"Care to comment on that?"

Personally, I think that the Republicans understand that Trump has destroyed the party. And now the Repubs are caught balancing between a president who demands absolute loyalty and subservience with the understanding that he has no clue what he is doing.

"Trump just handed Syria over to Russia and Iran over the dead bodies of our allies."

Technically...no

Syria has always been a partner of Russia. What Trump did was tell our allies, the SDF, that they were less important than Trumps boyfriend Erdogan.

Honestly, it's the Russians, and the Syrians, and Hezbollah, and the PMFs that are most likely going to protect the SDF from the Turks...themselves no strangers to genocide.

"This is America. WE don't "cluster bomb prisoners and be done with it"."

Given the choice between killing them all or allowing them to become Erdogan's proxy army in northern Syria...I'll push the button myself.

If ever there has been a force that needs to be purged from the earth...it's ISIS.

"Nice werk Humpy! You Republicans sure got our backs on this whole terrorism thingy, eh????"

I've always leaned Republican. It baffles me how they could be so lacking in any sort of principle other than party under alles.

The Dems may be the same who...who knows. But they have yet to demonstrate a lack of principle in the same manner the Republicans have.

I wonder if Trump will order troops back into action against the SDF, now that Syria is moving North to reclaim their northern territories?

I guess it probably depends on how much Erdogan is paying him.

Maybe Assad should simply try to outbid the Turks.

When did Republicans become such a bunch of -------?

Or are they just beholden with the ----- (grabber) in Chief?

Trump is a joke...I don't understand how Republicans...or anyone else for that matter...can support him?

I'm a relatively conservative dude. I'd vote for literally anyone else running for president right now, if it meant getting rid of Trump. Let him write his memoirs...do the speaking circuit...grab some -----...whatever.

After commissioning I went through Navigators school before going to be a B-52 WSO. I did that full time up until 2013, when I went to staff. I was technically current and qualified through June 2019, but there is no good reason to let the old people fly. It takes a lot of effort to stay current. Now I'm mostly engaged in multi-domain integration and the next fight. Which suits me fine, because I have no interest in pre-flighting jets when it's 120F on the ramp. That's what we have O-3's for.

"When were you active duty?"

1994-1998

"When were your in? Rate? Ship and home port?"

I was last an AT3 assigned to VF-31. I stared out at NAS Miramar. Tow years there before moving to Oceana in 1996. I was first on the Carl Vinson, and later on the Abraham Lincoln.

When I separated, I had no interest in anything military, but was offered an AFROTC scholarship and took it.

You'll be pained to know that our allies no longer open the bars while at sea. But they can smoke pot now. At least the Canadians can.

The French, Belgians, Poles, and Italians have still not submitted to US totalitarianism in the desert...still no limit on what they can and can't do. But the Aussies and the Canadians are actually more restrictive. I would have never thought our colonial cousins would wind up being bigger prudes than us.

"That might explain the old German lady you described. But whatever the reason, the US Navy is no longer as welcome as they used to be."

I'll disagree.

I started off enlisted in the Navy. When I was in, US warships could not port in Australia. It was a nuke thing.

Now we routinely position bombers in Australia.

I'm no longer in the Navy...and I'm sure there are places the Navy used to that they don't any more (Hong Kong maybe), but I think you'd find there are far more countries where they are or would be welcome. I'm guessing you never ported in Croatia, but the USS Abraham Lincoln did. And the Romanian Navy goes out of it's way to integrate with US forces. Many of those old Communist Countries jump at any opportunity to train with US forces.

And if you're an American, you'll never need to buy a beer in southern Belgium.

"And yet the Trump sycophants will utter not even a whimper about this, which was supposedly a major concern during the Arab Spring days under Obama."

Well, it's not like you can let give the Democrats and advantage.

Party uber alles. Even when the party is an abject ------- dumpster fire.

"Besides, why should they be worried? Most of them dislike the US anyway except for the ---- we give them."

I had always heard that too, and maybe it's true. But I don't think so. I remember being in Qatar, and seeing women in the full get-up; the only thing visible was their feet. I remember a lady wearing high heeled Stars and stripes shoes.

My kids went shopping the other day, and asked me why all the clothes were in some way tied to the US? They had the names of famous US cities on them.

A few hours ago I was at a little bar out in the middle of nowhere. There were a few old German people there. One lady had on an American flag shirt.

I'm not going to comment on what it does or doesn't mean, but I do know that no one in my family owns an American flag shirt, or any article of clothing that could be considered distinctly American. And I am from the US.

"What happens to them? The Kurds wont let then come home. These people fled ISIS and Kurds and are stuck in camps in Turkey."

