those who recognize that the current trajectory of appeasing tyrants, and abandoning freedom fighters is a true folly.
Trumps foreign policy is Kremlin centered, and Putin approved,
financed by the house of Saud, and trumpeted by fools.
8
Trump-pompeo is a subversive force. Halt them.
1
We are now quite certain that our US government is inhabited by traitors to truth and embracers of lies. Pompeo blusters and repeats whatever lies boss Trump regurgitates on a daily basis.
Mnuchin is a bad. He comes across as modern day Stepin Fetchit..mimicking Trumps bad ideas
Hopefully all this will be tossed out next election .
16
I’m done with shaking my head at the incompetence from trump and his know-nothing administration. When will we take to the streets?
19
It's another disgrace for this administration regardless on which side of the aisle you sit. An American statesman denigrating America and her leaders publicly to foreign heads of state? Trump's base is equally a disgrace for accepting and encouraging his and his administration's behavior. Oddly, Trump and his supporters thrive on chaos. And that is the only thing at which they really excel. It is all so incredibly uninspired.
12
The GOP is moving away from democracy and toward fascism.
13
Trump and Pompeo have no strategy, have no clearly defined end-goal, beyond disparaging everybody else and in the case of Trump potentially enriching himself. Where is the much touted Israel peace plan? Do you see Iran crumbling? By leaving Syria, the US is abandoning the Kurds; who will ever trust the US again when they claim to “have your back”? Are jobs really coming back to the US? Is he truly dealing with the immigration issue, does he even really care? Trump & Pompeo are looking the other way when the Saudi, the Egyptian leadership are riding roughshod over people they do not like ..... Trump is insanely jealous of that kind of freedom to act. In the mean time, the respect for and trust in US leadership is falling at a rate of knots. More and more of the world’s strongmen have or are figuring out how to play to Trump’s ego and neediness. They will toss him some very visible PR victories whilst winning the battles about those pesky details that really matter. The ratings for the show will go through the roof, that’s probably what Trump meant all along when he referenced MAGA. Anyway, America I hope you are enjoying the ride?
12
I read the Fox "news" article on Pompeo's speech, which included a lunk to Obama's Cairo speech. I had not read that speech since it was originally released, and my reaction was that it was as good now as it was then. He acknowledged the US role in Mideast instability and held out the hand of unity and cooperation to end the scourge of extremism. He discussed the many innovations made by Muslims through the centuries and he expressed confidence that together we could respect one another.
And of course Pompeo's speech. Playing on fear instead of hope and denigrating a former president on another country's soil. He didn't use Obama's name, but "another American [who] stood before you" only means one person. And the statements he attributed to Obama were taken, not so much out of context, as separate from the sentiment.
Pompeo's speech set Middle East relations back.
16
I can take anymore. Somebody please stop this.
20
Hey mr. pompeo, how's your party's Iraqi WMD search going?
Now what nasty un-American things were you saying about the guy who rid the planet of bin Laden?
14
@Victorious Yankee: Republicans should be delighted that Osama bin Laden is now unavailable to testify to American duplicities with Afghan rebels opposing the Soviet occupation in an international court of justice.
5
Trump, Pompeo, McConnell: who and what are these people? Yes, Mr. Trump is feckless, reckless and careless, but his uncharacteristically consistent attacks on President Obama are obsessive and almost certainly racist. Pompeo delivers overseas a carefully choreographed speech that looks to be part of the same racist program. They couldn't care less about democracy and human rights, free speech and the free press. They demonize other Americans but adore brutal repressive autocrats like Xi, el-Sisi, and Putin. Like Erdogan, the Saudi prince, and Duterte. These leaders imprison, torture and murder their critics and political adversaries. My heavens. By all accounts several of these nations represent our very greatest threats.
Who and what are these people? The unspeakable is unavoidable. Is there anything they will not do, to seize or retain power? Are they autocrats? White supremacists? Isn't this betrayal and treason, in the everyday senses of those terms?
12
As usual, there is not one bit of value in the hollering of this clueless and malevolent person, but his denigration of a US Senator should not go unnoticed as it seems to be in this pice. The only thing worth doing in response to his blabbering is to condemn the way her refers to Mr. Schumer, whose caliber dwarfs that of Trump
5
I hope some official will check to see that Trump has not used American resources to help elect the Brazilian leader.
5
Believe it or not all of the "strongman" that 45* loves to bend over backwards to fawn over and praise know his WORD means nothing and may only apply to the moment at hand.
But once that bell has been rung (more like a clunk, but it has been struck) by 45* and his minions, it's more of an underwater noise not heard in nature.
Be it the mechanical shark in Jaws or the BP oil well rupturing due to a small miscalculation.
Barack Obama chose his words carefully not to disparage his predecessors, but had to acknowledge that somewhere along the way, 43 was led astray by some of the "experts" he was surrounded with.
43 and 43.5 Cheney didn't have the capacity to calculate the magnitude before and after 9/11 of the cascading events that would unfold in it's aftermath. As most of the supposed hijackers came from Saudi Arabia why did we invade Iraq, but to take their oil?
We were then told to keep moving along, there is nothing here to see. Keep shopping, borrowing and investing in Wall Street. Everything will be alright, nothing to worry about. Keep socking those untaxed savings in that 401k. But just remember if you loose everything, you don't have to pay taxes on it! Borrow to the hilt to buy up as much real estate as the lenders will loan you. Sure it's only going to go up in value, so jump on board the gravy train.
If the shut down persists, he just might get stranded (as in Davos) somewhere like Comey almost did in LA and have to sing "I can't find my way back home...!"
4
Trump, Pompeo, and Bolton all grew up during the years of change after World War II, and they all remember the consequences of supporting autocrats in foreign countries and why our country has done so. Democracies require convincing millions of people to agree to cooperate while autocracies require the acquiescence of one person. The result are years of advantageous agreements followed by the overthrow of the autocrat by radicals who see the U.S. as their primary external oppressor who had supported their domestic oppressor. So in knowing this why would Trump, Pompeo, and Bolton repeat the mistakes that led to Iran and Islamists who consider the U.S. the source of human misery and endless wars?
4
@Casual Observer: When something does not work, they double down on it.
7
Trump is the guy we have all met in our lives who has no limits or boundaries. They and their cohorts (Pompeo) say and do without rules or decorum. In other words, they are disappointments and embarrassing in their incoherent actions. All of these actions are disrespectful of American leadership before and after Trump’s ascension to the Presidency.
Support of autocrats at our Nation’s expense is thoughtless and unreasonable.
5
Pompeo's overriding motivation has and likely will always be ambition. He is too smart by half (and he is indeed smart) but thinks he is god's gift in any environment he finds himself. When it made sense to be a good party boy, he was the most aggressive of interrogators. When he pretends to have mastered international diplomacy in 14 months, he preens in front of audience and camera. He is arrogant and condescending - to reporters trying to do their job and particularly when he is testifying in front of his former colleagues. He thinks he's better than them now. News flash: he's not. Oh, by the way, once he's out of this job, guarantee you he runs for president in 2024.
8
This is all Republicans.
6
Two supersized ugly Americans. The Trump administration is a disgrace of epic proportions and a humanitarian disaster in and of itself.
22
This is what you get when the press and our schools fail to inform and educate Americans about fascism. When was the last time the word appeared in print? Lets be clear about this, Trump is a fascist. He is cut from the same cloth as Hitler and Mussolini. A half a million Americans sacrificed their lives to defeat fascism in WWII. Today, a third of Americans have embraced fascism and the vast majority of Americans are oblivious that fascism even exists as it festers and grows around them. Remember when Homeland Security was created to "connect the dots" and protect us from terrorism? I guess the totalitarian, monikers Motherland and the Fatherland had already been taken and we had to settle on Homeland. Homeland Security has morphed into a thinly veiled gestapo. We have Homeland federal agents called ICE impersonating police officers. The only difference is these thugs are going after people with brown skins in place of Jews. Which takes me to the government shut down. I for one would rather see this partial shut down go on for years if that is what it takes to end the evil of Trump
13
@TimToomey: There are governments that are instruments of their people, and people who are instruments of their governments. Fascism is not a pursuit of happiness in this life, but possibly in the next one, particularly for those sacrificed in wars.
1
Terrible traitors to attack their own country. They are truly unAmerican.
11
Nothing says to the world that the USA is in crisis mode more than the SOS and POTUS berating other US leaders on foreign soil.
16
The headline forgot the preamble:
"At Vladimir Putin Insistence..."
12
Mike Pompeo's government career will be over when Trump's reign of terror ends. Selling your soul to the devil does that. Good riddance.
15
Big Mike Pomposity's performance was utterly disgraceful, and his policy prescriptions abhorrent... Any American who applauds the behaviors of this administration is seriously crazed...
And those in Congress who stand by are traitors.... Mitch !
And Mitt.... where are you ?
Do any of these lowlifes have one tenth the integrity of John McCain, who had the good sense to defend President Obama against slander ???
21
When will the insanity end? Get this Dictator out. Dems; get to work. Ray Sipe
8
Trump and his pandering yes-man Pompeo cannot stop running against Obama and Hillary. Their incessant criticism of their predecessors is clear evidence they have no clue how to project American presence on a global stage, only how not to. Keep demonizing our own former and present leaders, and plant big, wet, kisses on the murderers and outlaws whose fascist policies they so deeply admire.
11
trump and his party are traitors and should be treated as such.
14
How many white supremacist are on government payroll, and why are we paying taxes to keep these abhorrent public officials a.k.a.,Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), Dana Rohrabacher who was on Putin's payroll, according to his own colleagues...
That's a real disgrace for America.
6
Traitors, pure and simple.
11
This is exactly what you'd expect from our first Organized Crime Administration.
9
@Carl Ian Schwartz,
"Don't kid yourself, it's not that organized."
-Ben Kingsley 'Sneakers' 1992
3
We are now finding ourselves represented by bullies and dishonorable "leaders". We must stop these people and the Republican party dead in their tracks and regain our status as the greatest country in the world. We are now seen as nothing more than a 3rd rate banana republic run by a few dictator wannabe's who are supported and protected by the Senate. We must assure that those who are fighting these traitors for the American people in the halls of government, get our full support. We must demand full accountability from our rep's as well as full compliance in regards to their oath to the Constitution of the United Sates. The likes of Mitch McConnell and those "leaders" who have blocked any attempt to reign in the current admin should be held accountable for their complicit and direct actions that result in harm to our government. They have intentionally abandoned the people of this country, our Constitution, and our allies. This is nothing but a focused effort to weaken and eventually destroy our country from within. The R's intentionally ignore the rule of law and their responsibility to be a check on the Executive branch. They lie to the people, egregiously break the rules of governing in service of greed and a naked power grab. Enough is enough. VOTE in 2020 and demand that our leadership represent us with integrity, truth and the original purpose that our countries forefathers defined. These men dishonor and shame us and those who have died protecting our way of life.
4
Donald Trump is a wannabe autocrat complete with his "Tariff Man" Trump trade war, his partial government shutdown where he's holding 800,000 of his employees hostage until he receives a$5.7 billion ransom for his non-negotiable wall, and now his embrace of an axis of Middle East autocrats including Egypt's strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Saudi Arabia's ruthless young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo like Dick Cheney before him is setting the stage for a second major neocon instigated war in the region. This time it will be against the new Great Satan, Iran. The reckless path Sec. Pompeo along with National Security Adviser John Bolton have set out upon will consume the Middle East already dealing with a war in Syria and Yemen that may spread beyond the region as Russia and Turkey are drawn into it. This is just the latest dangerous and irresponsible abrogation of U.S. policy that supports democracies and opposes dictators.
7
this is a problem of executive unity and the faulty interpretations on the second article of our constitution. the executive branch has absorbed almost absolute power in the usa and congress is just a background office. congress needs to become a stronger political institution and master the president on this game.
2
It is clear that our “President” is aligned — through corrupt financial ties and probable kompromat as well as through shared amorality and personality disorders — to the world’s most brutal dictators and oligarchs.
They installed him, they manage and manipulate him; and he continues to praise them and to work on their behalf to erode our democratic norms, institutions and alliances.
