Jump to content

NATO Summit 2018

Hugo Stiglitz

By Hugo Stiglitz
in Cloak Room

 Share

Recommended Posts

hayden_horn

hayden_horn 11360

Posted
Posted
Quote

Brussels (CNN)President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused fellow NATO ally Germany of being beholden to Russia because it buys energy from Moscow, in pointed remarks ahead of a summit of the military alliance in Brussels.

"Germany is a captive of Russia," Trump said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, his first since arriving in the Belgian capital. "It's very inappropriate."

Trump went on to complain that the United States is expected to "defend them against Russia," despite Germany making "billions of dollars" in energy payments to Moscow.
"I think it's something that NATO has to look at," Trump said. "Germany is totally controlled by Russia."

Trump's comments were a remarkable criticism for a US president to make about a close US ally and is likely to increase tensions between the US and its European allies. Indeed, while Trump singled out Germany, he also noted that "numerous" NATO countries have made pipeline deals with Russia.

remember, folks, every accusation is actually a confession.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/11/politics/trump-germany-russia-captive-nato/index.html

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nice Guy Eddie

Nice Guy Eddie 13414

Posted
Posted

Is our official policy is that Germany should spend more on defense?   What could go wrong.  History tells us that it always ends well.

 

On a side note, I didn't realize that Kay Bailey Hutchison was working in the Trump administration as NATO Ambassador (officially known as Permanent Representative to NATO.)  Probably a pretty good gig to live in Belgium as a top NATO official.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nice Guy Eddie

Nice Guy Eddie 13414

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Stringer said:

Kay Bailey looks like she wants to crawl under the table.  

I'm honestly curious what the people in his admin who have functioning brains say to their counterparts in other countries.  

I'm confused as to her involvement in the Trump organization.  I would have thought she would have decided to not join.  I think less of her now.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chad Fuck

Chad Fuck 17567

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm confused as to her involvement in the Trump organization.  I would have thought she would have decided to not join.  I think less of her now.

I'll bet she thought she'd get a cushy, low-profile job in Europe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grandioso

Grandioso 2592

Posted
Posted (edited)

Excerpt from a recent Mike McFaul interview on Fresh Air. Pro tip: don't accept loans from Russia or the mafia. 

ROSS: As a longtime Russian expert and a former ambassador to Russia, which part of the Mueller investigation into possible collaboration between the Trump campaign and Russia interests you the most?

MCFAUL: The money. So what I know, having followed and written about Russia for a long time and Vladimir Putin for a long time - by the way, I first met him in the spring of 1991. So I've known Vladimir Putin for a long time. Not exactly like we're Facebook friends right now, but I've followed his career for a long time. What he does as a leader is, he creates leverage with money. Inside his country, first and foremost - that's where I know about it the best - but also with other governments and other people. You know, he gives you money. And then you say, well, what do I owe in return? And he says, we'll get back to that at a later time. And by doing that, he's created leverage with you.

Another instance, when I was ambassador, that I remember vividly - at one point he said, all Russian government officials who have assets abroad need to divest and move that money back home. And several of these people have lots of money parked abroad, probably some of them measured in the millions. So that's official policy. And then individually, Vladimir Putin cuts a deal with everybody. OK. I'll let you keep your house in that country. I'll let you keep your villa in that place. And then once you've done that, he's created leverage over you. You are beholden to him for ever more.

And I don't know the facts. I want to be clear. I don't want to get ahead of my skis. I want Mr. Mueller to tell us what the facts are. But that kind of using influence, using money for influence, is a very familiar tactic that the Kremlin uses. And, you know, I want to know, did they do that with the Trump Organization?

 

Edited by Grandioso
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grandioso

Grandioso 2592

Posted
Posted (edited)

The same people that love Reagan are cheering on the guy burning his legacy to the ground. Anti-free trade, unprincipled supporter of autocrats, anti-NATO, etc. The only thing they have in common is tax cuts and being against social service and healthcare programs. It is a bona fide personality cult. I think Trump could roll out a Bernie Sanders platform, and his hive would all just become socialists. There is no guiding ideology or principles behind any of it.*

Edited by Grandioso
*except bigotry
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
27-25

27-25 2040

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

^ This is awesome.

