Testimony at the Senate saw Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the spot, getting grilled on several topics, but most specifically planned troop cuts in Germany, which some senators contended are a “favor” for Russia, noting Russia is the only nation to endorse the plan.
Pompeo fired back that he and Trump had been tougher on Russia than anyone, ever in history, bragging about a 2018 incident in Syria in which US troops killed 300 ethnic Russian fighters as proof.
As for Russia endorsing the troop cuts, Pompeo said the US could send troops back into Germany any time they wanted, and that Russia would be mad when some of those troops are sent to Poland, even closer to the Russian border.
Many in Congress oppose the troop cuts, but even moreso does the US press, which has followed the suggestion of it benefiting Russia into a new round of shrill worries about undercutting NATO and favoring Russia.
Virtually all US media coverage of the cuts is negative, suggesting they are a threat to the US-German ties, a sign of the US moving further away from European interests, and just generally not being hostile enough toward Russia.
This is common for US policy coverage, especially as it relates to Trump and Russia, as objective consequences tend to be ignored in favor of alarmism.
In practice cutting 12,000 troops means little strategically, Russia has little reason to be happy or mad, and the cuts are clearly more about Trump getting “tough on Germany” over funding than anything Russia-related at all.
This article only proves the globalists , NWO or builder burgers have more power than what one might expect . It is most obvious the NWO global people have infiltrated and almost control both political parties . This is why Trump has so much trouble at every term . We can’t trust any information that comes from our federal agencies ,the WHO , or the United Nations . All of them have been selected to favor globalism . The best I can tell Antiwar really only has a antiwar agenda . Likewise the best I can tell Trump only has a American agenda .
“Likewise the best I can tell Trump only has a Trump agenda.”
Fixed.
Trump was snookered from the beginning by the Russian hoax, and had no way of delivering the Trump agenda. It is now nearly forgotten, and Pompeo and arch NeoCon runs the show. Trump is a lame duck.
Trump is only 9 or 10 points behind . The republicans don’t dare fight him much this time . More and more Blacks and Hispanics don’t want to go where the democrats are trying to take them . Trump may again pull off another victory with the majority of the American people behind him this time . This would be a tremendous victory defeating both political parties the news media and the NWO globalists
“defeating both parties”…lol, gop didn’t even hold primaries. They love trump, they cover his ass, and he signs what they put in front of him, without him having to read anything. You have fallen for the “trump as victim” scam. It’s his brand.
The global republicians did not O.K. our troops leaving Germany , Syria or Afghanistan . He signs tO MUCH OF wHAT THE REPUblicians put in front of him . But they don’t push what Trump wants them to do . The democrats have kept Trump to weak always trying to impeach him . fighting for his life as president . A big Trump win this November might make Trump stronger and he will be able to push more of his agenda
The troops trump “pulled out” of Syria and Afghanistan, were simply troops trump put in himself. There were 8500 in Afghanistan and 400 in Syria when he took office. It appears the “Germany pullout” will take years, and cost billions, according to the article. These troops wont go home, or be decommissioned, just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
If trump was not doing the gopers bidding, he would have been impeached, and they would have pence as their new rubber stamp.
“might make Trump stronger and he will be able to push more of his agenda”
Trump’s “agenda,” to the extent that he has one, is “Trump First!” not “America First!” Why is it so hard for you Trumpsters to see this? He is no more a man of peace than Obama, Clinton or Bush was. If he had wanted to end any of our wars, and bring all the troops home, he could have done so immediately on day one of his term. Why is it always “Trump, the victim?” He’s the f*cking president for heaven’s sake. The reason he is “fighting for his life as president” is that he is a blithering idiot who has no conception of what he stands for or what he should try to accomplish.
Most people who voted for Trump in 2016 were voting against Hillary. Biden seems benign in comparison to Hillary. So I don’t think Trump is going to be as lucky in November.
You are absolutely right . Most people voting for Trump this time will be voting against BLM , the New world order and burning down America .
He was not snookered, he was caught in the act of brazenly stating during campaign that US must improve relationships with Russia. And neither his party nor any influential sector of the society was willing to back him up. From then — downhill. He had to become “.tough” on Russia, while really not believing it. That kept him in the box.
It is quite another reason why is there such a virulent hate of Russia. For many in US it looks like a Cold War thing. It is not. Communism was just a convenient and respectable ambiance allowing for virulent hate of Russia. The real reasons go far back in history.