5
So much about the current administration has been unprecedented that we run the risk of becoming inured to what it espouses. But Pompeo's remarks yesterday break new ground in the denigration of our country and its position as standard bearer of democracy.
To stand on foreign soil, especially on soil that encourages autocratic rule, to dismiss the work and words of past administrations is abhorrent.
And yet I worry that I am in the a minority in believing that we stand together to the outside world and fight our internecine battles away from the international gaze. Just like family: we fight amongst ourselves but wholeheartedly defend ourselves to others.
4
away from the international gaze? the whole world is looking at us and this executive political block. defending from the outside? we invaded countries that represented ZERO threats to our country. that is not defending, that is called bullying.
2
The nightmare and folly grow daily in different directions, new actualities in absurdity appear out of the last absurdity
The only thing that is certain today is that tomorrow will be more disappointing
Thanks Bernie
2
Dear Donald,
Mueller is coming for you. When the truth finally finds daylight, I'm sure the majority of Americans will have no problem chipping in for a one way ticket to Cairo or China for both of you.
6
Pompeo should read the gospels and stop claiming biblical authority. These whited sepulchers are very good at casting stones and crossing the road in the wake of good samaritans, which they are not. Betraying friends, helping enemies. Jesus wept!
The unbearable darkness of vanity
Cue only the prompting of Hannity
Trump need only palter
With the likes of Ann Coulter
Join Limbaugh en route to insanity!
4
The autocrats are joining together. We need to open our eyes, and realize that Trump has no desire to maintain a representative government. The writing on the wall has never been more clear. McConnell is an autocrat too, so he is helping them along.
7
Great article and analysis. However, the word you wanted to use in the fifth paragraph is "revanchist," not "revisionist." Merriam Webster defines revanchist (revanchism) as: "of or relating to a policy designed to recover lost territory or status."
This description applies to China today. She views the Opium War and the Unequal Treaties with Britain (1830-1860's); the carving up of China into "spheres of influence" by the European powers in the late 19th century; and the the Japanese invasion of the 1930s and 40s, as undermining China's natural place in the world as one of the oldest continuous civilizations and empires in human history.
Since the time of Mao's revolution in 1949, China has been trying to regain it's prestige and status as the pre-eminent power in East Asia, to which all other states (Vietnam, Korea, Japan) had to pay tribute. It is why Mao will never be entirely repudiated: he was the "Great Helmsman," who steered the ship of state into freedom and sovereignty again. The Communist Party claims his legacy, and teaches that the periods of instability (e.g. the Boxer Rebellion, or the Warlord Era of the 1920's) caused by the lack of a strong central government led to foreign domination.
If only we taught this history in school, instead of trumpeting how wonderful we were with our "Open Door" policy in the 19th century. The Chinese have fiercely resented Western hegemony for over a century, and they are determined to become the world's greatest power.
3
Weak leaders with no ideas always embrace authoritarian goverance. Both Trump & Pompeo have no coherent plans for foreign policy and lack any understanding of how past alliances have helped keep the world safe. We are on dangerous ground with these two clueless guys at the helm.
7
Criticizing political opponents and former leaders on foreign soil, whether you agree with them or not, shows a profound disloyalty to our country. To do so with autocrats is especially troubling.
This administration is doing everything but making America great.
8
Pompeo/Trump have indeed supplanted President Obama's careful diplomacy with white supremacist jingoism.
7
I don't understand why the NYT continues to use the term 'strongman' to refer to dictators. There is nothing 'strong' about a leader who can't work within the accountability that democracy demands. Weak people surround themselves with toadies, not dynamos.
5
@Stephanie Smith: It is all a matter of visage on reality TV. It takes a stern man to face down all the ghosts.
1
Trump, Pompeo and the rest of the Republicans are just insanely jealous of a man with intelligence and ethics like Obama.
18
@Jacquie
They are indeed jealous of what they themselves do not have - intelligence & ethics.
4
Time to realize we do not have an American president; or, just wait till he cheers on a grand expensive US Military parade!!!
2
Bullies either stick together, or hang separately. Wherever these clowns are headed, happiness lies in the opposite direction.
3
Darko Donnie at it again. What a show! Factless and tactless, by turns clownish and weird, in the end, the end.
2
What utterly revolting statements. Trump is a national nightmare.
7
Total chaos. Just what Putin was banking on. Thanks Facebook
6
Another indication of Trump's desire to be America's first dictator squashing the free press he calls the enemy of the people. Siding with murderous dictators shows his admiration of strongmen who crush dissidents or murder them. Some of his white nationalist base support his desire for Trump to be our first dictator and declaring national emergencies to assume dictatorial powers is a version of the burning of the Reichstag in Germany of the 1930's many forget about. The imperial presidency offers Trump the route to dictatorship especially with terrified spineless hack like McConnell cowering before Trump's rabid base and thumbs.
4
So Trump isn't jingoistic enough to Americans above ferreners.
1
USA always supported friendly dictators, like Porfiro Diaz in Mexico, Batista in Cuba, the Colonels in Greece, Pinochet in Chili,... Donald Trump not only supports friendly dictator like the Saudis or Sissi of Egypt but also the adversaries and ennemies of the USA, like Putin in Russia, Kim of North Korea and Xi in the People Republic of China.
2
Obama, Clinton and Kerry's record in dealing with Libya, Iran, Syria, et al, was abysmal. Now this administration stands up and says so and the NYT goes nuts. The Paper of
Record needs a reality check.
The Dems of Pelosi and Schumer still can't stand the fact that Hillary lost her race. She was a horrible candidate that the Democrat Party embraced thinking the election was a cakewalk. The opposition party is actually the most appealing of the two but until it figures out who lives between the coasts it is clearly, truly destined to fail.
3
Trump, his family, and his Cabinet...like the Mafia...but without the smarts or sense of honor.
1
Trump and Pompeo are just plain bootlickers. They don't embrace autocrats; they admire them for their power and ability to dole out money favor without any accountability. These guys angle for autocrats' favors and money, a la Kushner versus MBS.
Free Capital System, New Manhattan Style!
3
Amid all this 'strongman' talk, and while Trump is lawyering up to fight the bad fight against the rule of law, I found the recent photo of Pat Cipollone and Mick Mulvaney mimicking Glorious Leader's arms-crossed body language (possibly termed "Petulant Child Pose" in yoga parlance?) to be very disturbing.
If they are trying to scare us, it's working on me.
3
You have been repeatedly warned, America, but you refuse to pay attention, much less take action, save for turning the House of Representatives over to the Democrats last November. Recall the immortal and never more relevant than today words of Benjamin Franklin that
we had been granted ‘a Republic, if you can keep it.’
1
Churchill: "Where a band of ferocious men rise from depths to dictatorships there is no guarantee for life, or for law, or for liberty. July 1934 in a speech to his Wanstead constituents.
2
He has believed from the start, Putin's enthusiastic dreams of taking over the world. He believes as he showed during his campaign in aggressive abuse towards anybody who disagrees. He loves dictators because that is what he believes he is. They show strength. You saw him with the Saudi's, bubbling over with enthusiasm when no one got out of order or protested and everyone bowed to the prince and his entourage as they passed by. Putin fills his ears with ideas and trump jumps to do his bidding seeing more power and money being made by ignoring the constitution and accepted protocol for an American President. The man posing as our president prefers us on our knees. Obviously so does the NEW republic, I mean "New Republican Party".
1
When will this nightmare end??
Trump can’t help himself, but where are the Republican Senators with integrity? What is it that they love more than what America has always stood for? Guns in school? Control over women’s wombs? Pollution with impunity? A hotter planet? Or just staying in power?
I try hard to say this is just politics, but it’s not. What’s happening is really, really awful. If just four Republican Senators temporarily became Independent and caucused with the Democrats we could end the disaster right now. Anyone up for a Nobel Peace Prize?
P.S. Sean Hannity was neither elected by the people or confirmed by the Senate.
4
“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy. I really do,”
Any comment made by Trump, referencing honor, should be greatly discounted, or negated.
3
Pompeo embrace autocrats while lying about Iraq "withdrawal" & other W catastrophes
Remember that much of the rolling catastrophe in the Middle East flows directly from W's invasion of Iraq & his 2008 attempt to disguise the disasters with the Petreus "surge" & W's agreement to withdraw all troops by 2012. American troops were legally obligated to leave by the end of December 2011 under W’s status of forces agreement with Iraq’s president in 2008. The Obama administration tried unsuccessfully to renegotiate the agreement to allow American troops to remain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.–Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement
1
Mr. Pompeo chose Cairo, the site of President Barack Obama’s 2009 address to the Islamic world, to deliver a caustic, point-by-point repudiation of Mr. Obama’s message.
Pompeo speech was one big lie! A total distortion of facts! Maybe the worst speech ever by a Secretary of State! Exactly what we except from a trump toady!
2
Mike Pompeo, yet another legacy destroyed in service to Donald Trump. I'll never understand why these people do this to themselves. What do they gain by it?
2
Tabloids need to be regulated. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine and overturn the Telecommunications Act Bill Clinton signed. Rein in Rupert Murdoch, make lying to the public illegal, just as it is illegal to lie to the consumers about the contents of the potato chip bag. This administration is the result of unchecked tabloid journalism.
2
I had to stop reading at "I find China, frankly more honorable because it is too much. My tears do nothing to change the situation. trump must be removed, he must get out of that chair. he is a totally uneducated bully. Knows nothing about diplomacy or cooperation or dignity. he is a most despicable human being thinking by insulting he can progress. Although, the GOP is certainly not standing up straight and declaring the man a barbarian.
2
Trump-Bolton-Pompeo, the three stooges of U.S. foreign policy, or how to lose friends and influence enemies in three easy lessons.
3
“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy. I really do. China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party.”
"Easier" is the operative word in this statement, Trump has demonstrated no propensity to behave with honor. If he can bully you in to the deal he wants he will later praise you, if not he will denigrate you.
4
Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and their fellow Democrats are all that is preventing the United States from descending fully into the autocratic, fascist state that Trump is trying his hardest to create. We are not being protected by the boot-licking Republican controlled Senate, nor by the partisan Kavanaugh Supreme Court. Remain strong and faithful to the US Constitution, Nancy and Chuck. Be our heroes. History and the rest of Western civilization will judge you.
3
From first in his class at West Point, sworn to defend the Constitution, to subverting democracy by promoting autocrats and dictators, Pompeo sure has come a long way. Guess he didn't pay much attention in the history class covering how 1930's Europe fell in love with autocrats, and devolved into facism and WWII.
4
It’s clear they have no motivating principles other than racism and greed. Compounding that horror, they’re just winging it.
3
Trump considers himself to be America's "strong man".
1
Pompeo's public trashing of Obama"s Middle East foreign policy only reveals the emotional immaturity at heart of Trumpism. If their new policies are so wise, there would be no need to blame others. Blaming others is a childish refusal to accept responsibility.
94
Cowards die many deaths. Trump is a coward. Instead of owning what he and the GOP are doing on the world stage and in America they are blaming the past. By disregarding everything that Obama did or by trying to undo it rather than improve it they ARE responsible for what happens now.
If there is another serious economic setback for Americans they own it. If more Americans cannot obtain medical care because of financial barriers, they own it. If the country becomes more polluted because of the rollbacks in enforcement and regulations, they own it. And if the nation as a whole becomes more and more divided, antagonistic and angry, they own that too.
Governing is not a zero sum game. It shouldn't be because all of us, whether we like it or not, pay taxes one way or another. We have a reason to want a functioning government rather than a fractured weak one. People who want anarchy can go live elsewhere. There have been enough experiments with anarchy that this reader wants none of it.
I pay taxes, obey the law, and try to be a responsible adult because I believe in supporting my country, not hurting others, and because I was raised to be as self sufficient as possible within reasonable limits. I'm tired of living in a country run by politicians who receive money from the government that they are changing so it cheats me and others like me in favor of their rich donors.
If Eisenhower were alive now he'd be cringing.
7
How can Pompeo castigate Obama for not taking action against Assad in the same week that trump unilaterally decides to remove U.S. troops from Syria? How can my fellow Americans abide by this kind of hypocrisy, which puts their future, and their children's future, in such peril?
121
For the US with Pompeo and Trump, the era of our shame in the world is, unfortunately, just hitting it's stride.