Excellent.  If FoxNews had more stuff like this on the air I'd have to change my opinion of it.  Too bad it's more the exception that proves the rule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grandioso

Grandioso 2592

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

 

I’ve read it and the gist of the whole thing is:  “BACK THE FUCK OFF RUSSIA”

But did the leaders of the free world not see Trump's tweet about looking into Crooked Hillary and "the Pakistani fraudster?" 

God, Trump's misdirection is so fucking lame and just gibberish. I can only gawk at the musings of this D-List game show host that we decided should be president because our country was too politically correct. Is this real life? 

Is there anyone in this entire forum who can make the case that Trump's disdain for multilateral treaties, NATO, fucking democracies, the FBI, the CIA, etc. are just amazing happenstance? Anyone? Bueller?

Is this man not ticking off every single box on the Putin "wish list?"

Edited by Grandioso
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grandioso

Grandioso 2592

Posted
Posted

I'll hang up and listen. Is Donald Trump not aligning every single imaginable position with the geopolitical and economic goals of Russia?

Where has this self-professed "tough guy" challenged Russia? He literally tweeted like 2 weeks ago something to the tune of "Russia said they didn't hack the election." Unfortunately I am a trial lawyer, and if my client made such an inane, batshit statement - while he was simultaneously UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR COOPERATING WITH THE VERY ADVERSARIAL REGIME THAT HE IS INSISTING WE BELIEVE - I'd be floored. Uneducated truck drivers don't say shit that brazen and expect people to credulously buy it. 

This is why it is SO IMPORTANT that his operatives and enablers pay for this shit, because Trump sure isn't paying for dick. Start with McConnell, that fucking POS. 

Sorry this was so inflammatory. I need to go take a deep breath. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
relapse98

relapse98 634

Posted
Posted
57 minutes ago, Grandioso said:

The same people that love Reagan are cheering on the guy burning his legacy to the ground. Anti-free trade, unprincipled supporter of autocrats, anti-NATO, etc. The only thing they have in common is tax cuts and being against social service and healthcare programs. It is a bona fide personality cult. I think Trump could roll out a Bernie Sanders platform, and his hive would all just become socialists. There is no guiding ideology or principles behind any of it.*

To be fair to them, a lot of the Reagan Cult does a lot of cherry picking of history. They really aren't all that much into history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
icecait

icecait 63

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Grandioso said:

There is no way the average fox viewer understood ANYTHING of what Shep said, and he dumbed it down SO much for them. 

His ratings are abysmal.  You realize that, right?  They're almost CNN-tier.  He's a registered Democrat who has a penchant for drunk driving, sort of like Ted Kennedy.

 

21 minutes ago, Grandioso said:

I'll hang up and listen. Is Donald Trump not aligning every single imaginable position with the geopolitical and economic goals of Russia?

Just so I understand, attempting to get European countries to A) beef up their own defenses so the US can possibly save some money and B) not become reliant on energy from Russia, much like the US/Saudi relationship, is playing into Russia's goals?

Edited by icecait
  • Like 1
  • Fuck You 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Anastasis

Anastasis 23394

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, icecait said:

Just so I understand, attempting to get European countries to A) beef up their own defenses so the US can possibly save some money and B) not become reliant on energy from Russia, much like the US/Saudi relationship, is playing into Russia's goals?

1ND1.gif

 

However, the reality is that there is no situation where the US decreases it's military spending in an appreciable way. That is a pipe dream. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pods

Pods 7530

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, retread said:

Pompeo kept staring at his empty plate.

The place where his soul should be is empty, maybe he thought there was something on his plate he could stuff in the hole to fill the void. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RPM

RPM 26230

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, hayden_horn said:

"Germany is a captive of Russia," Trump said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, his first since arriving in the Belgian capital. "It's very inappropriate."

So we are captives of Canada? This explains a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...