This Is What Nightmares Are Made Of

[peggysue2]

Bad enough that Trump is trying to systematically unravel the US government. But Josh Marshall at TPM has a report from South Korea, a newspaper account presumably indicating that a US official behind closed doors said that the Trump Administration was considering a limited strike on North Korea because . . .

It could help in the midterm elections.

Sweet Jesus.

Link here:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/very-very-bad

[Cha]

1. Kick for now..

I'll be back.

Mahalo, peggysue

[peggysue2]

4. Back to you, Cha!

[Docreed2003]

2. Now thats some scary shit

[peggysue2]

5. Scary . . .

and unfortunately believable considering the character of the man

[RDANGELO]

3. I have heard that the military is resitisting; I hope that they can hold out.

He keeps asking for plans for a limited strike on North Korea, but they are stalling.

[peggysue2]

7. I read earlier this week that . . .

The Trumpster was railing at the Pentagon to give him additional 'options' for North Korea. One could imagine an actual strike was not on the list as a viable option. For a whole lot of reasons.

But there was also a report out that the Trumpster is very interested in small nuclear devices for these 'limited strike' scenarios. He seems fascinated or maybe obsessed with the idea of using nuclear arms. Right from the beginning it was: well if we have nuclear weapons, why don't we use them?

It's as if he's never considered or heard the deterrence argument. I have read that the military is flatly against developing these small weapons because it will simply make this type of warfare more likely.

But the cavalier idea of using a North Korean strike (of any sort) to beef up chances in the midterms?? There's the tail wagging the dog. And then, there's the tail blowing up the dog and the whole frigging world.

Ugh!

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. I wish we had a recording of that statement.

[peggysue2]

9. Yes!

Absolutely because it would blow Trump and his fat ass right out of the water.

[Blue Owl]

8. Destruction bolstering deception

Most hideous...

[dewsgirl]

10. I'm glad this is making the rounds, I was afraid

It would get buried. Frickin terrifying.

[spanone]

11. I would not put it past him.

[peggysue2]

12. That's the truly horrible part

It is hideous as Blue Owl stated. It is terrifying as dewsgirl said. And yes, I agree completely--none of us would put it past him.

[OliverQ]

13. Ted Lieu has been tweeting about this and wants this guy to resign immediately.

[peggysue2]

14. Yup!

Here it is:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If below quote is accurate, National Security Council Member Matthew Pottinger must resign immediately. Whether to use military force and put our troops and other Americans at risk in N Korea must be based on US national security, not whether it would help in midterm elections. <a href="https://t.co/TwDrY63oHe">https://t.co/TwDrY63oHe</a></p>— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) <a href="

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Thank God for Ted Lieu!

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Pottinger is a Flynn hire - they wrote a book together some years ago

Meanwhile, Flynn is busily filling up the National Security Council staff with military and intelligence officers he knows personally. For example, as the Nelson Report first reported, Flynn intends to make Matthew Pottinger the senior director for Asia on the NSC staff.

Pottinger, a former Wall Street Journal reporter in China, joined the Marines in 2005. While deployed in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer, he worked closely with Flynn and co-authored a memo on how to fix intelligence operations in Afghanistan that was later released by a Washington think tank in 2010.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/01/06/mattis-clashing-with-trump-transition-team-over-pentagon-staffing/?utm_term=.5873c1ff6bb8

(the next NSC picks that article talks about Flynn making are Sebastian Gorka and K.T. MacFarland. What a nest of snakes!)

[smirkymonkey]

21. +1000

I love Ted Lieu. I wish he could run for President.

[WhiteTara]

15. I don't think they are humans.

They certainly have no appreciation/reverence for life in any form.

[Cha]

16. Crooked Elite trump is so gd stupid..

he'd start World War 3 to try and get his doormats in congress to continue his fascist agenda

It sounds like trumpapocalypse.

Thanks, peggysue

[lunasun]

17. Deplorable

[ChoppinBroccoli]

18. I Genuinely Don't Know If America Can Survive Another 3 Years

And I'm not saying that hyperbolically. It really does feel like we've been taken over by a hostile entity that is systematically dismantling all the institutions that make this country what it is. And what really sickens me is that there is about 30% of the population CHEERLEADING for its demise. They're too busy waving pom-poms at "their team" and crowing about "we won" to see that they're going to go down with the ship too.

[smirkymonkey]

22. +1000

I hear you. I don't know if we can survive another 3 years either. I'm pretty sure I can't. It has already seemed like an eternity and I feel traumatized. He has to go soon. The country does not deserve this level of torture.

[Kristofer Bry]

19. Sadly Unsurprising

Trump is the lowest of the low.

[treestar]

23. To think that he has on value for anyone else's lives

over his short term interests.