12
Trump is right. More than anything, he is the anti-W Bush. He has no interest in invading countries, decapitating their leaders and then shoving our values down people's' throats...only to make things a million times worse and shoot ourselves in the foot. He'd rather tolerate the foreign autocrats and change them gradually over time. (E.g., by giving bin Salman a pass, Trump gains enormous leverage over him and can better pressure him for needed reforms.) I refer you to the Aesop Fable "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg."
1
@rpe123 No need to read any further than your first sentence.
3
A few more converts to the dark side like Pompeo, and the authoritarian state will become a reality.
12
Michael Pompeo arrived in Washington in the Tea Party tsunami (2010), a movement ostensibly to protest “government overreach.” It was actually nothing more than racist reaction to the black president, then two years into his first tenure.
Pompeo, a Kansan, utilized every right-wing talking point in Cairo to embarrass the 44th president. He cherry-picked excerpts from Mr. Obama’s Cairo address in which the president was widely condemned on the Right for “apologizing” for past American misdeeds on foreign soil. But that is what the leader of a first-rate country does: he tells the former victims of U.S. policy “we were wrong; we won’t do this again.”
But SecState Pompeo now, like Sarah Palin (and others) then, lampooned President Obama for “capitulating” to our enemies. And Mr. Pompeo’s ongoing, unhealthy fixation with Iran unseals the root of his animus: the successful 2015 (six-nation) accord that his boss pulled down last year merely because it shined a light on how American diplomacy and negotiation could actually bring about an agreement between parties that were (and remain today) historically inimical to one another.
One might also be tempted to label Benjamin Netanyahu an autocrat; he’s firmly in control of the foreign policy of two nations: his own and Donald Trump’s—especially where Middle Eastern affairs are concerned—as they are here.
13
OK America, listen to the man who would be your DICTATOR:
“I’d rather negotiate with murderers and thugs than the other party - they stick to the truth and moral high ground while we talk atop piles of rotting corpses”.
“Anything one of our best-ranked presidents (by history and results) was wrong and will be destroyed - ‘cause I like YOUR art of the deal”.
“I looked in Kim’s eyes and saw his heart” and knew he’d stop building bombs and missiles, but I had to end Obama’s deal with Iran because it was working too well. I looked in Putin’s eye snd knew he’d keep lending my failing businesses money”.
Meanwhile: he’s wrecking our economy, increasing federal debt and deficit, destroying individuals who rely on government salaries or services and hiding from the inevitable Mueller Team report.
Time for the Republicans in Congress to stop the madness before he makes us a one-party country: Trumpanik if he wins, Democratic if he loses - and YOU and your power and responsibility to shape tis nation vanish first - then your jobs.
Act responsibly and you still have a chance to keep your seats.
Or, instead of looking for the best-qualified candidates, I’ll have to vote a straight party line to make sure I’ll still have the right to vote.
Show some spine, do your job and remove the guy who has no respect for your office!
13
@Eatoin Shrdlu: The God they make in their own image is always on their side.
2
Someday, hopefully soon, Trump will be gone, and exposed as the fraud that he is. It will be interesting to see how Pompeo, Bolton, Graham, McConnell, Ryan et al walk back their unquestioning support for such an obviously criminal, incompetent and dangerous would be dictator. It will also be interesting to see how high they raise the bar for the next Democrat to hold the office. Will they be back to freaking out over a beige suit or being photographed in shirtsleeves with feet up on the desk?
9
Turkey, Saudi monarchy, now that symbol of progress and prosperity Egypt. Aligning with Israel. The coalition of the willing.
Somewhere in Brooklyn the ancient texts are being reread. Teheran is actually the capitol of Israel. Trump would say it.
That's the fantasy.
The reality. Too much work.not enough time. Even for memorizing Mike and his hawk friends Bolton and all the rest. I still think the real danger is use of thermo nuclear devices. Ruin the world just in time for the next election cycle.
This is who we are. Obama? Trump in blackface. Pompeo? Hillary with an eating disorder.
The piling on in the end will be monumental. I'm beginning to understand blood lust.
Tiny feet. Must be all those operations to correct a deviated septum. Thanks Gail.
1
poetic, thought provoking. great style.
1
For Mitch and Lindsay; as long as the president keeps bringing on conservative judges then he (predator in chief)can do what he wants to whomever he wants, and by golly whenever he wants.
3
@R.Terrance: Today's "Federalist Society" are the founder's anti-federalists.
3
Trump and his dictator buddies are the REAL New World Order the far right has been fear mongering about for decades.
5
There's a national crisis, and he's in the White House.
7
The question for every American who opposes this type of rhetoric which is clearly meant not only to divide us as a country but to ally us with autocrats and dictators around the world--how long will we put up with this administration? Will we wait until America is well and truly gone or will we take to the streets and let our displeasure and desires be known? It is up to us, and right now we are doing nothing to stop this.
124
Rather than suggesting, as Mr. Pompeo did, that Iran start behaving as a "normal country," he might ask that Mr. Trump start acting like a normal president.
9
It wouly arrear Pompeo has lost contact with the West Point honor code. He fabrications regularly perform a major disservice to his alumni.
8
Yes, trump's affinity for strongmen has been well-established, but so has his amorality, cruelty, authoritarianism, ignorance and dishonesty. We need to stop characterizing his actions as simply norm-breaking and unprecedented. He is dangerous and unqualified to be president of a democracy. And, surprise surprise, the strongmen know this.
5
Mr. Trump is devoid of any sophistication; He is nothing more than a used car sales man, who knows how to bamboozle the portion of the US public who buys used cars. Hence it is not difficult to understand him and anticipate his moves. Sooner than later he will shoot himself in the foot - such as invoking presidential emergency powers - and will be gone in no time.
That, however, cannot be said about Mr. Pompeo. Just look at the path he has taken to end up with his current position. He has strategically placed himself in the presidential line of succession. By no means, that is accidental.
Mr. Pompe is the most cunning and the most dangerous individual in Trump's administration. He certainly has presidential ambitions and, I submit, he is waiting for the right conditions to make his move. If Democrats have any sense, they will be watching him like a hawk!
6
Egyptian President al-Sisi has jailed, killed and tortured tens of thousands of political prisoners. How ironic that Pompeo would excoriate Obama for his Middle East policies in Cairo, supporting al-Sisi and other autocratic dictators in the region. Clearly this is "Trump normal," support autocratic repression for Trump's "friends."
75
I'm convinced that this behavior is all part of a giant fraternity stunt. It's a nasty show that, one way or another, must come to an end. And its history must be published so that its instigators can be held to account. Then America can go back to being the exemplar for the evolution of democracy.
3
@Charles Packer
Yes, it will end one way or another; but there is no guarantee that, at that point, its damage to the US social fabric will not be so extensive that little of the US democracy will be left to evolve.
I’m disgusted with Pompeo. Shouldn’t internal policy making end at our waters’ edge? This administration is more intent upon punishing internal-US opponents than it is upon dealing with international adversaries.
4
Will somebody please take the checkbook away from our Leader before he spends our tax money on “Trump’s Folly” like the petty dictator that he is. Any unobligated funds that exist today should immediately be returned to the taxpayers since these are indicative of padded budgets. Also, the debt ceiling should be reduced to pay down the National Debt.
2
Sometimes, in the quiet of the night, I think 0f Russian, Chinese, and North Korean translators are busily dissecting the NYTimes comments to weigh in our vile distaste for our government. Yes, we may not like our leaders but, at least, we are allow to say so without the repercussion of having somebody banging on our door. It's in our favor that trump's government will eventually be replaced by an another administration that will, hopefully, have the zeal to reverse and eradicate everything this trump disaster has stain on the fabric of our American flag. ( Okay, what comes around, goes around and I heard this before.)
2
When you throw a brick into a pond two things happen. The brick makes a splash making ripples, and sends other particles of water back into the water which also makes a splash. Each of these causing their own ripples in a totally unpredictable dynamic. So thank you Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan for throwing a brick and starting a series of events that may very well damage even you more seriously than you could imagine.
4
I'll never forget the NPR coverage before Trump's election, where a reporter chatted with a Chinese student in NYC. The student was asked if Trump could make head-way with China in trade talks and the student said to the effect, "China would love a president Trump since he has no morals, they can manipulate him because he doesn't stand for American ideals."
I'm not sure who the student was, but sounds like a PhD. candidate to me.
7
When considering Mike Pompeo's remarks, we need to focus on root cause, folks, not on the shiny objects thrown out by Trump and his minions to divert attention. Mike Pompeo is not trying to create a new world order. He's playing to an audience of one - Donald Trump - and hoping that by saying things important to the president (i.e., appearing strong and tough, being the best, doing anything that's the opposite of Obama, maximizing his own personal gain/interests, belittling his current adversaries) that he'll be kept around long enough to create his own future post-Trump (i.e., giving well-paid speeches, joining corporate boards, being a talking head on Fox, etc.). That's what this is all about, nothing more.
4
There is something about Pompeo that engenders lack or respect.
Perhaps Pompeo is a true acolyte of Trump, somehow truly believing the seemingly mandatory encomiums offered by cabinet members at their meetings with Trump.
Perhaps Pompeo truly believes in an American foreign policy that is totally supportive of Israel's current administration, totally hostile to Iran, indifferent to our European allies and Japan, and of course totally opposite of whatever Obama favored; and believes that, because Trump's foreign policy views are so inchoate, he and Bolton can shape it.
Or perhaps Pompeo is the ultimate climber, willing to say and do what Mattis, Kelly and McMaster could not bring themselves to say and do so he could become and succeed as Secretary of State.
Obviously, given his academic achievements, Pompeo is highly intelligent. But when one thinks of a high ranking at West Point, one hopes to see candor and intellectual honesty and courage that seem to be missing. Does anyone ever see Pompeo telling Trump what Trump does not want to hear, much less ever thinking about resigning over policy? I don't.
3
Should read "lack of respect".
1
This is yet another example of how the current administration is acting against America's best interests and values. It makes sense that Russia's government wanted Trump in power-- at every turn, he and his cronies demonstrate their hatred for America, our values, and our people. They are steering us in destructive directions on foreign policy, the environment, education, the rule of law, a free press, civil rights, workers rights, and womens rights...
2
This is labeled as ‘news analysis ‘ when it ought to be ‘broken record ‘. Obama’s strategy of capitulation based on revisionist history of American oppression was a total failure with disastrous consequences. Add the Iran surrender, er deal, with its billions in cash for terrorists and despots and the path to nuclearization of the regions biggest threat was sealed. Those countries have always been, and perhaps will always be, ruled by unsavory characters. But Secretary Pompeo reestablished that America no longer bows to any country, Obama’s history notwithstanding. Thank him for it b
3
The telling comment by William Burns, published at the end of the piece, points to one of the underlying flaws of Trump himself and to an important weakness in his adminstration's policies towards the Middle East - which is that no one repects his loud and cheap theatrics on the world stage, or his lack of respect for his own institutions and the American people as a whole.
12
Thank you for this article and please continue to have front page stories about our elected officials who tell lies and liars who say them. We’ve reached the point with the Trump administration that conventional deference to the office of the president should no longer be tolerated.
I have noticed a sharp divide in business and social situations this last year, that I attribute to living in the Trump era. Some people act as if they’ve been given permission to lie, misrepresent, and increase their selfish behaviors without reservations.
The actions in Washington are reverberating to the rest of the country. The successful future of our country will be for all to see the comeuppance and legal price paid for willful misrepresentation, collusion against our country, and embracing dictators and autocrats over our long standing allies.
131
@Scott I second the necessity of continuing to expose and challenge the policies of this administration. Democracy is being undermined by this administration and the media (newspaper, television and internet) are the last bastions of defense in an effort to preserve our ideals if and when more enlightened individuals are able to assume positions of influence in our government..
18
@Scott
I agree that articles such as this need to be published and aired by all networks, but if this doesn't change the minds or actions of Congress then we are whistling in the wind or until such time that the public demands action.
