I haven't really followed the aftermath of this and am not saying the Director shouldn't have resigned/been canned, but imagine the real mistake was made by someone / people on the ground? Assumption that the vantage point was covered? Didn't think it was that much of a risk? Failure of one person to do their job properly keeping it secure?
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2024 5:30 pm
by Uncle fester
Niegs wrote: ↑Sat Jul 27, 2024 3:24 pm
I like Crockett. :)
I haven't really followed the aftermath of this and am not saying the Director shouldn't have resigned/been canned, but imagine the real mistake was made by someone / people on the ground? Assumption that the vantage point was covered? Didn't think it was that much of a risk? Failure of one person to do their job properly keeping it secure?
Buck stops with them in fairness.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 5:37 am
by Gumboot
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 2:30 pm
by Biffer
Looks like JD Vance's Christian values end where he can make a profit. Investor via his JV company and personally in a biotech company that uses monkeys and dogs for new medicines, including ones derived from stem cells, aborted fietuaes and embryos.
(pay walled but I think you can get a couple of articles free if you register. Foreign Affairs is a very good source for some considered thoughtful writing on US policy relative to global issues, so I subscribe anyway tbh.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 4:28 pm
by Niegs
Biffer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2024 3:59 pm
Fantastic article on Jimmy Carter's Foreign Policy. A hugely under rated man whose achievements in and out of power are mostly ignored
(pay walled but I think you can get a couple of articles free if you register. Foreign Affairs is a very good source for some considered thoughtful writing on US policy relative to global issues, so I subscribe anyway tbh.
There's a nice little summary in his wiki. What would be some of the highlights that stood out to you? Thinking of current politicians, and my class in Canadian history at uni taught by one of our top academics, I do wonder how 'statesmanlike' most are these days? I was reminded of a lecture in which he showed how several Canadian PMs and important figures were all nurtured along through prior generations of highly capable statesmen. Now the three contenders are more showmen.
Biffer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2024 3:59 pm
Fantastic article on Jimmy Carter's Foreign Policy. A hugely under rated man whose achievements in and out of power are mostly ignored
(pay walled but I think you can get a couple of articles free if you register. Foreign Affairs is a very good source for some considered thoughtful writing on US policy relative to global issues, so I subscribe anyway tbh.
There's a nice little summary in his wiki. What would be some of the highlights that stood out to you? Thinking of current politicians, and my class in Canadian history at uni taught by one of our top academics, I do wonder how 'statesmanlike' most are these days? I was reminded of a lecture in which he showed how several Canadian PMs and important figures were all nurtured along through prior generations of highly capable statesmen. Now the three contenders are more showmen.
As per the article, it's the Egypt - Israel peace deal. They'd been at war for forty years. He pushed them in to negotiations repeatedly. When they couldn't sort it out themselves, he strong armed them both to coming to Camp David for an undefined period of time. He then went personally back and forward between the two camps, because they wouldn't meet in the same room, with different drafts of a deal which he himself wrote about ten or eleven times. Then when Begin said he couldn't compromise anymore and instructed his aides to pack, Carter went personal, knowing Begin valued his grandchildren above all else. Without prior notice, he signed photographs personally addressed to each of Begin's grandchildren and walked over to his quarters on his own, gave them to Begin, and Begin put his bags down and came back to the table. What was agreed then was the basis of the peace deal six months later, that Carter also forced through by personal intervention, flying back and forward between Israel and Egypt.
That peace has lasted nearly fifty years. It's survived all the other conflict in the middle East, even the last year when there's been huge pressure on the border to Egypt.
It also had a clause where Israel committed to full autonomy for Palestine but it was acknowledged it would need an additional deal. Carter was prepared to continue that work after losing to Reagan, but Reagan refused to use any of Carter's political capital. The cunt.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 7:46 pm
by fishfoodie
Couple of other achievements that don't get mentioned nearly enough.
Carter pardoned all of those who'd fled the Vietnam draft & gone to Canada, if not healing, at least putting a bandage on the wound caused by Politicians of previous Administrations.
He personally went to the Six Mile Island site after the meltdown, to reassure the entire State, when everyone had concluded that the company were lying to them, & no-one could guarantee that there wasn't going to be a massive nuclear accident.
Of course he would also have freed the hostages in Iran if the cunt Reagan & his team hadn't done a Nixon & sabotaged the negotiations by promising the Iranians a better deal if they didn't release until after the Election !
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 8:55 pm
by Niegs
So delaying good stuff from happening for political reasons is just par for the course, eh?
Cheers for those accounts, lads. Appealing to a leader's sense of decency and perspective on what their decisions do to the innocents. Too bad more people don't think that way.
And I didn't know that about draft dodgers! A friend's dad and someone I volunteered with were both, as a comedian once put it, 'stationed here' during the Vietnam War. I knew they'd been back but it wasn't my part to ask about that. Great to know they were pardoned en masse.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 11:10 pm
by Biffer
Carter is, and was, always a good man.
That was my mums’s primary judgement on politicians. She passed away last year. She was naturally a Tory, but she thought that Tony Benn and John Smith were Good Men even though she didn’t agree with them. She thought that about John Major but not Tony Blair.
Her thoughts on Johnson were not recorded because she didn’t like to swear.
We are short of good men and women in leading political roles at the moment.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 10:41 am
by Sandstorm
Biffer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2024 11:10 pm
Carter is, and was, always a good man.
That was my mums’s primary judgement on politicians. She passed away last year. She was naturally a Tory, but she thought that Tony Benn and John Smith were Good Men even though she didn’t agree with them. She thought that about John Major but not Tony Blair.
Her thoughts on Johnson were not recorded because she didn’t like to swear.
