I wonder if Erdogan offered Trump sanctuary in exchange for his pulling our troops out

[eleny]

It's all falling apart. But Trump had to smell the poo rising up over his shoulders.

I figure that when Bolton bugged out Trump could have figured it was only a matter of time for the bell to toll for him.

We only had a handful of troops helping the Kurds, albeit highly trained ones. But Trump is a no-nothing. So he might have figured the deal was worth it.

Just a thought.

[guillaumeb]

1. Sanctuary? Perhaps money as well.

Putin might have ordered Trump to leave Syria.

[eleny]

4. He gets a ton of money for his name on hotels in Turkey

[Retrograde]

2. I doubt he plans that far ahead

IMHO, it was a partly sucking up to Putin, partly trying to hijack a news cycle when it was getting too close for comfort, with a good dollop of "I've always been able to brazen my way out before" thrown in.

Putin's a master chess player, willing to sacrifice whatever pieces necessary to get to his ultimate goal, whatever that is (I think he wants to put the old Russian empire - not necessarily the Soviet Union - back together, and a warm-water port near the Mediterranean was always part of that empire's goals). Erdogan understands the game but not to the extent Putin does. Dear Leader still thinks he's playing The Apprentice, with outcomes scripted to always let him win. And he doesn't realize that the strongmen of the world have little to no use for a non-useful idiot.

[eleny]

5. I don't doubt what you say one bit

[TheBlackAdder]

3. How Ironic, Trump would move to a country that is 98% Muslim.

[eleny]

6. Well, he has to go someplace or it's "saw them bars" in the USA

[TheBlackAdder]

7. It would be Russia. He just wants his passport accepted when going to Turkey.

[eleny]

8. Passport? Passport? He don't need no stinkin' passport