9
@Sledge The amazing thing is that the great majority of Republicans in congress and 40% of the electorate, some $56 MILLION U.S. citizens have decided to back Mr. Trump in all that he is doing to the party, the country, and to the Western World. They don't have a problem with Mr. Trump's strong relationship with Mr. Putin and the other dictators of the world. The next two years, I believe, will determine if this country will become an autocratic country with Mr. Trump as the dictator for life and the Trump Party in control of the government (formerly known as the Republican Party). The Democratic Party will just be in the history books as the party that did not stand up and effectively fight back... and the other 60% of the electorate, some 84 MILLION U.S. citizens just didn't care that much.
My bottom line, as far as the outcome of the situation the country is in: Mr. Trump will be thrown out on his ear and the Republicans will be so diminished that they will become a much lessor party...much like the losses they felt in 1931 and 2008. The base core of the party, for the most part, will see the great fight is over with and they will move on with their non-political lives. Hannity and his friends will continue to lambast, but will have a much smaller audience. Here's hoping for the best.
Not only for America...but for the world.
19
In Cairo, Pompeo said “The age of self-inflicted American shame is over." Actually, it's just begun with this disgraceful and shameful administration that would throw a US president under the bus on foreign soil. The depravity of this administration has no boundaries. And Trump has succeeded in molding Pompeo in his own sordid image, which means Pompeo will remain in his position for the long term, unlike Tillerson who would not abandon his personal integrity for the sake of this president.
246
@Leo "And Trump has succeeded in molding Pompeo in his own sordid image". You got that right. When Trump became president two years ago, it took a while before his people in his administration to succumb to his autocratic personality. Now, it seems like as soon as they are hired, they start repeating Trump's lies and dissing everyone in the world. If we don't get him out of here soon, he will destroy this country so badly, it may never come back.
3
“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy. I really do,” Mr. Trump said"
In 20 spoken words, a constellation of Trump awfulness.
1. Three superlatives. "Many" ways, "far" more, "really" do. The president talks like a ten year old. Everything is always the best, greatest, worst, biggest, yada, yada. He does it so much that people become accustomed to it, but it's an absurd way of communicating.
2. Trump accusing another party of lacking honor in negotiations strains the outer limits of irony. Just on immigration, Trump has reneged on deals over and over again. The president, gripped as he is by debilitating narcissism, is incapable of perceiving the overwhelming irony of his statement.
3. Cryin' Chuck - layers of awfulness here. To casually insult the senate minority leader during a period where negotiations to end an increasingly damaging government shutdown are necessary is, to say the least, counterproductive. To do it with a juvenile nickname is next level pettiness. To negatively contrast Schumer with America's foremost national adversary, as a trade war plays out, is just mind bogglingly inappropriate. To frame the contrast as one of honor, well that's just the cherry atop two scoops of awfulness.
It's actually difficult to accurately describe the level of awfulness president Donald Trump represents. The evidence is so pervasive that listing it ends up reading like a hate manifesto, when it's really just the facts.
363
@Rob: Not only that, but he also insinuates that his fellow Americans, the Democrats, as represented by Schumer and Pelosi, are less "honorable" than "China" - a country that couldn't care less about the American people. The Dems are fighting for the interests of the American people - Trump and China are fighting for their own, separate interests, and do not care what happens to ordinary Americans, as long as they keep hauling in the dough for themselves.
22
@Rob Well summarized. What gives me pause and makes me cringe is the that Trump is a manifestation of the darkest, least reflective part of our collective soul. How to explain those faithful 37-39 percent of avid admirers of and collaborators in his bottomless awfulness.
24
@Rob. Meanwhile Rob, Trump supporters and the Senate Republicans either agree with his vileness, out of their own resentments and anger, or they keep silent in the face of his clear violations of the Constitution. So what do you make of them? Trump alone is nothing but a big bag of emptiness, but he fosters and espouses superciliousness (his juvenile name calling) and hatred of others (racism etc.) and political fear in the Republican Party.
Only when the Republicans turn on him and vote for our Constitution, only when his supporters awaken from their distorted view of what the world “owes” them will we finally see the nakedness of D. Trump and everything he supposedly stands for — but doesn’t because his mind is changed as swiftly as the wind. It will be an ugly sight, as much for what we will see about him as for what we will have to see about ourselves.
11
""To those who watched Mr. Pompeo harshly question Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2015 when he was a House member investigating the Benghazi attacks, the fact that he would attack a Democratic president was hardly surprising. But that he did it on foreign soil angered some diplomats, who subscribe to the adage that partisan politics should stop “at the water’s edge.”"
I've always seen Pompeo as intensely partisan, but to watch him toady up to Trump is sad. It's hard for me to believe this man was first in his class at West Point, where they teach honor, truth and values as much as military strategy.
Both men seem to envy autocrats because of their unfettered ability to do what they want without the messy give and take of democracy. Of course, these days, the president, and to a certain extent, his secretary of state, are peas in a pod: indulging a hard-line cruel streak that makes mince meat of what used to be America's generosity of spirit.
The expression that keeps running through my mind is, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
The power of these men isn't supposed to be absolute, but they're acting like it is.
247
@ChristineMcM. Not just military men are toadies. Where’s McConnell, who by calling for a vote on the budget bill over the veto of the Prez could open the whole gov’t and continue to negotiate on immigrants. Face it, kiddo, neither of these guys give two figs for those people who voted for them. Their goal is the accumulation of money and power and they don’t much care how it’s done. Apparently, neither do their supporters.
17
@ChristineMcM Excellent response to this current corrupt administration. Thank you.
15
@ChristineMcM - Look at the likes of Erik Prince and Tom Cotton. The military may teach honor, truth and values, but there's no guarantee they sink in.
9
These make up the touchstone of the so-called president. Absolutely no policy, neither domestic nor foreign. A disregard for decorum and diplomatic decency. Endlessly insulting everyone who disagrees with his view that he is a brilliant man and incredible leader. Yes, he is the lightning rod for our outrage. But what of those who stand idly by? Senators and Congresspeople who say nothing in protest of this absurd joke of a man? Mitch and Lindsey? What of a base of support among the American People who continue to standby a "leader" that is essentially looting the capital? A media that obsesses over every contradictory statement made by a pathological liar and con man installed at the very center of our democracy by a foreign hostel power and charged with dismantling as much of our democracy that hasn't already been eroded by the 30 year assult by corporate criminals, both foreign and domestic? When has been removed from office, after he has been put in jail for a lifetime of criminal activity, what of those who stood by him and stood up for him or those that stood silently by?
88
If Pompeo and Trump are enamored with Xi of China and Sisi of Egypt they should resign from the government.They are being un American and disgracing themselves and us.Their behavior is petty and childish and makes our Constitutional Democracy a diminished entity. No one should be allowed to ignore our values here or abroad.These two men are a disgrace to the country and have zero credibility.If you degrade Americans and support dictators you do not belong in the government.
114
@Janet Michael
Sadly it's much more than two, aside from few meekly voices, there's zero profiles in integrity, common sense and bravery on a side of complicit, sold out GOP = Grand Oligarch Party.
16
I have known many politicians on both sides, and there are honest dedicated Republicans out there.
In office.
They just don’t want to accept the horrible fact that their leader is a criminal self-interested creep who makes Nixon look like the model of honesty.
If they do not start looking out for the power being stripped from THEIR institutions soon, they’re going to find themselves unemployed.
It’s difficult for a rock-ribbed Republican to realize the party has been betrayed by a con man and his few followers - I hope they think this through soon.
I would hate to see Congress without a vocal respected minority which offers different answers and negotiates compromises. But they have been so cowed by their leader that they’re heading towards the dust pile of historical failures.
3
Trump, Pompeo and company are retreads of Cold War support of any strongman who shouted his anti-communism loud enough. Any dissent brought on the "comsymp" or "fellow traveler" or "un-American" smears. It wasn't just Republicans who practiced this method but they have been the vanguard since the 1940s. Here we are again. China bad but those who disagree with me here at home are worse. Enemies of the people as it were.
42
Putin and the Chinese are not, officially Communists?
Trump and co. Use the same demagogic techniques of McCarthy, Nixon and HUAC, but their enemy is anybody getting in the way of making Trump a king, with total power.
They use the methods of the Cold War thugs, but their goal is a strong-man regime, FUNDED by Russia and the Saudis right here in the US.
They are apparently willing to fo, and risk, anything and everything to control even a USA under the real control of others.
2
I’m tired of Trump demonizing me because I am not a Republican. And now he’s doing it overseas.
15
pompeo's arrogance is galling. he's a hyper partisan sycophant, to all people, donald trump? yes, the same donald trump that lies with the frequency that other people take breaths. pompeo and trump's affinity toward brutal, murderous autocrats is beneath contempt. vote trump, and his fellow, mean spirited, insecure, intellectually, morally, and ethically challenged administration OUT in 2020.
16
@john dolan. McConnell is just as sycophantic in his Senate behavior but he keeps his mouth shut. None of this would be happening if Republican legislators had any will to honor their Oath of Office to defend theConstituion and the United States. Silence in the face of their evil and lying is being complicit. What will those who suffered the most from hurricane damage do when the federal gov’t tells them that the repair money is being spent to build a wall? (That’s what’s behind all of this.). Will you still love Trump or will you feel “stiffed” the way his suppliers and investors did?
8
Sen ("Cryin' Chuck") Shumer vs. Pres. ("Con Don") Trump:
when he deals a nasty card the response ought to be pulling a mirror out of the deck.
This ploy must be de-fanged. With Pres. Trump (sigh) one must enlist anti-bullying tactics, NOW!
5
@virginia Are you equating Sen. Schumer with Trump? If so his name is spelled with a "c" I believe. And many are "crying" since Trump came on the scene. How to deflate this man has been a 2 year process and sadly not as successful as it might be, with a normal person in normal times...none of which prevail or exist at the moment.
Another neocon, another war in the offing. Obama negotiated a complex multinational deal to denuclearize Iran. Now Pompeo, John Bolton, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only have blown up that deal, but now want to blow up Iran by forming an axis of autocrats. Shades of Frank Underwood and wag the dog!
11
@Paul Wortman. Can’t you see the Armageddon dreams of God’s Second Coming here? Surely you don’t think that pulling troops from Syria will make the area more stable?
Along with Arab states who have never loved the Persian Empire, reduced, in territory but not power over the years.
What’s funny in a very sick way: Trump and Bibi are doing it for the same reason - failure means mire than loss of power - it means trials and probable findings of guilt.
1
Here just some characteristic of psychopath...
pathological lying.
glib and superficial charm.
grandiose sense of self.
need for stimulation.
cunning and manipulative.
lack of remorse or guilt.
shallow emotional response.
callousness and lack of empathy.
Sound familiar?
We're in a very critical moment now.
23
As you say here today, Mark, regarding the danger of ‘War Hawks’ right here in America, “Mr. Pompeo’s focus was on making the Iran of today start “behaving like a normal country.”
Additionally, based on your serious reporting here and earlier, more Americans are becoming aware of the danger of America ‘acting like an Empire itself’ in several aspects and periods of our recent and historical policies and actions on a bipartisan basis.
Which raises the comparison to Hannah Arendt’s warning that,
“Empire abroad entails tyranny at home” — which has certainly been proven by previous ‘leaders’ (Fuhrer in German) as well as under Emperor Trump’s imperialist presidential regime today.
4
Sometimes you have to jump into political bed with less than savory characters, as the alternative is worse. See Iran as the classic example. Who would you rather see ruling the Persians? Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi or the terrorist Islamic radicals of today?
@Mike
In 1953, the US and Great Britain instigated the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi because Mosaddegh wanted to take control of Iranian oil away from what is now BP. Our interference in Iran was never about good guys or bad guys. As always, it was about oil.
@Mike you have to do better than that. In Iran the one led directly to the other. Besides that their unsavory characters are a lot smarter than our unsavory-character-in-chief.
Trump, Pompeo and the rest of this administration aren't just incompetent and embarrassing on the world stage. They are dangerous.
An American President who favors foreign dictators over our own democracy should be removed from office, period.
11
Mommy mommy, China was nice to me... I like China... Really, your American President Trump is as transparent as a two year old child.
10
Why can’t we go after these guys for treason? They are undermining the stability our own democratic institutions.
12
Impeachment then banishment to one of those "strongman countries" he's so in "love" with can't come soon enough!
