Now, we know that The Donald is not telling the truth about this.
How?
Because Trump and Truth never intersect.
My best guess is that he planned to have this meeting at one of his Golf Resorts and the Taliban leaders were afraid of getting bed bugs, so they insisted on meeting at Camp David.
If Trump cannot profit, why bother?
1
I despise Donald Trump in every way, shape or form.
But this one thing he trying to do using unconventional methods, peace with Talibans and North Korea if it produces lasting results, I am 100% for.
"You make peace with your enemies not your friends"
Uitzhak Rabin
4
@Dro
You have it right, Dro.
Kissinger and Nixon were not loveable Teddy Bears. And the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were not very loveable either.
But they all saw the logic of an end to the war.
It had always been an "unwinnable" war for America and Kissinger and Nixon accepted that reali
2
The fact that Trump would Tweet to the world sensitive and secret negotiations between the U.S., the Afghani government and the Taliban, just shows how incredibly unfit he is to be president. And Trump's idea to invite THE terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks to Camp David around the anniversary of those attacks is beyond the pale.
4
Trump just came off a week of trying to justify a false tweet with a false weather map altered with a sharpie. Now he expects us to believe that the Taliban, the Taliban yet, was intending to fly to the US and attend a meeting at Camp David.
Besides a few omissions, like leaving the Afghan government out of the talks, how did he expect to get the Taliban here? If I were them, I would definitely not get on a plane to the US where there are probably several warrants out for my arrest.
This whole process, even if true, reeks of the malfeasance of this administration, it’s lack of depth in advisors, it’s refusal to accept the advice of State Department veterans, it’s ignorance of history and even the basics of how to conduct a negotiation.
4
@TC
We did not accommodate the wishes of the hopelessly corrupt and incompetent South Vietnamese government when we negotiated with the North Vietnamese in Paris.
We selected and installed the the Karzai government and we selected the candidate to succeed him (a rather unimaginative man who actually lived with is family in Chevy Chase MD until we arranged his candidacy.
The current Kabul government speaks for almost nobody other than its officials.
Leaving them out is understandable.
The Taliban, by contrast, speak for a sizeable slice of the Afghan population (albeit mostly Pashtuns not Tajiks).
2
People who are praising trump for wanting to reduce troops in Afghanistan need to do their research. What trump says and what he does are usually two very different things. While withdrawing the military from Afghanistan, trump also wants to increase the presence of private militia groups backed by the CIA. Not only would this be a recipe for disaster, it would enrich Trump's fellow grifters like Eric Prince, who would make a hefty profit from such a decision. As always with trump's decisions, follow the money and see who stands to make the most profit off of his policies (it's not his voters). Trump's claim that he'll execute a military withdrawal from Afghanistan is nothing more than a ploy to con his followers out of their votes. I have zero confidence that trump could execute a military withdrawal that wouldn't ultimately make things more dangerous for Americans, both home and abroad.
3
I wish I knew of a way out of this mess. Leaving Afghanistan to the Afghanis sounds good, but what happens then. Remember what happened after the American withdrawal from Vietnam. There was a slaughter and millions of boat people tried to escape. The Taliban have shown themselves to be ruthless murderers, I don’t think they will show any mercy, a blood bath will ensue just like Vietnam. Maybe there is no way of avoiding this, no way to stop it, but I think the real problem is we don’t really care enough. I think most people want to get out and damn the consequences. I don’t have the answer. Time for the UN to show they’re good for something.
5
Too bad, Trump did not have his Sharpie nor his National Weather Service to show us that the Taliban only impacts Alabama.
5
The quick hot plan for a photo op with the Taliban and Afghan president was just another craving by the celebrity-obsessed president to have his "Clinton-Arafat-Rabin Camp David Moment in the Sun" -- he cares nothing about peace, only his own manufactured fame.
If peace was a state of civilized society that he valued, he would never have ordered American military commanders to control the bombing by the Saudi jet jockeys of the hundreds of thousands of innocent people of Yemen, which continues every day in spite of Congress putting a bill on the president's desk months past to halt this evil support of the Saudi royals to create inhumane state of genocide across this poverty stricken country. Peace is not a word that this president has any concept of. He understands the words money, camera, flattery, Playboy Bunny, Fox News, hate of ethnics, ruthless, cruel, ripping children from parents. Peace has no place in this man's ego-obsessed mind. It's all photo op, all one-upmanship on Clinton and Obama. All evil ruthless stage crafting.
8
It's understandable that 3- and 4-year-olds dream up imaginary friends. It's unconscionable, terrifying, and basically unthinkable that the POTUS should do so. Congress refuses to act. But can't someone in the White House please call the white-coated medics with the nets?
7
The wording of the headline speaks volumes. Were this Obama, the headline would read "Obama calls off negotiations," but with Trump the Times must couch the announcement in scare quotes: "Trump SAYS he's called off negotiations." Trump has no credibility. None.
4
Friendly unconditional talks with the Taliban, on the eve of 9/11-- What's not to like about that? Sure, they killed an American soldier a day or two ago, but Trump McConnell Pompeo don't care. The three of them cover all of the vices in the Bible. What's a citizen to do? Pretty much everything Trump et al. say is a lie, and everything he touches dies. Trump caved in to Taliban demands to postpone democratic elections in Afghanistan. Wouldn't somebody would just love to do the same here? Trump invited the Taliban to Camp David. He's telling the world he couldn't care less that they killed thousands of Americans not counting the dead on 9/11.
5
@Robert
According to Trump himself, he "saw" people jumping from the Trade Center towers from Trump Tower. This is physically impossible, as the buildings are too far apart. He also said that he rushed to the site to help, and that he hired over a hundred men to look for survivors. There is no evidence that this is true.
As usual, it was Trump self-promotion at its worst.
2
These people live to fight. They think that they are doing it for their version of god. You cannot reason with that.
I think that we should send Representatives Omar and Tlaib to that region. They seem to know about upholding rights and democracy. And if the parties don't listen to them they could impose some BDS on them until they came around.
3
@MIKEinNYC
Contrary to what you may think, they'd probably be up for that...
Trump's presidency is, if Obama did it, Trump will undo it. And if Obama could not accomplish a foreign policy issue, then Trump will accomplish it. The last sentence in this article speaks the truth. The U.S., after the fall of the Berlin Wall, left a vacuum that was filled with the arrival of Vladimir Putin. The U.S. has historically been through this before with the abandonment of the South Vietnamese, leaving them vulnerable and eventually consumed by North Vietnam. We left Iraq leaderless. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should know this but around his boss he's Mike Uh-Oh. Mike Pompeo should be doing these negotiations and have his boss,who I'm sure, is oblivious to history, stand by for some political artistry. Trump was evidently oblivious to 09-11. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe his goal was to come to a resolution as an added addition to the remembrance of the 09-11 victims-a big Uh-Oh. Mr. Secretary of State, should we learn from history, just for once, that leaving Afghanistan would be disastrous. Another Uh-Oh could transpire with the return of the Al Qaeda right into the graces of the Taliban.
3
Ah, yes! The Three Stooges (Trump, Pompeo and Bolton) run a foreign policy. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!
4
A secret meting with the Taliban at Camp David, huh, and bad boy Trump called it off due to “something” the Taliban did.
Well, after 18 years of war and thousands of American troops dead, the Taliban has certainly done something; killed or murdered our fighting heroes.
But? Let one not be deceived by Trump and his histrionic bluster, this man wants to be re- elected as Commander In Chief in Nonembet 2020, so his show stRts now to get the Taliban to bend to his will and create a peace settlement so Trump can take the credit for ending our 20 stalemate.
A note to Don; hey, Trump, the Taliban knows our political system and election cycles better than you or your so called experts.
The Taliban have the leverage , just like the Viet Cong had the leverage during the Paris Peace Talks that eventually resulted in the Fall of Saigon in 1975, so do not be under the illusion that you or anyone connected to your administration or the Pentagon has any leverage over the Taliban, so you are stuck, pal.
The Total of the American political system that got got us into Afghanistan is stuck, as we were in VietNam. The governments war planners failed to plan.
So, Don.., good luck on your peace deal, since that’s how badly you want to return to the Oval Office, Except this time you have a real enemy in your face that does not blink.
Next time instead of inviting them to stay at Camp David...offer them a weekend at Mar A Largo !
5
Do you believe there was a meeting planned? I don’t.
Trump canceled it? Terrorists here and at camp David?The President Of Afghanistan here also ?Trump could not breath
Without telling lies.
I think this is another one.
8
Bravo! If Obama had done this, the headline would be simply: "Obama canceled . . ." You think trump is smart enough to be insulted by "Trump says . . ."?
1
The timing close to 9/11 for this meeting is extremely unfortunate, unless they anticipated some kind of "success" that they can then utilize for this anniversary.
The administration likely felt some kind of failure approaching and cancelled at the last minute to not look disrespectful to 9/11, but the disrespect already happened.
But if the meeting was really cancelled over that bombing, that is terrible. One can assume that event the Taliban has a fraction that does not agree with these negotiations, and that this fraction just won, and the US is continuing to be stuck in there with no end in sight.
3
Throughout history, the Afgan tribes have defeated the British Empire and the Soviet Union and it is now the turn for the US to leave. The timing of the withdrawal is a frivolous argument because as soon as we are leaving, the Afgan government will collapse just like the withdrawal from Saigon where refugees were climbing up the stairs to the helicopter on the rooftop of US embassy. It was a costly mistake to enforce half-basked democracy over a tribal society who are not ready even for nationhood let alone democracy at a cost of 6+ Trillion and thousand of America and Afgan lives.
6
Since the beginning of this war 19 years ago estimates of civilian casualties range from 500,000 to 2,000,000.
The figures for Iraq are similar, with estimates ranging from 1,000,000 to 1,800,000. Millions mare have been displaced.
And besides this staggering carnage, what has been achieved?
Bin Laden could have been captured in 2003, but Bush withdrew troops from that mission so he could invade Iraq.
Cheney, another war criminal, claimed that the Iraqi people would pay for us to invade their country and welcome us as heroes.
Neither Democrats or Republicans even bother to explain to their constituents why we continue these wars, savaging lives and spending billions doing so.
No one is listening to the American people.
It's as if the white house and the congress are all suffering from some bizarre psychosis, where killing and dying mean nothing.
Of course as long as we are doing the killing and Afghani's and Iraqi's and Syrian's and Libyans and Somali's and Yemeni's are doing the dying.
We have ceased even pretending to have any moral compass or understand the concept of human rights. Trump's contribution is to try and spread death and dying by our hand to Iran and Venezuela.
The effect of all this is to degrade the soul of each and every American. We must now accept our collective responsibility and collective guilt for what we have done.
God help us for we know not what we do.
7
@Drspock
This morning on State of the Union Pompeo matter of factly said “we” killed 1000 Taliban last week as if to imply I really do not know.
The compass needle is about to disintegrate.
2
@Drspock
We have endless war because it benefits our military-industrial complex and Congress. Just like we have mass-shootings because it benefits the NRA and Congress. End pay-to-play politics.
If only the "Fake News" would report on what's really happening. To save time, Trump has invited Kim Jong Un, the "Taliban", and Daniel Ortega, with the intent work out a peace agreement with all of them at once. Mexico will pay for it. Afterwards they will all play golf together at a Trump resort and dine on braised unicorn. We Americans will be sick of all the winning.
My version is just as realistic as most of the stories coming out of the White House these days.
9
From the US standpoint it is a hopeless situation. There are no good scenarios regarding how the US can extract itself from this quagmire gracefully.
Leave soon and acknowledge the fact that all our American lives and treasure were lost for naught. Stay there forever and be Afghanistan’s policeman forever trying to keep the Taliban at bay.
I despise the charlatan Donald Trump but I also recognize the fact that he is in an untenable situation. Good for him as he wanted the job. May he squirm about this for the rest of his life. But that assumes he has a conscience.....Lucky for him he doesn’t.
4
I figure the taliban contingent were better golfers.
4
"Trump Says He’s Called Off Negotiations With Taliban After Afghanistan Bombing"
Trump never had a plan for negotiations, no more than he •ever• has a plan. Simply put, TRUMP... IS... LYING.
9
This is another pathetic episode in "the world according to Trump" saga, which only objective, as it's well known, is to erase any trace of Obama's enduring achivements, while pursuing his own celebrity-fueled-self-idolizing agenda.
What a disgrace to this nation to have such an imbecile in the Oval Office.
8
Can anybody seriously believe any of this?
This monster has jerked people around with lie upon lie upon lie.
How do we even know that "they were coming"? Because Trump said so?
Tell me another one!
11
He fiercely denounced Obama for doing this. Copycat.
6
All we need is a president with the courage to say, "We've done all we can do. We're leaving." It would be nice to leave the government some weapons and offer asylum to Afghan President Ghani, members of his government, legislators and others who have supported our presence and opposed the Taliban. As best I can understand it, the Taliban is certain to keep fighting and committing terroristic murder of civilians until it takes over the country. It is not our place to prevent that from happening. It is up to the Afghan people. It's their country, their lives, their rights.
2
Why would the Taliban come to America? For free health care in an American prison. I can’t believe for one NY minute that they would step onto American soil.
BT (before Trump) Successful peace treaties were brokered by other nations and negotiated and signed on neutral soil. The stable genius strikes out again.
12
@Agent 99 But what about the Nobel Peace Prize that he can almost taste? It's all about him. And what made him think that holding it around the anniversary of 9/11 was a good idea? I, like many others seriously question his competence.
5
@Angela Flear
Expect a volcanic tweet storm on October 11th. Oslo won’t be calling.
1
So sorry Trump has called off that meeting with the Taliban that was coming up this week! Would it have interfered with, perhaps, a Memorial Service for the almost 3000 Americans who perished on September 11, 2001? Or was Trump planning a special re-union of those supposed thousands of Muslims in New Jersey that he claims he saw celebrating on the morning that the Twin Towers came down?
Make no mistake, America. The president of the United States is beyond clueless; he is a dangerous narcissist who must be removed from office. Now.
8
Dear NYT,
I'm sick of waking up every morning and the first thing I see on the NYT is a photo of Criminal Trump.
I'd rather ease into the day gently with perhaps an update on what Elizabeth Warren is up on the road or perhaps a nice photo of a forest. Oops, I forgot that's currently being burnt down to the ground.
5
Trump Tweet asked a very simple question: “How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
Doesn’t he know that they have been fighting for Centuries against imperial powers.
Even mighty British empire couldn’t conquer them. A more relevant question, he must be asking to himself is:
How many more days is he willing to continue fighting?
It is possible that the question he asked was simply a projection, as he always does.
2020 Elections are approaching soon for him, and not for Talibans!
3
I think Trump found out that the Taliban don't golf and cut off the hands of cheaters. The only smart thing he's ever done.
5
The Taliban are many things, but they aren’t stupid. Like everyone else in the world, they know Trump is a liar, that his word — such as it is — is worthless and he is completely untrustworthy. Any “deal” signed with this administration might as well be written in disappearing ink as Trump has no credibility whatsoever.
8
Ground Zero on 09/11/01.
We promised we would never forget.
Now we have a US Congresswoman who describes that horrendous day as "Some people did something".
Our government is deteriorating from within.
3
You, and many others need to move on.
1
@Doremus Jessup
You, and many others need to move on from losing an election.
1
And exactly what does an election have to do with 9/11?
1
Our president is a very sick person who should be removed from office by his own party and hospitalized—if the Republican owned senate had any moral integrity at all— which seems unlikely
A nurse
7
@Grandma
What is your evidence?
2
There is no medical treatment for his character disorder.
2
The book” The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” written by 27 psychiatrists and psychologists. I think even you will be convinced assuming you will read it.
4
Trump hosting the Taliban at Camp David 20 years exactly after their guy Bin Laden killed 3000 Americans for a peace agreement , that is more about Trump wanting to brag about how a great negotiator he is.
Just imagine former president Obama inviting the Taliban to Camp David during 9/11 anniversary, the republicans would be calling for his impeachment for treason.
9
I don't believe any of it. How convenient that his "peace plan" was made public less than 48 hours after it was discovered he's turned the military into accomplices into his latest money laundering scheme in Scotland. He's a liar and a thief. I don't believe a word he says about anything.
11
Remember he lied about “good talks with China,” to prop up the stock market?
4
Begs the Question--What Else Made up--because this reeks of contrived. 9/11 Narrative needs to be revisited.........
3
So far, he has given international standing to a rogue nation (N. Korea), a terrorist organization (Taliban), coddled strong men (Russia, Turkey, Philippines, Egypt,Saudi...), failed in his Muslim ban, Mexican fence, Chinese tariffs..., alienated our allies and failed to purchase Greenland. MAGA???? Really?
