thephan wrote:Dan coats got dick punch today at the security conference. He did not know that Putin is coming to DC in the fall for a second summit. He was asking about it on stage and had no idea. Just #$!&@ amazing.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... chief-that

#HolyHelsinki

The worst part is how nonchalant he is about the President's unpredictability. This is so bad.

thephan wrote:Keeping it real:

68% of polled republicans support/approve of Trump's handling of Putin & the summit
21% disapprove
11% are asleep

So there will be no push back from the GOP because 68% approve, and they want to keep their jobs. Those poll numbers are insane.

FWIW: Trump just tweeted, again, the the enemy of the people is the press.

Add to this that a whole 51% of the GOP belive the US Intel Community's assessment of Russian medeling 51 whole fucking percent.

Israel is set to declare itself a Jewish state, effectively dropping all pretenses of being a secular country or attempting any real solution involving acknowledging full rights and citizenship of Palestinians.

Among its 11 provisions, it describes Israel as "the national home of the Jewish people" and says the right to exercise national self-determination there is "unique to the Jewish people".
It also reiterates the status of Jerusalem under Israeli law, which defines the city - part of which is claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state - as the "complete and united... capital of Israel".

Controversially, the law singles out Hebrew as the "state's language", effectively prioritising it above Arabic which has for decades been recognised as an official language alongside Hebrew.

06hawkalum wrote:

Warszawa wrote:

traderdave wrote:Chris Cillizza and Harry Enten's definitive 2020 Democratic candidate power rankings

1 Joe Biden
2 Elizabeth Warren
3 Kamala Harris
4 Kirstin Gillibrand
5 Bernie Sanders
6 Eric Holder
7 Steve Bullock
8 Cory Booker
9 Mitch Landrieu
10 Sherrod Brown

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/19/politics ... index.html

I agree that Biden is our best chance. Hopefully he won’t die

Yeah, and hopefully he actually runs.

Biden/Sanders '20?

I know they'll be running against a 74 year old, but that's an incredibly old ticket. The younger of the two is Biden who will turn 78 before inauguration. That said, aside from one of the most charismatic black men in the history of politics, America hasn't really shown a desire to have anything other than an old white dude as president.

pacino wrote:Israel is set to declare itself a Jewish state, effectively dropping all pretenses of being a secular country or attempting any real solution involving acknowledging full rights and citizenship of Palestinians.

Among its 11 provisions, it describes Israel as "the national home of the Jewish people" and says the right to exercise national self-determination there is "unique to the Jewish people".
It also reiterates the status of Jerusalem under Israeli law, which defines the city - part of which is claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state - as the "complete and united... capital of Israel".

Controversially, the law singles out Hebrew as the "state's language", effectively prioritising it above Arabic which has for decades been recognised as an official language alongside Hebrew.

You mean unlike “secular” countries like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen which welcome and support the full rights and citizenship of Jews? Why is it OK for the Arabs to have more than a dozen Muslim countries in the Middle East but not OK for the Jews to have one Jewish State?

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent. The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states.

Had they accepted the resolution instead of declaring (and losing) war after war with Israel the Palestinian Arabs would have had their state for the last 70 years. Instead they now want to complain that the Israelis want to call Israel what the UN created it to be: A Jewish State.

The Savior wrote:

The Savior wrote:Did the people that jersey voted for but don’t represent him say anything about trump admin considering letting Russia interview us employees who have diplomatic immunity?

Surprising after being so eager for an answer that you quoted yourself as if you were making an interesting point that you did not update after the Senate voted unanimously against this within a day of it being floated.

JFLNYC wrote:

pacino wrote:Israel is set to declare itself a Jewish state, effectively dropping all pretenses of being a secular country or attempting any real solution involving acknowledging full rights and citizenship of Palestinians.

Among its 11 provisions, it describes Israel as "the national home of the Jewish people" and says the right to exercise national self-determination there is "unique to the Jewish people".
It also reiterates the status of Jerusalem under Israeli law, which defines the city - part of which is claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state - as the "complete and united... capital of Israel".

Controversially, the law singles out Hebrew as the "state's language", effectively prioritising it above Arabic which has for decades been recognised as an official language alongside Hebrew.

You mean unlike “secular” countries like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen which welcome and support the full rights and citizenship of Jews? Why is it OK for the Arabs to have more than a dozen Muslim countries in the Middle East but not OK for the Jews to have one Jewish State?

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent. The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states.