Ready to Raqqa?

The Sunni Muslims in Raqqa were largely supportive of ISIS. Just like the residents of Hama in the early 1980s were supportive of the Muslim Botherhood.

So...they get to live in a tent for a generation or two.

"You can't get out of bed and decide to run for office. You have to suck off some Ayatooolla first."

But you can vote...which makes it a democracy. At least as much of a Democracy as any other Islamic country.

"Pakistan? Indonesia? Malaysia? Azerbaijan?"

Let's go ahead and add Iran to that list while we're at it.

"You're putting it on the Muslims to perform a task of which you yourself are not capable."

Untrue.

I'm capable of not raping infidels.

I'm capable of not stealing the land and property of non-Muslims.

In fact I'm fully capable of being a non-Muslim, because I view them as being the modern day equivalent of the Nazis who put my ancestors into those idiotic ------- camps.

I guess technically I am, but I'm not a -------- deserving of a Peaky Blinder beatdown.

Islam is no better than national socialism.

"As de Tocqueville recognized in "Democracy in America" back in the 1830's, citizens in a democracy can be equal in their freedom, or equal as slaves.".

It could be that I was unclear.

There is no possibility for, what we in the west consider democracy, to sprout within Muslim nations. Not happening. The fault with the west was the assumption that countries like Syria and Egypt were waiting for the moment to become western style democracies, when in fact they were waiting for the opportunity to become the Islamic State.

"Sounds like you are unable to reconcile them, internally or otherwise."

I'm curious how I'm even a variable in this discussion...but I'm eager for you to explain.

"Trump also ordered the raid that got that Seal killed, like one week into office."

And Obama issues the attack on the Bin Laden compound...probably the bravest thing any president has done since Eagle Claw.

But Trump didn't plan that raid anymore than Obama planned NEPTUNE SPEAR.

"You should aspire to someday have the brainpower to see that actions have consequences."

You're the flip side of Trump. You even talk like him.

"Actions have consequences. Most of the current mess in the mideast can be traced directly back to america's second dumbest president deciding to invade iraq under false pretenses. Which is why you pathetically try to blame that failure on democrats."

Did you ever wonder why, unlike other terrorist groups, ISIS always had very modern equipment and matching uniforms? It's because the US funded them. The DoS, led by HRC, under the direction of Barak Obama. They were supposed to be the group that overthrew the Assad regime and brought peace and democracy to Syria. Instead, the took they took the country back in time to the point when Mohammed was still alive.

That's not to say that Bush wasn't just as guilty. He too promoted the narrative that democracy was just around the corner in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hopefully, we've learned the less that it is not. Maybe someday, but not in our lifetimes. Democracy and Islam is a challenge those cultures are going to have to reconcile internally.

"Didn't you get tired of Obama always deferring to The Generals as he muddled into one mess after another?"

Nope. Because his messes were absolutely insignificant compared to what combover has done. My biggest problem with Obama was when he sacked Petreous, after Petreous provided some unfavorable comments on the president. But that was nothing compared to what's going on now.

"I haven't read that it was his unilateral decision, have you?"

It was not part of a larger strategic plan. It was a Trump decision.

"Then again, he is the Commander in Chief. Somebody's got to make the decisions."

Presidents provide overarching guidance. They don't issue tactical level orders. Which this was.

Generally, presidents provide a National Security policy to the military leaders and let them figure out how to achieve those objectives. because most presidents don't understand military strategy, and more importantly, realize they don't. Trump has stated that he is smarter than his Generals, so it's no surprise when he ----- this ---- up.

"Wrong. ISIS was created by the supreme court giving the presidency to dubya, who invaded iraq on false pretenses, which blew up the whole mideast, and led to ISIS, syria, waves of refugees fleeing in to europe, and brexit."

Wow. It seems you want to challenge the Trumpsters for the honor of who can be the most partisan and least intelligent.

Good for you. Aspiration is a noble effort.

#60

Taken into account, it would diminish the emotional appeal that the authors were looking for. If they were being honest, they would point out that the top 1% pays 40% of the federal income tax burden. So if you like flying on airplanes or driving on roads, or collect any sort of public benefit, please give them a shout out.

"You might want to catch up. Your boy has decided he is sending 2,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to use as our good friend MBS sees fit. Maybe we can help the House of Saud fight Iran. But that's ok with you, I'm guessing."

KSA lost something like three brigades a few weeks ago. Overran by the Houthis inside the Saudi border. You probably don't have much experience with Gulf State Arabs, but this would have been a huge embarrassment for the royal family. All of whom view themselves in much the same way Trump views himself.