Trump 31: Parody of a Presidency

[fraurosena]

Whoops. This tweet is evidence now. Fighting back is something you do in court, otherwise it's obstruction of justice. So this is now more fodder for Mueller. Thank you, presidunce dear. Not that I'm greedy or anything, but... can we have more?

 

[47of74]

I see man baby is tweeting again;

Quote

President Trumpaccused special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of “unrevealed conflicts of interest” in a tweet early Monday.

“The 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice...and just wait ‘till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest!” Trump tweeted.

Trump has long accused Mueller’s team of being biased against him, calling its investigation a "witch hunt."

 

[Howl]

11 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

This is exactly why I'm praying Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush can somehow outlive Trump's presidency. I believe Carter is a good man

I was at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum in Atlanta yesterday, and was touched anew by a life lived with profound purpose, decency, humility, honor and intellect, all channeled into serving others through the Carter Center.  It was a profound experience.  The grounds are an oasis of peacefulness in the midst of city life. Jimmy Carter is in his mid 90s and he is still living a purposeful life of service, and Rosalyn is right beside him.  

Thinking about the contrast between that kind of life and Trump is simply unbearable.   

[Audrey2]

8 minutes ago, Howl said:

I was at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum in Atlanta yesterday, and was touched anew by a life lived with profound purpose, decency, humility, honor and intellect, all channeled into serving others through the Carter Center.  It was a profound experience.  The grounds are an oasis of peacefulness in the midst of city life. Jimmy Carter is in his mid 90s and he is still living a purposeful life of service, and Rosalyn is right beside him.  

Thinking about the contrast between that kind of life and Trump is simply unbearable.   

May I just say that I'm a Kermit the Frog shade of green right now? That is one of the two things I'd love to do in Atlanta- visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and eat at the Varsity. (I read a lot of Haywood Smith and Mary Kay Andrews, and I believe both have characters who talk about eating at the Varsity.) 

[Howl]

The museum was well worth our time. It brought back so much that I had forgotten.  

[AmazonGrace]

There is no O?

Poor Melania. (I'll show myself out.)

[onekidanddone]

9 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

There is no O?

Poor Melania. (I'll show myself out.)

Read this twice, and my mind won't get out of the gutter. 

Hangs head in shame while blushing and giggling. 

2 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I see man baby is tweeting again;

 

At 7(ish) in the morning I'm up (well most of the time) wishing my daughter a good day at school. I'm not tweeting. Does he spend any time all all with that boy? This is how we got Freado 1 and Freado 2. 

[fraurosena]

I love Randy Rainbow.

 

[AmazonGrace]

As Melania calls for focus on children's wellbeing Donald wants to take away their healthcare again.

 

[AmazonGrace]

When your client is a fucking moron.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

How many Mooches will Rudy last?

[Howl]

57 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

How many Mooches will Rudy last?

I just came to post this!  Lots of speculation by cable news talking heads using this very terminology.  Didn't Rudy climb on board just last week? I'm going for 2.5 Mooches. 

I've also seen the term nanoMooches used on twitter in reference to other things/people/ideas that were gone in a flash. 

[CTRLZero]

18 hours ago, fraurosena said:

I love Randy Rainbow.

I binged on Randy Rainbow last evening.  Thanks for introducing me to this talented guy!

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

I just came to post this!  Lots of speculation by cable news talking heads using this very terminology.  Didn't Rudy climb on board just last week? I'm going for 2.5 Mooches. 

I've also seen the term nanoMooches used on twitter in reference to other things/people/ideas that were gone in a flash. 

I speculated last week that he wouldn't last until the end of this week ....5..4.........

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Sigh: "Trump announces plans to pull out of Iran nuclear deal despite pleas from European leaders"

Spoiler

The United States “will withdraw” from the international nuclear deal with Iran and will reinstate economic sanctions against Tehran, President Trump announced Tuesday.

Trump’s decision, announced at the White House, follows the failure of last-ditch efforts by Britain, France and Germany to convince him that his concerns about “flaws” in the accord could be addressed without violating its terms or ending it altogether.

“We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” Trump said in remarks at the White House.

He called the agreement “a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and all citizens of the United States.”

The action makes good on Trump’s campaign pledge to undo an accord negotiated under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Obama considered the agreement his signature foreign policy accomplishment, calling it the best way to head off the near-term threat of a nuclear armed Iran and a potential opening toward better relations with Tehran after more than three decades of enmity.

In his remarks Tuesday, Trump said the deal did no such thing.

“At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction,” he said.

Trump said Iran was lying throughout negotiations for the international deal, and cited secret Iranian documents revealed last week by Israel, that showed the Iranian regime had concealed a nuclear weapons program in the 1990s.

