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Is it true the they have some of our nukes and are holding them hostage?
what a fucking cluster fuck
what a fucking cluster fuck
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"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is sometimes hard to verify their authenticity." -Abraham Lincoln -
And this will be the deserved rewards to both parties for embracing their extremes. It would be great theater for the rest of us, and it just be the best possible way if this all plays itself out.Originally posted by Dr. Strangelove View PostComment
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From 3 years ago but still fresh
Are we still winning?2012 Detroit Lions Draft: 1) Cordy Glenn G , 2) Brandon Taylor S, 3) Sean Spence olb, 4) Joe Adams WR/KR, 5) Matt McCants OT, 7a) B.J. Coleman QB 7b) Kewshan Martin WRComment
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Elijah Cummings died overnight.Comment
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Well, let me put it this way. Nukes at Incirlik Airbase in Turkey? Really? This is one of the "secrets" that most sensible people know about. Do the Turks have the keys to the Nuke Locker and won't let US military personnel have them? Possibly. Here's a little history refresher. When Erdogan's opponents staged a military coup, within his administration there was a belief that the Obama administration was aiding the most likely leader, Fethulla Gulen, in carrying out the coup. The Turks locked down Incirlik stopping all US military flights in support of the ISIS campaign. There were reports that US officers were being arrested. It got a bit dicey. That kerfuffel lasted for about 36h and then quieted down after it was clear Erdogan had escaped assassination and had retained full control of the organs of government including the military.Originally posted by AlabamAlum View Post
IOW, Incirlik air base became a chess piece in a political quarrel between the US and Turkey. The US/Turkey relationship and Turkey's relationship as a NATO member have not been the same since. I have no doubt that this is the case now with the nukes. Trump tries to weekly punish the Turks with sanctions, the Turks lock up the Nuke Locker. As an aside, the US military has used Incirlik as a launch point for conducting air operations throughout the ME and in the past, the Balkans. The nukes are there to threaten their use in any conflict involving a major military assault from Russia - actually the former Soviet Union - into western Europe such threat being essentially non-existent today. More recently, the airbase is a staging point for air operations directed against ISIS - that role now diminished.
IMO, the worry about US nukes at Incirlik is a separate issue and it distracts from the debate about the propriety of the Turkish military operation to secure it's SE boarder with Syria. I still hold it is a reasonable military objective for Erdogan. I also hold that having the Russians replace the US as interlocutors and peace keepers in this particular sand box of the world is not a bad thing....... short term.
I don't know how this is going to play out in the long term. However, if you take a look at the several maps I've provided here one can see that the traditional US interest in protecting sea lanes is not affected one bit by vacating this part of the ME and there is some sense to a more robust relationship emerging between the US, SA and the Gulf States. Trump appears to have essentially ended approximately 50 years of the US's peace keeping role in parts of the ME. I'd argue that this mission has cost a lot of money and been largely ineffective for the many reasons I've advanced here. The knee jerk method by which this pivot appears to be occurring has it's downside and again,Trump supporters will argue he is changing typical diplomatic protocols for policy changes of this scope. I share those concerns with Trump's critics.
Turkey's part in NATO and US military presence in Turkey is a completely separate issue. There is a good argument that NATO is an antiquated and not a particularly useful alliance for the US in this day and age. In that context, who gives a shit about what Turkey does with the EU component of NATO. Moreover if the NATO alliance is, in fact, antiquated and no longer useful to US strategic interests and the US ME peace keeping operation and ISIS campaign are winding down, do we really need a US military presence in Turkey? But that argument is for another day.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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In actual substantive news, Brexit may finally occur: https://www.cnn.com/uk/live-news/bre...614641502a2dcd
The UK has a deal with the EU that addresses the Northern Ireland issue. Congratulations to PM Johnson. Now, we'll see if Parliament approves. The batshit crazy Corbynites will surely oppose.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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Meanwhile, in the carnival that is DC, the Ds won't even let the Rs sit in on key depositions: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ts/3997318002/
Their agenda is brazenly obvious.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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Come on. Only those House members that sit on the committees are allowed into the closed door sessions. Its grandstanding for non-committee members to try and crash a closed door session and then swoon and whine how they aren't allowed in. The only purpose is to provide soundbites for the base.“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” - Groucho MarxComment
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Why would the DUP support Johnson's deal?Comment
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If they don't support it, two things could happen:Originally posted by froot loops View Post
(1) This option is Johnson's gamut. If the DUP doesn't support it, then Johnson will lead a no-deal Brexit on 10/31 ..... providing he doesn't get canned. The threat of a no-deal Brexit, in the minds of Conservative MPs, is enough to get a sufficient number of Labor MPs to buckle and vote in support of the Johnson/EU plan. From what I'm reading it's going to be really close if the motion can be carried at all.
(2) If the Johnson/EU plan fails to get through Parliament, it could spark a no-confidence vote of PM Johnson. If Johnson is ousted, the UK is basically back to asking the EU for an extension to the 10/31 withdrawal to get their shit together ..... which seems increasingly hard to do. Another stalemate could also prompt another referendum on Brexit altogether.
Bottom line: there are two clown shows going on in the capitals of the world's former leaders on multiple fronts - the US and UK. Authoritarians, particularly XI and Putin, are LOL about how fucked up democracy can become.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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demonstrates he's still the Grifter-In-Chief.
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” - Groucho MarxComment
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Jon has already responded to this but only members of three Committees are being let into the depositions. The Republicans on those three Committees have had equal time to ask questions of the witnesses. The only person who was denied entrance was Trump fanboy Matt Gaetz, who knew full well he wouldn't be allowed to stay because he's not on any of those Committees. They even asked the House Parliamentarian who told Gaetz he had to leave.Originally posted by iam416 View Post
I haven't heard of a single deposition where NO REPUBLICANS were allowed into the room. Unless I missed it there's nothing in the article you linked to either.
Schiff said just yesterday that all the depositions will be given to the full House before any vote and some of the later hearings may be public, but for now they don't want everything public so witnesses can coordinate their testimony.
Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan have been in the room for every single deposition as far as I know. Among many others.
Make a big stink about process when you don't want to touch the substance. That's what the Republicans are doing.Last edited by Dr. Strangelove; October 17, 2019, 12:15 PM.Comment
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It's a good time to drop news like this. Any other time there would've been an uproar. Now, meh, the President is grifting again. No big deal.Originally posted by Ghengis Jon View Postdemonstrates he's still the Grifter-In-Chief.
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