And as globalists are infiltrated today into all key institutions of Western society — and majority Russia hating by definition, it is logical that hyper power mission was to be defined by hate of Russia. At this point — Russia can do nothing, or do anything outrageous, will not make a difference. Trump has turned it in them by massive attack on China, as to paint opponents weak on China. He is attacking some major money interests — as China is their milking cow.
Both are damaging to US. It is a scorched earth politics. Neither capable of bigger picture. Russia haters hoped for US to weaken and defeat Russia while indulging China. And in the end — sorting out China easily without Russia being at its side. Trump’ crowd believes Russia is naturally and culturally part of Europe, thus, our Western people. And getting Russia in our camp was to isolate China. Neither camp is rational. Both assume that Russia and China trust American politicians enough to allow themselves to become vulnerable. Russia because it knows the very heart of American globalists, and China because of the mire then obvious disrespect dished out — even when we express compliments.
It is something that in the current political structure we cannot solve. And the more psychotic Pompeo and the rest of Administration get on the subject of either Russia or China — the more the global opinion will harden. Nobody will ever willingly sign away their future and be on the mercy of an erratic, convulsed power.
“that US must improve relations with Russia”….all presidents have stated they want better relations with Russia. Even Reagan was criticized for meeting with Gorbachev. Yet Reagan achieved the first INF treaty (now gone under trump). Obama was criticized for the New Start treaty.
No, the difference, is for the first time, a president had financial ties to Russian organized crime, which was the basis for the investigations. And, for the second time (bush 2) a sitting president has made no progress in improved relations, either by treaty, or deployment.
I am not sure I get your point. Yes, all presidents took an interest in Russia, for obvious reasons. None had any intention to have a serious, respectful communication. It was always laced with the old world style Russophobia.
Agreement were reached — every one gave US an advantage — with Russia’s perfect understanding of concessions. Reagan was the first president whose instincts were right — and tried to cement a more solid relationship at the end of Cold War. He was rudely reminded that was a no-no.
Since, Clinton was the most disrespectful of them all. Bush made another effort, and Obama was back to being controlled by Clinton Russophobia.
Trump will do whatever is good for Trump — not different than all other presidents. The difference being, he is rather open, revealing the ugly side to American politics. But he also spoke some uncomfortable truths — and has betrayed his own kind by letting us peek behind the curtain.
I do not believe I have yet heard a rational explanation for this near panicky obsession Democrats have with Trump from the day he was elected.
So trump seems sincere to you about “getting along with Russia” ? Ok then, since what he has done is the exact opposite.
“heard a rational explanation” lol. Ok, a slight majority of peoples representatives in your town have decided that the guy coming over to fix your car has never looked under a hood. He spends the next 4 years whining that the reason it’s not fixed, is not enough people like him.
Of course. Trump does what is good for Trump. Does not every other president do the same?
What he INTENDED to do was “get along”, i.e. persuade Russia to take his deal as the best one ever! One can easily guess what that would be — a list of political horse trade, as a means of slowing down Russia-China entente. For Russia — being able to get its interests on the table us INFINITIVELY more acceptable to the condescending talk downs it has to normally deal with.
What happened? Trump was accused essentially of treason, colluding with Russia, accepting Russia’s help to win election, and in the process allowed Russia to break into DNC computer, and publish damaging information to harm candidate Clinton. We all know the consequences — Trump had to become tough on Russia, tougher then anybody else! Super duper tough.
What did you expect? Trump had to protect Trump.
As for the usefulness of broader themes — I am finding his tenure to be a blessing in disguise.
There are topics BOTH parties would have never touched. He touched them, and they resonated.
What dies the populace do with it — a different matter.
FIRST. mainstream media LIES. We should not care how self serving it is — media does lie! We knew it forever, but here is the President empowering population. But instead, we get sidetracked by manipulative social media, and lose track of what matters. Or hate Trump, suddenly rehabilitating liers and warmongers. This is bigger then Trump.
SECOND. Forever stupid wars, their costs in lives, treasure, and our reputation and trade around the globe. Wasting resources, not modernizing military.
THIRD. Carcasses of American former factories littering the country. Mementos of our foolish embrace of globalist siren call. And the policies that resulted in transferring our industrial capacity to China and elsewhere. Depriving US of strategic technologies, and narrowing our scientific and technological potential.
If one can remember — Trump as a person is not the issue here. These problems are real.
The fact that Trump may not have been the best negotiator ever — and screwed up China negotiation to the extent of having no recourse but destroying the negotiating table, and declare eternal enmity.
Now, Democrats are seething — because their key constituency is profiting from trade with China. But they will have to decide — to be tougher in China then Trump, or defy both Trump and military establishment. I think they will be tough in China.
