The Trump Administration’s continued struggle to get on the same page with one another on foreign policy messages continued today, as Vice President Mike Pence, touring Eastern Europe, issued statements praising the new Russia sanctions bill signed earlier this week.
The bill was passed by vast majorities in both the House and Senate, and signed by President Trump, though the president has since slammed the bill as the reason for worsening US-Russia relations, which he termed to be at “an all-time and very dangerous low.”
Pence, however, seemingly couldn’t have been happier with the bill, saying it proved the US was “unified” against Russia. Pence’s chief of staff also insisted he and Trump are “completely aligned” in their position on Russia, despite Trump clearly taking what was virtually the exact opposite position on the matter.
Some officials tried to compare this fairly glaring divide to the comments by Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev condemning the US sanctions, and President Vladimir Putin having not made a formal statement yet at all.
Though it’s interesting that Putin hasn’t gone public with criticism himself yet, however, it’s clear not indicative of a split between him and Medvedev, whereas the Trump-Pence statements are clearly broadly off message compared to one another, a problem which seems to be happening several times a week between the president and his top officials.
I can’t remember a more mixed message administration in history, though Pence is generally in lock step with the president.
R.P. Did you you delete your comment on the U.S. troops in Yemen ..??
Nope. It’s still there.
“…proved the US was “unified” against Russia.”
I have a real problem with the characterization by the politicians and their pocket media that just because a majority of the members of Congress voted in lockstep that the US is unified. No, Congress is unified – perhaps in this one case – but the American people are not. They should ask the American people for their opinion before stating that we’re all unified.
Sorry, the Constitution is not set up like that.
Feel free to petition your re-presentatives according to the following procedure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_to_propose_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution
“Have a nice day” and thank God that you were born
in this country because everywhere else is really mean.
Not sure where you wanted to go with that but my comment had nothing whatsoever to do with the Constitution. My comment was about semantics – specifically, the characterization that the US (people of the US) were “unified” just because the US Congress voted pretty much as one. The rationalization is invalid mostly because those making such a characterization don’t ask the people who voted them in what they want and usually don’t. I usually do have a nice day and “god” had nothing to do with where I was born.
curmudgeon, I was being sarcastic. The point is Congress is not obligated to act upon the opinions of the masses.
No harm, no foul… You sarcasm was very, very subtle. But, you make a good point – that they’re not “obligated” and don’t consider the opinions of their constituencies because their constituencies do not make them accountable. If they are unwilling to consider their constituencies opinions, then they should be voted out of office and replaced by someone who understands the responsibilities of being an elected REPRESENTATIVE. You know?
Exactly! Congress might be unified but we the people are not. I didn’t ask for this as did many in my district.
I’d be starting to check up on Pence as the source for the leaks.
Is Pence campaigning for the soft-coup plotters to accelerate the project to establish the Pence Presidency?
No the voting in the houses only proving the deep state is deep . Trump needs to ask for a public referendum on medicare for every one and sanction on no one . Pence claims to be a Christian he doesn’t realize Russia is not a Godless communist country any more . The American people voted for the things Trump campaigned on . Not Pence or any of McCains stupid ideas .
A national referendum on anything would require a constitutional amendment.
A binding national referendum would require new law. It might not require an Amendment if it was authorized by law as a method of “rule making” regulation under other law. That is a stretch, but there are ways.
However, a “non-binding” referendum could be done now. Remember that Brexit was a non-binding referendum. It was just considered unthinkable that Parliament would refuse the advice of the voters. We could do something like the Brexit vote.
Of course the Feds are not about to do that. They don’t want to deal with the consequences.
Good points.
But Trump might when he is tied up so tight he can’t
Pence. A true stooge of the deep state/military/industrial complex. Trump’s days are truly numbered. Trump has been totally compromised and outmaneuvered by the corrupt deep state and Pence is their man.
Looks like “President Pence” is feeling his oats!
Pence is a neoconservative not a Christian. Pence is LBJ reincarnated an assassin. Christians follow the Prince of Peace. I am 68 and have seen these things before in the US and in Vietnam.
You are correct saying Trump can only blame himself for he chose generals rather the Patriots. However, if God puts in power men for His purpose, then we have nothing to worry about, Trump will survive and MAGA.
What if Russia treated us like we treat them . They would send some better ICBMs to N Korea
I didn’t like Pence as a pick for VP and even more so today. Something I can’t quite peg about him. Besides him being a swamp rat too and a comrade to the deep state.
It might just come down to Trump and his supporters completely throwing out the globalists and starting fresh again. Unknowingly, Trump has surrounded himself with swamp rats and the masks are starting to come off many of them. Draining the swamp and it’s dank creatures was never going to be an easy task. Once entrenched, they have to be pryed out clawing, screaming and bloodied. McMasters is another deep state rodent that is proudly and unabashedly swimming slithering circles around the swamp.
What makes you think that Trump surrounded himself with swamp rats “unknowingly?”
Or, to put it a different way, when are you going to stop making excuses for Trump and just accept the fact that he conned you?
Sorry to barge into the
conversation. You are right, Trump has surrounded himself knowingly with the swamp creatures. After his appointees were attacked by the swamp for sins nobody ever cared for before, it was pointless to waste time fighting them. So, he brought his enemies close.
As for being conned — that was your assumption from the beginning. I understand. Never has such an unlike candidate shown up to make a case for the change in foreign policy that destabilized whole regions of the planet — his words, not mine.
I do not believe he is a con man. He can do any manner of nasty things, but he is still the only proponent of ending globalists empire of transnational, democracy evading, unaccountable structures, supported by the thousands of bases.
But does anyone believe that a candidate will come along, a knight on a white horse, virtuous and powerful, and capable of dismantling the scummy entrenched interests without being subjected to attacks of the most vile nature? And would we even support such a person given the demented partisan nature of politics?
I personally would always support a candidate that is undermining the power of status quo, as it is not possible to tackle all the pillars of globalist empire at once.
But if he fails, the message will not go away. And we cannot have the luxury of choosing — our vs. their empire. All are bad for US, and just recognizing that both parties are deep into the imperial mud — helps clarify our thinking. In fact, I am finding it sobering that the more educated — who should know better — will be the last to learn.
I do not believe that we are talking of some altruistic ideology on Trumps part, only a patriotic urge, informing Trump’s proposed changes to our global posture. It is the recognition on the part of some elite interests that the current course is not sustainable in terms of costs, impact on domestic wellbeing and tranquility– as well as our standing around the world, both in trade and security. Trump is not a lone wolf.
Trump’s Foreign Policy Strategy (April 2016), is a position paper well worth analyzing — and with the exception of few tactical posture items, it is a description of our future. We will get there either resisting, being dragged kicking and screaming, or by taking a pro-active position. Either way we are already lagging in grasping and catching up with realities. Thus — the very unlikely entertainer with business sense is more likely to be the agent of change and reform then many a more deserving individual.
We have arrived at the farce part of history turnings. We are an apple that was rotting from inside. But now, Trump has nicked it from the outside, and there is no way to mend it. We can just lie that we do not see it.
When 95% of our politicians are election funded by the rich, when the 50% most impoverished refuse to waste time voting for their next set of dictators, causing the 26% most wealthy to be the voting majority that elected Trump into office, surely, it must be agreed that politicians make theatrics, not decisions.
What — none of you agree that politicians make no decisions? Now I wonder how that could have happened.