5
A few weeks ago he wanted to purchase Greenland for Denmark. Last week he congratulated Poland for being invaded by the Nazis and the canceled his trip so he could lie to people in Alabama about hurricane Dorian. Recently at the G7 his main objective, besides being Putin’s puppet, was to pitch his hotel for the next G7. Politico just found out that he is using his hotel in Ireland to squeeze tax payers and enrich his family. And now he wants the American people to believe that he is standing up for our interests in the Middle East? Unless there are votes to be had or money to be made for his family. Trump loses interest.
9
William Shakespeare nailed Donald Trump years ago. "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
11
I don’t believe a word he ever says. He might as well say he canceled secret talks with Saturn.
8
I think the original location for the secret meeting was to be a golf course in either Ireland or Scotland. Pence's visit put an end to that. Sad.
3
For once, Trump is not to blame. The Taliban aren't exactly nice people to do business with. They have talked out of both sides of their mouths for years, claiming to be interested in negotiating peace while murdering people left and right.
It's likely that the Taliban will change only if their own people
reject them. No foreign power can make that happen.
Education, modernization, ethnic tolerance--all of those forces must come to bear on Afghans and Pakistanis of all backgrounds before there can be change.
All foreign powers would do well to leave Afghanistan now. No change will ever be successfully forced upon the population.
3
In that case, why did we form alliance with them to drive Soviets out of Afghanistan? We armed Talibans and Pakistan in that ill fated endeavor. Then Pakistan got angry because we abandoned them after Soviets were gone!
Didn’t Reagan and Company know about Afghanistan’s history? Why do we keep on repeating similar mistakes?
To top it all off, for the last few years, some Republicans associated with Trump Campaign provided CONSULTING services to Russians about handling Ukraine and Crimea misadventures.
Big MONEY can buy anybody in America. Russians and Chinese understand the capitalist system well.
5
May be Donald is thinking about acquiring a golf course, petrol pump and a resort in Afghanistan.
State department and Pentagon will have plenty of personnel on official duty to reimburse oodles of $ to Trump Organization.
3
At this point, why are Trumps handlers letting Trump get anywhere near a negotiation with anyone? Trump has no clue what he is doing, his mind is addled. Watch Jake Tapper interview Pompeo on CNN. Pompeo seems very nervous, out of breath, won't answer questions directly. Interesting. Pompeo seems caught off guard by Trump's tweet.
5
@Run Wild
There are no "Trump handlers"
This is a fiction we, the poor public, made up to allow us to sleep at night.
Mattis couldn't "handle" him.
Nor can any of the others.
5
"One Western official said a deal had been nearly at hand but appeared to have been jeopardized by showmanship"
I wonder who that would be?
4
Trump's simplest and two dimensional solutions to the complicated international affairs don't work.
3
I think you are giving too much credit to Him by calling his approach, ‘two dimensional.’
For him, everything is one dimensional, i.e., how much money he can make.
2
This "stable genius" is so very good at negotiations, isn't he? And he's so smart - he lets us know that he canceled a secret meeting that we didn't know about in the first place.
9
What's remarkable about the secret get-together that never was, is that it would have linked two aggressors whose only significant difference is that one murders and the other (to the best of our knowledge) does not.
Otherwise, a meeting of the Taliban and Trump at Camp David would have been a coming together of like-minded repressors: freedom-hating, minority-hating, belligerence-loving warlords.
5
Honestly, is there anybody out there who’s over the age of eleven and doesn’t know this is just Trump’s alibi for bailing because the Right was yelling at him?
5
I hope Trump realizes that Presidency is a lot difficult than what he made out to be. He kept criticizing the previous Presidents how incompetent they were and he would change everything.
Other than a huge unnecessary tax cut he has achieved nothing so far.
Korea, Iran, Taliban and his own Wall, all abysmal failures. I hope he takes his job more seriously for the remaining one year and not be bogged down in weather reports, Greenland and I don't even know what next.
At least for us, it is just one more year of losing. He will go down as the worst president ever. I don't think he will change. I have feeling he would spend the next year trying to make a lot of money for himself. That is my prediction.
4
If he did have negotiations with the Taliban, he called them off because he didn't have a clue as to what to do or say. Where were these Taliban negotiators staying? How did they get into the US when no one else can? Something really fishy here.
2
While the few radical Muslims that were [allegedly] involved in the 9/11 attack on our country; rot in Guantanamo because we can’t prosecute them without admitting we secured information from them under torturer [allegedly], we find that trump invited representatives of this same ideology, to Camp David to finalize an agreement to end our participation in the Afghanistan War, so trump can have a peacemakers photo opportunity with them. What’s wrong with this picture?
2
Maybe he was planning on showing them how we rebuilt the World Trade Center, they could explain to him their role, and he could tell them how much money he made on the deal.
1
Eventually news would be released about such event. The intention to negociate directly with the terrorists is there.
1
@Mihai
Trump has shown that he has a problem keeping secrets; not a good trait for a U.S. president to have.
Just after being elected, Trump gave classified info gathered by Israel about ISSIS to Russian officials in front of cameras, for all the world to hear and see. This treasonous act was rationalized away by the administration, as they are forever doing with his all of his gaffes.
Imagine the outrage if it had been Obama, instead?
“Over 1000 Taliban killed in the past 10 days” according to Pompeo on Tapper’s State of the Union program. See 2 minutes 36 seconds at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PQtBOfV0PZc.
It’s shameful that Trump continues to opportunistically claim that the deaths of American soldiers, an American Ambassador (Stephens), an American tourist (Warmbier), a young American woman killed by an undocumented person, etc. to sanctify his failures and his inhumane tactics. It is so abhorrent that at least 4 families of those Trump used as props have publically renounced him.
Why would the Taliban agree to talks after we killed 1000 of them last week?
It is beyond belief that the parties in the peace negotiations did not attempt cease-fires, other measurable concessions, etc. prior to a face to face meeting.
So many aspects of this “cancellation” are incredible. I don’t believe for one moment that the Taliban were on their way to Camp David, a place that Trump hates by the way.
4
Trump has only one goal. He wants America's withdrawal before the 2020 elections. The fact that our "Just give it all away." exit will lead to a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State for terrorism doesn't matter because that will occur after November, 2020.
It is the window in between that Trump must have. To get it he will ignore the thousands of Americans who died protecting Afghanistan and all counsel that doesn't meet his re-election goal. Look to Bolton, Pompeo and our Senate to back him up.
27
@ijarvis
We won't be giving anything away.
It ain't ours to give.
Thousands of Americans did NOT die in Afghanistan.
But those who died are a "sunk cost". Staying longer won't bring them back
"He died in vain" is hard to hear, but in fact, they died in vain.
The 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam died in vain.
When you fight a war that you can't win, that is what happens.
8
As long as there are plenty of suckers in this country, he will exploit them to the hilt. Why not?
He wants to stay out of prison after exiting WH in 2020. Any action taken in pursuing this goal is justifiable in his mind.
We get what we deserve. The law of Karma! God doesn’t play Dice with human beings.
No prayer can solve our problems, unless thinking folks go to vote overwhelmingly to remove this FAKE President.
6
@John B
Afghanistan Casualties to date;
2,372 Military deaths
20,320 Military wounded
1,720 Civilian deaths
1
If anyone doubted that this man is insensitive to anyone or anything but himself just look at the date for the meeting on our soil. The eve of 9/11 he was going to entertain those who aided in the attack of our country and the attackers. What was he going to have them do pray for the victims of the most horrendous attack on our soil just as they claimed responsibility for killing one of our soldiers last week. He doesn't deserve the title of President of the U.S. as he is only president to those who think like him.
30
I know I can be picky about things like facts and timelines, but it simply does not compute that Taliban leaders were "headed to the United States on Saturday" after "admitt(ing) to a car bomb attack on Thursday" at which time Trump "immediately cancelled the meeting." This is simply incoherent, especially since "On Friday, Afghan officials confirmed ... that a meeting in Washington had been postponed." So, even though the meeting had been postponed by the Afghans on Friday, Trump still had them "headed to the United States" on Saturday but then he stopped them! This is the kind of Trumpian equivocating that makes my head want to explode.
37
@Jennene Colky Not 'equivocating'; 'obfuscating'.
6
@marklee From Merriam Webster -- definition of equivocate: to use equivocal language especially with intent to deceive.
But "obfuscate" works, too.
5
@Jennene Colky
It's also causing fear, anxiety, and bad stomach aches among average Americans of any "party," economic class, race, or cultural background. We understand that our Ship of State has no captain. We also recognize that Congress (our supposed "representatives") is utterly dysfunctional, because "we" as Americans have lost a common identity, a common set of values, a common morality, and a common understanding of our place in the world. Sadly, "religion" may be a source of disconnect among Americans: New Jersey, California, and Maine may as well be different nations when one considers the religions which influence each. And ethnicity often falls back upon one's native religious heritage. With these visceral differences at play, the last thing the USA needs is an out-of-control POTUS whose utterings contradict themselves minute-to-minute. He is one unusual person with his own interests at heart. We are 300+ million persons with OUR OWN interests at heart who cannot afford to let one idealogue speak for us and put us all in jeopardy.
We no longer have a national identity and value system. But while we figure that out internally, we still must protect ourselves from external threats, and from internal demigods who have nothing to their credit but inherited wealth.
And we sane ones have to keep reminding each other that WE are okay; WE are not to blame. Chin up, Jennene.
2
All future ‘secret’ meetings with unsavory types, let’s schedule them for Mar-a-Lago. Give them a detailed map of the place, access to the kitchen, code word for the guard shack.
Normally I don’t like paying for Trump property stuff, but I don’t want anything to happen to Camp David.
2
This is yet another distraction, make stuff up, or cancel a meeting you never intended to keep to keep control of the news cycle, least we start talking about the Don's trip on the Lolita express to the island of sin.
1
Better to have tried and failed than not tried at all. Trump admin has made serious and sincere efforts to end the war in Afghanistan and negotiating with the Taliban was appropriate because the Taliban which is the brain child of the ISI of Pakistan (Pak) consists of Afghan nationals who are going nowhere else fast. But if the negotiations with Taliban does not end terrorism or be trusted to end terrorism then there is no point in continuing to deal with the Taliban.
Haste would be waste and if the Taliban lack credibility in ending terrorism then the USA should not rush into ending America's longest war which was started during the Bush years and continued through the Obama years. Premature withdrawal of US troops from Iraq during the Obama years contributed to the rise of ISIS.
If Pakistan cannot be stopped from aiding terrorists in S Asia and keeps hiding leaders like Osama and possibly Al Jawahari, the war in Afghanistan can be eternal, which is sad and disappointing but the alternative is worse. Pak was critical to evicting the Soviets from Afghanistan and it continues to make it a bargaining chip to interfere in Afghanistan and in Indian territory of Kashmir. Looks like Trump has realized that Pak cannot be trusted and unlike G.W. Bush who was consistently assured by general Musharaff of Pak that Osama was not given a safe haven in Pak where he was nailed by the US Navy seals, Trump has learned his lesson not to rely on peace deals made with the Taliban or Pak.
2
As much as I don't like Donald Trump's incoherent foreign policy, I believe much of the blame for the Afghan debacle really lies with the Bush and Obama administrations.
How was the Taliban able to regroup from 2003 onwards, launch sustained offensives against well-armed Afghan government forces, and procure materiel throughout the conflict?
During the 2001 invasion, the Taliban didn't really fall. It simply moved across the border into Pakistan's frontier provinces. It was a flow of arms via Pakistan which sealed the Soviet Unions' fate in Afghanistan. And the same tactic used to wear down the Soviets was utilised by Islamabad.
Both President Ashraf Ghani and his predecessor Hamid Karzai were outspoken against Pakistani involvement in the Taliban insurgency. Yet, Islamabad was considered too important an ally to displease - at least in the view of previous administrations. After all, America's only feasible supply route into Afghanistan went through Pakistan.
After Bin Laden was killed in Abottabad - a military garrison town of the Pakistan Army - Pakistan even cut off NATO supply routes to Afghanistan for weeks. The tail of the destroyed Black Hawk chopper was gifted to China - an "all-weather friend".
Bush was naive to trust Pakistan. And Obama could never confront it. How Obama risk a conflict with nuclear-armed Pakistan when he had run a campaign to end America's (already) long wars? Trump is just the scapegoat here.
2
@Jack
The T's didn't move into Pakistan. Al Qaeda leadership moved into Pakistan.
Pakistan encourages the Ts and controls the Haquanni element of the Ts, but they are and have been largely inside Afghanistan.
2
@John B
They did move to Pakistan where they openly exist as the "Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan".
So I would think Pakistan is even more complicit than you've highlighted in that they've given sanctuary as well. There were "clearing operations" by the Pakistan Army in places like the Swat Valley and north Waziristan.
After such operations, each US administration would think Pakistan was doing a great job as an ally and continue to extend aid. Pakistan even got Sidewinder air-to-air missiles as part of a counter-terrorism aid package. I wonder, does the Taliban have an air force?
These guys have played the US well and will be the first ones laughing if the Taliban retakes Afghanistan. The military aid they extracted from the US in the name of counterterrorism (including F-16s) has largely been deployed along the eastern front towards India.
The Taliban were quickly removed from power after 9/11, by a combination of Northern Alliance fighters, CIA paramilitary forces, and precision guided air strikes. After all these years, surely we must know the sources of money, men and material that sustain the Taliban. Work to cripple those using similar methods. Relentlessly attack concentrations of Taliban, including through our own network of counter insurgents in the Pakistan border region. Simply washing our hands of the whole matter, abandoning our allies, empowering Islamic fundamentalism, giving up on the minimum goal of no more 9/11’s originating in Afghanistan is a decision that will harm us again. We have seen that play out again and again requiring costly re-engagement. Nearly 20 years in, Afghanistan is more resistant to a Taliban or Taliban type “government”. Afghans themselves must lead the resistance to Taliban and their ilk. The international coalition supporting Afghan allies must support them without a fixed timeline to exit so the Taliban and their soldiers realize either they could join in modern Afghanistan or be pulverized over time. What’s needed is a sustainable anti-Taliban/Al Qaeda (or similar ideology) movement, that gives space to intra Afghan reconciliation that precludes a return to Salafist rule. Hard military power plus societal change and engagement. Otherwise rule by car bombs on markets and weddings will be replicated around the world as the path to power, perhaps not only by Jihadists.
@Rational Person
Your narrative is partially correct. Our (CIA, Northern Alliance) 6 month blitz moved the T's out of the North where they were strangers and back to the South where they are at home.
There is no formula for an external force getting the Ts out of Afghanistan.
Like the dandelions in your lawn, they will always come back. Their seeds, like the dandelions'. are an organic part of the Afghan ecosystem.
1
As James Poniewozick brilliantly summised the "real" Donald Trump is a character on TV. It's the truth, it illuminates everything. Articles like this do not need to be written, there is absolutely no substance or coherence to the man's actions or "plans". He's an improv character. A charade of a leader. A fallacy of a man who does not deserve such an esteemed level of office. And we are suffering as a nation as a result.
2
Many here may not have noticed that this staged event may be more than optics to boost Donald Trump's ego, but to out certain elements in the Democratic Party.
Because, there appear to be some Democrats, especially left-leaning ones, who want to disingage our nation from the world stage at any cost, even if it means negotiating with dubious and unrepentant terrorist groups.
I would hope I am wrong, because the last thing the Democratic Party needs is to provide more political fodder for Donald Trump and his GOP enablers.
There is no point in talking to the terrorists aided and abetted by Pakistan. It’s a good thing to withdraw from the talks. However withdrawal of American troops must be expedited since seventeen years of war has yielded negligible results and continuing further only accounts for losses to the American troops and ammunition without brining in any positive output.
2
Who would think we'd be in the position of awaiting the Taliban's confirmation of what a US president has said before we can believe our president?
38
Look you can only make peace with an enemy. Having said enemy come to our land to sign a peace treaty is not what bothers me. What gets me is that Trump was ready to abandon the Afghans without any guarantees for women rights, education. Without a strong local government that could be credible force that could stand against the Taliban. That once again we have failed in our mission . Iraq failure, Afganistan failure. Since WWII we are the country that has participated in the most conflicts and the closest we got to a victory was the Korean war and that can best be described as a draw. It might be time to examine how we operate. It might be time to stop supporting lackeys that will do our bidding so our corporate interest will be put ahead of the local population. There are reasons why ISIS was created in Iraq while our puppet government was in place. There are reasons why an important segment of the Afghan people rather have the Taliban than the individuals we have placed. We invade, we attempt to set up a corporate pillage of the nation, the locals revolt and we run home with our tails between our legs. Time for a new approach. And that starts at home by taking back our government from corporations such as Halliburton, Lockheed Martin.
22
@arm19 "abandon the Afghans without any guarantees for women rights, education."
Those are virtuous goals, but they are not something America can gift to Afghanistan.
I served in Afghanistan 50 years ago (in the time of the King) when 52% of all government officials were women and almost half the student body at Kabul University was female (mostly wearing skirts and knee-socks).
