The (Next) Persian Gulf War begins.

gcomeau wrote:
He is an idiot. An absolute moron with one single sort of kind of talent. And that is convincing other idiots that he is in fact not an idiot.

For a moron, he done quite a lot of pretty smart things, namely:

* Not bringing USA into any new war (which several "smart" presidents before him failed to do)

* Getting out of restricting & outdated international treaties, like SMRBM treaty.

* Breaking the Middle East control over oil prices & providing the US industry with cheap energy (which is crucial for industrial development)

* Starting to push back against Chinese political and economical dominance (Hong Kong riots were a stroke of genius - for the very first time in decades, the Chinese Party was forced to retreat)

* Gearing up the size & capabilities of US military, switching them back from outdated "world police" doctrine toward the classic war-fighting.

* Bringing US unemployment to the record-low number.

* Keeping US in steady economic growth.

Frankly, if this all "moronic" actions, then what would the "smart" president done?

Dilandu wrote:

gcomeau wrote:
He is an idiot. An absolute moron with one single sort of kind of talent. And that is convincing other idiots that he is in fact not an idiot.

For a moron, he done quite a lot of pretty smart things, namely:

Oh he hasn't done shit all.

* Not bringing USA into any new war (which several "smart" presidents before him failed to do)

He's been instigating for a war with Iran from day one. He may still get one. And he used one of the few vetos he has exercised as president to keep the US actively supporting the Saudi's in Yemen.

* Getting out of restricting & outdated international treaties, like SMRBM treaty.

Yes, we are all aware of what a fan Russia is of getting that treaty scrapped.

* Breaking the Middle East control over oil prices & providing the US industry with cheap energy (which is crucial for industrial development)

Yeeeeah, Trump didn't do that.

* Starting to push back against Chinese political and economical dominance (Hong Kong riots were a stroke of genius - for the very first time in decades, the Chinese Party was forced to retreat)

Yeeeeah... Trump didn't do that either. He had nothing to do with the Hong Kond riots and as far as the economic side he just threw a self destructive tantrum and started throwing tariffs on things because he could and that made him feel tough and he's inflicted serious harm on the US agriculture sector as a result while China just decided to buy from Russia instead. Another Putin win. So yeah Russia may be calling it a smart move, nobody who actually wants the US to be coming out ahead in this is doing that.

* Gearing up the size & capabilities of US military,

It was already geared up. He just likes to say he made it stronger while doing jack shit to actually do that.

switching them back from outdated "world police" doctrine toward the classic war-fighting.

* Bringing US unemployment to the record-low number.

Thanks Obama.

Literally, Trump just spent the whole campaign trashing Obama's economic numbers then the SECOND he was elected flipped and started claiming credit for them without actually doing a damn thing, then he just coasted for a year on Obama's economy without passing any meaningful economic legislation while the economy kept going as it was already going.

Because claiming credit for other people's work is kind of another Trump thing. It's a whole theme with him.

* Keeping US in steady economic growth.

again, he's mostly just coasted on the repaired economy Obama handed him while trying to take all the credit for it. With numerous flashing warning signs signaling oncoming recession. And that's WITH him raiding the treasury to explode the deficit over a trillion dollars a year again with his tax cuts for the rich to prop up his numbers.

Obama achieved high long term economic growth while CUTTING the deficit. THAT is what a smart president can do.

Dilandu wrote:

gcomeau wrote:
He is an idiot. An absolute moron with one single sort of kind of talent. And that is convincing other idiots that he is in fact not an idiot.

For a moron, he done quite a lot of pretty smart things, namely:

* Not bringing USA into any new war (which several "smart" presidents before him failed to do)

* Getting out of restricting & outdated international treaties, like SMRBM treaty.

* Breaking the Middle East control over oil prices & providing the US industry with cheap energy (which is crucial for industrial development)

* Starting to push back against Chinese political and economical dominance (Hong Kong riots were a stroke of genius - for the very first time in decades, the Chinese Party was forced to retreat)

* Gearing up the size & capabilities of US military, switching them back from outdated "world police" doctrine toward the classic war-fighting.

* Bringing US unemployment to the record-low number.

* Keeping US in steady economic growth.

Frankly, if this all "moronic" actions, then what would the "smart" president done?