10
Calling Democrats names has a proud history in Kansas. It is, after all, the home state of Bob Dole who was hatchet man for Gerald Ford as his VP running mate. That goes back 40 years. More recently, the state gave us Kris Kobach whose general hatred focuses on hating immigrants as a route to hating democrats. But Mike Pompeo has taken Kansas hatred of Democrats international at the behest the hater in chief in the White House.
Pompeo hates Obama for taking the mythical "Apology Tour." So Pompeo is out actually apologizing for Obama's mythically destroying the Middle East after W. mythically brought it to peace and democracy. Ahhh yes, hating Obama has deep roots in the GOP. It even leads to loving brutes who rule in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Hatred is a major unifying force in the GOP. But Trump and his crew have taken it to new heights...or lows, if you wish. Hating Obama has become official American policy.
20
@kcbob
And so many of us would be thrilled just to have him back!
5
@kcbob
Hates it almost as much as he professes to love the New Testament on his desk.
"America's 'new beginning' in the Middle East?"
Guess instead of the CIA overthrowing democratically elected leaders, as we did in Iran (skewing its subsequent evolution), we'll simply go all in for dictators already in place.
Sisi, murdering Saudi crown prnces, et al, welcome! It's America's "new beginning" for your people. So whatever you do, no matter how crazy and cruel, remember, we're good with it. Need convincing? Just look at how we support Israel no matter what it does or tens of thousands it kills. So, we're good? Good.
6
“The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering,” Mr. Pompeo said at the American University in Cairo."
So much needless suffering Mr. Pompeo? Are you ignorant of the worst suffering in decades in Yemen and the role you and Mr. Trump play in it?
The age of self-inflicted shame is over Mr. Pompeo? Who in the world are you talking to, MBS?
Perhaps Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Trump should be sent a matching pair of bone saws.
I write the above knowing full well the multitude of other examples that one could give of this Administration's "needless suffering" and "self-inflicted shame".
8
Nary a day goes by when there is not more news about Trump or his administration that makes your skin crawl. All we can do is look forward to impeachment, a resignation or voting this failure of a president out of office.
13
When the Republican Party demanded that we invade Iraq based on lies, then ignored the generals who said we needed five times as many troops, then neglected to secure the weapons depots because they were to busy securing oil fields. then fired the Iraqi police and military leaving tens of thousands of armed men with no jobs, they destabilized the Middle East.
Saddam Hussein was a Stalinist. He was oppressing extreme Sunni Islamista, even making their beards illegal. The was no Al Queda in Iraq before 2003.
The Republican War in Iraq created chaos in Iraq for years. That chaos sent millions of refugees to Syria, destabilizing that country. The refusal of Rumsfeld to stabilize Iraq left it open to a new branch of Al Qaeda which eventually morphed into ISIS, which expanded into the chaos created in Syria. The Iraq War destabilized the Middle East.
Republicans then created the Great Recession by letting global banks ruin wild. The resulting stock market collaps (under Bush) sent large amounts of money into commodities, doubling the price of food in the Middle East, further destabilizing the region.
Republicans created the exodus to Europe that the alt-right exploits.
Republicans criticizing Obama for not cleaning up their mess well enough, while they pretend Bush never existed and that they didn't claim that opposing Bush was treason, is yet more anti-historical lies from the Party of liars and con-men.
Pompeo's criticisms apply more to Bush and Trump than to Obama.
20
Pompeo blames the Obama administration on his trip to the Middle East and doesn't mention GW Bush, Abu Graib & the Iraq War? I thought politics was supposed to end at our borders.
6
Shameful, just shameful.
11
What was strange about the speech I heard Mike Pompeo give was that I had thought it was a self reflection on the lack of any progress made by Donald Trump and his administration.
It sounded more like Mike Pompeo was not only bowing down and licking Donald Trump's boots, but was bowing and scrapping to impress MBS the Saudi Butcher.
What I find even more repulsive is this phony, Mike Pompeo, is he is supposed to be an evangelical Christian who keeps an open bible on his desk at all times, well he missed one of the ten commandments....Thou Shall Not Lie.
Mike Pompeo is starting to prove himself a good shill for Trump who mastered the art of lying and dishonesty in a very short time.
Mike Pompeo is far removed from men of integrity like George C. Marshall or Dean Acheson.
6
The inmates are truly running the asylum.
And, Crazy town is running rampant...
6
At the core of why we have an incoherent domestic and foreign agenda is Trump and his administration's habit of filling up their narratives demonizing personalities and leaving little room for policy--if there was any to begin with.
52
While I believe police and first responders are underpaid and have incredibly hard jobs, I feel like there was a significant overreaction in the positive perception of “law and order” in the Post 9/11 era. In many ways this dovetails into our current predicament; conservativism under Dubya embraced the FDNY, NYPD, etc. but over time, with the steady drum beat of messaging and propaganda from Fox News it’s morphed into an embrace of quasi-authoritarianism. It’s “American” as long as it’s white, it owns a gun and it thinks like me.
I appreciate that dogmatic structures are needed in the military and in the police force but they do not help in dealing with the nuances and complexities of governing a liberal democracy.
11
@Dudesworth
The Constitution calls for Justice and Tranquility. Republicans keep trying to replace those principles with law and order so they can enforce unjust laws with militarized police.
Instead of the general welfare they abuse the Constitution to promote the specific welfare of mega rich shareholders.
Read your Constitution and compare it to what Republicans say and do every day.
1
@Dudesworth
Underpaid?
What planet are you living on?
Salary, overtime, details, discounts on everything from leather jackets to meals at diners?
1
@matty...my cop friends make under 50k and work grueling hours...and put their lives on the line...the only discounts they get are free unhealthy snacks at 7-11.
Saddam Hussein's legislature had more independence and courage than today's Congressional Republicans.
6
This article is the result of failure to understand Trump's communication style. Also, it is an attempt to hide Time's failure to properly report troop withdrawal from Syria which started today.
1
@Alex E
Trumps communication style is to lie and bully. We all understand far too well.
Many of us also understand that that is why Republicans like him.
1
Billboards all over America should be showcasing the picture of Trump with Russia's ambassador and another Russian representative in the Oval Office right after Trump's election, taken by a Russian photographer (because no Americans were allowed in the room), all smiles and good will. We Americans weren't even aware of this outrage until the photo appeared on Russian television. This photo should be a constant reminder of where Trump's loyalty resides, and by whom he is controlled. It should be a reminder that we have a traitor, a Manchurian Candidate, in the White House.
14
@NickFury
If this is truly the case, one has to wonder why the American public have not already corrected such an insane situation for the United States of all nations !
This is what happens when a bunch of want to be dictators grab power. How did we the get here?, it’s our collective fault for letting capitalism runaway with democracy, leaving some of neighbors struggling and left behind. The prescription appears to be democratic-socialism to restore democracy.
9
@ad
Nope! The solution is education. The thing relentlessly resisted by American philistines.
2
Trump and Pompeo, doing what they do best, nothing whatsoever.
7
People like Pompeo, Trump, and other far right conservatives have always admired autocrats. Even some moderates like Eisenhower were willing to embrace autocrats like the French puppet government in Vietnam that refused to participate in national elections after the French defeat. Eisenhower said all the Vietnamese would have voted for the Communists, anyway, essentially turning his back on the generation that fought dearly in Asia because of French, Dutch, and British greed. America shouldn't take sides in a religious wars between Sunnis and Shiites, and understand Iranians have legitimate grievance against the US and Britain for orchestrating the 1953 Iranian coup. Iran believed their oil was a national treasure not a private trophy, and Trump said we should have seized Iraqi oil with the same jest he had for Russia's help in 2016. People like Hatch and Graham became Trump's sycophants because he's turning America poor and dirty again and show how many conservatives have always believed the ends justify the means.
13
Mr Trump reminds me very much of my schooldays, when the school bullies (there was usually one in each year) would use physical threats combined with trying to be pals with those who might otherwise have been potential rivals. This was also reflected in his early attempts at "diplomacy" in respect of the North Koreans, while he brusqued long-standing Nato allies like France and Germany at international conferences: knowing that those nations, although offended by his undiplomatic manner, would be unwilling to sacrifice the good relations established by his predecessors.
As the president (he hardly merits a capital "p") he has nonetheless made the USA as a whole more or less a laughing stock, only comparable with the former UK minister Boris Johnson as regards his lack of dignity. And we can hardly predict his erratic behaviour, apparently guided by mood swings worthy of adolescents whose hormones have taken control.
7
Trump has taken a vow to serve the American people and that includes working with the officials elected by the people. His ongoing lies, corruption, self dealing and traitorous speech and actions prove that he is incapable of upholding that oath. Trump must be impeached now.
5
This report reminds me of tall tales told by a lovable liar to a gathering of children. It persuades the young and uninitiated. Oldtimers are not so impressed. I sense a children's coloring book in the making.
3
The only great “self-inflicted American shame” that needs correcting is the current administration.
6
Trump and his staff would do well do avoid mentioning Obama as doing so just reminds people of the well-staffed, professionally run White House that existed under the previous Administration. In the third year of Trump's presidency it is still amateur hour. Chaos, weekly resignations, an unprecedented number of lies flowing daily, and a know-nothing, divisive president who has no interest in governing, and who treats US enemies with more respect than he does his own government. We are well past the point of breaking norms, Trump is a treasonous poser, who has zero loyalty to anyone other than his own kleptocratic network of allies.
9
Remember when American political parties stopped at the water's edge?
Pompeo is an embarrassment to all Americans for his recent overseas speeches.
5
The real shame is Mr. Pompeo's parasitic reliance on the idiocy of a President evidently willing to provoke Iran to some kind of eschatological show-down in the Middle East. American Evangelicals like Mr. Pompeo proudly wear this stigmata as the pledge of their fealty to a deluded version of America's and Israel's putative biblical role in world history---notwithstanding that the American people as a whole are never included in an open and honest discussion of this occult version Christianity and Judaism. And, of course, notwithstanding what catastrophes await the imposition of this delusion not only on the foreign policy of our country but also upon all the peoples in Europe and the Middle East who will suffer from this preposterous folly as it unfolds. Iran poses it problems in the Middle East, but so do Israel and her passion for regional supremacy and a wholesale veto power over American policy across the whole range of our interests there. These problems will never be solved without the imposition of a severe U.S. limit to this very attitude, as well as a deep and genuine co-operative diplomacy that includes all the players with a stake in the outcome of diplomacy in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
2
Trump cannot resist fighting old battles he thinks he's won--so he's still trashing Hillary.
Pompeo was just so offended by President Obama's thoughtful ruminations on the weaknesses with prior American arrogance, where our actions were predicted on the notion we knew what was best for everyone every where, which usually came down to supporting strongmen, dictators and really nasty despots so we could keep the oil flowing and the rich rich, both in America and abroad.
So now Pompeo now returns to the America for the rich and powerful.
At least he's bringing us back to our traditional role, dating back to the Spanish American war.
4
Realpolitik, isn’t that what they call it? I call it an utter lack of moral and ethical considerations. It’s become fashionable among Bible-toting Republicans like “our leader” and Mike Pense. Sorry, that’s not the America I want to be part of. It’s not America, period. Throw the rascals out in the next election!
1
I am an old lady now and I have seen and heard many presidents in my time and I have NEVER heard one who demeaned the other political party as viciously as does our present leader. He is, without a doubt, totally unfit to be president of anything...let alone our country. The members of his Republican party should be totally ashamed of themselves for backing him. I would love to see all of them voted out of their offices. They do not deserve to hold positions of power. I hope our country survives this administration without too much damage.
10
Only yesterday Mike Pompeo was publicly trashing President Obama's Middle Eastern foreign policy as -- what was it he said? -- "when America retreats, chaos often follows. When we neglect our friends, resentment builds. And when we partner with enemies, they advance."
Yup, for sure Mike, but you have the wrong president.
15
@John lebaron I guess leaving Syria is different under Trump. I really have a difficult time paying any attention to anything that comes out of the WH
There is no complement greater than to be disparaged by Trump and his enablers.
5
In fairness to Trump, the U.S.'s support for autocratic governments is hardly new and I'm sure others have written confirming comments in this regard. No need to call out just the Obama admin on this. Obama did not reject the Saudi's or Netanyahu's governments to cite just two.