Afghans created those conditions, not America.
If they want them, they can create them again.
But women's rights and education are matters for the Afghans.
2
@John B
It's about our approach. When we rebuilt Japan, we altered their society. Look at them now. Same can be said for Germany. Our mission in afganistan was not Bin Laden. It was isolating Iran and building a pipeline for Unocal. Karzai was the puppet. 18 years later, the Taliban have gained ground because no matter how brutal and vicious they are they offer some type of stability. If that doesn't say it all at how miserable we are at occupying a country then i don't know what would. That is why need to aspire to leaving a nation in a better state than we have found it or we shouldn't get involved.
5
@arm19
Aspiring to something that you cannot control is not very meaningful.
I would "like" Afghanistan to be at least as nice as it was under the King and Dictator Daoud.
But Americans cannot "make" that happen.
Past Afghan governments implemented many modestly progressive reforms. The Taliban back-tracked on those reforms.
It will be up to Afghans, not Americans, to decide where their society goes next.
1
Trump wanted to announce a peace accord as another MAGA moment to again advertise his genius as a great negotiator.
Dig a little deeper and the realities are bizarre. Primary negotiations in Oman were with ONLY the Taliban because the Taliban regard the duly elected government in Kabul as fake.
Oh, good! Exactly how is that supposed to work to yield peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban will lie about a cease fire in order to gain more ground to take over the government and impose the same oppressive policies they have already stood for.
Trump claims the death of an American was the turning point. Yet in several other mainstream news sources, Mr. Pompeo has bragged about killing 1000 Taliban in the last 10 days. Going into negotiations has anyone even considered how that imbalance might affect the Taliban's willingness to negotiate in good faith? They are not known for honesty when the goal is defense of their religious beliefs.
I would have far more confidence in the honesty of Pompeo and our negotiators if our FIRST priority were to negotiate peace in Afghanistan rather than to engineer a news alert that might hold together long enough to get Trump reelected
24
@DGP
Honesty and Pompeo in the same sentence does not compute.
8
Question: how can a man averse to compromise negotiate agreements that require compromise? And how can a man who defines success as zero-sum succeed at foreign policy needing win-win?
1
The Taliban cancellation of the meeting probably had more to do President Ghani's scheduled presence than the meeting being held on US soil.
The US and the Taliban have been negotiating for some time now (in the UAE if I'm not mistaken). However, the Taliban have always maintained that the Afghan government must not be included in any negotiations or peace process. After all, the Taliban perceives it as a puppet regime, and so, prefers to negotiate with the US directly. Negotiating with the Afghan government would imply that the Taliban is acknowledging them as a legitimate representative of the Afghan people.
My guess is that after a recent (spirited) backlash by the Afghan government, the US decided to include it stealthily in negotiations at the last minute. Under pressure from Kabul, it put Ghani's presence in the meeting as a precondition. The Taliban then decided it would have none of this.
It mirrors the US acceding to North Vietnamese demands to keep the South Vietnam firmly out of the Paris peace talks. In a parallel, the North viewed the South's government as a US-installed puppet. The US acquiesced then, even agreeing to a withdrawal agreement South Vietnam was not party to. Will history repeat itself?
3
The fact that the US and the Taliban are trying to make amends and move towards peace is indicative of a positive trajectory towards global peace. Despite the efforts made on both sides, there still seems to be issues that may be overlooked. Firstly, the president planned for the meeting to take place on Sept. 9th, which is two days before the 9/11 anniversary. No one labeled as a terrorist would want to step foot into this country right before the commemoration of a terrorist attack. That puts them into a very hostile and violent environment which is extremely detrimental to their safety. Trump should have been more cognizant of the fact that September 9th would probably be the worst time to bring Terrorist leaders into America for peace conferences. The second biggest issue is Trump's underlying motivation for the peace offerings which ultimately affect his plans for peace. Trump essentially wants the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire in exchange for US troops pulling out of Afghanistan which would have allowed him to brag about doing something Obama was never able to do. This plan makes no sense because these terrorist groups are built on violence. Once US troops flee from their territory, the violence will just increase again, especially if the troops pull out before the Taliban agree. Nevertheless, if the Taliban agree or not, they will have a window of opportunity to make matters worse in Afghanistan. Overall, Trump has to figure out a better plan to achieve peace.
A Taliban attack as a deal is about to be closed means one of two things (maybe both)
The Taliban negotiators are negotiating on behalf of an entity that really has no control over the Talibans engaged in combat, or
The Taliban negotiators never had any intention of "ceasing fire", agreement or no agreement.
Under the circumstances, the best option is to just withdraw, get out of there, and drone them if any military engagement is necessary in the future.
2
The year is 2014 and President Obama announced that the U.S. will sit down with the terrorist organization the Taliban to negotiate our surrender and withdrawal from Afghanistan.
No that didn't happen but can you even imagine? There would not have been enough hours in the day for the outrage on Fox News and the republicans on Capitol Hill.
Pompeo was interviewed this weekend and in the same breath praised Trump for his "leadership" in these negotiations with terrorists and criticized Obama for allegedly promoting an exit without a strategy.
Trump has intimated within his circle that he simply wants the U.S. out of Afghanistan before the 2020 election one way or the other, I guess that constitutes a strategy from his perspective.
2
The fact that the US and the Taliban are trying to make amends and move towards peace is indicative of a positive trajectory towards global peace. Despite the efforts made on both sides, there still seems to be issues that may be overlooked. Firstly, the president planned for the meeting to take place on Sept. 9th, which is two days before the 9/11 anniversary. No one labeled as a terrorist would want to step foot into this country right before the commemoration of a terrorist attack. That puts them into a very hostile and violent environment which is extremely detrimental to their safety. Trump should have been more cognizant of the fact that September 9th would probably be the worst time to bring Terrorist leaders into America for peace conferences. The second biggest issue is Trump's underlying motivation for the peace offerings which ultimately affect his plans for peace. Trump essentially wants the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire in exchange for US troops pulling out of Afghanistan which would have allowed him to brag about doing something Obama was never able to do. This plan makes no sense because these terrorist groups are built on violence. Once US troops flee from their territory, the violence will just increase again, especially if the troops pull out before the Taliban agree. Nevertheless, if the Taliban agree or not, they will have a window of opportunity to make matters worse in Afghanistan. Overall, Trump has to figure out a better plan to achieve peace.
4
It's no surprise that the common reaction is "No credibility. I don't believe him." Respect is only retained when daily earned.
Putin smiles again, while we ponder how much we've lost.
26
There is no reason to believe Trump's statement. There may never have been a meeting planned. It's all spin. Trump has no credibility whatsoever.
29
@marklee
I completely agree. Should such a meeting have been in the works, this disingenuous White House would have "leaked" it by now, just to convince their "base" of their righteousness. Please, please may the 2020 electorate be intelligent enough to see past these fabrications.
2
I don't think there was really a meeting planned.
2
The US presidential election time-table requires the removal of US soldiers and a declaration by the White House of victory in Afghanistan before November 2020.
.
The Taliban know this.
So does everybody else.
.
It means that America's exit strategy is the only priority for US negotiators.
.
Which, in turn, means that America is not negotiating a peace treaty.
.
America is negotiating a surrender and a safe passage out of town. It is not unlike the cut-and-run from Vietnam.
.
Apparently though, the White House thought that the government of Afghanistan would not notice.
.
The Tajiks, Hazeras and Uzbeks are not so stupid.
They recognize betrayal, and not for the first time.
.
This is a war that, ultimately, American and Allied troops are fighting against the Taliban. The Taliban is funded by Saudi Arabia, and supported logistically and organizationally by Pakistan.
.
Steve Coll wrote two excellent books on this subject:
Ghost Wars
Directorate S
.
Here's to the memory of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
1
If this was anybody else but Trump he would be calling it fake news.
We do need peace in Afghanistan but Trump is the last person to be brokering it , look how good he's done with North Korea.
1
Mexico will pay for the wall. Only the best people. I alone can fix it. Trade wars are easy to win. I make great deals.
We will thank the Republican Party in toto for this man on November 3, 2020.
6
When will the rest of America understand the truths.
1. Trump only cares abou Trump.
2. We never should have started the war in Afghanistan.
3. But since we did, we need to go the distance and finish what we started. The Taliban will never drop their agenda of re-taking control of Afghanistan and all the girls and women in that country will eventually once again be subject to terror by the worst aspect of warped Muslim beliefs that "women should not be allowed to learn."
The Taliban are from the very dark ages of male dominated culture, much like the religious fanatics of Saudi Arabia that attacked the United Stats with assistance from other interests on 9/11.
We now owe it to the free people of Afghanistan to protect their nation from the the Taliban and their Whabi's like warped and exploited views of Mohammedanism, which believes terror is rewarded.
Never start a war unless you finish it correctly. We didn't do it in Iraq (and we never should have started that war), and we haven't done it in Afghanistan.
The way we are willing to abandon allies such such as the Afghan government, the Syrian Kurds, and the Misratan militias in Libya and so forth, show a lack of any loyalty whatsoever to our brothers defending freedom.
This goes along with his constant attack on our post world War II allies in Europe and elsewhere in favor or coddling dictators, seemingly wanting to do there bidding rather than living with a higher honor. Trusting this man is foolish.
1
All the comments I'm reading here are all properly skeptical. Which begs one very important question:
Where are our Russian posters?
It seems that Putin has them working full-time on something else. What could that be?
Do you believe him? I reckon he just made up the secret meeting. Figment of his imagination, like his great relationship with Kim and bringing peace to the ME.
1
The Taliban have never eschewed murder and killing and degradation of women. These Taliban oppose educating girls and espouse enslaving them. The talks were not "peace" talks. They were "cut and run" talks. The Afghan government was not a party to these talks. What plan did we have to stabilize and strengthen the Afghan government against the Taliban after we run away? We need more statesmanship.
As bad as Trump is, I am pleased that the talks have been ended.
Sorry to interrupt the anti-Trump narrative, but has any other President tried to get us out of Afghanistan and stop the carnage?
1
A president who believes he has to win and all others have to loose...looking forward to seeing what his “peace plan” was..
How many other secretive meetings has Trump and his men had with other enemy-terrorists? What does Rudy Giuliani think? Is this for real or is it all for show?
1
"Unbeknownst to almost everyone,...” is Don's way of bragging, " I'm an important guy with important secrets!"
2
Let’s not forget the serial failures of Mike Pompeo, whose diplomatic incompetence results in the ongoing humiliation of this nation by foreign tyrants. With rejections by N. Korea, Iran, and now the Afghanistan Taliban, Pompeo’s allegiance to Trump and the president’s quixotic foreign policy delusions is a shameful statement from a man who once wore the uniform of the United States and demonstrated some professional integrity.
How the 90% of illegal opium which comes from Afghanistan will be impacted needs to be discussed.
1
Trump to Taliban: Please come to the US. You can stay at one of my resorts, compliments of the US Taxpayer.
Taliban to Trump: No. We'd rather stay somewhere else.
Trump to Taliban: Well, negotiations are off.
1
I don't think it is in Trump's DNA to do anything in secret. It goes against everything we know about him. In addition to that, he is a liar, so why should we believe that there ever was an agreement to meet? Throw in the fact that it was to take place at Camp David when he has properties all over the country and the world that he prefers, and you should be very skeptical of the whole business.
1
Would it work better if the talks could be held at his golf course? Maybe Ivanka could moderate?! It is going to be the biggest peace treaty ever!!
1
"Unbeknownst". Gosh, I didn't think Trump had words that large in his vocabulary.
I have zero faith in ANY credibility from Trump - in any way, shape or form. This latest Political charade is 100% Hogwash.
2
Peace talks? With the Taliban?
The only things being negotiated were the terms of America’s abandonment of the Afghanis to a gang of brutal thugs. The Taliban are no more a legitimate group than al Queda or ISIS.
This was going to be no more, or less, than Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un which ended with a declaration of victory and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Theater. The theater of the absurd.
1
It is becoming clear that Trump’s reasons for yesterday’s abrupt cancellation of negotiations had little, if anything, to do with last Thursday’s tragic loss of lives, which included an American service member. Am I (a spouse of a Vietnam era Marine) the only one disgusted by Trump’s cynical use of an American service member’s death to try to smooth over his ill-conceived plan for a Camp David meeting? He knew months ago that the Taliban had not agreed to a ceasefire during the peace talks. Other service members have died during the negotiations and Trump didn’t call think it necessary to cancel negotiations then. Trump seized on this service member’s death as a way to get out of talks that Bolton didn’t like and that had too many loose ends that would prevent him from claiming a dramatic Camp David “made for TV” victory. What a monstrous, disgusting person.
1
The man, Trump, is a habitual lyre so no matter what he says you know it is not the truth. And that’s that!
1
Trump's a master of lies, building lies upon top of lies. He never invited the Taliban to the U.S. especially The White house or Camp David. This fraud of a President tells the most outrageous lies to protect himself against the most inept handling of international situations. Next thing we'll know is Trump boasting that he invited Isis to the White House for talks.
The supreme dealmaker in reality is the master chaos maker.
Of course these lies are designed to protect himself against the fallout from being unable to bring 14,000 of our troops home to end our 17 year war in Afghanistan, a near impossible task to begin with. Predictably Trump is an utter failure in attempting to accomplish this task. Now he's even a failure in his attempt to cover it up.
5
Set to one side the issue of Trump and his motivations.
We need to get out of Afghanistan.
Not because we have "won" or because we are about to "lose"
Afghanistan will neither be won nor lost.
It is a sad, scrappy, dogged, and independent minded place that does not like foreigners of any stripe.
I served in Afghanistan when it was ruled by he King and when it was ruled by the Dictator Mohammed Daoud.
There wasn't a heck of a lot of difference.
I later ran cross-border assistance to Muj warlords who fought against the Soviets. They were not models of Jeffersonian virtue, either.
It is time to leave because the task is Sisyphean.
Whether Trump, Clinton, Obama, Bush or Elizabeth Warren it is time to stop pushing the rock in a futile effort to get someplace we will never reach.
Think of America trying to exteminate the Taliban as the equivalent of the French invading the US with the intent of extirpating all the good old boys and deplorables.
They are OUR good old boys and deplorables, and no foreigner will ever exterminate them. WE might, but and outsider cannot.
2
About to lose? We lost many many years ago.
@Max Plank
You can't lose something that you could never have won.
As I noted, Afghanistan will neither be won nor lost.
1
How do we know there really was a secret meeting planned? Do you believe Trump?
4
"How many more decades are they willing to fight?" I would guess 5 to 9. This question is a prime example of how unprepared and how out of his depth our President is. He has such unjustified faith his self declared moniker of 'master of the deal" that he doesn't realize he is being played for a fool. Little Kim, Putin, and now the Taliban are running rings around this President.
5
Here is the problem we have now.
I am now inclined to believe, after watching Trump lying to my face thousands of times, that he is lying now too.
It is something that he imagined one night after a feverish Fox News binge that left him delusional.
And that, America, is where we are.
It might as well be chicken little telling me the sky is falling.
6
Trump is a loose cannon who has no idea what he is doing in foreign relations. He has the hubris of a truly deluded megalomaniac who thinks he can wave his hand and have the world bow to his desires. Look at his disastrous forays with North Korea, Iran and the European Union.
What kind of preparation did he have with the Taliban and Afghanistan? The world knows that he is so easy manipulated and then when things go south he blames everyone and anyone for his failures.
We are not safe with Trump in the White House. His instability and incompetence makes life in the United States and the rest of the world far more precarious.
But then, obviously his priorities are making money from his presidency, and getting people to fawn and slobber over him as our own "Dear Leader"
He cannot be allowed to continue for another term.
8
I just find it unbelievable because the number of times he has been to Camp David can be counted on two fingers
2
He was afraid to be in the same room with them.
1
Trump is willing to do anything to ensure his re-election since if he loses he faces the stigma of LOSER a title his narcissistic personality disorder cannot accept. Trump was as usual look for a photo op with Taliban leaders claiming he has done what no other president could do in decades. Just as his North Korea 3 meetings with his lover Kim was nothing but a photo op ,we have North Korea amassing more nukes and doing rockets tests as he sees fit Taliban meeting would accomplish nothing. Just before the 9/11 anniversary Trump has the audacity to entertain the terrorist group who hosted AL Qaeda who attacked us 9/11 killing thousands . Another example of Trump's show boating style of foreign policy using tweets to disclose national security secrets and the next meet will be at a Trump property no doubt.
5
Sorry Donald.. but you lie so often, even over very minor or frivolous things... it is impossible to believe your latest declarations here.
I'm going to go with that the administration experts are saying: that it is more about the Taliban not agreeing to certain demands by the US.
3
Sixty people slaughtered at a wedding: That's cool, let's talk.
One US soldier killed: we're done!
2
The American government was dealing with the Taliban behind the Afghan authority fixing a deal on their behalf, how do you like being manipulated like this by the Americans. Isn’t it sweet?