I honestly do not believe that Trump incited the Hong Kong riots. The Chinse Communist Party did that all by themselves. Trump understands just how damaging it would be to dissident elements in China it would be if the US was proven to be inciting unrest.

Our resident illegal alien (who refuses to return to his home planet as the Coneheads have done) is incapable of understanding that Trump truly understands how bad the Brenton Woods trade regime is for America. More importantly; Trump understands how problematic it would be for America if China were to become the uncontested largest economy in the world. The dissolution of the Soviet Union dramatically reduced the population and economy controlled by Russia. Russia can still develop excellent weapons systems, but Rissia's population and economy is far to small to field these systems in large enough quantity to threaten the US (unless Russia goes nuclear).

gcomeau wrote:
He's been instigating for a war with Iran from day one. He may still get one. And he used one of the few vetos he has exercised as president to keep the US actively supporting the Saudi's in Yemen.

But he didn't started any. That's the point.

Yes, we are all aware of what a fan Russia is of getting that treaty scrapped.

...You seems to not notice that China was neither bound by such treaty nor having any desire to be? Newsflash: China have an arsenal of SRBM and IRBM bigger than both USA & USSR have in 1980s combined.

Yeeeeah, Trump didn't do that.

Yeah, yeah, it's all godlike Obama's work, I know)

Yeeeeah... Trump didn't do that either. He had nothing to do with the Hong Kond riots

Please! Seriously, you could not be so naive! The Hong Kong riots have all the classic patterns of "velvet revolution" that US practiced for the last two decades!

and as far as the economic side he just threw a self destructive tantrum and started throwing tariffs on things because he could and that made him feel tough and he's inflicted serious harm on the US agriculture sector as a result while China just decided to buy from Russia instead.

...One small problem: we did not have the capabilities to replace US export.

It was already geared up. He just likes to say he made it stronger while doing jack shit to actually do that.

Seriously? The last time I checked, it was Trump who made a point of boosting up the naval construction.

Thanks Obama.

According to you, Obama should probably be called "the delayed action president": he made so much good things, but for some reason they only started to work long after he was gone.

Seriously, this is just ridiculous. Yes, "blame the predecessor" is a common tactics, and it could be used in reverse, but it is just impossible in modern world for actions being delayed for so long. The geopolitical situation changes too much, to assume that Obama could have some "long delayed plans".

TFLYTSNBN wrote:
I honestly do not believe that Trump incited the Hong Kong riots. The Chinse Communist Party did that all by themselves. Trump understands just how damaging it would be to dissident elements in China it would be if the US was proven to be inciting unrest.

Well, I think he is. Of course, it is risky, but seems that Hong Kong won this round - and "nobody judge the winners". I.e. even if the China would be able to prove that protests were heated up from US, it wouldn't matter; the dissident elements all across China already saw that it COULD be pushed back. So strategically, Hong Kong plan seriously undermined internal stability of China, by demonstrating dissidents that they have a chance (it didn't matter that most of them would not be able to get anything of it; the China would have problems anyway), and tactically, it made China less self-confident on China-US talks.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union dramatically reduced the population and economy controlled by Russia. Russia can still develop excellent weapons systems, but Rissia's population and economy is far to small to field these systems in large enough quantity to threaten the US (unless Russia goes nuclear).

Yep. Most importantly, Russia (currently) have no ideological model to suggest to the world. The USSR was a real threat to USA mainly because it was able to suggest alternative ideology - which was quite attractive for poor & oppressed all over the world, and in 1950-1960s was supported by real achievements (like Sputnik, which - at least for a while - made even Americans seriously doubt "is the capitalism so effective?")

Russia now did not have any ideology to export. We may have military power, but military or economical power alone is not enough to change the world. You need not only conquer the peoples or buy them - to change the world, you need to gave them something new to believe. And Russia currently have nothing of that even for internal use.

Regarding the US Economy, the US National Debt is $33 Trillion and the US Deficit was $738 Billion by June. You could take the same path by maxing out the credit cards, and your friends would be impressed by your new toys.
The next President is going to have to rein it in somehow.

Please! Seriously, you could not be so naive! The Hong Kong riots have all the classic patterns of "velvet revolution" that US practiced for the last two decades!

