Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[Jeff Buchanan]

DSL, this is an extension of one of Tsun Tsu's battle tested pieces of advice (know your enemy and no yourself and you'l not be imperiled in battle).....

if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

So, I'd put Iran at some disadvantage in this, so far, battle of words and limited actions between Iran and probably the rest of the world who have imposed sanctions on it.

I'm not sure Iran needs to know, nor does the EU in this particular situation, what the US will do. If the adversary does not know what you will do, it is hard for him to cover all his potential weaknesses or properly anticipate your tactics. I see benefit in sowing seeds of confusion here. It's like a boxer with a devastating right hand hook that he can pull out when the timing for that blow is appropriate.

I also think Iran vastly underestimates US military capability and that of it's ME allies, most of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the IDF. If a shooting conflict were to happen prompted by a single engagement between US and Iranian military forces in the area, and I'm not advocating that, and a limited but coordinated joint military response was undertaken, say a demonstration that vulnerable Iranian command and control nodes, various data networks, nuclear facilities or human targets were at risk, pretty sure that would give the Mullahs in charge pause.

Remember that the hard-liners mostly in charge of Iran right now are fundamentally terrorists. I think some military analysts make too much of their on hand and potential capacity to wage war on anything but a very limited level, asymmetric operations inside and outside an actual conflict area not-with-standing. Remember also that the US has, up to this point, made it clear that Iranian attacks on shipping pose an international threat not just a threat to US interests, I think if these kind of Iranian harassment operations continue the international community is going to green light some kind of military retaliation.

As far as the EU is concerned, their goal is to maintain the nuclear deal with Iran which seems to be unraveling as the EU has, so far, not agreed to disregard US sanctions. So, I see this as Iran's current leadership being in somewhat of a crack with it's options quickly dwindling. Same with the EU - and that is probably a good thing since the Trump administration's goal is to get the US out of that deal which they consider unverifiable, extract other concessions out of the Mullah's and I agree. Others might have a different take. I can support this scenario and feel pretty good about where the US is tactically and strategically.

[froot loops]

Yeah I'm sure Trump and Pompeo are devising strategy from the Art of War.

[froot loops]

Good Luck

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[Jeff Buchanan]

Yeah I'm sure Trump and Pompeo are devising strategy from the Art of War.

?? Who cares who or what is driving strategic and tactical decision by the Trump administration. I'm assuming that Bolton, Trump and Pompeo know what they are doing, your assumption is that they don't. My view is that those that hold your particular viewpoint, see the actions undertaken by administration officials through a particular lens. That lens, right or wrong, and I think it is wrong, is created by the constant media drum beat that the Trump administration is dysfunctional.

Certainly Trump has his character flaws that we all agree on. There's disagreement with regard to the methods of this administration's implementation of policy or the policy itself. Fine. I think there have been mis-steps but, as everyone here knows, including yourself, I support most of his administration's policies ....... the ME policy directed at verifiably keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of the terrorists that run that country, Isolating Iran so as to weaken it's capacity to fund nuclear weapons development and, as well, fund terrorist activities by it's various proxies directed at US and Israeli interests in the region is one of them that I strongly support.

I'm more than willing to engage in thoughtful discussions about ME policy and if you don't agree with the Trump administration's goals and objectives or how they are being pursued and implemented there, say why and offer alternatives.

[froot loops]

The Trump administration is dysfunctional FFS. Look no further than the Secretary of Defense fiasco. When they start being functional then I will acknowledge it, but when you can't get a Cabinet member confirmed so you have a team of "acting" secretaries, you are dysfunctional.

I think Bolton is POS that should be nowhere near power, he showed his ass during the Iraq war. That was a beyond stupid war that destabilized a lot of things in the Middle East. He was one of the architects. So when you try to attach some mystical Sun Tzu philosophy to them, I going to make fun of it, get used to it. They are way too close to the Saudis and MBS. Like the immigration issue, the Iran issue is a crisis of Trump's own making. Sure Bolton knows what he wants, he wants war, he has stated that many a times.

[Ghengis Jon]

[Dr. Strangelove]

Warming up the crowd

[Dr. Strangelove]

Seems like a good time to bring this up...but never assume a #MAGA Rally is representative of the state where it's being held. Last year Trump held rallies in Council Bluffs, IA and Pensacola, FL that were clearly mainly attended by people from out of state.

Then there's the realization that there's an entire subculture of people who travel around the country just to attend the damn things. They have no lives and even less taste, but they're out there.

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/cam...ard/1560885719

****************











The rally on Tuesday will be No. 50 for Randal Thom, a breeder of Alaskan Malamutes in Minnesota who has a tattoo on his bicep of a bald eagle with feathers in the shape and color of the U.S. flag. He once named one of the pups Donald J. Trump and wanted the president to take it with him to the White House, but the dog sadly was shot by one of his neighbors, he said.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Thanks to tariffs, our steel industry is roaring back to life, Trump tells adoring crowd

Meanwhile...

US Steel says it's idling two blast furnaces in the US, one in Gary and one in Ecorse, Michigan amid weak demand. US Steel's stock price has dropped about 35% since the tariffs were enacted.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-steel-to-idle-two-furnaces-as-demand-falls-11560900740

[Hannibal]

Tariffs were an incredibly dumb hill to die on

[Whitley]

Tariffs were an incredibly dumb hill to die on

Yep. But then President Deals is not the brightest man in the world.

[Ghengis Jon]

Then there's the realization that there's an entire subculture of people who travel around the country just to attend the damn things. They have no lives and even less taste, but they're out there.

Perhaps the moniker "Dead Heads" would be appropriate, but only in reference to their IQs.

[iam416]

Then there's the realization that there's an entire subculture of people who travel around the country just to attend the damn things. They have no lives and even less taste, but they're out there.

If by "entire subculture" you mean "handful of men and women," then sure.

handful of men and women