What was that speech about?

An incredibly telling thing Trump said at today’s Paris event wasn’t about climate at all He simply has no idea what he’s talking about on any subject.  By Matthew Yglesias, Vox, Jun 1, 2017, 4:43pm EDT Perhaps the most telling thing President Trump said in his rambling justification of his decision to pull out of the Paris […]

Beware the cult of personality

Why Conservatives Won’t Dance to the ‘Dear Leader Donald Trump’ Tune We believe you should respect your leaders and pray for them—but not to them. Matt Lewis, The Daily Beast, 05.31.17 12:08 AM ET In a statement that might have made Kim Jong Un blush, White House spokesperson Hope Hicks extolled the virtues of President Donald […]

Since the cold war little has changed

Russia escalates spy games after years of U.S. neglect Lawmakers and intelligence officials say that the United States missed opportunities to crack down on Russian espionage efforts. By ALI WATKINS, Politico, 06/01/2017 08:07 AM EDT Officials say the Kremlin is waging a quiet effort to map the United States’ telecommunications infrastructure, perhaps preparing for an opportunity to […]

Flanders Fields

From Daily Kos: In 1915, Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae wrote a poem about the aftermath of battle called “Flanders Fields.” In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the […]

Wish our guy had done that.

Boom! Macron Calls Out Putin For Election Meddling…While Standing Next To Him. Take Note, GOP. By ExpatGirl, Daily Kos, Monday May 29, 2017 · 2:07 PM EDT Putin readies himself for the Macron Handshake… France’s new President, Emmanuel Macron, isn’t playing when it comes to Vladimir Putin. In their first joint press appearance, he specifically called out Russia […]

If you read anything today, read this

‘This is off the map’: Former intelligence officials say the reported Kushner-Russia plan is unlike anything they’ve ever seen By Natasha Bertrand, Business Insider, May 27, 2017, 9:47 am White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner listens during President Donald Trump’s joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the East Room of the White House in […]

A nation gone sour

Something is not right Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaks at a press conference. (Shawn Thew/European Pressphoto Agency) By Ruth Marcus, Columnist, The Washington Post, May 26 In the middle of one night Miss Clavel turned on the light And said, “Something is not right!” — “Madeline,” by Ludwig Bemelmans, 1939 Many of us these days find ourselves channeling our inner […]

Welcome home. You mortified us.

Donald Trump acted like ‘a drunk tourist’ on Europe trip that led Angela Merkel to proclaim end of US alliance President took harsher stance against European allies than against leaders of Middle East in Riyadh By Rachel Revesz, The Independent, May 29, 2017, 13:07 BST   Donald Trump was like a “drunk tourist” on his first trip […]

Erdogan, Trump and political violence

The New York Times has done a careful and detailed video analysis of the ugly melee that occurred during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Washington May 16. It appears to show that the fight started immediately after an exchange between Erdoğan himself and his security guards, three of whom then headed into the crowd of peaceful protesters across the […]

Desperately seeking legitimacy

‘Anyone . . . with a pulse’: How a Russia-friendly adviser found his way into the Trump campaign By Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, May 25, 10:30 AM As Donald Trump surged in the Republican primary polls in the early months of 2016, his outsider campaign faced growing pressure to show that the former reality-TV star and noted […]