We are short of good men and women in leading political roles at the moment.
I met a woman on Saturday who used to work in John Prescott's office when he was in Government.
Prescott: sound, good boss, always up for a laugh
Brown: boring, but solid
Blair: whiny cunt
Biffer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2024 11:10 pm
Carter is, and was, always a good man.
That was my mums’s primary judgement on politicians. She passed away last year. She was naturally a Tory, but she thought that Tony Benn and John Smith were Good Men even though she didn’t agree with them. She thought that about John Major but not Tony Blair.
Her thoughts on Johnson were not recorded because she didn’t like to swear.
We are short of good men and women in leading political roles at the moment.
I met a woman on Saturday who used to work in John Prescott's office when he was in Government.
Prescott: sound, good boss, always up for a laugh
Brown: boring, but solid
Blair: whiny cunt
I would take boring but solid every day of the week, in fact that is probably Starmer to a T! I have had enough of incompetent, egotistical, ideologically driven, right wing twats trying to destroy the country whilst lining their own and their mates pockets. Give me boring, solid technically competent everyday of the week instead of private school, Oxford PPE, upper class twats playing at running the country like it was the Debating Society at Oxford whilst shagging anything that moves. I want real technocrats who are experts instead of a Chancellor with a PhD in political history from the University of Cambridge with a thesis on the recoinage crisis of 1695–97 under William 3rd pretending he could run the economy!
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:24 pm
by Guy Smiley
I've been enjoying this guy's short and informed takes on the unfolding game play in the US, and his accent provides a nice juxtaposition. Here he discusses a rumour that Trump may dump Vance but time is short....
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:38 pm
by fishfoodie
It's debatable if the GOP can even drop Vance at this point, because they've had their convention, & announced their ticket, & States have started printing ballots.
If they do try to kick him out, then they are giving the DNC openings to challenge votes in States where ballots include Vance on them, but he might not actually be the candidate, & so the DNC can legitimately call bait & switch, & the Democrats win the State, & it's Electoral votes by default.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:45 pm
by Uncle fester
They won an election with Dan Quayle as veep so it won't be Vance that loses them this.
But based on the rate Trump went through staff, nothing would surprise me anymore.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:50 pm
by Guy Smiley
Both parties have a week to finalise, Ohio has to be locked in by August 7th...
and as Beau here says, there's nothing normal about a Trump campaign. Vance is attracting a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons and the paradox here is that while Trump could pull a 'you're fired' line to try and stem the damage, that would mean having to admit to a mistake.
Either way, Trump is facing a challenge from Harris that has him and his campaign on the back foot so far and his usual attack pattern isn't getting any traction.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 10:19 pm
by fishfoodie
Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:50 pm
Both parties have a week to finalise, Ohio has to be locked in by August 7th...
and as Beau here says, there's nothing normal about a Trump campaign. Vance is attracting a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons and the paradox here is that while Trump could pull a 'you're fired' line to try and stem the damage, that would mean having to admit to a mistake.
Either way, Trump is facing a challenge from Harris that has him and his campaign on the back foot so far and his usual attack pattern isn't getting any traction.
He's completely handicapped by not being natural Politician; he is incapable of actually connecting with people, & if you need proof, just look at any of his, "Rallies", in the last four years.
Right now, he & his campaign are waiting for the outcome of the $50+ million they've thrown at consultants to tell them how to beat Kamala, & their holding pattern until then is racist & misogynistic crap that will do more to lose the campaign, than whatever the consultants come up with to win it !
We've passed the 100 days to go, & the GOP is flopping about like a fish on a dock
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 10:19 pm
by Uncle fester
Shots fired by Biden.
If you substitute "X" for "twitter" the post will embed itself instead of a link..Zapp..
Good move. Let's watch the GoP do everything they can to sink it.
Already started; but all that does is put immense pressure in the down ballot in November, because now everyone know that the difference between the US turning into some kind of US Fundamentalist Christian cult, & keeping a Democracy means them getting out & voting against the GOP all the way down the ballot !
The GOP totally over played their hand with Roe v Wade, & they showed women across the Nation that the GOP wants a nationwide complete ban on reproductive freedoms.
The proposed reforms are reasonable & not partisan, but of course the GOP will reject them because of that, & look like arseholes.
She’s never been black… doesn’t go down well
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:35 pm
by fishfoodie
Mayday, Mayday, we're on a 737-MAX. the doors have fallen off, the cabin is on fire & we've run out of Vodka; Aaaaaagghhhhhhhh
Stick a fork in him, he's DONE !!!
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:36 pm
by Biffer
The rest of that interview with the national association of black journalists is pretty wild as well. Reckon he just fucked the black vote.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:51 pm
by fishfoodie
Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:36 pm
The rest of that interview with the national association of black journalists is pretty wild as well. Reckon he just fucked the black vote.
All across the South GOP Candidates just face palmed
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 10:36 pm
by Uncle fester
Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:36 pm
The rest of that interview with the national association of black journalists is pretty wild as well. Reckon he just fucked the black vote.
Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:36 pm
The rest of that interview with the national association of black journalists is pretty wild as well. Reckon he just fucked the black vote.
All across the South GOP Candidates just face palmed
They're too busy gerrymandering, disenfranchising voters and passing legislation to allow the State to refuse to return a Democrat to worry about whether or not they get enough votes to win on a mathematical basis.
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 4:11 am
by mat the expat
This is good....!
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 5:00 am
by Guy Smiley
'there's just as much chance of voters turning out to vote against a candidate as there is of them turning out to vote for them...
Re: President Biden and US politics catchall
Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2024 6:23 am
by Biffer
Mark Kelly said they were the remarks of a scared old man. I think that has the potential to be a really powerful line over the next few months.