The hypocrisy is beyond amusing. There are wags out their moaning about how Obama's decision to pull troops out of Iraq led to ISIS (no! bush's decision to invade Iraq gets credit for that ); and yet there are trump supporters claiming that no other president has tried to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
Wrong! Obama was pulling troops out until he changed course due to the grief he was receiving for his initial decision to draw down troop levels. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/world/asia/obama-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan.html
What we now have is a celebrity apprentice masquerading as a president, who has no other strategy other then do whatever makes him look good.
This so called Camp David v2.0 was a cheap stunt that blew up in trump's face (just like his weather forecast for Alabama ).
Cancel this show in 2020, and the impeach to cement his legacy.
3
Did he use his handy dandy Sharpie to draw a bold line through the "Secret Meeting" reminder on his calendar?
3
A certified liar asks us to believe him. I don't...do you? Until this unqualified man does something other than leave the office he has discredited, there is NOTHING he can do to make me believe him.
7
I seriously doubt such a meeting in the US was ever actually planned. Trump is a major liar and this was probably a lie. Furthermore, it's highly unlikely Taliban reps would agree to come to the US, and, in the off-chance they would, would US taxpayers be footing their transportation bill? Probably under this presidents' abuse of taxpayer dollars in other ways.
2
I don't believe any of it. How convenient that his "peace plan" was made public less than 48 hours after it was discovered he's turned the military into accomplices into his latest money laundering scheme in Scotland. He's a liar and a thief. I don't believe a word he says about anything.
7
If true, and I have doubts, then reservations were made at Trump International Hotel Washington DC for members of the Taliban.
1
Mike pompeo on ABC's This Week ;
We killed a thousand Taliban fighters in the last couple of weeks.
Trump ;
If they can not agree to a cease fire during these very important peace talks...
1
Trump and his followers really make me miss the wonderful editorial cartoons that made hash out of idiots like this.
2
All New Yorkers are deeply offended that the turkey in chief even thought this was a good idea, especially the weekend before 9-11. Just another example of the abject stupidity of the Trump Administration.
4
He made the whole thing up. He lies.
5
Yet more flailing, largely born of go-it-alone leadership—which is, of course is a recipe for failure, and hardly deserves to be called leadership at all.
This POTUS is not abnormal, but anti-norm-al.
So anti-norm-al he distrusts, and rejects, all established norms.
And that means he can’t—cant(!)—proceed with anything in a methodical, organized, “i”-dotting, “t”-crossing way.
He’s deliberate (much like a taunted bull in the streets of Pamplona, Spain), but he’s not deliberative (at all).
He reads nothing and listens to practically nobody—particularly those with views even slightly different from his own.
He values personal loyalty above any other kind, including loyalty-to-cause/-mission, to country, to experience, to truth, to the seasoned professionals in government or with careers spent working on behalf of the people of the US, to the law, or to the US Constitution.
He’s the epitome of what “loose cannon” means. And that’s putting it kindly.
He’s deranged and probably crooked, if not enough (of either) to outweigh his demonstrably intimidating, dishonest, bombastic, bullying, practically crime-boss (noted earlier in his presidency by others) ways.
In short, he’s a disgracefully poor excuse for a human being.
5
Does anyone really believe this?
2
@Sue Ogden
no.
1
He's annoyed. The Taliban refused to stay at his tacky DC hotel.
3
The man is a chronic LIAR. He probably thought up the idea of this “secret meeting “ to further mislead the country and to win points with his base. I don’t believe that it was ever scheduled.
2
Sorry, this is "fake news". Taliban leaders entering the US of their own free will? More likely IQ45 trying to appear in control; or a diversion from @SharpieGate.
If a secret meeting is canceled, was it ever scheduled?
3
Not nice people then.
Dude can’t keep a secret. Can you imagine the logistics of providing security for this fool?
2
Trump was also able to deflect hurricane Dorian from Alabama! Is there nothing this President can't do!
2
Trump has told over 11,000 lies since the start of his presidency. We might as well hear Trump blow some smoke about the Taliban too.
1
If Barack Obama had invited the Taliban to Camp David for negotiations that might have carried on to September 11, Republicans, of course, would have been perfectly OK with that.
1
Lying liar. If you believe he was actually going to have a meeting with leaders of the Taliban and Afghanistan, there’s a bridge for sale in Brooklyn I’d like to show you . . .
2
A no-confidence vote for this inept White House rodeo clown, now, please. Everything he says is a lie or is a muddled word salad of his own mind. Why should this be any different? VOTE out the red in 2020.
2
How can Taliban leaders, who are known war criminals, travel to the US to meet with Trump?
2
The great flailing windmill assault on reason.... brought to you by.....
Don "Quixote" Trump.
3
The Taliban don't cheat at golf. The President will never understand them.
3
Thank goodness there will not be a meeting with Trump and the Taliban. I can't see anything good coming out of that meeting. A Trump hotel in Kabul? Wait till he falls in love with Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada the leader of the Taliban before he sets up a meeting. Love to hear Trump pronounce that name...lol
3
NYT: "Trump says he canceled secret meeting with Afghan president, Taliban at Camp David"
WaPo: "Trump Says He’s Called Off Negotiations With Taliban After Afghanistan Bombing"
I don't believe it. Rump never scheduled such a meeting.
This fake meeting was just to cover for 'Bama-Sharpie-Gate.
2
Trump's prepared remarks, released on Twitter for his meeting with "the Taliban"...at Mara Lago, on Sept 11,2019:
"I have just talked to "the Taliban" and they say they didn't do 9-11 or any terrorist acts.....and I believe them.(Reaches over to pat terrorists knee)....
Osama sounds like Obama so our Intelligence dept got that mixed up....(Shakes his head)...Where did I get that Intelligence Dept. from? People are saying "you can't win them all....
Look....former presidents caused the Taliban problems ( the Taliban told me this themselves...) and, anyway, I'm sure there are fine people on both sides.....
I like skyscrapers that DON"T fall down, anyway....Terrible buildings, designed by terrible architects.....I know more than any architect and people all say those towers wouldn't have fallen if we had used only white Americans to build them...the DEMS wanted illegals to build them....
Hillary, Obama, the FBI ( who frankly I don't think they know what they're talking about,,,) caused 9-11 and if you vote DEM it'll happen again....
Wayne LaPew says the Talibalm uses rally nice guns.....big, powerful guns.....
The Taliban assured me they will NOT attack Alabama cause it sounds like "Osama"...Smart!!!"
When's Tee Time? What? You mean I have to say something today on 9-11? Oh, Okay. I'll just wing it. I'll throw in "Our Great MiIitary" and"Patriot Farmers" and "Law Enforcement Heroes"..all the buzz words... my base will go bonkers!!!!"
3
Republicans yesterday: Great move meeting with the Taliban
Republicans today: Great move not meeting with the Taliban
1
On the bright side, this time we won’t have to endure the spectacle of a president in the Rose Garden lauding a treasonous defector like Bowe Bergdahl.
@EGD Instead, we get a treasonous Russian puppet in the Oval Office.
1
Why does it seem that Donald is lying ... again.
Would anyone be so stupid as to invite the Taliban to America for the 9/11 anniversary ?
Is Donald lying about all of this?
2
Sorry, don't believe a word of this diversionary drivel from the Liar in Chief, Donald.
What a pathetic little little man.
3
Why doesn't he just redraw the Middle East with his beloved Sharpie?
Then, he can go back to playing golf, watching TV, and looking for a new dictator to fawn over.
1
Pretty obvious that Trump still has no idea what he's doing.
And, apparently, no one else does either.
Certainly gas-bag Pompeo.
2
Which other President has tried to get us out of Afghanistan?
9
@Dr. John
meaning what?.......you're clearly not fit for Diplomacy....
3
@Dr. John
Which other President would abandon millions of women and children to the Taliban?
2
@Dr. John. . . Obama
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/world/asia/obama-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan.html
4
Of course we don't believe anything that comes out of Trump's mouth or any of the mouths that still work for him, but my question is, when are we going to have the same energy and courage that the Hong Kong protesters have? When are Americans going to take to the streets and demand this madman resign? When are we going to say we have had enough? Anyone?
110
Get the ball rolling, Carolyn!
2
@Carolyn Crandall
I know I've got a pitchfork and I'm pretty sure I can build a torch so yeah, count me in.
2
@Carolyn Crandall
I don't want to give him the opportunity to declare martial law and cancel the elections because he absolutely will.
1
"That raised the question of whether Mr. Trump might have been looking for a pretext because the talks had run into trouble."
There is no new trouble. There is only the same old trouble. It has a name, Bolton and Pompeo. They represent a large war faction.
51
We’ve reached the point that trump’s utter lack of credibility on issues of foreign policy and “soft” power makes attaining peace any place in the world impossible. And...things will get worse before they get better. Who believes us any more?
Let’s wait for his next hurricane pronouncement.
His only concern is re-election to avoid criminal prosecution by remaining in office for a second term, thus allowing the statute of limitations to run out on most felonies with which he has been and may be charged. Our country is held hostage by a president whose only concern excludes our security or the faithful execution of the constitution or the law.
97
@Regards, LC 90% of everything you just typed has no proof or facts... Sad.
1
Another failure to think outside the box comment though this really, sincerely is “with all due respect”. ( That expression is so misused for when anyone says it they mean the opposite). Same with “ a little bit”. Am getting off topic. So...,,,
The Democratic nominee should promise that if elected he or she will
pardon Trump of all misdeeds. That will
ensure a Democrat victory.
And as many Democrats in Congress should come out in public support as possible.
Denny Crane!
@Regards, LC
Lots of rhetoric.
No facts, zero examples.
Purely a political response, trying to reinforce prejudices.
2
I cannot believe that trump essentially invited an enemy to a us government facility in order to surrender.
No administration has shown a successful policy in Afghanistan, but is abandonment the right choice now?
Wasn’t there a president who tried for peace with honor? (In Vietnam) he eventually resigned.
But this supposedly secret action seems misguided in many ways.
Afghanistan is proving again that it is the graveyard of empires.
40
@Steve Ell Jimmy Carter invited Arafat to sign a peace agreement with Israel. I consider Arafat and his terrorism an enemy of the US. Don't you?
1
It wasn’t kept a secret and it was an agreement between Israel and Arafat. The US was not a combatant. You’re mistakenly conflating the two events.
3
He invited the Taliban to Camp David and not to a Trump property which is further evidence that Trump is a man of high principle.
Another Trump grand debacle, no surprises here.
Eighteen yeas of American military intervention and counting in Afghanistan — a monumental travesty.
29
Our presidential administration is short tempered in their dealings with the Taliban as well as practicing the usual erratic methods manifested by Trump. In addition, the Afghan government trusts no one. I wonder why? If Trump had a State dept that could handle these discussions in a professional manner, we would probably be out of Afghanistan by now.
18
There would be no chance for peace if Hillary were president. That too is ironic.
I’m trying to remember...which deals has this bargaining genius actually cut, again?
50
@Robert
It's a short list -----> NONE
He lies and takes credit for things that are lies... like a professional clown though.
3
@Robert. Trump has negotiated many wonderful deals for the US. They are so good we just can't tell anyone what we did because they would get jealous of our President and his wonderful intellect.
1
@Robert
Leasing the Old Post Office building, despite the law stating clearly that no government official could lease it.
Just run-of-the-mill crime deals, is all.
1
The Taliban had always refused a cease fire. Other stories suggest it has been an issue for nine months of talks.
Why? Because they don't trust Trump. They think "talk instead of fight" would become endless, pointless talks while the American show goes on indefinitely, as with Israel, as was true in Vietnam too.
Nobody in his right mind would trust Trump. After what he's done, as with the Iran deal and climate accord, he just can't be trusted for anything by anyone.
Since the Americans knew they didn't have and wouldn't get a ceasefire, knew for the last nine months, their motives for pulling up short in the talks only prove that the Taliban was right to distrust Trump. He's lied again.
28
@Mark Thomason
The Taliban are also students of Afghan history too. Every imperial nation that has invaded them, has been fought to a stand still and later forced to retreat without securing terms from Afghanis.
2
It’s not really a lie in the traditional sense but rather his very successful way of bargaining. You can think of no accomplishments and on the surface of course I concur.
But he did win the election and has managed to successfully destroy or weaken or most vitally important institutions and remain invulnerable. Now that’s real power.
So he couldn’t build a wall. His cult remains intact and Republican Senators remain intimidated and have all sold their souls except for the 2 who quit and the one who died.
You can’t have peace talks without a cease fire. Pretty basic. At least Trump is open minded enough to consider talking with the Taliban. If funny to see how many people are triggered or upset by Trump. Haters would have been upset either way. Trump has certainly gone to greater lengths to seek peace with NK & the Taliban than the previous administration, and that tells volumes.
Leftists need conflicts, disasters, and pain & suffering to sell the government under their control is the solution. Makes you wonder who really is behind all these wars.
3
@JOSEPH We sure do not need a Reality TV star messing up every international relationship. Silly man.
2
@JOSEPH Obama was open minded about meeting the Taliban too. Do you think DJT went into the Obama files, read them, and decided to follow through?
1
Trump is a moron. He lies about everything. He has proven time and again that he sides with enemies of the US and attacks our allies. Why don’t you see that?
2
There appear to be serious divisions within the Taliban concerning any negotiations with the U.S. and the Afghan government. This shouldn’t surprise us. Yet, Trump's announcement that he has cancelled a “secret” meeting with the Taliban seems a little specious; how can we trust what he says?
He reveals highly classified information and then claims he has every right to make top-secret imagery public. To what end? To embarrass Iran? Hah!
Was he trying to embarrass the Taliban leadership? They don’t embarrass. So, it seems to me that once again, he was trying to divert attention from some of his recent domestic political faux pas like the “Sharpie” incident with a NOAA weather map. When the kitchen becomes too hot, Trump leaves it and casts aspersions against our scientists for their accuracy in charting the probable path of Hurricane Dorian.
The Taliban and their supporters take all of his domestic political shenanigans into account in weighing how they should respond to U.S. entreaties. They still hold some very valuable cards in this game. Meanwhile, Trump wants to reduce the U.S. footprint in Afghanistan and possibly further destabilize the Afghan government.
17
I think in the future, a different system can be established based on how much carbon each individual produces.
Example: Everyone has 100 carbon points. A 70 horsepower car = 500 carbon points. So you need 500 carbon points to own a 70 horsepower car... You have to have a family of five. A 15 horsepower motorcycle = 100 carbon points. This point system can be applied to every product we buy from the market. Example: One chocolate = 1 carbon point. The amount of carbon generated during production determines the carbon score of a product. By implementing such a policy, we can win the carbon war. It is time to produce new policies. The result of the Brexit is good or bad. I don't think that's important. Because in the future all NATO countries will set a carbon limit for each citizen and a carbon communism will emerge. Nuclear bombs will be worthless. Otherwise, in 10 years we will experience the real apocalypse. We will witness the second sinking of the Titanic(it never sinks). But this time not only a thousand people, but the entire human race will be completely destroyed in 10 years. Communism based on the amount of carbon per capita will bring all countries to the same position. There will be no difference between living in Greece or America. Each individual will have 1000 carbon points per year (for example). It may be necessary to provide a solid reason for plane traveling.
Please let everyone know and I hope we can get rid of this climate apocalypse...
2
It seems unnecessary to announce the cancellation of a previously "secret" or unannounced meeting.
Makes Trump seem even more foolish than usual, if that's possible.
63
Actually, unbeknownst to DJT, I cancelled the secret meetings first.
Makes you wonder how many secret meetings have been cancelled in the small arc of human history.
14
@Can or cannot do math Donald doesn't actually play golf, he makes secret deals on the back nine.
1
Meeting with "terrorists".
I use inverted commas as one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter, struggling to free his country from the yoke of rule by an overseas power.
As the Brits found in Aden, Ireland and other places, sooner or later you have to sit down with the gunmen and plan for an orderly exit from a country that, in plain terms, isn't yours.
9
@Mike Edwards
I’m all for the occasional use of boilerplate rhetoric but in which universe could the oppressive and murderous Taliban be called freedom fighters?
This is where Trump has demonstrated a degree of ethical behavior totally absent from Bush Obama who use force to control other countries.
So Trump wants land? He doesn’t invade. He offers to buy it!! Like the Louisiana Purchase. A much more civilized way of acquiring property. I learned that as a child playing Monopoly. And like Trump in the end I often went bankrupt.
1
We are living in a very dangerous time. Trump will give away the national security of this country to our enemies so he can win reelection.
To think that Trump would have flown the taliban, dripping with the blood of American soldiers and innocent Afghans, to Camp David is incomprehensible.
Just read the words of the taliban reported in this country and overseas.
The only place the taliban should be is at the bottom of the ocean with bin laden.
24
He probably announced this to distract everyone from NOAAgate and the latest hotel controversy.