1
Trump is sure acting like he’s an agent of interests other than that of the United States. We are fast becoming both a joke and an unreliable pariah overseas. Trump is squandering American status internationally, which will have consequences.
4
Living in Europe, I am daily reminded by the media, colleagues and friends that the United States has become an inconsiderate and unsympathetic, toxic predator. Trump, Pompeo, Pence, all share the same authoritarian inclinations. Their political motivation is very simple: keep America, and keep the global political environment destabilized. The irony of their actions is America is seen as unreliable, a distrusted former ally and a complete self-centered demagoguery--a narcissistic reflection of its President.
7
Here is my comprehensive list of all the honorable things that I remember Trump doing.
1.
51
Would someone please investigate Mike Pompeo's West Point record? That he finished first in his class doesn't seem right. And if he did in fact legitimately finish first, what does that say about the rest of his graduating class?
68
@Dave
And while you're at it, check into Trump's record at Wharton. He has the vocabulary of a sixth grader and basically doesn't read.
10
Trump is not presidential and Pompous Pompeo is far from diplomatic.
It is abhorrent that both of these cretins would disparage the leadership, duly elected leaders, former, in the case of Mr. Obama, and current in the case of of Schumer and Pelosi, in front of leaders of other countries and in their press.
Is the hate of Obama and the Democratic leadership so deep the Trump "administration" finds it necessary to continue the adolescent screeching?
60
We have a rogue runaway government that has no moral compass and no consideration for their oath or the constitution they swore to uphold. We have a madman for a president who is capable of creating grave and serious situations which would put America at great risk. At the same time the corrupt and gutless GOP stands behind him with no concern for the country. They too have no consideration for their oath or the constitution they swore to uphold. They are only interested in their partisan politics and power. GOP no longer stands for Government of the People, but Government of the Party. Just like Putin's Russia. Trump is trying hard to emulate his favorite idol. Trump wants to destroy America and democracy. McConnell refuses to allow a vote to open up the government. Malignancy needs to be cutout or the whole country dies.
51
Trump knows nothing of negotiating or good faith. You cannot be a liar and an autocrat and still be able to work with others. We should all know that for Trump America was never first. There is only room for Trump. He has little regard for the 800,000 federal employees he is seriously hurting and even less regard for anyone of color. His major goal is to make as much money off this presidency as he can before he is impeached, resigns, or is indicted. Trump only hires people like him. He get's rid of his mistakes. So there is no surprise that Pompeo supports his every whim and so do all of his Senate republicans. I call his form of governing as structured chaos. Keep your eye on the ball if you can.
26
Here we have, on full display, the actions of traitors. Oath of office? Pledge of allegiance? Basic, fundamental patriotism? Nope... just pure personal greed and expediency.
39
The leaders of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, The Philippines, Brazil never had it so good - an American President who is actively, even if inadvertently, dismantling democracy, rule of law, checks and balances, faith in government and media in the US, whilst lauding and excusing all the former enemies.
Mr Trump is either very very naive, or the world's greatest saboteur.
35
Let the State Dept. conduct a global poll of the Obama presidency vs the Trump / Pompeo regime and the incumbent Secretary will instantaneously realize how despised and hated they are both abroad and at home.
15
“The age of self inflicted American shame is over”. I absolutely love it. That is as close to a perfect sentence as you can get. This is why I voted for Mr. Trump and will do so again.
3
What does that even mean? Trump didn’t say it. And one lucid sentence excuses a litany of treasonous behavior for you?
@Thor
One day, when you grow up, you'll understand the meaning of diplomacy.
I think your numbers are dwindling though.
Trump is showing all the hallmarks of a dictator. This is probably the sternest test the US Constitution has ever faced. The Republicans are failing miserably at discharging their Constitutional duties.
39
No matter how much and badly Trump lies, no matter what atrocious things stem from his WH, know it wasn't meant for you. It's all to hold together his last band of Deplorables. Those are all the audience he has, and they are as precious to him, as he to them.
13
Come on Dems - when will we start the impeachment hearings? And when will Mueller be ready to release his findings? Things are getting critical here. Thank you NY Times for your reporting.
6
1) The "self-inflicted" injury was the Second Iraq War, whose mindless destruction of the Iraqi state has produced global chaos and widened the reach of Iran.
2) Trump's "emergency powers" move on the border is just one more step toward a dictatorship, and the "embrace" of dictators begins at home. (Democrats need to give the baby his candy -- wall -- for now and protect rule of law, first, as Trump is seducing our "internal authoritarians" toward dictatorship and civil war.)
3) Pompeo has sold himself out with a glee that makes Colin Powell look demure as he ruined his credibility to support the Second Iraq War. Our support in the world continues to plummet.
4) People who dislike Trump need to separate their palpable disdain, however well grounded, from their critique of his ongoing attempts to set himself up as a dictator, which is real, and which, if emphasized, in a cool and factual manner, will help rally the less political and less knowledgeable, who are alienated by partisan "Trump hate," and who are the people upon whom all "strongmen" rely as they destroy democratic institutions. The water is getting close to a boil, and the frogs are still happy.
23
In defense of Secretary Powell; it is clear that he had been fed deliberately mendacious information by both Rumsfeld's Defense Department and the White House, primarily from Chaney.
Colin Powell's problem was accepting what should have been unimpeachable sources.
@Perverse Dear Perverse: The CIA was "leaking" with a megaphone, as were all the academics affiliated with CIA regional experts, starting in August of 2002, that (a) Saddam Hussein had NO weapons of mass destruction, (b) Hussein had NOTHING to do with 9/11, and (c) Hussein had NOTHING to do with Al-Qaeda. As the last-moment 4th Congressional District of WA Democratic candidate, meeting with the Yakima Herald editorial board, I made this point. "Doc" Hastings said that he had "secret intelligence" that I was wrong. The Yakima Herald took Doc's side (of course). There was no excuse for Powell to believe Rumsfield and Cheney, as they were having to over-rule the CIA professional intelligence. The CIA "leaks" through their affiliated academics was loud and long, and was really a "top of the lungs" Public Service Announcement. Destroying the Iraqi state is a humanitarian catastrophe that won't stop delivering horror and pain. I point to our "mock-de-nazificiation" of Germany after WWII, where our policy actually focused on keeping order, versus our utterly ignorant "de-Baathification" in Iraq that destroyed a highly functional state. We should have left the Iraqi state intact, while changing its leadership.
"Trump and Pompeo Embrace Autocrats and Disparage Opponents at Home"
sub headline:
And the Trump Doctrine of 'America First' has completely forgotten the welfare of "the forgotten men and women" whom it claims to be helping.
Under this fraud of a presidency, it will always be:
Trump First
Party Second
America Last
27
Just once, I'd like to hear some real criticism from the Republican Party about Trump's un-American sentiments. Or, does that entire party share his undemocratic feelings? It's becoming more and more obvious that the Republican Party is nothing but toadies and lackies, and there's no real leadership to be found there. Of course, this was always just under the surface of the Godly, family-values, flag-wrapped nonsense they pretended to for years and years. Their cynicism and pretense are right on the surface now. Steven Miller, Ann Coulter, Sean Hanity are now in charge of policy making, and the Republican Party makes no attempt to temper their poisonous influence. As for the "base" -the pick-up trucks with the Trump stickers and American flags are nothing but cheap sentiment and signs of the decay of the party and Trump's mockery of our traditional values. Those who truly love this country are sickened by what Trump has done to it and now he praises China's communists, and the Republicans make no comment. Trump is destroying the Republican Party, and it's about time.
35
Pompeo asserts that others underestimated radicals, just as the so-called administration he is in withdraws from a war zone vs ISIS, after waffling this way, and that way, and another way, and some other possible way, incoherently, foolishly, irresponsibly, unprofessionally, recklessly...
5
The repudiation of Obama's speeches and actions overseas is an affirmation of America. It was Obama who "disparaged" American values and policy, which, of course, this paper hearlded as some sort of second coming.
2
Donald Trump is the used car salesman that has sold America to foreign chop shops on behalf of republican greed, white nationalists and fearful ignorant citizens.
24
OY!!! Save us. Am getting sicker every day.
3
Neither Pompeo nor Trump is fit to shine President Obama's shoes. They lack the intelligence, grace, and dignity of our former occupant of the Oval Office. The world continues to laugh and/or be appalled at what we've become in the last two years.
Too, I'm very curious why trump has not given a nickname to Pelosi. I have a suspicion she would best him on that account and he's afraid of what she might call him.
41
Pompeo and Trump are many things--patriots are not among them.
41
Why then did our fathers storm the beaches at Normandy and Iwo Jima seventy some years ago, if we did not want to preserve Democracy as the our sacred philosophy of governance?
19
If I were Schumer and Pelosi, I would make it clear to Trump that he will address me as Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi especially in Public. Calling them Chuck and Nancy is disrespectful unless they call him Donald.
34
@scott k.
Yes, if "crying Chuck" is ok for the Trump University president, "lying Don" is surely more relevant..
3
Any time you want to figure out what Trump is doing simply ask what Putin wants, who, thanks to Kompromat, and Trump's patent corruption an amorality, is calling the shots. Any time Putin yanks "Donalds" leash, Trump does something else to destroy America while strengthening Putin and Russia.
20
Obviously, the reason Trump loves dictators is because he wants to be one, and already thinks he is.
32
Seems to me that "America's self inflicted shame" began in November 2016. Most Americans are left hoping and praying that we can get through the next two years and not inflict too much carnage in that time. Then we hope we can repair the damage that has been done, in so many ways, by this clueless and criminal administration.
23
@Tom
I was thinking the same! Trump knows he is useless and green with envy whenever he detects smarts, decency, and beauty in others!
Obama is an obsession with the Trump administration. Undermining him brings euphoria and joy to its authoritarian ilk.
15
@Usha Srinivasan All because Mr. Obama bested Trump at a fund raising roast in NYC. Trump is unable to get past it.
1
@Usha Srinivasan Usha you are absolutely correct. Trump has always been jealous of the former president. His envy of President Obama is palpable. His name calling is his juvenile response to his knowing he is not half the man Barack Obama is.
2
This kind of foreign policy embrace creates a perfect atmosphere for aggressive mischief by China in Taiwan and Russia in Ukraine, not to mention Bolsonaro of Brazil with his neighbors. How anyone can justify this bragging puffery as foreign policy is absurd and can only lead to the continued degradation of America's stature in the world.
14
They embrace the autocrats because they want to be the autocrats.
8
More appalling is the realization that so many people in the US _want_ a dictator.
2
How exactly, is standing up to Assad in Syria, accomplished by withdrawing our forces, thereby providing him clear access to slaughter his own people?
11
@Concerned citizen Troop removal is what the Russians want and Trump still wants "Trump Tower Moscow" and does not care what he has to do to acquire it.
Things could be much worse if Trump hadn't hired all the best people in the first place.
9
@RNS satire, eh?
“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy. I really do. China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party.”
China wasn't elected to the House of Representatives. Chuck and Nancy were. But the most inconsistent part of Trump's statement is that the Electoral College, which is based on House of Representatives numbers, not the plurality of voters, is what got this so-called president into the White House. Nancy is not from the opposition party. She is the leader of the House majority party. Chuck supports the House's majority party.
21
@Max & Max
Regarding Schumer, I meant he's a voice in the nation's and House's majority party. He's not in the opposition party, just in the minority in the Senate, but not anywhere else. Mr. Trump is the opposition party. Schumer was in the Senate way before Trump was elected, which makes Schumer the progagonist (first one there) and Trump the antagonist, (the invader). Opposition=antagonist. That's what I meant.
When all is said and done, this period (2016-2020) will lay the groundwork for establishing and limiting presidential responsibilities. Whatever happened to "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". As a Canadian, I do feel sorry for those Americans not in agreement with your president. But, what goes around, comes around. I'd be very surprised if Donald Trump doesn't serve jail time once he's out of office. It's embarrassing some times.
23
It's not just a break with tradition, it's a break with decency and with respecting behavior that preserves peace in the world. The GOP won't even censure him over this. Our Republic is in deep, deep trouble.
26
The article doesn't mention that Pompeo is a fully committed evangelical who not only believes in the "rapture," but who also is dedicated to advance the claimed conditions to make it happen, including using the office of Secretary of State.
