Despite $2 billion of U.S. money going to Lebanon in recent years, including and especially to the Lebanese army, Iran-backed Hezbollah is so firmly in control they're openly threatening to start a war with Israel on Iran's behalf https://t.co/nvw4ddZrq0
Trump is as done with Iran as he is with Venezuela. He already has alternate facts prepared that clearly exonerate himself if Iran gets the bomb (Obama's fault).
He isn't going to start a war over it all and risk not being in control, and personally the lead story every day. He's the host of a Reality Show Presidency after all.
TRUMP, 3 days ago: "Iran has long been secretly 'enriching,' in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry and the Obama Administration," Trump tweeted. "Remember, that deal was to expire in a short number of years."
Starting to think his lack of attention span to anything but himself and "campaigning" would prevent him from doing anything that would involve major teamwork with others, much less a new war situation.
Trump is regularly depicted as far more interested in campaigning than governing. During one dinner in 2017, Trump asked others a startling question, Alberta writes.
“Has any president besides Franklin Roosevelt done anything big after their first term?” he said.
Trump also makes clear how much he enjoys the campaign trail.
Worried he may miss a rally in South Carolina, he yells at the Air Force One pilots to land a plane in a monsoon-like rain after they circled for an hour, swearing that he could land the plane.
After a 2018 rally in Missouri where Trump soaked in the adulation of the crowd, he screams into the night: “I f---ing love this job!”
along with all of this too:
At his core, Alberta depicts Trump as a transactional, cynical and cunning person, who understands what his supporters want by consuming large amounts of media and watching how Republicans failed in the past. In Alberta’s telling, Trump offers perks to gain support, threatens foes with the wrath of his supporters and makes cold, narcissistic calculations to keep power.
“Those f---ing evangelicals,” Trump says in a meeting with GOP lawmakers, according to the book, smiling and shaking his head. In Trump’s mind, Alberta writes, he would “give them the policies and the access to authority that they longed for. In return they would stand behind him unwaveringly.”
Standing before the group of religious leaders in 2018, Trump said of Christianity, “ ‘I owe so much to it in so many ways.’ He then proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be standing before them without it — not because of how the faith shaped his life or informed his worldview, but ‘because the Evangelical vote was mostly gotten by me.’ The attendees walked out of the room in a daze.”
He reports that Trump pressured the head of the Iowa GOP in 2016 to invalidate the results after he lost the caucus.
In November 2016, Henry McMaster, then South Carolina’s lieutenant governor, told Trump he wanted to be governor of the state — after being the first statewide official to endorse Trump for president. “That’s it?” Trump replied. “Well that should be easy. You’re already the lieutenant governor!”
McMaster explained that it was not so easy — and that he could only become governor if Nikki Haley were not around. “Within days, seemingly out of left field, Trump announced Haley as his pick for ambassador to the United Nations.”
Bibi hitched his "No nukes, Bomb Bomb Iran" wagon to the wrong horse.
Trump ain't gonna do it unless Iran sinks a US ship, and then likely reluctantly and in a limited way ("not starting a new war, over some hot headed missile officer, the Ayatollah has said he didn't order it, very emphatically")
This is also a message to Saudi Arabia. You can play nice with the U.S./Israel consortium as long as you can take the proceeds to the bank but things are going to get real Wahhabi if another regional war with Israel kicks off.
Comments
Trump is as done with Iran as he is with Venezuela. He already has alternate facts prepared that clearly exonerate himself if Iran gets the bomb (Obama's fault).
He isn't going to start a war over it all and risk not being in control, and personally the lead story every day. He's the host of a Reality Show Presidency after all.
TRUMP, 3 days ago: "Iran has long been secretly 'enriching,' in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry and the Obama Administration," Trump tweeted. "Remember, that deal was to expire in a short number of years."
link
by NCD on Sun, 07/14/2019 - 1:33am
Starting to think his lack of attention span to anything but himself and "campaigning" would prevent him from doing anything that would involve major teamwork with others, much less a new war situation.
The ending of Josh Dawsey's WaPo article about Tim Alberta's new book "American Carnage..." has stuck in my mind on this front:
along with all of this too:
by artappraiser on Sun, 07/14/2019 - 2:09am
Nails it alright.
Bibi hitched his "No nukes, Bomb Bomb Iran" wagon to the wrong horse.
Trump ain't gonna do it unless Iran sinks a US ship, and then likely reluctantly and in a limited way ("not starting a new war, over some hot headed missile officer, the Ayatollah has said he didn't order it, very emphatically")
by NCD on Sun, 07/14/2019 - 9:32am
Nasrallah, like Rouhani and (Achmedinajad before him) all strike me as serious as a heart attack when they speak.
Even though my Farsi (never more than yes, no and thank you) has long departed, they just convey seriousness of purpose in their very mien.
Trump, per contra, more like Krusty the Clown...
by jollyroger on Sun, 07/14/2019 - 1:08pm
This is also a message to Saudi Arabia. You can play nice with the U.S./Israel consortium as long as you can take the proceeds to the bank but things are going to get real Wahhabi if another regional war with Israel kicks off.
Damn, even Cheney understood that firewall.
by moat on Sun, 07/14/2019 - 3:46pm
by artappraiser on Mon, 07/15/2019 - 8:59pm