And someone in his administration woke up to the fact that about the 9/11 attacks.
17
Thanks for telling us about what didn't happen and what wasn't achieved. Was beneficial to us all. You're so good. Congratulations.
39
Yeah! Time to stop reporting icky news!!
Unless it’s about Democrats, of course.
2
@Block Doubt
All this winning is intoxicating.
1
Everything trump says is a lie until proven otherwise! You will always feel better when you tune him out completely.
22
Trump's been putting that sharpie to work a lot these past few days.
13
“How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
I would suggest reading 'The Great Game' by Peter Hopkirk, but ...
6
@angel98, I would suggest:
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, and the women come out to cut up what remains, jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains and go to your gawd like a soldier.
Rudyard Kipling
It is as plausible that trump canceled the meeting because the weather was nice and he wanted to play golf as anything else. Few believe anymore that trump thinks beyond the moment, beyond his own urges, and beyond his own interests. Not only is that sad for the country, it may also have serious ramifications but, those too, are beyond trump.
34
@say what
on the other hand, keeping the 'genius' on the golf course interminably and incommunicado
is my idea of a hole-in-one
1
Truly shocking on so many levels. Arranging a secret meeting in the U.S. with a legitimate head of state is the first shock. Inviting murderous, terrorist thugs to the same meeting is the second. Was he going to meet with these people personally? How many other foreign leaders and terrorists has he been sneaking around with at Camp David or Mar-a-Lago or one of his other properties? Putin? Assad? Bin Salman? ISIS and Al Qaeda leaders?
34
If there was a rush to hold the Camp David meeting, it could have been motivated by end of the summer recess and Congress coming back into session. You could knock anything happening in Congress to the back pages with a bombshell story like the Taliban at Camp David. Maybe I'm just a bit jaded...
9
Big mistake. Trump should have invited them to Mar a Lago instead of Camp David. Nicer climate, prettier drapery, and that's where he invites all the really important people.
25
@Larry Figdill
especially since there are bed bugs at the Doral.....
1
“President Trump said on Saturday that he had canceled a secret meeting at Camp David”
Thank you for that. It’s a pet peeve of mine that media report a thing as true when all they really know is that some politician said it was true. Maybe NYT is learning how to deal with Trump.
14
What other President has tried to get us out of Afghanistan?
2
@Dr. John Obama?
@Dr. John
Joe Biden.......
@Dr. John.....What other president got us into Afghanistan without an exit plan.
The Art of the Incredible Fake Deal
An exciting new Presidential paperback by Donald Trump.
Sad.
November 3, 2020
86
Trump thought his "Team" was negotiating a new Hotel and Golf Resort in Afghanistan. Soon as Kelly Anne "splained" what was really going on . . . he pulled out.
19
This negotiation was a waste of time from the beginning because we've been down this road before, the Taliban 'leaders' do not speak for the Taliban, just their faction of it. As for making this statement now, it destroys all confidence that the Taliban leaders may have started to have in Mr. Trump. All it amounts to is more incompetence from this President and his enablers.
15
At this point, after the past few years and the recent hurricane image and NOAA clarification, if he told us that the sky is blue, I would run outside to make sure it is indeed blue.
It's just so pathetic...
25
'Unbeknownst' ??? As soon as I saw that first word I knew that DJT did not write that tweet.
44
@John a Agree! He doesn't know or use any long words and count not have possibly spelled it himself.
1
Numpty Trumpty is a mendacious fear-mongering autocrat. A style that in the Trump organization accomplished 6 bankruptcy's and the loss of confidence by US Banks. Now Numpty Trumpty while misdirecting us all with one photo op after another is really behind the scenes focused on directing as much tax payer money as possible to his business interests. Numpty Trumpty as of 05 August 2019 per the WP's fact checker had made more than 12,019 false or misleading claims as of his 928th day in office - and trust in the US is waning. Wake up America! reality cannot be changed by a "sharpie" or lackeys. Change is needed and the current elected GOP is not going to do it. VOTE!
14
This ploy has been used by Israel for years. Set conditions that can never be met.
19
It would be great if the president stayed in bed without his phone this Wednesday so that he doesn't defile the anniversary of 9/11 any more than he has in the past with his tone deaf tweets and he has this year by inviting Taliban terrorists to Camp David this week. Just shame on this administration. Every day reaching a new record low.
34
@cmm, he'll likely just claim to have been among the first responders. Few people realize that Donald Trump was the chief of the Staten Island fire department... um, let's walk that back. He meant to say, he was the chief of the First Fire Department of Manhattan.
He just doesn't like to wear all of his medals, because he doesn't want to boast.
9
“The Pinocchio of the Potomac” is still managing to keep us 'guessing at his games'.
He keeps proving how MISFIT he is for the job he now has!!!
21
@betty sher at last, the proper moniker for this guy!
1
Trump cancelled because of the realization that he would face the inevitable details and nut and bolts- namely the need to focus, process information and produce something of substance. He is not capable. Look at the results of his meetings with Kim....nothing!
15
@dude
"Send in the.........neurologists..........the clowns are still here.......
“If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway,” Mr. Trump added. “How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
The usual muddled thinking of our present president:
1. "they cannot agree...."
2. "they probably don't have the power...."
So which is Trump saying? Does he himself know?
Is he saying that the Taliban chose to kill these people or that they wanted to stop the killings, but didn't have the power? These are very different things, and logically (hah!) one would approach negotiations differently based upon which one was believed to be the case.
Lastly, the following is a very self-destructive question to ask:
Mr. Trump added. “How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
Does anyone at all think that the Taliban has less resolve than our flimsy present bone-spur tweet-leader?
9
The Taliban and all other jihadi outfits involved in Afghanistan and/or india could not come to existence -- and survive -- without Pakistan's active support. All US presidents of the period concerned except Obama disregarded this fact for reasons only God knows ! (I disregard what I think !!) Obama found and eliminated bin Lalden.
Pakistan rejoiced in the Republican and Trump victory in 2016. (See Pakistani newspapers of the time.) Trump did not disappoint Pakistan and its puppets, the Taliban. Pakistani generals along with their selected prime minister, Imran Khan, were entertained in Washington, D.C. and peace (i.e., surrender) talks with the Taliban pursued.
Yes, Trump is lying again -- for all those reasons mentioned by commenters and more.
7
Having this guy as president still feels surreal but is surely a reality check for America. How did we get here and where are we going next?
11
First I arranged the secret meeting. Then I cancelled it. Then I started it again, secretly. Then I cancelled it publicly. We'll just have to see what I do next. Or maybe it'll be secret.
27
"The Great Dealmaker" does it again.
15
So we add another failure to the Trump oligarchy, aka: The Reign of Incompetence. The N. Korea Kim deal went nowhere other than elevating Kim to the world stage. Iran is rearming and threatening world peace like never before. China has become our adversary when Climate Change demands cooperation. Trump alienated our allies and thereby lost his tariff war before he started it. His anti-enviro Climate Change actions encouraged Brazilian President Bolsonaro to expedite the destruction of the Amazon, the lungs of Planet Earth. When his tax returns are finally exposed, the rest of the world will know what we New Yorkers already knew from watching Trump make life miserable for his building's tenants and his repeated failure to pay contractors.
Trump is a fraud.
His only attribute is a devious Gift of Gab, aka: lying, which he used to get elected and retain support of uninformed Americans. For those who think we will get rid of this cancer in 2020, think again. Trump knows a good scam when he sees it. He will never cede power, no matter the election.
11
Blatant Twitter postings have replaced intricate and tactical diplomacy. Just another horrifying day in American governance.
17
@Xtine, calling this "governance" is being very, very generous.
7
Just when I thought Trump had run out of dictators and thugs to cozy up to, he exceeds all expectations.
11
how many more years are WE willing to fight?
7
Pompeo said the US killed 1000 Taliban in the recent past but it was wrong for the Talibam to kill one American while all these serious negotiations were going on. Obviously none of it is okay but other that it all being criminal and horrible it is also ridiculous. The real truth is that the hurricane made the meeting in Alabama impossible and the plumbing in Camp David had broken down so it couldn't be moved there. They had to come up with a some plausible excuse not to seem incompetent..
7
I thought Taliban is a terrorist organization. We never negotiate with any terrorist group. Since when we changed our policy?
Besides if we get out of Afghanistan 100%, don't we admit our self in defeat? If Trump did that, history will not be so kind to him as Fox news did.
5
According to Trump, he cancelled a secret meeting with the Taliban after the Afghan president told him, "Sir, I just don't think we are worthy enough to be in your presence. Please do us the honor of cancelling the meeting while you make America great again."
3
Announcing this cancellation on Twitter, giving the exact date and location where the meeting would have taken place, must make the intelligence community extremely nervous about planning for future events like this one.
It’s yet another example of how Trump cancels plans much more frequently than thinking them through. It often feels like he’s scared of his own ideas.
12
It was a fact that, all during the negotiations, bombs would go off in Kabul. The article could have noted this. I was pleasantly surprised that there were exhaustive, ongoing talks and more surprised that they were reaching the end. Now, the President's Sharpie Pen has drawn an X through this chapter.
2
“How many more decades are they willing to fight?” Trump asks.
Easy answer. Longer than the British were willing to fight in the 19th century, longer than the Russians were willing to fight in the 1980's and based on that I'll wager longer than the United States is in this century. After all, this is on their turf; they simply can't pack their kit and leave.
Geopolitics and peace negotiations are whole different animals than haggling over a real estate deal or peddling vodka, steaks, and neckties. There my well be aspects of the presidency where one can 'fake it until you make it' but issues of war and peace aren't any of those.
10
When I read that brief news item yesterday punctuated completely by Trump's tweets on the subject, the first (and only) ting I thought was this: I wonder if any of this actually happened. In all candor, I typically wait for responsible journalists to fact check his every utterance, but it seems we have come to the point where assertions by tweet or otherwise from this president are suspect first until verified as factual.
These are indeed "interesting times" we live in, and "cursed" we will be until voters show him the door. G-d knows Congress cannot be relied upon to move forward to even censure, much less impeach.
We are alone in the wilderness, folks, with the government accountability machinery in full stall.
1310 h
10
The U.S. looks doomed, condemned to war. Some are making the comparison in the international arena with what's is happening inside its own frontiers... killings at a rhythm which is growing at an increasing rate. And no solution is in sight because there're plenty of 'reasons', too many 'legitimate' interests behind; to name only these: the NRA and the military industry-complex. Plus, we need to ad, the idolatry towards the hawkish, the supremacists of all the coatings. We need, at this point, to put the basic questions: why this doesn't happen with Europe, why this doesn't happen with China... and also, why Russia was able finally to extricate itself from Afghanistan? Why?
2
He continues to make the CEO mistake of thinking deals are made by HIM, rather than by professional diplomats with decades of working knowledge about the conflicts which must be resolved in order to achieve lasting peace.
Since he doesn't communicate HIS policy agenda to those diplomats, nor does he learn the nuances of the conflicts any better that does the average American, the USA remains ineffective, yet in the line of fire, in Afghanistan.
Tired of winning yet?
7
Once again . . . His Majesty Great Leader Trump demonstrates his complete mastery of Negotiations and Deal Making.
How much more of this WINNING can we take ?
4
Perhaps a diplomatic corps deeper than just the inexperienced, uberloyalist Secretary of State and the Inept Dealmaker himself would have brought a real and welcome result. But while we're left standing back here on Square One, we'll never know.
Do it right, President Gaslighter, and the nation will thank you.
4
America’s Afghanistan policy has been so clueless for so long. Our invasion post-9/11 was justified, and in short order we chased Al Quaeda across the border into Pakistan, but rather than finish the job there, we made our war a war on the Taliban instead, a home-grown outfit of tremendous staying power whose harm to us in hosting Al Quaeda is disproportionate to the blood and treasure we’ve spent over 18 years—accomplishing nothing at all.
The slog ahead is to get out with minimal harm to us or Afghanistan, which is going to take a lot of talking in good faith, doubtless a lot of money, too. Trump won’t do it.
4
Frankly, I am suspicious. There is no reason to take the President at his word.
And, while my heart goes out to the family of the soldier who was killed...as some readers below have commented, that's not a reason to call off talks; that's a reason to continue.
A more believable explanation of the President's choice to end the talks...is he failed.
If he cannot handle being wrong about Alabama, surely he will not own up to being unable to negotiate an agreement with the Taliban.
Neither the President, nor his team seem to know how to negotiate anything successfully in a world that's no longer about power...but instead is about partnership.
9
Does anyone know whether the draft agreement contained any protections for the lives and status of Afghani women?
Or are they being thrown back to being denied social and economic and political opportunity by the President who claims, “No one respects women more than I do?”
5
Next we'll hear Trump 'splaining to us how very complicated these things are. No one knew how complicated. Oh, and the mess he inherited.
5
It is now clear. The only thing Donald Trump wanted was a big Camp David spectacular with guess who in the center. No matter if he gets it by bamboozling his allies and getting nothing of value in return. In other words this whole thing was a way to get a photo op.
12
This whole process reeks to high heaven. The Taliban have been killing Afghan civilians and military personnel at alarming rates throughout the entire negotiations, but the death of one American soldier is enough to scuttle the talks?
Shows the Afghans exactly where the Americans priorities lie, which seems to be anywhere except the safety and continued existence of the Afghan republic.
6
It is an exercise in insanity to believe any "peace" will occur as a result of any negotiations with Taliban terrorists, while they simultaneously conduct an increase in terrorist acts, killing Americans and innocent civilians, and, by not including the supposed legitimate government of Afghanistan in these negotiations.
FIRST, all hostilities must cease, for thee to be any meaningful negotiations. Secondly, ALL parties must be present at the negotiations, including Pakistan, who has hosted the terrorists forays into Afghanistan, needs to be exposed for what role they have played, and need to be a party to the negotiations as well. The negotiations thus far have been a sham, window dressing, a waste of innocent lives, excluding the Afghan people and government. It's Vietnam all over again. Shame on our phony, lawless, shallow, publicity stunt POTUS.
4
No, it should not have been written "Trump says he's called off negotiations".
It should have been written "Trump CLAIMS he's called off negotiations".
Everyone knows by now, that everything Trump says is a lie - until proven otherwise.
Until the Afghan Government and the Taliban have released independent statements, whatever claims Trump makes are insignificant.
10
For some reason, I'm having trouble believing that this actually happened.
8
It’s at a time like this that we need a President whose words can be believed.
8
The odds are there was not secret meeting planned. Trump made it up to make heads spin.
5
...and two weeks ago at the G7 summit, Trump was supposedly having phone calls with the Chinese. Sorry, I don't believe this, and we now have a new term, "fake diplomacy".
Moreover, I can only assume that the Taliban were to stay at the Trump Doral in Florida and commute back in forth to the meetings at Camp David.
6
I have read every comment on this article so far.
Every commentator says they have no TRUST in this administration and trump specifically.
This is the president of the United States and so far no one can believe a word he says (except republicans and other hired white house staff).
One last thing...if a peace plan had been finalized with the Taliban the women of Afghanistan (who played no part in these negotiations) would be condemned to theocratic slavery. At least that sword hasn't fallen on them yet.
2
I have no problem with US attempting to lubricate discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban. But in the context of the decades long American intervention in Afghanistan justified by the 9/11 attack, the killing of one US soldier is not significant. It's a tragedy for that soldier and his family, just as civilian deaths (and, let's not forget, many have been caused by US actions, deliberate or errant) are tragedies wherever they occur. There have been far too many; and scuppering a peace process, however dim its prospects, on this pretext is idiotic. The truth is elsewhere as always with this president.
145
@Andrew maybe you didn’t have any skin in that war, but a lot of us poor folk did and view the death of one soldier as a tragedy.
11
@Andrew something about your tone would indicate to me that you've never lost a loved one or known anyone who has lost a loved one in a war zone. It is callous to say any death is not significant.
3
@Mike 16 US soldiers have been killed so far this year.
1
Who is he kidding? The Taliban has been killing Afghan civilians and American soldiers for the past decade and a half. Either Trump has been hearing from the hawks on this or some last-minute snag arrived courtesy of the Taliban side (similar to what happened with the Chinese during the trade talks). I'm guessing that the Taliban never agreed to (or even heard about) a tete-a-tete in Washington and will come out saying as much before the news cycle ends. For God's sake, Mr. "President," our troops are still fighting out there- don't THEY deserve the truth?
comment submitted 9/8 at 11:07 AM
193
@stu freeman
Excellent point
3
You guys are so mean. It's time we as amerikans band together and support and believe our great leader. God sent this man to us to lead our great country. OK, I woke from my dream. Carry on.
18
I wish we still had Obama - a competent President. Can you even imagine Trump succeeding at being a community organizer?! A job Republicans made fun of. There is nothing worse for this country and the American people than a hypocritical, incompetent, do-nothing, lazy, entitled, corrupt Republican.