“The United States no longer makes empty threats,” he said referencing his past promises to pull out of the deal.

Vice President Pence briefed members of Congress about the decision Tuesday, and Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has served as an emissary for European allies that want the United States to remain in the agreement.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump will immediately reinstate all sanctions or just a large and significant set of banking-related penalties that are due for review by Saturday. Another set is due for review in July, and Macron had hoped to use this period to continue efforts to negotiate a U.S.-European agreement.

A congressional official said Pence had told lawmakers the United States will no longer participate in the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The United States will restore sanctions with 90- and 180-day wind-down periods for various aspects, the official said.

Pence did not speak to reporters.

A decision to immediately reinstate all nuclear-related sanctions would be the most extreme step Trump could take now. People familiar with the decision said Trump remains open to the possibility of a supplemental agreement to “fix” the deal, but prospects for that approach appeared dim.

The three European allies have vowed to remain in the agreement and while the deal itself contains no provisions for withdrawal, Iran has threatened to reactivate suspended elements of its nuclear program if the United States reneges on any of its obligations under the pact’s terms.

Trump, who criticized the Iran deal throughout his presidential campaign, said in January that the United States would “withdraw” unless the agreement was rewritten to address his concerns.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a sometime Trump critic, warned Tuesday that the ramifications of a U.S. withdrawal could reach beyond the Middle East.

“The agreement obviously had problems it didn’t address, Iran’s malign behavior or ballistic missiles. But after you’re in it and Iran has already realized the benefits of it ... to now allow them to get out of their obligations on the nuclear side would be foolhardy, in my view,” Flake told reporters. “And it also says more about our willingness to work with our allies. We’re having enough problems around the world in terms of our reliability, whether it’s trade or commercial engagements or security arrangements. To add this now, at this point, would not be good for us, particularly the knock-on effects on other arrangements, perhaps with North Korea.”

 

[WiseGirl]

37 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Sigh: "Trump announces plans to pull out of Iran nuclear deal despite pleas from European leaders"

  Reveal hidden contents

The United States “will withdraw” from the international nuclear deal with Iran and will reinstate economic sanctions against Tehran, President Trump announced Tuesday.

Trump’s decision, announced at the White House, follows the failure of last-ditch efforts by Britain, France and Germany to convince him that his concerns about “flaws” in the accord could be addressed without violating its terms or ending it altogether.

“We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” Trump said in remarks at the White House.

He called the agreement “a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and all citizens of the United States.”

The action makes good on Trump’s campaign pledge to undo an accord negotiated under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Obama considered the agreement his signature foreign policy accomplishment, calling it the best way to head off the near-term threat of a nuclear armed Iran and a potential opening toward better relations with Tehran after more than three decades of enmity.

In his remarks Tuesday, Trump said the deal did no such thing.

“At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction,” he said.

Trump said Iran was lying throughout negotiations for the international deal, and cited secret Iranian documents revealed last week by Israel, that showed the Iranian regime had concealed a nuclear weapons program in the 1990s.

“The United States no longer makes empty threats,” he said referencing his past promises to pull out of the deal.

Vice President Pence briefed members of Congress about the decision Tuesday, and Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has served as an emissary for European allies that want the United States to remain in the agreement.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump will immediately reinstate all sanctions or just a large and significant set of banking-related penalties that are due for review by Saturday. Another set is due for review in July, and Macron had hoped to use this period to continue efforts to negotiate a U.S.-European agreement.

A congressional official said Pence had told lawmakers the United States will no longer participate in the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The United States will restore sanctions with 90- and 180-day wind-down periods for various aspects, the official said.

Pence did not speak to reporters.

A decision to immediately reinstate all nuclear-related sanctions would be the most extreme step Trump could take now. People familiar with the decision said Trump remains open to the possibility of a supplemental agreement to “fix” the deal, but prospects for that approach appeared dim.

The three European allies have vowed to remain in the agreement and while the deal itself contains no provisions for withdrawal, Iran has threatened to reactivate suspended elements of its nuclear program if the United States reneges on any of its obligations under the pact’s terms.

Trump, who criticized the Iran deal throughout his presidential campaign, said in January that the United States would “withdraw” unless the agreement was rewritten to address his concerns.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a sometime Trump critic, warned Tuesday that the ramifications of a U.S. withdrawal could reach beyond the Middle East.

