Secretary of State Mike Pompeo still has not totally abandoned the pretext that the US assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was based on an “imminent threat,” but is moving to rebrand the operation as part of a broad new strategy “that also applies to China and Russia.”
Pompeo set this rather disturbing claim out in talks at Stanford’s Hoover Institute. He avoided mention of the “imminent threat” talking point that President Trump has since abandoned. He says that killing Soleimani was part of the Trump Administration’s goal of “real deterrence.”
He said nations have to understand that the US is not only capable of imposing cost on nations by killing their leaders but “willing to do so,” saying that the killing put the US in the “greatest position of strength ever.”
Pompeo presented the killing of Soleimani as part of the same strategy that has seen the US sending lethal military aid to Ukraine, and withdrawal of the US from arms control deals and testing of intermediate-range nuclear weapons. He also said sending more ships through the South China Sea was “restoring credibility.”
Did anyone in the audience ask the obvious question of when the strategy of admitting to war crimes was decided on as being in the nation’s best interest?
Also, I strongly suggest they don’t try anything similar against China or Russia … I’m partial to living on a livable planet.
Makes you wonder. Who on earth in this country wants a war so badly?
Read General Smedley Butler’s little book, “War is a Racket” and you will find your answer. You can read it all on line.
Thank you.
Same group as always – the banksters and the arms merchants, and anyone else who profits from blood, death, and destruction.
Our master, Israel!
On a serious side — we do have a problem with too many officials at some point or other lobbying for foreign governments. And it is strangely acceptable.
This must be a reason for Putin’s proposal to amend their constitution. The key amendment is prohibition of running for elected offices or appointments to government functions anyone with DUAL CITIZENSHIP or anyone who at present or in the past held permanent residence status in any country. These changes would apply to all levels of government, not just federal.
The questions of undue influence are getting truly worrisome. We have people in high positions that are even paid salary by the lobby they promote.
Every person that has ever been involved in promoting interests if foreign country — whether for money or out of passion — should not be allowed to run for an office or be appointed to positions that are of importance to national security and sovereignty.
It is deeply disturbing that our security, economy and relationships to other countries — is profoundly affected by people with passion for countries and interests having nothing to do with us.
“Every person that has ever been involved in promoting interests if foreign country — whether for money or out of passion — should not be allowed to run for an office or be appointed to positions that are of importance to national security and sovereignty.”
That would leave all offices vacant, because EVERY policy promotes the interests of SOME foreign country.
I find the “dual citizenship” obsession interesting. Which would you rather have: A politician who is obviously pro-Slovenian (for example), or a politician who is secretly pro-Slovenian?
No one dared to… Pompey would have shot him on the spot.
War crimes are “fluid,” like gender. If you hold the power, you get to decide the morality of the situation. It has ALWAYS been that way for the US war criminals.
Does it mean that this is a new battlefield — and we therefore can expect other countries do the same?
What exactly is he saying? Pompeo looks like a lunatic — having lost narrative, snd bring accused of random acts of violence with no strategic purpose — he sounds like someone having to come up with an explanation how this screw up can be declared strategic,
Did you see him on one of those Sunday morning political talk shows when he was asked about the “perfect” phone call Trump had with Ukraine leader Zelensky? Pompeo said he didn’t know anything about the phone call, and then it turned out that he got caught in his lie. He was listening in on the very phone call.
Actually, Bianca, Porky Pompass IS a lunatic, not just looks like one. He used to be more reserved and sane when he assumed the office of Secretary of State. At that time, the real lunatic was Bonkers Bolton.
Now, we don’t see much of him since he was fired from his post as Nat. Security Adviser .. Pompass has become more and more of a lunatic since tensions between the US and Iran escalated. It was he and the psychotic Israeli PM Bibi Nutty&Yahoo who had pressured DJT to order a drone strike on a convoy carrying IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and 9 others (the drone strike killed all 10) on Jan. 3, 2020. Since that time, the pathological liar Pompass has been uttering lies at every turn – whether on a TV news show or addressing an audience at some function.
Ah, the germans too were very very proud of their military and what it could to rivals,one on one. But great powers always seem to forget, your rivals formed together are stronger than you are alone and eventually they get pissed enough to eventually do it. This is overdue. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a6443674858b542e0c3cbcbe63e81549320515bef49a4ecdfd9ad0cc49214118.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/09ef140767b256c9eac3262bd1e22c8f3642cfe234ab227baac703588a239069.jpg
When other countries adopt the same policy lets hope they start with Pompeo.
So when North Korea sucessfully assassinated Kim Jong Nam and endangered innoncent airport passengers in the Kuala Lampur airport, this is the new norm to be followed by the US administration? Such a forward thinker, this Pompeo.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Kim_Jong-nam
You mean an envious copycat. Or hard to count Israeli assassinations on dubious grounds.
I will agree. If there is no repercussions, then its is ‘Empire First’ playground for ‘Our (United States) Dear Leader’ and the world is just their playground. Weaker nation sovereignty and their laws and ability to government their societies are just a playtoy for expediency.
Poor Pomfret ?
Yes and it was also necessary to torture POW’s in Iraq.
If he really wants to be taken seriously / believed, here’s a suggestion: STOP LYING CONSTANTLY.
It’s not just that – the lies aren’t remotely believable.
Precisely! One can think of so many lies that would be more believable than the stuff this former CIA is coming up with!
When any other nation also does exactly the same things, the result is called “a war.” The US doing it so far is all one-sided. That can’t last. When it doesn’t, then we see the real cost of aggression and norm-shattering murder.
Yes, same “strategy” Bush was following “The Project for a New American Century.” Many more fails and innocent deaths to come…along with Trillions more debt. ‘Murica…f*** yeah! LMAO.
The USA’s top diplomat really lays down the strategy for being unversally loved for his contribution to world peace and harmony.
Watch out Putin and Maria Zakharova, your next for your murderous rampage in Ukraine, Syria and support for Iran.
Must sound good to Pompeo who is full of himself but what happens when other countries start playing the same gain, ‘What, is the U.S. going to start a nuclear war just because we did a drone strike and took out your Sec. of State? You already have maximum sanctions against us, have nothing to lose on that front.’
This is totally insane. And – “saying that the killing put the US in the ‘greatest position of strength ever.'” Trump obviously told him to say that – no POTUS has ever been so bombastic as to use phrases like, “like they’ve never seen before,” “the best/worst/most blahblah ever,” “you’ll see, you’ll be thanking me.”
What a baldly lying con man.
Pompeo and Trump are completely nuts. They should both be locked up.
It only seems nuts because their point of reference is so wildly different from yours and mine, that it seems insane. It’s deliberate, which is why they both need to be excused from office.
“Restoring credibility.” Now THERE’S a strategy we can all get behind. Call foreign leaders “terrorists.” Eliminate inconvenient leaders. Foreign nations fall in line.
Miller time.
The simplicity yet sophistication of this are stunning.
Restoring credibility at home is also desperately needed. Perhaps our leaders could take a shot at that, STS, before playing Whack-A-Mole in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
He is such a liar. He knows there is no broader strategy.
From the article:
The link takes us to:
Pompeo says Soleimani killing part of new strategy to deter U.S. foes
Humeyra Pamuk, Jonathan Landay
1-13-20
[emphasis added]
The official US State Dept record of this speech is:
The Restoration of Deterrence: The Iranian Example
SPEECH
Neither this speech nor Pompeo’s responses to the questions asked contain the words “that also applies to China and Russia.”
Where do these words come from?