86
@DSD whenever I see Michelle and Barack in the news it actually causes me pain. I miss them far more than I could have ever imagined!
12
@DSD
The odds of Obama getting us out of Afghanistan were zero. Please. This is the closest we've come, and Trump is still our best hope of getting out of there.
1
@AACNY Do you honestly think your blatantly partisan comments will change the minds of those with enough common sense to see trump for the dangerous mental case that he is?
I’ll believe what Trump says after Mexico pays for the wall. Until then, I assume anything he says is a lie.
93
@ChrisT
And I'm still waiting for the tax returns.
8
Donald discovered there was no Trump hotel at Camp David. "You're cancelled!"
40
If trump said the sky was blue, I’d find a window and check.
59
Each trump story is more mortifying than the last. Can we have a day without trump? How about a separate page with the link to trump 'news'? In order to see his nonsense we would need to click. PLEASE.
48
@Lauren
Note that there are multiple apps extant which scrub your web page of the name and/or image of CurrentOccupant.
(I use 'detrumpify' on Firefox.)
1
In reality, who really just plain talked him out of this?
(Putting the murdered soldier aside, his excuse)
10
@MIMA Check out the article right next to this one, that negotiations hit a wall because of deeper disagreements. Trump has zilch compassion for our men and women in uniform and will sink deeper into his self-made viper's pit to exploit and use them as an "excuse."
3
Good first step: Cancel the peace talks.
Good second step? Get the heck out of Afghanistan.
"Unbeknownst?"
Whoa! Who are you trying to impress, Mr. President?
9
When it comes to international relations and foreign affairs, it's clear that Trump is not just a total incompetent, his deliberate and perpetual ignorance means he will continually be out-maneuvered and out-foxed by every leader, from KJU, to MBS, to the Taliban, to Putin.
These are dreadful times.
63
Does anybody really believe this? The con man in chief wants us to believe that a terrorist organization (the Taliban) was invited to a secure US location that does not appear on any maps for talks. What happened to the policy of not negotiating with terrorists? This whole thing reeks.
78
@Mike Gold
And yet they are likely to believe anything negative written about this president.
1
@AACNY trump has only himself to blame for the media's negative reporting. Stop blaming the media for reporting observable facts. Right now, journalists are the only ones holding trump accountable for his lunacy. If the negative reporting troubles you, perhaps take an honest look at Trump's behavior.
...and Donald is undoubtedly going to expect congratulations and a parade for canceling the sickening meeting he shouldn’t have planned in the first place.
How does anyone not realize what an atrocious president we have?!
We will vote him out. Sorry, world!
29
He's lying. Secret meeting my eye. This president couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it. We'll never know what really went down simply because you can't believe anything he says. And it appears his cronies are forced to back him up, no matter what he spouts.
66
Wouldn't the Taliban be on the "no-fly" list?
63
Is Trump forecasting the weather again?
And which pathetic agency appointees (usually "acting") will back him on this one.
20
The president can't even talk about the weather without controversy, fabrication, and strong arm tactics.
This is the bedrock fundamental problem, he can't be believed about anything; he is dangerous.
41
"How many more decades are they willing to fight?" How many more decades are we willing to fight is the question.
I do not trust this president or his brain trust.
15
With visions of a second Camp David Accords and Nobel Peace Prize for himself-everything Donald Trump says and does is suspect. Fortunately the rest of the world has access to the news:
No one altering a weather map with a Sharpie-Pen (and railing about it for almost a week) should be trusted; and no one does.
23
If anyone believes that trump canceled a non-existing meeting with the Taliban I have some oceanfront property in the Western Sonoran desert for sale - cheap.
On the other hand, with the rising oceans, it just might become oceanfront property. the price just went up
10
When Trump asks "how many decades are they willing to fight?" he once again shows his utter ignorance of history. Afghanistan is where empires go to die. There is no win to be had there.
I'm afraid that now we are dealing with the We broke it We bought it rule. Any drawdown without a sustainable peace agreement will only leave a power vacuum and all the cost and carnage of the past two decades will have been in vain.
4
@BC "Afghanistan is where empires go to die. There is no win to be had there." True, unfortunately: Afghans played a hand, to different degrees,in the demise of the Persian Safavid empire, the Indian Mughal Empire, the British Indian Empire, and the Soviet Union. Also true, in my opinion, is that (for the wrong reasons, as usual) Trump is right not to "negotiate" with the Taliban. They are even less trustworthy than he is, If once they have a foothold in Afghanistan's government, we'll switch back from chaos and terrorism to official terrorism, i.e. mass executions in the soccer stadium and house arrest for every woman. We take our choice, as do the Afghan population, which is also divided on this issue.
1
@John Perry As far as I'm concerned, yours was the most insightful and mature comment here. In their rush to condemn the president for everything, most of the other commenters seems to have forgotten the Taliban atrocities, such as repeatedly firebombing girls' schools.
The Afghanistan morass has no facile solutions. If the Taliban were not an expansionist organization, one could make a good argument for just leaving and letting the current government collapse. But what happens in Afghanistan doesn't stay in Afghanistan.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/world/asia/taliban-girls-schools.html
This sounds like a wish for a deal like Carter’s Camp David meeting with Sadat and Begin. It made for great television.
2
Another example of Trump administration of incompetents is in total disarray. As a lifelong Republican, I can’t imagine letting the Taliban set one foot on American soil, let alone prestigious Camp David. Trump’s so busy spending our $140 million on golf & hustling hundred million dollar side deals for himself so much so that doing best for Americans is not his priority. The Taliban did 9/11 to us at his NY city, and Trump is rolling out our red carpet for the Taliban on American soil?! My fellow Americans, you guys cool with that?!
22
This "president" lies about everything, including the weather. How can we know if there was any meeting planned? Surely there wasn't and it's just another distraction from the daily scandals like the military staying at his resort in Scotland or Pence staying at his club 200 miles away from Dublin. Give me a break. His lies have no end.
16
Who in his right mind "negotiates" with the Taliban? Why not do likewise with al Qaeda or Isis? This shows the desperation of Mr. Trump. Do anything with anyone to follow through on his "promises" to his voters and supporters. It is all based on total control and feeding an insatiable ego. He befriends MBS, Putin, and Kim, while dissing our allies. But it is no use. Those of us who see through his maneuvers as well as those of his sycophants, from Pompeo to Barr to McConnell, might as well be talking to the proverbial wall. This "president" is always up to no good. He will throw everyone of us - including his MAGA supporters - under the bus if allowed. And from what I am seeing, he is indeed being allowed.
11
Another failed stunt from our unreality star. In spite of the happy talk, Trump finds himself in the same dilemma that has tortured his predecessors and since his objective has a November 2020 deadline, it is doomed to failure. Oddly, Pompeo said this morning that 1000 Taliban had been killed in the last week. And we expect them not to retaliate? The Taliban live in a medieval culture of violence and killing. Unfortunately, any agreement with them is an illusion.
6
Whatever claim Trump might make, the fact remains that it is the Taliban who call the shots after a miserable failure of the US Afghan mission. The only course open to the US is to quit Afghanistan at the earliest.
3
Trump cancelled because he didn't want to have the meeting anyway. Afraid.
10
I don’t believe he had such a meeting scheduled! If he did why would he do so so near the anniversary of 9/11?
Frankly he’s too much of a coward to sit in the room with them. This is another PR stunt to distract us from what he is doing including but not limited to using his office to rake in cash at his resorts and hotels.
17
For years negotiations with North Vietnam occurred in Paris. Bringing the Taliban to the US is an insult to Sept 11 while it was Al Qaeda that committed the Attacks the Taliban government gave them training sites. The Taliban is a ruthless organization that knows no limit to its barbarianism. Trump do you think Camp David was going to give you a Jimmy Carter moment a Nobel Peace Prize think again when you are no longer "sitting"you will be in Jail.
11
Only Nixon can go to China. Only Trump can go to Scotland.
4
I have no idea what to make of any of this because I no longer believe ANYTHING said by Trump or any member of his administration no matter how senior.
10
Scanning the comments, I can see I am not the only person who did not believe this announcement from DJT. The president has zero credibility. Sad.
13
Pompeo is upset because now he can't use the secret handshake.
5
The United States has NO clue on fighting a war in a rural country. We did a good job against Germany and Japan in the 1940's. That's it. A draw in Korea. A complete farce in Vietnam (a rural country) where we stayed in the urban areas and gave the rest to the Viet Cong. The loss in Iraq farce until a correct approach in the end by General Petraeus and now in Afghanistan. In the last three wars in rural countries that had no modern military, we have and are losing the battle. We have never won a war against a country that is rural. We have always fought the wrong war and more important have fought a country that was not fighting. This is obvious in Afghanistan. Russia couldn't win. British lost more than once and Alexander the Great lost in 325 B.C.E. If someone invaded the United States for no reason, we would also fight just as the countries that we invaded because we we lied to about the danger by our leaders, Democrat (LBJ) and Republican ("W") and Democrat (Obama) and now another Republican (Trump). The song of the 1960's--"Wen Will They Learn?" is the statement of "We the People. . ."
4
" Mr. Trump added. “How many more decades are they willing to fight?” -- or how many more years is the US willing to fight? Didn't Trump campaign on getting out of Afghanistan and now he wants to act tough Typical Trump.
BTW-- I have not been able to confirm a report that China and Iran have signed a deal where China will provide $ 400 billion in aid to Iran as part of their " Belt and Road" program to assist Iran with building pipe lines for natural gas to Turkey and other countries. China will also send 5000 troops to protect the construction projects. Doesn't seem like China is very concerned about the US.
4
Other "secret" meetings that never came about due to uncooperative partners include the Immigration meeting, the opioid meeting, the debt meeting, the infrastructure meeting, protecting the upcoming vote meeting and the healthcare meeting. In the end the meetings are not as important as the stagecraft and messaging these meetings are supposed to make clear. None of this is Trump's fault.
9
@Rick Gage "The Buck Stops Here" -- Harry S Truman
"I ran out of gas! I got a flat tire! I didn’t have change for cab fare! I lost my tux at the cleaners! I locked my keys in the car! An old friend came in from out of town! Someone stole my car! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN’T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!" -- DJT
3
"One Western official said a deal had been nearly at hand but appeared to have been jeopardized by showmanship. Now it has created an environment where the Taliban, as well as a skeptical region that includes Iran and Russia, will conclude that no process with the Americans can be trusted, the official said."
Isn't this really the meat of the whole story?
7
"Judge" Pirro was on C-SPAN this morning. To hear her tell it, Trump is the greatest President and human being this country and world has ever seen. Trump doesn't lie, he merely fights back.
A caller asked about Trump's lies, and Jeanine Pirro got that smirk that we're all familiar with and continued to defend her "friend" of over thirty years.
10
How terrible to live in a country where you cannot believe the leaders we elected! Every day brings more fear to our citizens. Our options are shrinking. However, voting in 2020 is crucial!
9
I can remember long ago a Taliban official quoted as saying, "You've got the watches, but we've got the time". It doesn't look like things have changed one iota in our longest war.
13
Was the U.S. Senate ever notified that their "Advise and Consent" purview would be called upon in said negotiations?
That raises another question: Does the Constitution cover notification to the Senate of foreign negotiations by the president by Tweet?
7
I have no confidence in this guy.
If it were some New York real estate negotiation , I would feel differently , but it is not.
These are not low information Twitter followers, and this is not 'Dancing With The Stars'. The glib tripe of 'The art Of The Deal' will not sway them , nor will they be impressed by diplomas from Trump University.
4
You have to believe there was actually going to be a meeting, before you can believe the meeting was cancelled. Otherwise, the option you have is the supposed meeting was concocted by the Trump administration to make Trump look more presidential than a marker wielding weather expert. This is just another guise meant to distract the American people from the corruption of this administration. Most people don’t believe a word that comes out of The Trump Disinformation and Lying Brigade occupying the White House.
9
After 18 years in a clearly fruitless war in Afghanistan, Donald Trump's narcissism seems to have snatched failure from the jaws of success with a plan to end that war. Narcissists must always stride the stage basking in grandiosity and taking total credit. Trump's rush to a Reality TV event to reprise his version of the Mideast peace accord between Egypt and Israel at Camp David before the negotiations with the Taliban were finalized has now fizzled (according to a companion article in The Times). This is the price America is paying every single day with a mentally unstable man whose narcissism disorder has broken one deal after another and has now reached the absurd of demanding that his fantasy hurricane forecast was correct over the reality of trained meteorological scientists.
14
I have it on very good authority that at the meeting Mr. Trump was going to propose to the Taliban that Afghanistan become the US' 51st state. He'd throw in war reparations from FEMA funds not spent in Puerto Rico, a nuclear force to counter North Korea, and a national security wall around the entire country. Afghanis could also smoke marijuana and market their own poppy-seed heroin, carry guns anywhere, and use Russian technology for their elections. But they'd also have to guarantee Afghanistan's electoral votes to Trump in 2020 and 2024.
4
In Trump's world along with his cult supporters, truth is what you make it, just like his"fake" weather forecast that the media chose to dwell on.
We are now in the world of George Orwell(at least America is).
When the leaders of the state hold up FOUR fingers and insist that you are to believe it is FIVE, that will be the truth and, if not, expect the worst.
7
When did any USA citizen stop believing a word that this ‘president’ said?
40
@Bob Newman. when Trump got elected
13
@Bob Newman I don't believe anything he says because he lies about everything.
12
@Bob Newman
When Obama opened his mouth.
1
I am sure I am not the only one, but can we stop just printing what the Trump admin is telling us and try to get some facts?? I don't think there was ever any serious 'negotiations', I mean, you are talking about Mike Pompeo - just look at the North Korea 'progress" - it is absolutely nothing. .Trump is just another Boris Johnson but the brits have the relief of having other politicians say he is just lying, when he is claiming to be in talks with the EU..Come on, guys, this is just garbage..This is not reporting, it is transcribing..
205
@grace thorsen
"...try to get some facts" and then just drop it. Far, far, too much print and pixels spent on this when there is way, way too much serious stuff going on that this so and so is criminally making worse.
10
@grace thorsen We should have done the same with LBJ, "W" as Trump now. The previous two wars, Vietnam and Iraq were based on lies.
3
@grace thorsen I agree! Times needs to do a better job reporting.
1
Here’s the first thing that came to mind as I read this. Who do I believe, Trump or the Afghans? That, my fellow Americans is disgraceful.
176
@Bill Roach
If you believe Trump that would be disgraceful. The Taliban are fighting for a cause, Trump is in it for himself. What they share is evil and both must be overcome, Trump at the ballot box if Putin oks it and the Taliban with time. We have proven beyond doubt we cannot prevail. So let us vamoos
The problem here is that no American, conservative or liberal, can believe a word of what Trump or his lackeys say. Citizens have no firm ground of truth to stand on and no basis for forming an opinion about what really happened--or even if anything happened at all. All we know is that Trump, Pompeo, and all the rest have lied consistently from the beginning about every single thing. It is the administration of liars composed of members of the GOP, the party of liars. And as long as Trump is president, we are the country of liars.
138
@Norwester....exactly. When countries like Afghanistan and the Taliban have more credibility than your administration. Well I never thought I would live to believe that. But I do. America please wake up.
20
@Norwester
The problem is that his supporters don't care what he says. Sane people outside of the right wing media alternative universe really don't appreciate how much hate "they" have for "us", and how much they enjoy trolling "us". (Scare quotes because the "them vs us" is also a figment of their collective imaginations.)
8
In 2008, Obama was accused by Sarah Palin of “palling around with terrorists” because of his connection to an American of disagreeable opinions. In 2019, the Trump administration was apparently willing to entertain terrorists who have actually murdered Americans and Afghans at Camp David - on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Have Republicans completely lost any moral compass?
166
@tardx Yes. And many Americans don't care about it. The GOP checked whatever they had of a moral compass at the door when Trump was nominated and elected. None of them can be taken seriously any more, save those who have left the Congress.
26
@tardx to answer your question: Yes, decades ago
19
@tardx Current Rs do not have a moral compass nor an ethical one. As for small hands, I doubt if he ever had either.
21
Trump never tells you the truth. He would say/tweet anything to support his position or rile up his base no matter what is happening in reality. Another example is how he lies everyday about status of the trade talks with China to boost the stock market. Trump would do anything to help the stock market stay high.
Trump believes, and unfortunately he may be right, that if his supporters are not wavered and if the market remains around 30,000 he will be reelected. And for him end justifies the means; lying is only a small part of it.
50
If this is really the LONGEST war in American History, then the rules of war should apply. The rules of war are simple: you fight until the peace treaty is signed. In this case, there is no peace treaty, so Afghan Freedom fighters have the right to continue fighting.
Most of the world celebrates November 11, as the Armistice Day. It was only at 11:11 hrs on the 11th day of the 11th month that the guns went silent; even minutes before the agreed Armistice, the guns were being fired.