That's nice, do you have evidence?

Dilandu wrote:

gcomeau wrote:
He's been instigating for a war with Iran from day one. He may still get one. And he used one of the few vetos he has exercised as president to keep the US actively supporting the Saudi's in Yemen.

But he didn't started any. That's the point.

That he tried and (so far) has failed to do something and you like that he failed so you're giving him credit for failure?

Ummm, ok.

Yes, we are all aware of what a fan Russia is of getting that treaty scrapped.

...You seems to not notice that China was neither bound by such treaty nor having any desire to be? Newsflash: China have an arsenal of SRBM and IRBM bigger than both USA & USSR have in 1980s combined.

The point of nuclear disarmament efforts is to get nuclear countries ON BOARD with these freaking treaties, not scrap them yourself because you can't negotiate and start a fucking nuclear arms race.

Yeeeeah, Trump didn't do that.

Yeah, yeah, it's all godlike Obama's work, I know)

Sarcasm doesn't alter the objective reality that it is true. Not *just* Obama, but sure as hell wasn't Trump who waved a magic wand and made it suddenly happen. Trump didn't do ANYTHING to significantly impact US energy policy besides blab about it a lot and push deregulation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... (2000-2017)_(44637262144).png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... mports.svg

Yeeeeah... Trump didn't do that either. He had nothing to do with the Hong Kong riots

Please! Seriously, you could not be so naive! The Hong Kong riots have all the classic patterns of "velvet revolution" that US practiced for the last two decades!

Oh, so you think it kinda feels like he did it so he must have done it. Glad we're using such rigorous standards of evidence to reach our conclusions here.

and as far as the economic side he just threw a self destructive tantrum and started throwing tariffs on things because he could and that made him feel tough and he's inflicted serious harm on the US agriculture sector as a result while China just decided to buy from Russia instead.

...One small problem: we did not have the capabilities to replace US export.

You had the capability to replace a pretty good chunk of them, with other countries taking up the slack. Bottom line, US Ag sector has lost access to massive markets and they're not coming back easily. So in the meantime Trump has to pour money out of the treasury to keep farmers out of bankruptcy thanks to his own idiocy.

It was already geared up. He just likes to say he made it stronger while doing jack shit to actually do that.

Seriously? The last time I checked, it was Trump who made a point of boosting up the naval construction.

Trump "makes a point" of lots of things he never actually DOES.

He makes a point of making charitable contributions he never makes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html

He makes a point of signing bills he never signed.

https://www.apnews.com/375515aecedb4aed949e4f2eb9c54eb6

He makes a point of claiming he built walls that were never built. Claiming he made profits he never made. Claiming he had conversations he never had.


He is ALL MOUTH. How do you not understand this yet?

Thanks Obama.

According to you, Obama should probably be called "the delayed action president": he made so much good things, but for some reason they only started to work long after he was gone.

There was nothing delayed about it.

https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod ... 9/800.jpeg

One more time. Trump ALWAYS takes credit for other people's work. Because he's too damn lazy to do any himself.

gcomeau wrote:
The point of nuclear disarmament efforts is to get nuclear countries ON BOARD with these freaking treaties, not scrap them yourself because you ca

Sigh. The point of bilateral treaties was to fixate the existing situation between two superpowers, NOT letting the third one (which was not a superpower back than) obtain a crucial military advantage.

You seems to be unable to think in military therms for a bit. Chinese advantage in short- and medium-range missiles undermined both US and Russia security. In case of conflict, China would have an enormous advantage of being able to devastate US & US allies defense infrastructure all around Far East without suffering the same in retaliation.

Is that too hard to understood?

Dilandu wrote:

gcomeau wrote:
The point of nuclear disarmament efforts is to get nuclear countries ON BOARD with these freaking treaties, not scrap them yourself because you ca

Sigh. The point of bilateral treaties was to fixate the existing situation between two superpowers, NOT letting the third one (which was not a superpower back than) obtain a crucial military advantage.

You seems to be unable to think in military therms for a bit. Chinese advantage in short- and medium-range missiles undermined both US and Russia security.

Did you not see me saying to get them on board or did you just not understand the words?

At least you seem to be realizing Trump didn't actually do anything else on your list.