In foreign policy terms this means US government support for Israeli government behavior and demands, no matter how extreme. This means refusal to admonish Middle East autocrats on their human rights abuses so long as they ignore Israel's continued oppression of Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as a refusal to consider a two-state solution.
24
@DonD
Interesting information. Deserves an extended treatment by the press.
It also means he's working to bring on Armageddon, the Rapture.
Every day we wake up to find this Administration has done something more reprehensible and previously unthinkable than the previous day. President Trump's disdain for America, Americans and all that is good is only surpassed by his love of himself.
38
@BMD
Yes Republicans have spent many decades saying "the government is the enemy," but "the government" is Our Republic established by the Constitution of the United States of America.
With Trump they have taken their attacks on our Republic to even greater extremes.
If the government is their enemy, they are self-declared enemies of We the People. I didn't make this up. They keep saying the government is the enemy and I just followed it to its logical conclusion. Why can't Democrats do the same?
The Party of Trump is against the Constitution and is attacking ALL of the institutions of our Republic.
Trump even claims that he can interpret the Constitution from the Oval Office and decide who is a citizen by executive order! He is now talking about declaring a national emergency based on lies. This is how dictators always seize unconditional powers.
It is time to believe them when they say that they are traitors. It is time to punt out the logic of calling the government their enemy.
It is time to stop compromising with those that seek to Make America A Colony Again.
Republicans that are not traitors need to step up and remove the traitors from their party and our government.
Imagine how the media would explode-rightly- if in 2010 our then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech in Cairo stating that the problems in the Mideast all are related to the lies George Bush fed the world regarding Saddam Hussein and our subsequent invasion of Iraq? What happened to the old precept that we don’t take our political differences over the border?
29
Leaders often reflect the moral compass of a nation. Our’s definitely requires a recalibration.
13
If Trump goes on like this we won't need The results of the Mueller investigation to remove him from office.
13
Well, there’s no doubt that Trump considers foreign autocrats his allies and fellow Americans his enemies. It’s why he accepted help from Putin in the first place.
What’s amazing is how many Trumpets now appreciate Russia as an ally against Americans, as the lady put it, hurting the right people.
17
Pompeo seeks to bury further discussion and action concerning the death of Khashoggi.
Pompeo has increased the danger for all Americans abroad. We cannot count on this administration to take a stand in support of any of us who may venture to a foreign country. The State Department has been weakened by this diminishment of our moral authority and abdication to authoritarian rulers. Trump's failure to appoint ambassadors to a significant number of countries is another step of his to ignore the abusive actions of authoritarians.
This purposeful and damaging position expressed by Pompeo is a short sighted directive by Don the Con to plow the road for his eventual return to the private sector and the Con needs access to the money available from these despots.
20
Does this come as any surprise? To many of Republicans the Democrats are more mistrusted and loathed than any foreign leader.
9
Pompeo is now talking of a great new beginning, language that,
after 2 years of a siege on our democracy, is not merely rich, as talking heads like to say, as if all this were a game of manners, but another new level of frightening. Nothing but appreciation for this
article.
Impeach Trump yesterday.
13
This is what happens when Russian-Republicans are in charge of America.
America and its ideals get repeatedly flushed down a right-wing toilet.
Trump and the radical right have turned America into another shining cesspool of 3rd-world greed and autocracy on a hill.
Nice GOPeople.
49
You all think America is a democracy, but that is a joke on you. America is a mediocre billionaire gambling casino, and we're the help.
77
@Mogwai
It is time for "the help" to realize that we outnumber billionaires 100,000 to one and take back our Republic from the lying thieves that bribe our politicians.
"The age of self-inflicted American shame is over..."
That's pretty rich coming from one of Donald's more oafish and shameless thugs.
85
What load of garbage. Every President for the last 70 years, including Obama, has supported brutal dictators around the Middle East. President Obama with his Cairo speech and his follow on call for the over throws in Egypt, libya, Syria and others resulted in the death of 100's of thousands of people, a million refugees and expansion of America's wars into Yemen, Syria and Libya. Popano is retreating from the massive failures of the Obama administration in the Middle East.
2
@Mkm I see that you do not want to remember the war in Iraq that created an even more unstable Middle East.
By the way, that was before Obama became president.
8
My favorite scene in The Magic Flute is when Papageno learns to play his magic glockenspiel.
@Mkm
Maybe this is so but never in the history of our nation has an administration said and done things that make the U.S. look like a third world nation. Words and diplomacy matter. Criticizing your own people on the world stage weakens us and makes us vulnerable.
Trump is taking America down a deep, dark rabbit hole, embracing our enemies and ruthless autocrats while spurning our long time allies. It will take decades for us to recover from all the damage he is doing.
47
What a sad, and dangerous, picture, the president and his secretary of state, charged to protect their country, acting recklessly, and approaching a role only fifth columnists (quasi-traitors) would do (by allowing enemies, foreign despots, a free hand to interfere with national security). Who would have thought that this democracy could fall asleep at the wheel, and elect such weasels, with so much power...to abuse. We have an unhinged president, with no scriples whatsoever, trying to create a crisis of his own making, and blaming everybody else but himself. How rich is that? And, lest we forget, another grand weasel, Mitch McConnell, that allows all this chaos to multiply...without moving one finger to solve this false emergency, and stop Trump's ego.
45
@manfred marcus
The Republican Party has been saying "the government is the enemy" for decades. It is time we believe them.
"The government" is our Republic, created by our Constitution, which they continuously attack.
The Party of Neo-Confederate, Neo-Nazis, and Neo-Soviets worships our enemies and wants to create a second civil war.
Trump is not just an ignorant liar. Trump is a self-declared enemy, domestic who says he wants to be "president for life," occupying the Oval Office.
Republicans who are not traitors need to put an end to this.
1
This is another reason that we are headed in the wrong direction.I don't think this President and his Secretary of State are able to lead this GREAT country before he became President ,you don't bash Obama every chance you get especially on foreign soil. ENOUGH
17
I would have thought West Point would have instilled better values and the skill to spot a traitor as obvious as Donald J. Trump.
28
This is the standard finger pointing that is now a core Republican strategy: "the Black man did it". It is sickening that they have moved from the dog whistle to the direct charge.
32
Trump and his administration are simply taking their cues from the unfiltered vitriol that spews from Fox News.
15
He cancelled his travel to Davos
Saying flying was stopped by the Demos;
He ducked on a car-ride to the Dead
For the rain that he spied from his tanning bed.
He was missing the meet on World Warming,
For a whiff of the ball on the Warm-up;
He recoiled at blaming Czar Putin,
On a tip he’d get stuck behind the Curtain.
10
If anyone had any question as to whether Trump is a traitor or not this is it and Pompeo and Bolton are his willing stooges. The fact that a Us president has cozied up to so many autocrats in the world and disparages our democratic leaders is disgraceful. Then again what does he do that isn't a disgrace to our country?
33
Maybe Trump hopes that when it all goes smash, el-Sisi and Xi Jinping will send 'peace-keeping' troops.
5
Donald Trump hates his own country. He hates that he cannot just plunder with impunity. He hates women in power. He hates people who are smarter than him. He hates democracy. And because he suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect, he cannot even see that his past plunders were actually failures, the women now in power are winning over him, and that everyone else is light years ahead of him in intelligence. He is such an anomaly in our nation’s history that he truly never was an American citizen. If he likes the way Russia and China act, then why not go live there? The sooner the better.
97
Our country is very sick , time to rebuild it.
25
I would like to see more reporting by NYT like this, reporting that’s not afraid to state the obvious. This is not the time for both-sidesism. The NYT needs to defend our core democratic values as much as journalistic integrity if it expects both to survive in these dark days.
101
“China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party.” ... Must be why this years crops rotted in piles by the tons. Always the victim huh mr trump?
36
I am still seething over the picture of a grinning Mike Pompeo posing with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia while "discussing" the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
And now the top diplomat/statesman of the United States has embarked on an Obama bashing tour.
Did Mr. Pompeo discuss Yemen?
Or was he truly focused on making the Iran of today start "behaving like a normal country."
That is rich coming from a member of this administration.
However, I am sure that the president will be pleased with Mr. Pompeo's performance. It rivaled his Benghazi moments.
I wonder if Mr. Pompeo still has time to teach Sunday school.
52
This excellent article is generating plenty of face palming re: Trump’s indelicate comments toward Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi. Trump makes us look like fools. It’s genuinely embarrassing and I’m sick of it.
Keep pushing on the GOP to open government! This is disgraceful.
35
This is setting the stage for turning America into, at the least, an autocracy, and at worst, a fascist state. This seems to be not only the wish of DJT but the Republican party as well. The first steps have already been undertaken. Suppressing the vote, gerrymandering to insure that only Republicans can be elected, discredit the media, foment hate of immigrants, ignore and dismantle the rule of law, and control the judiciary. There has not been as dangerous a time in our history since the Civil War, and must be stopped. This is becoming an America that is unrecognizable to the millions that fought and died for preserving our union. Enough is enough. Vote.
57
You have said exactly the right things, in exactly the right way. Thank you. I heard Senator Kamala Harris on Morning Joe this morning. She is smart and engaging, but when asked what was most important to her and why she wanted to run for President, she replied by saying that her campaign wasn’t going to be about Trump, but about diversity. Not about Trump?! Not about saving this country was incipient dictatorship?! Is she liv8ng on the same planet as the rest of us? She should have said exactly what you have written.
12
These people are without morals or shame. When will we be rid of them
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@NYC Hopefully in 2020 maybe before but Pence is just as bad.
“The age of self-inflicted American shame is over," says Mike Pompeo. I'm a proud American and love my country. And I think Donald Trump is shameful.
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So, now we have the latest sycophant on the stage.
Pompous Pompeo would serve America much better if he harnessed his mouth from so many big burgers and fries and big distortions of the truth.
Our eyes and ears do not lie, sir!
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“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy. I really do. China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party.”
My gods. This is a losing approach and strategy, Mr. President. Because at this rate, in short order, We the People will have to strip that title from you. To paraphrase the Speaker of the House, you swore an oath to the Constitution, not to yourself.
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Supporting an alternative president .. with alternative facts.... for an alternative approach.... This nation..unsubtlely reduced.
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Trump loves autocrats because his desire is to become a member of that ruthless club that includes Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Russia. Sadly, he's on his way of attaining his goal,
When he slams and bashes former presidents and congressional leaders, he's showing his disdain for democracy, its principles, and its rules of law.
When he says that China is easier to deal with than Congress, it shows his ignorance and naivete about how China run its businesses, its government, much less how it they make deals.
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They love mirror images; they love what is in the mirror. But it is backward.
6
The shame of it all. If this doesn't tell us that we are no longer living in the America we love, then nothing will.
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Hmm. Honourable things that Trump has done. Here is my comprehensive list.
1.
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Clearly the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing. Bolton is rebuffed by Turkey so the pullout from Syria starts as Pompeo is doing the distraction by once again blaming Obama for burning the toast. What’s the plan? Is Trump gearing up to invade Iran? Is he giving free reign to repressive regimes in the Middle East? Pompeo is a disgrace to the country and to the uniform he once wore.
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Trump and the leaders of his administration favor foreign leaders who know how to use a bone saw.
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Unfortunately for Mr. Pompeo, the problem with President Obama’s speech in Cairo was that he was right and he spoke the truth. That is presumably why it galls him so much and why, long after Pompeo and his brutish boss are gone and forgotten, it will be remembered as the expression of decency and honesty it is.
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What we had during the Obama years was a clandestine effort to arm al Qaeda and ISIS to do their worst to remove Assad. ISIS grew too strong and the US and its friends had to take them down. Al Qaeda continued to be seen as a reliable ally. The reason why Assad got the upper hand in the civil war is because the secular forces in Syria rallied to Assad. Libya is a perfect example of the US meddling in a situation in which they didn't understand. After the overthrow of Kaddafi the country fell into anarchy. The liberal interventionists of the Obama years are now card carrying neo cons.
Pompeo sounds like he is channeling Reagan’s ugly foreign policy in Central America. His embrace of autocrats makes him sound like a Machiavellian Reagan. His embrace of deeper and sustained US engagement makes him sound like the court gesture as we be begin the pullout from Syria within 24 hours of his speech.