Once again Trump is trying his well know old tricks. I hope the Afghan patriots do are fall for this Patented Trump Trick. His bankruptcies are evidence of wiggling out, and words not kept. Nobody should trust him.
21
Your calling the Taliban "Afghan Freedom Fighters"... Wow, you do realize that there are actual Afghan forces and just regular citizens that are totally opposed to the Taliban and their way of rule.. I mean I don't agree with Trump, but to call a force that just committed a heinous terrorist attack in Kabul "Freedom Fighters" is beyond all decency..
8
@Chaudri the peacenik
Afghan Freedom fighters? I think a lot of Afghanies would disagree with you on that.
5
During the Vietnam War both sides met in Paris, a neutral city, to work out a plan to end the war. If it is indeed true that there were going to be talks at Camp David, it is another indication of Trump's incompetence and laziness.
It is well known that Trump hates to travel overseas. Did he want to hold talks here so he could lead them himself? As the old saying goes, A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient. Leave the real work to the people who know what they are doing. Except they are all gone. He has dismantled our State Department which would normally be responsible for carry out peace negotiations among career diplomats.
The idea of inviting a representatives of a terrorist organization into our own country days before 9/11 is mind blowing. IF there is any truth to any of it.
Keep it up the good work Donald. Perhaps you need a bigger shovel.
67
@Larry
He does like to travel overseas if he is going to be feted at big dinners, with royalty especially.
9
Did it appear to anyone like he was at all preparing for this meeting? To me, it seemed that the priority was to explain away his Alabama in the Path or Dorian assertion.
Let that sink in. Look at last week and tell me when it was that Trump spent the time needed to get up to speed on the situation.
We all knew he didn’t do his homework; he never does his homework.
Perhaps this saves us from another embarrassment like we have with North Korea, but this constant ineptitude is just another compelling case to begin impeachment proceedings.
62
@Bill Seng
I wondered the same thing. Between moronic tweets and non-stop FOX teevee watching, when DOES this guy do any heavy thinking?
Answer: He doesn't.
2
He’s grandstanding, and lying, as usual. He has no choice. He’s probably doing it to make it seem like he has a choice and also salvage some pride for himself and perhaps the country before the agreement which might seem like a surrender. Truth is he has no choice. The war can’t go on forever. The taliban can afford to wait it out, the place is a bit of a mess. It’s time to get out of there! So this is grandstanding. The taliban have the upper hand and they’re willing to go on fighting an endless useless war.
16
I don't believe Trump's claims about this "secret meeting" for one minute. Can't wait to hear the real story when the legitimate news media dig it out.
46
Just thought I'd point out that the headline is "Trump SAYS He’s Called Off Negotiations With Taliban After Afghanistan Bombing" NOT "Trump CALLED Off Negotiations With Taliban After Afghanistan Bombing" This is what happens when you can't believe a word the President says.
56
He cancelled the negotiations because the taliban doesn’t know how to play golf.
50
@Mgaudet a bigger obstacle to peace than was the fact that Charlie doesn't surf.
3
Why should we believe this? He lies all the time about everything. I don’t trust the executive branch at all. His top level administration has shown again and again that they support his lies, even instructing employees not to contradict Trumps lies even if it is clear that they are lies. How can we ever trust anything from them? The judicial branch, the department of justice, and Congress are all untrustworthy at this point. Why believe anything at this point?
37
Trump is exactly right.
You don’t kill an American soldier –and others—in order to show you are capable of peace with America
Rather the opposite.
And if they kill now, they will kill down the road . . . and down the road.
You reap what you sow.
If they want to continue to have war with America, they’ll get war with America.
Peace begets peace.
4
@Marty O'Toole Whether or not you are right about this gambit, you are missing the point. We are at a point where nothing he says or tweets is credible.
6
@Marty O'Toole
Marty, I too am an America patriot, but of a different perspective. Since we have killed more than 500'000 Afghans, and forced 6 million to seek refuge outside Afghanistan, DO AFGHANS have the right to say to us: YOU REAP, WHAT YOU SOW, and LOB A FEW NUCLEAR GRANADES on solders in the Middle East, or on our home-land, say near Los Angles.
1
@Marty O'Toole. Marty, Marty, Marty! I cannot believe you believe him. He doesn’t care how many Americans or people a country or a corporation kills.
He didn’t have a meeting scheduled!
9
I would like to hear how the 9/11 families and our Gold Star families from the war in Afghanistan feel about inviting the Taliban terrorists to Camp David so that Trump can have a made-for-TV moment.
On the other hand, maybe history should witness the moment Trump condemns the women and girls of Afghanistan to a life of religious slavery.
Have we hit bottom yet?
46
@Bruce
No
There is no bottom.
Every day a new low
Dante has nothing on this guy.
16
@Bruce
I think a lot of the Gold Star families would be asking why it took so long.
Get OUT of Afghanistan. 18 years is enough.
1
If you were a Taliban leader, branded as a terrorist throughout the west, would you willingly walk into an American military base, get on an airplane, to fly to America? Seriously? This whole story sounds made up and ridiculous.
282
@EW of course it's made up, ridiculous and on par with this horrific administration: more lies
26
Yet another incompetent, ham-fisted mess delivered by Mr. "I alone can fix it." What will it take for Republicans to repudiate the biggest national security risk we face - their man in the White House?
129
No photo op for him. What a bummer all his promises seem to be coming to nought just as the re-election campaign is getting under way.
18
This was Trump believing he would have a signing ceremony akin to the decks of the battleship Arizona. However, bringing the Taliban to the USA on the week of September 11th - is obvious theater - that this washed up TV personality wanted in order to distract all of us from just how bad a president he is.
121
Oh, he’ll pull everybody out if he “thinks” it will help get him re-elected. Then when he loses and the place returns to terror central, it will be left to the democrat to send Americans back in and the republicans, if there’s any of them left, will go nuts...
7
The stock market surges and collapses upon the Twitter utterances of our Presidential pathological liar. North Korea fine tunes its nuclear and tactical arsenal, as our egomaniacal Commander in Chief brags about his love affair with Kim. In a single press “gaggle” the self-described Artiste of the Deal claims he is close to finalizing a “great deal” with his friend President Xi, but must increase tariffs until China stops its (non) currency manipulation and unfair subsidies, theft of technology and other bad acts.
He is about to achieve “peace in our time” closing an historic treaty at Camp David, but has to cancel because the violent, extremist Taliban continues to kill Afghans and American soldiers.
The WAPO keeps tabs on Trump’s lies, dozens a day. Sharpiegate was front page news for a week. The press always falls for his intentional diversions.
Trump is lying about the big stuff! Why should anyone believe he is on a productive path to achieve any major goals, with China, North Korea, the Middle East, the economy or anything.
Forget about the 12,000 plus lies; the false braggadocio; the insane rallies.
The entire Reign of Error is a performance and charade. It is lunacy.
Trump and his troop of enablers, Pompeo, Mnuchin, Barr, Miller, Conway, are like the inmates of Charenton performing the Torment of our Democracy. This is truly Trump/Sad, and the Camp David scene is just another act in a show scribed by a madman.
98
This is the man we hoped would one draw our weather maps and negotiate with the Taliban.
And he is doing it.
The only thing missing now is another Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
20
This is the man we hoped would one day draw our weather maps and negotiate with the Taliban.
1
Truer words have never been spoken:
Elect a clown, expect a circus.
America is barely recognizable at this point.
The goal is to be another North Korea.
72
Trump is crowing again about how he cancelled the meeting. But he lies constantly so it is far more likely that they cancelled the meeting thereby insulting our liar president. Retaliation is called for and Trump is at the ready.
16
Knowing Trump's penchant for daily lying to the American public, I don't believe him at all. It's possible he just made this up or wildly exaggerated something. That said, I cannot imagine the rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth rage that would have come from the GOP if President Obama invited the Taliban to Camp David only says before 9/11. They would have not hesitated to ask for his resignation, invoke the 25th Amendment, and charge him with treason, sitting president or not. In the present situation, Democrats will once again roll over and do nothing.
18
I'm sure Top Men are on the case as we speak, trying to figure out how to re-monetize the situation for President Hump. I mean, Trump.
10
Does anyone actually believe this. He canceled a secret meeting.... right when he got back from Jupiter.
76
@Tom Carney The city in Florida or the planet?
Given Trump's increasingly ridiculous pronouncements, who's to say?
1
Donald Trump could not cancle a PTA meeting let alone a meeting with people smarter than he is.
21
Trump refused to meet with Roberr Mueller, but aranged to meet with the same thugs that murdered 3,000 American civilians on 9/11.
Who could make this up.
I have run out of outrage.
I am beyond exhausted by his imcompetence and lunacy.
Can January 2020 possibly get here any sooner.
126
@r mackinnon
My sentiments exactly. I couldn't have said it any better...
12
@r mackinnon Election Day is Nov 3, 2020. The next presidential inauguration is Jan 20, 2021. Write it down so you DON'T MISS the VOTE!
9
@r mackinnon
Actually the Taliban didn't have anything to do with 9/11. As its been pointed out, the hijackers were Saudis. Members of the Taliban from back then think letting Bin Laden in was the worst mistake they ever made.
4
He didn't have any secret meeting.
20
Why didn't Trump say he cancelled because Taliban had WMD----at this point-Say Anything--Not Believable
12
This points out the abiding pathology in Trump, known as the U.S. president—
HE must always be the controller, the grandstander, the one who cancels, the one who twists it this way or that—
The one at photo ops who must always have his paw at he shoulder or side of someone as though he's guiding them around or mentoring them.
[And of course with his lifelong incessant lying, virtually no one believes anything he says.]
22
The role of illegal opium which is supplied 90% by Afghanistan should at least be discussed here.
12
@Michael Cohen Why? How is that relevant?
3
@Harvey Green
I am not sure. It may be corruption. Given this is an "open secret", an organization like the Times may inform us. Opium sales in Indochina were high during our presence there. Its very hard and dangerous to trace what may be corruption in these cases.
Other, more believable reports from around the world said it was Ghani who cancelled the meeting, NOT our traitor. THAT makes sense, not more LIES.
13
A condition of Delusion of Grandeur: False belief of superiority.
If that does not describe Donald Trump, what does?
Oh, how he almost thought he was going to change meaning to September 11th! Never, Donald. You could never do that! Planning a “peace talk” with Afghanistan right next to our day of national mourning, was a very cheap shot. Anything to draw attention to his attention starving narcissistic self, even the timing.
Getting people to believe he could get rid of the Taliban, is beyond any imagination, no matter Pompeo or anybody else.
Trump is almost fortunate to have an excuse to call off his phony negotiation meeting, as sad as losing a soldier is. For a minute he had himself going into the spotlight, and believing it. Now he uses the death of a precious soldier as an excuse to save himself from another international foolish ploy.
The Taliban has been around a long time. The Taliban is tough. And right now, the Taliban is laughing their heads off at Donald J. Trump for this latest move.
How many more decades are they (the Taliban) willing to fight, asks Donald? Time is of no essence to these people. Any real US leader would realize that and not ask such a ridiculous question.
Add Zalmay Khalilzad to the list of Donald Trump’s discarded negotiators. No matter his efforts, Donald has snapped his fingers. Done!
These are indeed sad times, at the hands of a man who has no clue....
33
Two wholly illegitimate, brutalist regimes with the shared goal of destroying the values, decency, and wealth of their populations and governments can't come to a 'peace' agreement.... shocking!
The current GOP regime is closer in character to the Taliban than any western government on the planet today - corrupt, violent, bigoted, misogynist, fabulist, willing to cause untold pain, and willing to weaponize religious conviction to rationalize torture and oppression.
Of course this GOP regime is willing to negotiate with terrorists, they are terrorists too. Of course they chose the week of 9/11 to torture the American people with this idea of negotiating with terrorists, it's a form of propaganda, normalizing the unthinkable.
Oh, for the days when Americans could imagine its biggest problem was a band of terrorists tens of thousands of miles across the globe. Our terror recognizably and irrefutably comes from within now. And they will use the torture techniques of the Taliban and any other evil they choose to whip us into compliance.
Wake up.
13
“Unbeknownst to almost everyone"
Including his Excellency. He's just trying to upstage Jimmy Carter's Camp David Accord.
This President and his Administration have no class whatsoever.
24
"Trump says..."
Will be right back. I'm in the kitchen getting a grain of salt.
26
The Taliban are winning and we are the big losers what with over a Trillion Dollars wasted on failed Americanization projects.
Bush Jr. had the right of hot pursuit into Pakistan in 2001-03 , and could have crushed the Taliban/OBL clique, but didn’t. This is the result!
9
The President deserves a break from the incessant and often biased and motivated vitriolic attacks ad nauseam! President Carter with Brezhinsky were the originators of this Afghan imbroglio. USA simply cannot get out of this swamp without changing her coddling behavior towards Pakistan--the Mother of all these human sacrifices!
2
It is we who deserve a break from this “president.”
12
@Dr. MB
This is a good time to be reminded that you are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Trump is a liar who constantly tries to substitute his own facts for the truth. The "incessant" attacks that give you nausea follow directly from this dishonesty.
Speaking of facts, did you forget that the Russians invaded Afghanistan while Carter was president?
6
@Dr. MB'
No doubt you start each day by eating 2 bowls of Clean Coal Yum Yum.
3
All those countries to remember...
Where's my mirror?
Do I look good? I look good! Many people say I'm the best-looking president ever.
Who are they? Tabitha? Never heard of them. Puerto Rican? Can't even get out of the way of a storm.
Where's my mirror?
23
@John Briggs
Excellent!
As a retired military veteran I am disgusted that this illegitimate President even salutes to our soldiers when he gets off planes and they are around. He was afraid to serve got a fake bone spur deferment during Vietnam but played 4 years of tackle college football. If he starts more bombing of the Taliban we need to bring the draft back and make it fair this time. For every Democratic man and women the equal number of GOP young adults need to go to basic training. No more taking the cowards way out and allowed to go to college. I want to see his able bodied sons join up why should we protect them when they are healthy able bodied men.
38
@D.j.j.k.
I hadn't heard that the Chosen one had played tackle football in college! If true, that might explain his mental failures!
2
@D.j.j.k.
If you are a military veteran why are you in favor of staying in an unwinnable war? No one has ever won in Afghanistan. Not even the Afghans. The tribes switch sides until there is no one left to fight.
And can we please stop with the 'draft dodger' stuff? That was 50+ years ago. Men dodged the draft all the time. My uncle, USMC WW2, threatened his boys that he would kick them over the border into Canada if they were drafted.
@Rocket J Squrriel
Shame on your Uncle for producing cowards like
Trump and the GOP.
2
Anyone who has followed the news in recent weeks and decades should support this decision to end negotiations with the Taliban. They are a terror organization that is funded by the opium trade. They oppress women and religious minorities. They should have stopped their suicide bombings in cities. The Taliban and their extremist allies should be bombed into submission, old fashioned style. It’s what they deserve at this point.
3
@Chris McClure: It's hard to bomb terrorists without also killing scores of civilians.
6
That he was planning to do this, on American soil, just two days before the 18th anniversary of 9/11, speaks volumes. Callous doesn't begin to scratch the surface. The depravity that defines this entire administration, now defines the GOP, full stop.
48
@Brett It's just talk. He wasn't planning anything.
8
This is all a lie to make Trump look tough and be a negotiator.
How ridiculous to invite the leaders of a terrorist organization to U.S. soil. If Obama would have done this there would have a incredible outrage.
Also, you have to shake your head at Trump's comment: “How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
No, the question has always been how many more decades are WE willing to fight. This reminds me of President Johnson's comment that Ho Chi Min will have to negotiate as we were bombing Hanoi.
How do I see this ending? Some pointless for-the-cameras signing of a peace agreement with a big Sharpie, then the Taliban goes back to attacking the Afghan government and civilians; just like the communists in Vietnam in 1975.
39
Mr. Trumps secret plans will always be best if kept secret. After the last 3 years I dougt even he believes his own lies.
4
@Edwin Cohen: Believe them? He can't even remember them.
9
And China called to renew trade negotiations. Alabama was in the path of Hurricane Dorian. Mexico's going to pay for the wall. "Many people tell me..." And the list goes on (and on).
69
The question to ask is how does Russia benefit from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan? In March of 2018 General Nicholson has stated "Russian weapons were smuggled across the Tajik border to the Taliban, but could not say in what quantity." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43500299
12
There are only two choices in Afghanistan: withdraw and risk another Osama bin Laden using it as a terrorist base, or occupy the country permanently and risk the military casualties that go along with it. Until we decide to go all one way or all the other, every American president is stuck.
6
@Mark Lebow: Occupy the country permanently? Even assuming that the Afghans themselves should have no say in the matter, should we also occupy Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and every other nation that harbors terrorists?
2
@Mark Lebow You omitted forming alliances with those who will still ally with this lying, dishonorable excuse for a President to contain and combat the Taliban's actions outside Afghanistan.
