Trump's choice of Bill Pulte for acting director of national intelligence is both terrifying and predictable. read more
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Iran war is "over" during congressional testimony on Tuesday, in spite of an admission that negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and curb Tehran's uranium enrichment are not guaranteed to produce a deal. read more
Patrick Wintour, The Guardian: The far shorter Middle East war has rapidly revealed the strategic weakness of US firepower in an interconnected world. In scale, of course, the current conflict does not match the Vietnam war, which went on for years, led to the deaths of 58,220 US soldiers, and is often perceived as the totemic and unmatchable example of US hubris. By comparison with the Vietnam odyssey, Iran feels more like a day trip. But in terms of consequence, it is still possible that the "excursion" will prove to be the bigger geopolitical turning point for the unrivalled superpower, the moment when the US will have to concede it mishandled a war not just because it had no convincing battle plan, but also no grand strategy to match how the contemporary world works. In an interconnected world, Trump believes progress is achieved through conflict, not cooperation. read more
Karim Sadjadpour: Washington needs a deal, but Tehran needs an enemy. read more
Judith Levine: They've given up even caring about appearances. The president is pilfering money directly from the US treasury -- that is, picking our pockets. And he is doing it in plain sight. read more
"Americans will be less safe": alarm as Trump picks loyalist as intelligence chief
www.theguardian.com
"Donald Trump's decision to appoint Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence has set off alarm bells in Washington, as a staunch Trump loyalist with little government experience who has shown an eagerness to retaliate against the president's political rivals will now sit atop the US intelligence apparatus."
#10
A pretty non-controversial definition: "A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitation or punishment" (en.wikipedia.org).
If it's "over," perhaps Lil' Marco will volunteer to plant his butt in the proverbial crow's nest and guide the first oil-laden ship through the Strait of Hormuz. Thanks, pinche Marco, don't trip over those Florsheims on your way out the door.