Had they accepted the resolution instead of declaring (and losing) war after war with Israel the Palestinian Arabs would have had their state for the last 70 years. Instead they now want to complain that the Israelis want to call Israel what the UN created it to be: A Jewish State.

we are talking about Palestinians who are living and have lived in these borders for years upon years. I have no clue why 'the Arabs' is a thing you are talking about. it's really weird, actually. Lots of countries do lots of things. Why is it OK for Turkey to arrest journalists and academics but not OK for the US to do it? Why is it OK for Russia to kill journalists and opponents but it's not OK for the US to do it? Perhaps it's because we are trying something different here. Israel becoming a Jewish state may be what you want; it's also really stupid and short-sighted and ignorant of the innate rights of many of the people that are living within its own borders. You appear to respect the UN's declarations from 1947 but not any subsequent votes or ideas.

Santorum is all good with Trump and his Russia approach. He's strong on Russia, according to Santorum. At best that makes don a bad negotiator, which makes sense since he is a demonstrated oath breaker.

Rick is definitely on the train of the press gets it wrong a lot and scrutinizes the president heavier then any other (recurse to the tan suit talk a few days ago). Then he goes on to attack the credibility of the IC by rehashing the tripe spewed by the WH PR machine. To close the segment they show Santorum a picture of him with Russian Agent Buttycall (in his defense, and a very fair point he made, he does not vet picture requests, but again her touch points are impressive).

There are a few test balloons on branding the current mess. Here are the few I heard being pressed over the last 24 or so hours.

Trump Delusion Syndrome
Russia is the lefts birtherism
Former leaders in the intel community are bad

CSPAN caller thanks Russia for interfering

love strongmen

pacino wrote:CSPAN caller thanks Russia for interfering

love strongmen

That is something else. I am pretty sure she said illusions of grandeur, which is incorrect, but she sounds elderly, and she might be suffering a bit from something. The actual definition of delusion of grandeur would argue, since the caller took a moment from slashing Hillary to paw at Bill, would indicate that she might be incorrect in her assessment.

Definition: delusion of grandeur is the fixed, false belief that one possesses superior qualities such as genius, fame, omnipotence, or wealth. It is most often a symptom of schizophrenia, but can also be a symptom found in psychotic or bipolar disorders, as well as dementia (such as Alzheimer's).

In other news, someone watches CSPAN.

pacino wrote:CSPAN caller thanks Russia for interfering

love strongmen

We just heard an American citizen (presumably) thanking a hostile foreign power for rigging our election. What fucking world are we living in? I mean, I understand differences of political opinion but aren't we, at least, all Americans first? That was either Grade A trolling or a prime reason why I have my doubts there will be a "peaceful transition of power" when Trump is voted out in 2020.

thephan wrote:Definition: delusion of grandeur is the fixed, false belief that one possesses superior qualities such as genius, fame, omnipotence, or wealth. It is most often a symptom of schizophrenia, but can also be a symptom found in psychotic or bipolar disorders, as well as dementia (such as Alzheimer's).

Put another way:

Trump advisors are piss at Dan Coats for his interview. It is reported that this is being positioned as a personal betrayal against Trump after Trump publicly praised him during a Wednesday interview.

To summarize, Dan Coats was not informed of ongoing planning for Putin to come to DC for a second summit in the fall. This planning is happening mere days after the Helsinki debacle. Its Coats fault that he was surprised.

“Coats has gone rogue”

Gillebrand is all of the worst aspects of Hilary without any of the excellent parts. A fraud and opportunist withoutHilary’s intellect, experience, and bona fides. We get destroyed if she wins the nomination. Might as well prepare for Civil War

I'd be concerned with her as a nominee because she can so easily be tied to Hillary and we'll see a billion ads of her laughing or smiling with Hillary. On the democratic side, I have my issues as she's gone hard left after being a relative moderate just like basically every potential nominee has except Warren and Bernie. Then again I've done that too but I'm 32 and a moron.

I am not interested in Gillebrand. Since the simpleton approach demonstrates that she is easy to peck apart, when the pros go at it she is toast. There is what I would term 'the Hillary effect', which unfortunately makes a woman running an uphill battle. That was demonstrated by the ruthlessness of the unfounded attack by CSPAN caller.

Simple Gillebrand negatives include:

- New Yorker (but not the kind that Trump is where he represents the heartland)
- Clinton affiliation
- Ramming a knife in anyone named Clinton for political gain
- Has blond hair and has been seen in a pantsuit (remember, simpletons will go on the Hillary look)
- Inconsistent on issues/looks like she is posturing and pandering
- Took money from Trump in the past

Maybe as a VP.