But of course diplomacy is a word and action outside of Trump's comprehension, as are concepts such as truth, integrity, decency and honor.
1
The Taliban cancelled the meetings, originally scheduled to be held in Alabama, for fear of hurricanes.
Trump's base will swallow his lie, hook, line and sinker. Is there anyone on Trump's staff that has the intelligence, experience, and skill to successfully handle negotiations with anyone? I don't think Trump himself could negotiate a truce between warring 1st graders.
14
Thank god! Since Trump likes dictators better than he likes democracy, I have been really concerned about him giving the taliban everything it wants. IMHO, Trump was just staging a media event and never intended to meet with the Taliban. It is all part of the "Trump is the greatest statesman in the world has ever seen" advertising campaign. Trump is still a nothing burger.
13
It’s grandstanding, as usual. He has no choice. He has to make an agreement, the war has gone on too long. The taliban can afford to wait it out. Trump really has no choice. So this is a mere show.
2
Foreign affairs just doesn't work like sleazy commercial real-estate deals.
16
The Times has accurately reported on the numerous suicide bombings by the Taliban during these negotiations. But what is rarely mentioned are our own bombing raids.
According to data from Anti-War.com, citing US military command figures, "US warplanes dropped 7,362 bombs on Afghanistan last year, the highest number since at least 2010. The results have been devastating."
Coalition forces killed 305 civilians in January, February and March. Taliban and associated militants killed 227 people.
None of these people deserved to die. But for Trump to act as if one American death compared to 19 years of American carnage is reason to withdraw from peace talks is itself a criminal act.
If, as the accompanying articles claims there are diplomatic and military concerns for withdrawing from the talks, then the president is once again engaged in cynical lying simply to promote himself.
In either case the American people and the people of Afghanistan are being played as pawns.
This is an unwinnable war and the only resolution will be a negotiated settlement leading to he withdrawal of American forces.
Trump's failure to accomplish this is consistant with his failed China talks, his failed N. Korean negotiations and his failed Middle East peace plan. And let's include his illegal attempted coup in Venezuela and support for ecocide in Brazil.
It is past time that this blowhard, egomaniac be replaced. Anyone in 2020 but Trump.
17
I suspect that the so called "Taliban" is a combination of groups who are not really affiliated but have their own agenda. They may workin coordination on some things but no one person or group speaks for the whole. There is no way to make all of them agree to one thing. Then there are the "neohawks" amongst them who want NO treaty only total victory and they know a bombing will stop things.
Bottom line, there is no way to negotiate with this type of organization.
3
@RichardHead
No Richard, the problem is on our side. The present Afghan “government” is a rag tag America construction; they are GRIFTERS, put there to supply a fig leaf to American Occupation. They, could not last more than a few days, with America GUN POWER. They want America to stay there forever, forever, so that they can continue their swindles. On this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific, as you like) is another set of swindlers (Bolton and others of that ilk) surrounding a feeble-reasoning (but cunning) Trump. These two set of SWINDLERS are OUR GRIFTERS.
For each American killed, around 300 Afghans are dying. Afghans ae fighting for their FREEDOM, we are fighting to maintain occupation. They have a JUST war; we have an UNJUST OCCUPATION.
3
@RichardHead There are plenty of examples historically of negotiating with groups that are loosely organized. The US negotiated a treaty with many Native American nations in the nineteenth century. But the the citizenry and the government broke most of the treaties or refused to execute them, as in the case of Andrew Jackson.
Trump, does not mean "Afghanistan Bombing", but his own & Bolton's "BUMBLING". That is perhaps the most charitable interpretation.
3
Dumb move by the Taliban. You wonder how much control their so-called leaders really have over the fighters and operatives on the ground. It seems like we are so close to finally ending this 17 year long US intervention, and perhaps giving the Afghan people the first chance for real peace since the Soviets invaded in 1979, a generation ago.
I strongly support efforts to negotiate peace in Afghanistan. But sometimes you have to draw back if the opposing party (i.e. the Taliban) is not showing commitment to a cease-fire and trust building measures. I hope they will rethink their tactics so we can return to negotiations. Ultimately of course it is up to the Afghan people, not the USA. The US role should be to promote peace and ensure Afghanistan does not become a base for attacks against the US or American interests. This does not require the presence of US troops.
2
@Bill
I don't know how we can promote peace without our troops there, but I thank @Bill for zeroing in on the real problem. Attacking Trump: easy. Formulating a policy: way hard.
1
It seems that every day we read of another bombing in Afghanistan. There is no negotiating with the Taliban. They just the US to leave and they will return to what they were doing before 9/11.
I don’t know what the answer is. But I know for sure that there is now way this corrupt administration will negotiate any agreement that makes the world safer from terrorism. They are incapable of big picture, long term and selfless thought.
6
@Deirdre
Oh, this administration has a big picture, all right. But thanks to John Bolton, it involves apocalyptic clashes of civilizations.
Also, there are probably some competent people left in the State Department who are allowed to have some input, but their job is made impossible by the instability in the Oval Office.
3
Unless we get a break from all this drama about nothing, we’ll never have time to read the Mueller Report.
4
Couldn't fix this with a sharpie.
Another poorly planned policy with expected results.
Yet 43% don't see what's going on.
13
How many more decades are they willing to fight? Milennia. They will fight for 7 milennia
10
It appears we are negotiating with terrorists. The legitimate government has been left out in the cold. Just another day in Trump land.
6
So tell me, honestly, what really good deal has DJT made so far since his presidency?
13
@YC
A tax bill that benefits himself, his family and his developer buddies!
5
We ARE talking about the SAME Taliban that gave refuge, aid, and comfort to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda aren't we?
Aren't those guys the Taliban gave refuge, aid, and comfort to the SAME Al Qaeda that killed 3000 Americans in New York City on September 11, 2001?
Didn't the Taliban REFUSE to surrender to us those that flew those airplanes into the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon? Isn't that the reason we attacked Afghanistan?
Those are the one and ONLY Taliban, right?
Is it possible that Trump and the Republicans don't remember their roll in the 9/11 attacks?
Is it possible that Trump and the Republicans don't care about their roll in the 9/11 attacks?
Do Trump and the Republicans REALLY believe the Taliban would EVER be trustworthy enough to negotiate a fig leaf agreement with the United States after everything they've done to us?
Apparently.
7
Oh no, and that was going to be the Nobel Peace Prize for Donald Trump. Sorry to be so hopelessly cynical, but I think that this prospect is indeed foremost in Trump's hopeless mind, so much so that he would try to stage a new "Camp David" moment. One clear message for Donald: "We all knew Jimmy Carter. You're no Jimmy Carter."
12
Just reading some these comments, I see that many readers, and I would imagine many American citizens are thinking the same thing...do not believe him.
Is that not an outrage? He has told so many lies, he is such a reprehensible human being, that we no longer believe this so called president...leader of what should be, and could be the greatest nation on this planet.
He has degraded us to such a deep extent. God help us!
25
Anyone who believes what Trump says deserves the consequences.
5
Another one of Trumps magnificent and stunning achievements of no significance whatsoever to anyone anywhere.
He really doesn’t seem to know the difference between a reality show, where ratings and attention are everything, and the real world, where ratings and attention count for less than nothing unless you can deliver on your promises.
8
Whether there was a meeting is of course questionable at best. More concerning is announcing one was planned on US soil let alone at a presidential retreat.
Trump has no idea on how to negotiate with anyone. His one arrow in his quiver is to treat enemies like stars (and the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake you ever saw).
No way this presidency ends well, lets just hope it ends soon.
8
The one thing Trump has consistently shown an aptitude for is calling off work. We have yet to see an example of his negotiating skills which are legend in his own mind.
12
Has the White House put this story out to distract attention away from the coverage of Trump playing meteorologist, and Pence and the military spending taxpayers' money at Trump properties?
Not going to work.
9
It's hard to know what was really planned and what the outcomes would have been, but when it comes to negotiations of any real import, Trump is not up to the task. He is a paper tiger at best, and a failed president who cannot grasp the delicate and complex footwork necessary to carry out critical diplomacy with foreign leaders and understand the trust that he has squandered. He only operates at the headline level of showmanship, without true substance or any real clout.
1
Donnie doesn't do things where he is the center of attention in all the media. Hence, secret negotiations conducted quietly by professionals just ain't his thing. But canceling everything with a very public tweet plays beautifully to his sense of strength, chaos, and publicity. Way to go, Donnie! You nailed it!
8
A cogent explanation of "chaos theory" is well set out in Jurassic Park. Even more apropos is Rick Wilson's Everything Trump Touches Dies. With Trump every story is the same. Only the details change.
4
“How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
I’m not sure that President Trump has fully thought this one through.
It’s their sandbox, not ours, and it isn’t called the ‘Graveyard of Empire’ for no reason.
11
Canceling was the right thing. We should not be negotiating anything, we should just leave.
1
The trouble with his persistent lies is that he could say today was Sunday and I’d have to check the calendar. I simply don’t believe this.
11
You are treating this (that there was a meeting scheduled) as a true statement.
Based on his record, I do not believe him.
There was no such meeting scheduled.
16
Ahem... Who could possibly believe DJT tweets about anything let alone negotiations and secret plans for a secret meeting he only recently took any notice? Republicans and Democrats know full well oft-abused October surprises are carefully scheduled for an election year, not the year before. Consider what truly captured the US victim-in-chief's attention this week. DJT dominate concern for days and the source of senseless tweets that culminated in his child-like Sharpie drawing making a cartoon out of a map illustrating an out-dated depiction of hurricane Dorian's Atlantic path. Now all must await DJT tweets on who is to blame for the status of Afghan negotiations.
7
President Trump is desperately searching for a foreign policy achievement -- anything at all -- to brag about in 2020. He has none so far, and none in prospect, just an endless catalog of disastrous meetings with allies and adversaries.
How he hit upon negotiating with the Taliban is anybody's guess, much less meeting with them at Camp David for what would have amounted to a U.S. surrender on the eve of 9/11. Whose brilliant idea was that?
Trump doesn't read, so he wouldn't know that if he signed a peace agreement with the Taliban, he would be blamed for everything that followed, including the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and all future Afghanistan-based terrorist attacks on the United States. Perhaps someone on his team (John Bolton?) was able to pull him away from catastrophe at the last minute.
The bombing story is of course just a convenient excuse to avoid a fatal error in policy. But it doesn't represent a final decision. Given Trump's volatility, he could see something on Fox and Friends and change his mind tomorrow.
T-minus 422 days and counting.
7
These events are the consequence and result of President Trump’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is another example of the incompetence of this Administration in addressing critical foreign policy issues.
1
the negotiations that exist only in his mind, or actual negotiations? without a scorehard it's increasingly difficult to know.
7
The unfortunate fact is that anything Trump says about this matter, and most any other, probably is a lie. A report that begins with "President Trump said..." is little more than an expression of the necessity for investigation.
And then there's Alabama.
13
"How many more decades are they willing to fight"? Endless decades, as history has shown. Posing that question shows Trump's ignorance of even the most basic history of Afghanistan and gives away any leverage he might have had as a negotiator.
14
We will soon find out from his aides that Trump really wants more time to play golf, and these talks are in the way. As of today, he has played golf only three times as often as Barack Obama. Although Trump has repeatedly condemned Obama for playing too much golf (and playing honestly), he actually aspires to play four times as often as his predecessor.
8
Trump began his tweet last night with this: "Unbeknownst to almost everyone..." This is Trump's tell. He just as easily could have tweeted: "Since no one knew about this planned secret meeting, you probably think I'm lying right now about the whole thing so that the media will cover this story and not the military transports stopping off at my Scotland golf course and spending millions of taxpayer dollars to bail me out financially."
Trump will go to sleep tonight thinking: "Yes! Another win today. Wait'll they see what I have planned for tomorrow."
6
Here's an FYI.
I don't believe any thing this administration says. They will not take responsibility for any mistakes they make; hurricane hitting Alabama.
They destroy any accomplishments President Obama made regardless of the national consequence; Environmental regulations and Healthcare to name just two.
Beyond Executive Orders and looking for loopholes in the Constitution what has this administration done? Oh, the Tax Reform bill...a give away to the wealthy...oh please.
Over 12,000 public mis-truths since election day by trump. How can Anybody believe or trust anything from this administration?
10
I don’t believe him.
382
Can you imagine the right wing outrage if President Obama were to plan a negotiation with terrorists on US soil during the week of 9/11 ?
541
It would even surpass the tan suit debacle.
It would take a tan suit with a sharpie pen leak in the chest pocket to come close.
29
Exactly! The Republican creed is “do as I say, not as I do”.
25
@RP Smith
His base would never criticize him though.
They are fine with America becoming a dictatorship.
35
“The Taliban had not agreed to halt their attacks on Americans in advance of a formal agreement. That raised the question of whether Mr. Trump might have been looking for a pretext because the talks had run into trouble.”
So, let me understand this: the American president wants to make a peace deal with a ruthless terrorist organization—one that will never yield to Afghanistan’s governing powers—while said terrorist organization continues to fight Americans?
What do we (America) get out of this?
What does the president get out of this (besides an unreachable Nobel peace prize)?
Nearly 2,400 American military personnel have been killed since another Republican president lied us into war (and some 1,700 civilian contractors). Now another Republican president wants out of there so he can be named a Nobel laureate?
This is just another of his unworkable campaign promises in which he cannot deliver.
260
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 Who knew that getting out of a pointless war was so complicated.
20
Actually they’re squabbling over dividing up the drug trade. Trump wants the same deal the Bushes got.
13
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18; You're almost correct, but the war we were lied into waging was the one in Iraq, not the one in Afghanistan.
10
Let's get one thing straight here. The"president" canceled the meeting because the other party would not allow him to have a phony made-for-tv moment at Camp David. Full stop. Everything this clown does is for bogus optics. Everything.
I honestly don't understand why so much ink is spilled in attempts to analyze executive branch "strategy" or "policy". There is no deeper analysis that needs to be done. The Office of the resident has one policy only - ratings.
560
@Chris correct, just like his denuclearization of North Korea, show only, no substance.
54
@Chris Actually he had tried to get the Taliban into the "beautiful rooms with a view " at Mar Largo. The negotiations in between golf games.
41
@RichardHead and all peace agreements signed with disappearing ink.
19
And we should believe him . . . Because why? trump lies as easily as he breathes. No sale in this. We have learned—at our expense—that just because he says it doesn’t make it even half/kinda-sorta true.
255
@Bonnie True. But despite his best intentions, Trump may accidentally be truthful on rare occasion. He's unlike a broken clock -- the latter has no bad motives, and is right far more often.
1
There is no assurance that any of Mr. Trump's assertions are actually true. He has no credibility on these issues.
433
@Marlon S. That's why the headline was "Trump Says He's Called off Negotiations . . ." instead of "Trump Calles off Negotiations . . ."
24
@Marlon S.
Exactly. So shouldn't the media stop reporting everything Trump says until it has been independently corroborated?
It would save a lot of ink and air time. It would also open up a lot of media space for real news.
On the other hand, that might hurt Donnie's feelings, and we wouldn't want to do that, would we?
11
@Marlon S. He has no credibility on any issue.
23
Does anyone believe him? How long before Afghani and Taliban leadership tells they never heard of a planned meeting?
Donnie also said he can win the war in Afghanistan in 30 days "if he wanted to".
a) Seriously - Why would he NOT want to?
b) Humorously - Will he use that secret "winning" strategy as he did to defeat ISIS in 30 days after being elected?
Dead Serious: What part of his demonstrated inability to carry out the duties and responsibilities of his office isn't clear?
Oh, they ARE clear! Reasonable Republicans want reasonably qualified leadership and the GOPpers, lead by Moscow Mitch (who takes funds from voting machine companies to keep their insecure systems in place) like a puppet for THEIR own profit.
169
@Jonathan Jaffe I of course agree with your take. But just a caution regarding:
"Does anyone believe him? How long before Afghani and Taliban leadership tells they never heard of a planned meeting?":
We may find at some point the enemy "verifying" Trump lies about fabricated plans or events, as a strategy to help get him reelected.
1
@Jonathan Jaffe: He also said that tariff wars were easy to win. Uh-huh.
2
Sorry. How are we to even believe this was in the works? Or is it just another stunt, intended to distract from a host of topics? Return of Congress, gun control, 2020 campaign, the border, ad nauseum.
208
@Foosinando On CNN's Jake Tapper Mike Pompeo confirms 'this was in the works'! He talked about 'bringing peace to this troubled part of the world'. Is it too late to improve the economy of Afganistan, which is a key source of the violence?
1
@M. Yeah. Pompeo. Different side of the same coin.
12
@Foosinando don't forget infrastructure, health care, the opioid crisis, the trade deal with China, the return of manufacturing, the return of American coal and steel, etc.,
A tsunami of failure and lies.
2