10
Pompeo is one more disgrace in the trump circus. He along with McConnell should be impeached for failure to do their job. And if a Secretary of State cannot be impeached currrently, add that to the list of changes needed in our government.
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America the Autocracy in the offing?
9
Trump's selections of representatives has reached into the bowels of the nation as he, Pompeo and the rest of his simple minded and willing participants engaged in the destruction of democracy continues. And the Republican Senate led by Mitch the coward McConnell remain silent.
Every single thing these people touch ends up corrupted and damaged. This is the worst president in history and the only thing more deplorable are Trump supporters.
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Sure, autocrats speak the same language: the language of power and terror. Trump’s jealous of his autocratic pals because he can’t put his opponents in prison for speaking out against Dear Leader...yet.
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Pompeo , Trump and Bolton living in a bubble of deep,rooted hatred for Obama policies and the color of his skin. These individuals represent the Trump base at its worst.
We can fool ourselves thinking MAGA is working. Yes, if only for a microcosm of the USA voters who placed us in this mess.
The 1 individual is acting like a CEO of a company whose revenue results are below plan. What do some reactionary CEO do to prop up EPS (earnings per share) to save their job is “ rob Peter to pay Paul”
This analogy plays well with this wall situation, cannot find the revenue to build a wall, let’s grab money where we can or I will lose my job.
33
This falls under the category of things that will take years to repair once this debacle comes to an end. The amount of damage done to this country in 2 years really is astounding; even worse than we all thought? And that's without a major crisis not created by these imbeciles. What will happen if and when a legitimate crisis arises on the international stage?
This is why I've commented here numerous times, asking the editors to please write a piece that informs the public on the status of the armed forces and law enforcement officers in the country and how many are cult members that will not do their job when the time comes. It going to come down to that. It will NOT be a peaceful transition of power.
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“The age of self-inflicted American shame is over, and so are the policies that produced so much needless suffering,”
Did he just announce in Cairo that the government shutdown and the administration's anti-immigrant policies were ended? Perhaps not because he then went on to say:
“Now comes the real new beginning.”
Which seems to point to the imminent announcement of a State of Emergency by Trump, just as Egypt is currently operating under.
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Trump, such the authority on the meaning of honor.
"We do it too" Trump, so undeserving of the honor of being called president.
So serving only the base of authoritarian followers.
15
It’s amusing to consider that while Trump is drawn to the pseudo stances and behavior of “strongmen”, Trump shrinks in the presence of Nancy Pelosi and her amazing skills at real power politics. Recall the fable of the elephant’s fear of the mouse. Trump will always be an unqualified leader in what ever he attempts.
13
Pompeo's apologia for his president, delivered at the American University in Cairo --Trump's new manifesto for American action in the Middle East -- is just more newspaper in the bottom of a birdcage. You think it's funny, Pompeo blaming Obama for his "fundamental misunderstandings" about the Middle East? Also, Mike's statement that "when America retreats, chaos follows" -- is pure baloney.
Donald Trump's presidency is America's chaos and shame the world over. Trump honours strongmen -- China's Xi Jinping over the House Democratic majority, DPRK's Kim Jong-un -- "great personality!" -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's moolah in Trump's pocket, Egypt's repressive tyrant, president Abdel el-Sisi. Strongmen fall harder than weaker folk (look at Saddam and Iraq decades ago) and the dictators of the 20th Century.
The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, spoke truth to us when he said that "whenever/wherever U.S. interferes, chaos, repression and misery follow". No way to factcheck Pompeo's declaration that "the age of self-inflicted American shame is over." Not till this 45th president is removed and replaced will our shame be over.
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“The irony,” Mr. Burns said, “is that trashing his predecessor or congressional opponents on the global stage is seen by those same strongmen as evidence of his weakness and manipulability.”
EXACTLY. Trump may be the bully in chief at home, and feel that his office makes him really tough, but he is a joke to these dictators, a danger to the American people, and a traitor to our ideals. November 2020 cannot come fast enough.
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We are sitting back and watching a slow motion (not so slow, actually) horrifying car crash. The malignancy in the White House will not be finished with their to-do list until everything good about America (and beyond) is fully destroyed, and they are getting on with the task quite well by all appearances. Relying on politicians to correct this situation is futile—this is not a reliable place for our confidence. The future of this country relies on the people who inhabit it making their outrage fully known and evident. It was public outcry that changed the direction and outcome of our entanglement in Vietnam and even this current cancer can be stopped if we the people rise to the occasion. Outrage should be transformed into protest if you care about the future.
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@Gigii. Agreed. We should be marching in the streets until Trump and his Trumplicans are removed from and prosecuted for treason.
4
@Gigi. The actions of this Administration (with the exception of the gov’t shutdown) do not touch every American family in the same way that the Vietnam War did. If the shutdown continues long enough and affects the economy we still won’t see the kind of public protest that we saw for that war. In two years, even if every vote goes against Trump we will not be rid of him. This guy doesn’t leave until HE wants to and with the Republican Senate four square behind him don’t expect him to pay any attention to the norms of our democracy. He is the end of the line.
1
@Gigi Amen!
2
Individual-1's time is fast approaching. The walls are caving in on all sides - Mueller, Dem House investigations, Cohen, and now the shutdown. Plea to media, once he is gone please forget him for that will be the greatest comeuppance for this man. Forgotten!
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forgotten is good, jail is better
20
@Patriot 301'
We can forget him when he is behind bars.
5
@JGar
We forget him at our peril... doomed to repeat and all that.
4
Trump and, by extension, Pompeo are following Putin's orders. Putin first, the US last.
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Living in Europe, I am daily reminded by the media, colleagues and friends that the United States has become an inconsiderate and unsympathetic, toxic predator. Trump, Pompeo, Pence, all share the same authoritarian inclinations. Their political motivation is very simple: keep America, and keep the global political environment destabilized. The irony of their actions is America is seen as unreliable, a distrusted former ally and a complete self-centered demagoguery--a narcissistic reflection of its President.
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This is exactly what Trump and his supporters want. They don’t want admiration from the world - only from their narrow base of support, which is spread out across the country enough to take advantage of the electoral map.
Donald Trump is a deeply disturbed, toxic person, and is increasingly surrounding himself with men made in his own image, as anyone that is sane is long gone.
Read the Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe - for the time is upon us. Winter is here, and it’s just getting started. Scary times.
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If Trump thinks China is easy to deal with, it's because he has no idea he is being hoodwinked.
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@MJ Warren Buffet once said: "If you have been playing poker for thirty minutes, and don't know who the fool at the table is, it is you."
18
What? Pompeo didn’t have time to regale his audience his fabulous work on Benghazi hearings! Next time.
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The widespread and deep hatred of Obama in this administration speaks volumes. They are so threatened by Obama's history of integrity, honesty, and statesman-like behavior. It must drive them crazy that their own thuggish, bullying tactics don't buy them the international respect that Obama has always had. Obama wasn't concerned with "political correctness", but rather with genuinely operating with human decency : fairness, morality and respect.
572
I really don't think it drives them crazy at all. They would have to have some measure of self-reflection for that to happen. They don't have any of that at all.
19
@Nancy O'Hagan None of those virtues have been let anywhere near the Trump maladministration. The contrast is as stark as it is depressing.
7
@Nancy O'Hagan
That widespread hatred of Obama still exists, not only in the Trump administration, but also in the almost 63 million people who elected Trump.
Neve forget, that the smug and feckless narcissist Obama was the straw that broke the camels back.
The progressives had gone too far and after the Democrats in the House act like spoiled Eurosocialist leftists for the next two years, they will be cast out again.
As the Japanesr learned after Pearl Harbor, waking the sleeping giant doesn't always work out the way you thought it would.
The difference is that the Japanese learned from the experience, and progressive ideologues cannot and will not.
1
Obama was a break from the long Republican support for dictators in Latin America and the Middle East.
I think folks have forgotten history. Selling arms to Iran to fund a dictator with death squads in Latin America? Ronald Reagan.
The Shah of Iran? A Brutal dictator. As much as I like him, Eisenhower.
And, let's not forget, Bush II got his "extraordinary" powers handed to him by Congress so he could start wars that were not needed to kill folks in countries who had not threatened or attacked us. All done to grant no bid contracts to Republican owned contractors and consultants.
So, Trump is not new. He is just the most flagrant in a long line of Republicans who do not support Democracy.
Actually, Trump, compared to Bush II, is fairly harmless so far.
Bush II? He destroyed the entire Middle East for no reason at all except profit.
226
@Michael Conservatives don't seem to like democracy very much.
11
@Michael
Nonsense.
Which Middle Eastern and Latin American dictators did Barack Obama get rid of?
Obama never abandoned the Israeli Empire nor the Saudi Arabian and Gulf States nor Jordan nor Egyptian ethnic sectarian supremacist autocratic tyranny.
Shocking. Trump finds it easier to deal with the global Mar a Lago crowd than he does to deal with the Rest of Us.
How is this anything but a global war on democracy? Global class warfare waged top down?
Shut down the government or just hobble it permanently and set about looting from the safety of your limousine.
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Meanwhile, over at the Senate, Mitch McConnell continues to hide under his desk along with all the other Republican Senators.
And in the House, Speaker Pelosi continues the battle to reign in this Administration.
286
@Joseph He remains because the people of Kentucky are mired in an opioid epidemic, diluted by racism and ignorance. Hence, people like McConnell are elected to represent the state.
2
I am terrified that Trump is adumbrating his plans for his own future conduct when he loses the election in 2020. His marked preference for antidemocratic autocrats bodes ill for America’s future.
66
Indeed, this is brilliant reasoning. Trump could become a rogue spokesman, quasi-diplomat, afforded a worldwide stage through the internet and tweets, even if the press stops the constant air time they allow him while he’s in office.
7
@Barbara8101
Brace yourself. Should he lose the 2020 election, regardless of margin, it would not be out of character for him to reject the results on the basis of "fake news", refuse to relinquish power and demand that his base descend in the streets to keep him in the white house. Worse yet, there would be many who would respond.
5
As a Canadian, I have to point out that the US, under Trump, is a completely untrustworthy, back-stabbing negotiating partner. During the NAFTA negotiations, the Trump administration negotiated in transparently bad faith. It told Canada that its separate negotiations with Mexico dealt with matters that did not involve Canada or on which Canada and the US had already reached agreement. It turned out that the Americans were lying. Similarly, Trump was caught in openly lying to our Prime Minister. Combine this with the US' concerted attacks on the WTO, the UN and all other structures of international governance and law and there is no doubt that the US is a rogue state that cannot be trusted and should be treated as the unreliable trading and security partner that it is. On another point, this article speaks of Iran's "malign" influence in the Middle East. No, the US is the primary malign actor in the region. The US, throughout its long history in the region, has been nothing but a destructive and regressive force. It's influence has been cancerous and, if Trump really does pull out, that is the one good thing he may be said to do. There comes a point, after all the damage the US has done to the region, when Americans have to realize that they are nothing but a malignant force that cannot do anything positive, and get out.
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@Shaun Narine
Well said!
12
Thank you for the analysis, particularly the headline. Among other recent factors, reading the article increased my perception that adding all the other facts might lead one to think about possible treason. The President seems overtly to value autocracy rather than democracy while also possibly valuing personal benefit more than that of the country which he represents.
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@Julie
Not possibly - definitely.
21
@Julie
Trump favors autocracy.
But America is and always has been a republic. America is not and never has been a democracy.
You do not pledge allegiance to a flag and to the "democracy" for which it stands. Despite winning more votes than three opponents there never were Presidents named Al Gore nor Hillary Clinton.
6
Pompeo gave this speech to please Trump, who only knows two things: he hates Obama and he loves Saudi money. Republicans have no new ideas for the Middle East, and that is by design. By abdicating leadership in the Middle East - moral leadership, military leadership - the Trump administration turns everything over to kings and dictators who will do what they wish to their people while paying Trump to stay out of the way.
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@M
I do not believe Pompeo gave this speech just to please Trump. Pompeo likes the autocrats too.
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@M Don't forget the mega amounts of money the US gun profiteers make over selling weapons to SA.