So you're telling me the Islamic State still exists???

[Brian]

9 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

I got lost on that one.  I'm sure there are reasons that I am not aware of.

 

The US has long had a strong military relationship with Qatar but they also have a history (which they claim is false) of helping to finance terrorism, including by providing safe haven to financiers, and they are supporters of Hamas.

 

Last year, Congress approved a plan to sell F-16s to Qatar, which Obama signed in November.  It was a done deal before Trump was inaugurated.  The planes are scheduled for delivery over the next few years.

 

Last month, several other Arab States severed diplomatic relations with Qatar because of their tolerance and/or support of terrorism.  Trump spoke in strong terms against Qatar but didn't stop the arms deal.

[Marblehead]

7 minutes ago, Brian said:

 Trump spoke in strong terms against Qatar but didn't stop the arms deal.

So Trump took both sides of the issue?  Speaking against Qatar supporting terrorism but yet not getting in the way of our military industries making money and keeping Americans employed?

 

[Brian]

2 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

So Trump took both sides of the issue?  Speaking against Qatar supporting terrorism but yet not getting in the way of our military industries making money and keeping Americans employed?

 

Maybe.

 

The deal was already "law."  The US has 10,000 service members stationed in Qatar.  The planes aren't being delivered for a couple years.

 

Let's wait and see what happens in Qatar over the next year.

[redcairo]

One of the things I find difficult as a civilian looking on, is that it's simply not always clear what is feasible, or 'now', or not.

 

I often have to compare the presidency to being a CEO walking into a family-owned business on which many of the board members (who could fire the CEO or sell the corp or other things) are related to many of the executives the CEO is forced to work with. So he may be in charge but he doesn't have unlimited power and maybe there are all kinds of things that he either can't do (but could were half the execs not family who resented him for taking Uncle's job) or can do but it's going to require negotiation or time, or can only do in 'compromise' -- I promise to become a christian and shut up about your obsession with assange if... well, whatever.

 

Sometimes it gets down to: do you trust the person to have their own mind and intent and to keep their word. In politics that is "never." Bizarrely, Trump, one of the least qualified political candidates in our history officially, has been better about clearly defining plans and keeping his word than probably just about every president we ever had combined. So generally, I trust him to have a pre-existing idea and intent, and to at least try and keep his word.

 

But there's going to be plenty of times when he has to compromise. And plenty of times when he has to delay what he hopes for, for various reasons. And plenty of times when he is stuck with what is humanly possible given the circumstance.

 

You can write a budget but Congress has to vote it in and they're likely to bicker it to death before they do.

 

You can say what you want about what you'd like a healthcare bill to look like, but if there is no mandate insurers may say get stuffed and there is no healthcare bill, and if there is a mandate your favorite people (and you) hate it, and if there isn't the entirety of congress except your favorite few hate it and it would never pass -- because most your people are nearly as bad as the enemy or at least questionably recalcitrant, because you took Uncle's job -- and no matter what you do at least half the country's going to be irked, and even if it's imploding massively and you improved things, it's still going to be bad because hello, let's take the most egregiously spiralingly overpriced industry in the nation and say hey instead of the barely-exists market competition you already control and prevent keeping you in line we'll just have the government write you a blank check and then tax it out of the people -- yeah, that's sure to end well. So basically that whole topic is utterly, totally screwed no matter what. And of course then there's the entire propaganda arm of the globalists half of which are operating as your own country's major media, and if X million people weren't covered before obamacare, and now X+2 million people aren't covered under obamacare, so it's actually slightly worse, and in the future X-3 people wouldn't be covered by the futurecare (many intentionally or for reason like 'has it elsewhere') which is actually slightly better, the props will still tell the people that you are so horrifically cruel like hitler that you are putting X-3 million people onto the streets to die of leprosy and scurvy (oh, and the potential fraction of a degree change in a century maybe) because that is the evil villian that you are. Talk about a no-win situation.

 

In the past we gave millions and billions in weapons and money to the worst possible countries for reasons which either spell 'corruption related to oil' or 'corruption.' Now, one of the few plays DJT has to bargain with is money and weapons. He didn't give 'em to Qatar but I think if he had stepped in to stop that, there might be other repercussions -- some might be going to our people not theirs; some other countries might think all existing deals are off if DJT won't honor anything at all it might seem -- given he pulled out of other things signed by BO. Or, and this is most likely, he very publicly said something about Qatar because now they know IF they don't start falling in line he MIGHT start yanking their planes; so it's a bargaining chip, I imagine.

 

I tell my kid all the time: you're just going to have to give it time. See how things shake out. And you're just going to have to accept that even if someone is good on their word, their position is going to make it impossible to act like God.

 

Typical of either her age or her politics I'm not sure which, she will on one hand be ghastly offended that Trump did something he promised, got voted in on, reminded-assured of, and then made good on; while then being hideously offended that he is working with congress on things where he is legally required to work with congress rather than waving a magic wand and making it happen like he hoped; while then insisting that something should be done regardless of the peoples' will or vote because people are stupid and she knows best, as if the president acting like that wouldn't truly be the worst kind of tyrant she accuses him of; there is pretty much no logical path to her perspective so I just say... GIVE IT TIME AND WE'LL SEE.

 

Recently she was saying something and I said, "Oh, I rather like Steve Bannon." She was so shocked and upset she literally ran to her room. My best friend jokes if I want my nearly-21 year old to move out I should put pictures of Reagan, Trump and Steve on the wall with some flowers and maybe a small candle LOL!!

 

RC