“The agreement obviously had problems it didn’t address, Iran’s malign behavior or ballistic missiles. But after you’re in it and Iran has already realized the benefits of it ... to now allow them to get out of their obligations on the nuclear side would be foolhardy, in my view,” Flake told reporters. “And it also says more about our willingness to work with our allies. We’re having enough problems around the world in terms of our reliability, whether it’s trade or commercial engagements or security arrangements. To add this now, at this point, would not be good for us, particularly the knock-on effects on other arrangements, perhaps with North Korea.”

 

What a fucking idiot. Just saw it, what an absolute moron. Hell bent on destroying ... I don't know....everything? Effing idiot

[Howl]

A day or two ago, Giuliani mimed spitting on the agreement (twice) and tearing it in half.  On TV.  That alone disqualifies him from any form of public discourse.  Meds, STAT! 

[fraurosena]

What can they possibly hope to gain by these "look I'm a big boy bully-tactics", other than the ridicule of the rest of the world and a possible decent in to war because Iran now has an excuse?

[GreyhoundFan]

It seems like Dumpy isn't going to be happy until he gets to use his "big button" to start a nuclear war.

[fraurosena]

What do you say when you don't know the answer to a pesky reporter's question?
"Thank you very much." 

[fraurosena]

Holy Rufus prancing on velvet hoofs along the astral plane!
Obama is weighing in on the matter.  He's not mincing his words either. 

For those of you who do not want to go to FB, I've copied his full statement for you in the quote.

Quote

There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons, or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. That’s why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the first place.

The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working – that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. The JCPOA is in America’s interest – it has significantly rolled back Iran’s nuclear program. And the JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish – its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea. Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes – with Iran – the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans.

That is why today’s announcement is so misguided. Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America’s closest allies, and an agreement that our country’s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.

Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive. So it’s important to review several facts about the JCPOA.

First, the JCPOA was not just an agreement between my Administration and the Iranian government. After years of building an international coalition that could impose crippling sanctions on Iran, we reached the JCPOA together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, China, and Iran. It is a multilateral arms control deal, unanimously endorsed by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.

Second, the JCPOA has worked in rolling back Iran’s nuclear program. For decades, Iran had steadily advanced its nuclear program, approaching the point where they could rapidly produce enough fissile material to build a bomb. The JCPOA put a lid on that breakout capacity. Since the JCPOA was implemented, Iran has destroyed the core of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium; removed two-thirds of its centrifuges (over 13,000) and placed them under international monitoring; and eliminated 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium – the raw materials necessary for a bomb. So by any measure, the JCPOA has imposed strict limitations on Iran's nuclear program and achieved real results.

Third, the JCPOA does not rely on trust – it is rooted in the most far-reaching inspections and verification regime ever negotiated in an arms control deal. Iran’s nuclear facilities are strictly monitored. International monitors also have access to Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain, so that we can catch them if they cheat. Without the JCPOA, this monitoring and inspections regime would go away.

Fourth, Iran is complying with the JCPOA. That was not simply the view of my Administration. The United States intelligence community has continued to find that Iran is meeting its responsibilities under the deal, and has reported as much to Congress. So have our closest allies, and the international agency responsible for verifying Iranian compliance – the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Fifth, the JCPOA does not expire. The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent. Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the JCPOA are permanent. Even as some of the provisions in the JCPOA do become less strict with time, this won’t happen until ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years into the deal, so there is little reason to put those restrictions at risk today.

Finally, the JCPOA was never intended to solve all of our problems with Iran. We were clear-eyed that Iran engages in destabilizing behavior – including support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel and its neighbors. But that’s precisely why it was so important that we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Every aspect of Iranian behavior that is troubling is far more dangerous if their nuclear program is unconstrained. Our ability to confront Iran’s destabilizing behavior – and to sustain a unity of purpose with our allies – is strengthened with the JCPOA, and weakened without it.

Because of these facts, I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake. Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East. We all know the dangers of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. It could embolden an already dangerous regime; threaten our friends with destruction; pose unacceptable dangers to America’s own security; and trigger an arms race in the world’s most dangerous region. If the constraints on Iran’s nuclear program under the JCPOA are lost, we could be hastening the day when we are faced with the choice between living with that threat, or going to war to prevent it.

In a dangerous world, America must be able to rely in part on strong, principled diplomacy to secure our country. We have been safer in the years since we achieved the JCPOA, thanks in part to the work of our diplomats, many members of Congress, and our allies. Going forward, I hope that Americans continue to speak out in support of the kind of strong, principled, fact-based, and unifying leadership that can best secure our country and uphold our responsibilities around the globe.

 

[Howl]

Some European countries are still maintaining the nuclear agreement with Iran.  Also hitting Iran with sanctions, when they have been, as I understand it, in compliance with the terms of the agreement. 

Yeah, Trump is moron.