Pete Hegseth swaggered to the podium to declare total triumph, but the loose threads, missing uranium, a downed F-15, and a ceasefire already wobbling tell a murkier story.
I grew up in an air force household, so I have some idea of the responsibility levels of the various ranks. A question nobody seems to be asking is why was a full colonel acting as a WSO? Colonels lead formations. I would expect the WSO to be a lieutenant or a captain. Any air force readers please correct me if I'm wrong.
Tariffs, saber-rattling, the occasional overthrow of governments aside, Trump has been America's problem up until now. From now forward, the world is starting to understand that he's their problem, too.
Thanks for guiding us through the fog of what’s happening in the Middle East and who’s on first. So, the Strait is now a toll route payable to Iran in crypto currency? Our oil costs increased by a dollar a barrel and we are victorious??
Trump is a fake bad boy-- He is so desperately devoid of any trace of masculinity that he needs to hang around and imitate real bad boys: Putin, Netanyahu, Orban, Kim Jong Un, Men who are true villains and have absolutely no trace of concern for the millions of people who suffer because of them. Trump is similarly egocentric but he's missing some knife-edged psychopathology that motivates these other men.
They are his heroes. To me, Trump seems like a five year old kid, dressed in cowboy outfit with cap guns and a plastic holster. It's always easy to find actual madmen like Hegseth and Miller to carry out the REAL violence. You can have your revenge at the world that way and not get your hair mussed up or your hands dirty...
Trump does whatever he imagines is "masculine"--some distorted cowboy or G.I. Joe action from the fifties; forcing himself on girls and women, playing with the US military like it was bunch of toy planes, plastic ships and lead soldiers... But even though he's a bully and a coward at heart, and doesn't function in a real world, he can still do a a world of damage and cause tremendous misery because he has so much power.
He needs to be isolated like a plague germ--kept away from everyone so his madness doesn't have real world consequences...
If you lock him in a room at the edge of world, supply him with Big Macs and a computer, and play a recording of cheering and applause he will never know the difference.... The sooner the better so we can all get on with our lives...
"Pete Hegseth swaggered to the podium to declare total triumph,..." Mary, it is more than loose threads; the U.S. government is agreeing to lose the war it started. Iran posed a 10 point plan and the U.S. is agreeing. Is the Trump regime going to let Iran charge for use of the Gulf of Hormuz? Is Trump going to agree to release sanctions? What all else is in Iran's 10 point plan?
The 25th Amendment is not and never will be the answer. The administration will never go for that. The only answer is impeachment. For that, it must be promoted constantly and forcefully by All Democrats in Congress and writers like you. In order to succeed, it will require ALL Democrats in Congress and 3 House republicans to impeach and 21 Senate republicans to convict. Impeachment is what all of us should be working on full time. We MUST impeach and convict this demented felon.
The fog of war meets the fog machine of the Pentagon’s propaganda ministry and its Crusader in Chief.
What’s really happening is anyone’s guess. All we can do is piece together a more accurate picture from credible sources, as Mary does today in yet another astute synthesis.
What does seem apparent is what Trump and Netanyahu unleashed is not going as planned. Yes, lots of damage to Iranian infrastructure and leadership - which has benefits to Israel but what and for how long?
What Americans interests have been served? So far, it appears we’re losing more than gaining, certainly economically and in reputation, and no scenario going forward looks to put us in better shape than we were before this war was impulsively undertaken.
The main victims are the people of Iran who hoped for liberation from a brutal, corrupt regime. Iranian hardliners are still in power with more support after Iran was attacked.
All in all, it’s a tragedy brought to us by men with personal agendas who don’t care about consequences to others much less to know or learn from the lessons of history.
I heard that Iran was making countries pay in yuan to get ships through the strait? That’s important bc it undercuts the dollar as the sole currency used to trade oil, and benefits China.
Thank you Michael for posting this.... as I repeat myself, How much and what is it going to take for the people who KNOW these facts, and can take the necessary steps to start impeachment, and/or Article 25 or whatever it takes to get him and the corrupt cohorts he has in place out of power?
And WHERE ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES? Nobody has forgotten!
Which is more dangerous ... the devil you know or the one you don't? I don't know if trump's mental disability is reaching the tipping point before or on schedule for the overall Project 2025 administration. But the choice is to leave trump as president and watch more chaos OR have Vance replace him. Vance has been fairly quiet but has spoken out about feeling ready move into the oval office (although he views trump as perfectly fine, of course). And Vance is extremely dangerous in a far more serious and planned way. We don't want this GOP administration to suddenly start performing in a professional manner that could make sense and look serious to maga and the black hats / white robes / autocratic / paternalistic / nazi / billionaire / immoral / souless base! Right now Dems are not earning votes in the fall election but are instead counting on the 'blue wave' bc trump has horrified so many voters. If the contest is between 2 opposing parties that appear to their own bases as reasonable people ready to carry out the voters' true desires the polls could start to even out. Yesterday was awful. But I'm not feeling good about what could be shaping out in the tomorrows.
I really do think that both Putin and Netanyahu have dirt on Trump from the Epstein files.
I grew up in an air force household, so I have some idea of the responsibility levels of the various ranks. A question nobody seems to be asking is why was a full colonel acting as a WSO? Colonels lead formations. I would expect the WSO to be a lieutenant or a captain. Any air force readers please correct me if I'm wrong.