OK now that I've seen it 3 times, it's Gillibrand.

pacino wrote:

JFLNYC wrote:

pacino wrote:Israel is set to declare itself a Jewish state, effectively dropping all pretenses of being a secular country or attempting any real solution involving acknowledging full rights and citizenship of Palestinians.

Among its 11 provisions, it describes Israel as "the national home of the Jewish people" and says the right to exercise national self-determination there is "unique to the Jewish people".
It also reiterates the status of Jerusalem under Israeli law, which defines the city - part of which is claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state - as the "complete and united... capital of Israel".

Controversially, the law singles out Hebrew as the "state's language", effectively prioritising it above Arabic which has for decades been recognised as an official language alongside Hebrew.

You mean unlike “secular” countries like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen which welcome and support the full rights and citizenship of Jews? Why is it OK for the Arabs to have more than a dozen Muslim countries in the Middle East but not OK for the Jews to have one Jewish State?

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent. The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states.

Had they accepted the resolution instead of declaring (and losing) war after war with Israel the Palestinian Arabs would have had their state for the last 70 years. Instead they now want to complain that the Israelis want to call Israel what the UN created it to be: A Jewish State.

we are talking about Palestinians who are living and have lived in these borders for years upon years. I have no clue why 'the Arabs' is a thing you are talking about. it's really weird, actually. Lots of countries do lots of things. Why is it OK for Turkey to arrest journalists and academics but not OK for the US to do it? Why is it OK for Russia to kill journalists and opponents but it's not OK for the US to do it? Perhaps it's because we are trying something different here. Israel becoming a Jewish state may be what you want; it's also really stupid and short-sighted and ignorant of the innate rights of many of the people that are living within its own borders. You appear to respect the UN's declarations from 1947 but not any subsequent votes or ideas.

It’s ironic that you preach about rights of others while simultaneously engaging in ad hominem attacks. If we were face-to-face I truly believe you would not engage in such behavior and I find it very upsetting that you’ve allowed the Internet to lower your standards. After these years of conversing with you on this Board and, frankly, considering you a friend, I would have thought such behavior beneath you as a person and moderator. But it’s becoming apparent you’re more concerned about respect for others in theory than in action.

Israel is a sovereign state, created as a Jewish State, whose Jewish citizens have both the same innate rights you’re so fond of espousing for Palestinian Arabs plus the legal rights of sovereignty which you consistently ignore. Despite your disappointingly naive and one-sided protestations on behalf of humans who happen to be called Palestinian Arabs (yes, they’re called Arabs despite your inexplicable fetish that the word not be used), Israelis have no legal or moral obligation to enact laws nor engage in behavior which are an existential threat to Israel, whether as a Jewish state or otherwise.

The State of Israel was created for a reason, which you consistently ignore. The Palestinian Arabs were given the same opportunity by the world community to have their own state (which, it’s worth noting, they were not given under the British Mandate nor previously under the rule of fellow Muslims, the Ottomans), but they threw away the opportunity with both hands, instead choosing to initiate war after war (not to mention Intifadas and suicide bombing murders) against Israel and its Jewish population. During that time both Palestinian Arabs and Arabs from other countries have killed tens of thousands of Israeli Jews and wounded more than 100,000 more.

The Israeli Jews killed by Arabs in their multiple and illegal wars of aggression had innate rights, too, as did the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust which helped lead to the creation of a Jewish homeland. Now after 70 years of continuous violence and murder of Israeli Jews you would cast the Palestinian Arabs as victims whose rights are being trampled. If they are victims, they are victims due to their own choice of intransigence when presented with the opportunity for a Palestinian homeland along with the choice of war, aggression and violence against the sovereign state of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants.

Obviously the Arab-Israeli conflict is one of the top hot-button issues in the world, with inflamed passions and aggrieved persons on both sides and I don’t mean to suggest for a moment that Israel’s behavior over the last 7 decades is beyond reproach. There may or may not be a peaceful resolution but no good is served nor cause advanced by substituting ad hominem and out-of-context attacks such as “weird,” “stupid” and “ignorant” for reasoned analysis and debate considered in a full historical context.

You’re an intelligent and educated person capable of doing the hard work necessary to engage in intelligent, well-reasoned analysis and debate over this literally life and death issue. I doubt you’ll accept my advice, but nonetheless I advise you to refrain from the intellectual laziness encouraged by current Internet and social media practices. You’re better than that. You know it and I know it.