Grand. Two dead end corners we maneuvered ourselves into. Blame Trump, the wrecking ball. But the problems remain — and will not go away.
On Russia…ok, what, exactly was the “deal” trump was offering Russia ?
Russiagate, or whatever you want to call it, was instigated by trump himself. His financial dealings with russian organized crime is documented. It is the job of the FBI to investigate such things for even a low level security risk in the government. So, trump doubles down and obscures his finances. The investigation doubled down in response. That it turned political is inevitable.
Question is, all government officials get this scrutiny, from dogcatcher, to potus. A leader pushes past the flak and prioritizes his agenda. “Russiagate” is just an excuse for trumps’ failure to exactly “get along with Russia” as presidents have done in the past. Now, we are looking at US bases in eastern Poland. Backwards.
Economy…US manufacturing has risen on average 1.2% per year since 2010. It was holding that pattern until corvid reared its beastly head. The oil and gas industry, military production certainly increased since 2016. Of course…at the expense of climate change, and peace.
On what trump says….US manufacturing jobs…tariffs don’t work like that. trump could have used his populist groupies adoration to boycott chinese goods and buy American. This is how to create demand for those goods, but, of course, he never went there. He uses speech time to blame China for covid, or being “unfair”. Last I heard, capitalism was never about being “fair”.
On “forever war”…trump certainly picked the wrong party to end wars. The key to ending ME wars is ending the war on terror authorization, as Obama stated in 2015. On one side of his mouth, trump wants to end endless wars, or “win” them, as he more often states. The other side promises to obliterate anyone that looks at the US wrongly, and he escalated every theater. He also blamed Obama for being the “founder of ISIS” because Obama completed the US drawdown in 2011. Which is it ? What trump didn’t do…call the antiwar faction in congress to the White House to discuss how to end the war on terror, and bring home and decommission those units. Instead, trump went right to work deploying 4000 marines to Syria, 8000 combat troops to Afghanistan, and quadrupling airstrikes. Backwards again.
On media lies….lol, trump was born and raised on media lies, and, he is certainly closer to “Kardashian”, than “statesman”. Trump only bloviates over media when it criticizes him. Guess Caine died of a “democratic hoax” eh ? If someone was unaware of media lies prior to trump, it says more about them, than trump…Mr “birth certificate”, or “central park 5” has made the government more opaque than ever. Backwards.
” He had to become “.tough” on Russia, while really not believing it.”
Anyone would be hard pressed to show that Trump believes in anything, other than Trump.
Here is an article that looks at NATO’s future plans for itself:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2020/07/nato-2030-what-lies-ahead-for-alliance.html
It is obvious that Washington is feeling threatened by the growing global influence of both Russia and China as the world becomes decreasingly Americentric and increasingly multipolar and is using NATO as its puppet to ensure that the post-World War II American-led rules-based international order remains intact.
A story about fraying relations with Old Europe interests policy wonks, a story implying treason by the president for being inadequately militarily aggressive sells more ads. The structure of most media dictates the top narrative regardless of reality.
The Russophobia insanity in the US has come to a competition on who has and can inflict most damage on Russians and their country.
i guess an award or medal for most destructive behavior is in the making.
Trump sometimes insists he has earned this award for being the toughest on Russia . Yet Putin seems to like Trump better than most of our previous presidents . Trump has a big advantage over almost all of America’s politicians because Trump occasionally tells the truth about important issues . That is some thing most of them never do
I think Putin knows that Trump is a dolt and doesn’t have any doubts or hopes one way or the other.
Pompass continues to be an embarrassment;
Not clear how the new ambassador designate, mac gregor, will survive in the pompy state dept; mac gregor seems to be able to reflect critical thinking and not regurgitate the same old tired cold war babble of pomp and the trump admin.
Mac Gregor as new ambassador to Germany was a very positive surprise coming from trump/pompy program of threats and sanctions against everyone-we shall see how this works out if the neo cons do not successfully kill this appointment as they have reflected much negativity about the new ambassador.
McGregor has only a few months as Ambassador to Germany. He should be able to survive that long.
“… the cuts are clearly more about Trump getting “tough on Germany” over funding than anything Russia-related at all.”
But in the era of Trump-hate-driven insanity it’s all “Russia!, Russia!, Russia!” all the time.
“Freedom just around the corner for you
But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?”
Bob Dylan, “Jokerman”
Bragging about killing: those are the US values. As if to say “We love to kill, the more the better!”