I’ve wondered the same thing. Makes the mission seem more mysterious
Me too! And i’m not all that familiar with Air Force ranks, but it seemed a high ranking officer for such a mission.
I wonder if that's why they were shot down - the Col had some other task and wasn't fully qualified on the countermeasures.
Same here, even my daughter who's only aware of military ranks through her retired uncles and late grandfather, noticed that was very strange
Tariffs, saber-rattling, the occasional overthrow of governments aside, Trump has been America's problem up until now. From now forward, the world is starting to understand that he's their problem, too.
Thanks for guiding us through the fog of what’s happening in the Middle East and who’s on first. So, the Strait is now a toll route payable to Iran in crypto currency? Our oil costs increased by a dollar a barrel and we are victorious??
Trump is a fake bad boy-- He is so desperately devoid of any trace of masculinity that he needs to hang around and imitate real bad boys: Putin, Netanyahu, Orban, Kim Jong Un, Men who are true villains and have absolutely no trace of concern for the millions of people who suffer because of them. Trump is similarly egocentric but he's missing some knife-edged psychopathology that motivates these other men.
They are his heroes. To me, Trump seems like a five year old kid, dressed in cowboy outfit with cap guns and a plastic holster. It's always easy to find actual madmen like Hegseth and Miller to carry out the REAL violence. You can have your revenge at the world that way and not get your hair mussed up or your hands dirty...
Trump does whatever he imagines is "masculine"--some distorted cowboy or G.I. Joe action from the fifties; forcing himself on girls and women, playing with the US military like it was bunch of toy planes, plastic ships and lead soldiers... But even though he's a bully and a coward at heart, and doesn't function in a real world, he can still do a a world of damage and cause tremendous misery because he has so much power.
He needs to be isolated like a plague germ--kept away from everyone so his madness doesn't have real world consequences...
If you lock him in a room at the edge of world, supply him with Big Macs and a computer, and play a recording of cheering and applause he will never know the difference.... The sooner the better so we can all get on with our lives...
"Pete Hegseth swaggered to the podium to declare total triumph,..." Mary, it is more than loose threads; the U.S. government is agreeing to lose the war it started. Iran posed a 10 point plan and the U.S. is agreeing. Is the Trump regime going to let Iran charge for use of the Gulf of Hormuz? Is Trump going to agree to release sanctions? What all else is in Iran's 10 point plan?
The 25th Amendment is not and never will be the answer. The administration will never go for that. The only answer is impeachment. For that, it must be promoted constantly and forcefully by All Democrats in Congress and writers like you. In order to succeed, it will require ALL Democrats in Congress and 3 House republicans to impeach and 21 Senate republicans to convict. Impeachment is what all of us should be working on full time. We MUST impeach and convict this demented felon.
It is going to take generations to course correct after this administration is through.
Interesting history of the area:
https://www.history.com/articles/7-historical-fights-over-strait-of-hormuz
The fog of war meets the fog machine of the Pentagon’s propaganda ministry and its Crusader in Chief.
What’s really happening is anyone’s guess. All we can do is piece together a more accurate picture from credible sources, as Mary does today in yet another astute synthesis.
What does seem apparent is what Trump and Netanyahu unleashed is not going as planned. Yes, lots of damage to Iranian infrastructure and leadership - which has benefits to Israel but what and for how long?
What Americans interests have been served? So far, it appears we’re losing more than gaining, certainly economically and in reputation, and no scenario going forward looks to put us in better shape than we were before this war was impulsively undertaken.
The main victims are the people of Iran who hoped for liberation from a brutal, corrupt regime. Iranian hardliners are still in power with more support after Iran was attacked.
All in all, it’s a tragedy brought to us by men with personal agendas who don’t care about consequences to others much less to know or learn from the lessons of history.
I heard that Iran was making countries pay in yuan to get ships through the strait? That’s important bc it undercuts the dollar as the sole currency used to trade oil, and benefits China.
https://wendy664.substack.com/p/trumps-behavior-isnt-dementia-its
Thank you Michael for posting this.... as I repeat myself, How much and what is it going to take for the people who KNOW these facts, and can take the necessary steps to start impeachment, and/or Article 25 or whatever it takes to get him and the corrupt cohorts he has in place out of power?
And WHERE ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES? Nobody has forgotten!
Which is more dangerous ... the devil you know or the one you don't? I don't know if trump's mental disability is reaching the tipping point before or on schedule for the overall Project 2025 administration. But the choice is to leave trump as president and watch more chaos OR have Vance replace him. Vance has been fairly quiet but has spoken out about feeling ready move into the oval office (although he views trump as perfectly fine, of course). And Vance is extremely dangerous in a far more serious and planned way. We don't want this GOP administration to suddenly start performing in a professional manner that could make sense and look serious to maga and the black hats / white robes / autocratic / paternalistic / nazi / billionaire / immoral / souless base! Right now Dems are not earning votes in the fall election but are instead counting on the 'blue wave' bc trump has horrified so many voters. If the contest is between 2 opposing parties that appear to their own bases as reasonable people ready to carry out the voters' true desires the polls could start to even out. Yesterday was awful. But I'm not feeling good about what could be shaping out in the tomorrows.