The first opportunity to reduce Trump's power is to make sure Democrats win the Governorships of New Jersey and Virginia on Nov.4, 2025 OVERWHELMINGLY.
That has been said about quite a few of our recent Presidents, but this is the first president (who doesn't deserve capitalization), I actually fear, will do it.
"Jackson’s men won a spectacular victory against the British at the Battle of New Orleans in January. But even with the threat of invasion checked, Jackson still refused to lift his order instituting martial law for months afterward. The open-ended order made many civilians uncomfortable. A Louisiana State senator expressed unease about the ongoing state of martial law in a March 3 newspaper article; Jackson promptly had the senator arrested. When a U.S. District Court Judge demanded that the senator be charged or released, Jackson not only refused, he ordered the judge jailed before banishing him from the city. (When Jackson eventually lifted martial law, the returned judge proceeded to charge him with contempt and levied a thousand-dollar fine, which the “Hero of New Orleans” paid.)"
This is what I wrote about this unconstitutional Strike last night after traveling back to Europe from the US. I write about being warned by Lucian K. Truscott, IV, who has good military contacts.
A friend then pointed out that Trump bombed Iran on the 84th anniversary of the Nazi Operation Barbarossa, wondering whether it was a coincidence. And, she concludes with "and we know how that turned out...."
And Norm. Please keep up the good work. You are a treasure.
Trump usually does the wrong thing. IMHO he's nutsy koo koo.
Headlines: U.S. attack on Iran puts 40,000 American troops at risk. A broken watch is right twice a day. In 2020, after the Pentagon killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran responded by firing 13 ballistic missiles at an air base in Iraq. The attack wounded more than 100 U.S. troops.
Some Arabs are saying he conferred with the gulf states.....
According to several sources, there is an ongoing coup. According to Tousi, most of the Iranian general staff has been killed and their successors are pledging support to the crown prince in exile and he asked Trump for help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjJdkOqhTg
I know the bombing of Iran is the latest outrage but please don't sleep on the massive effort to steal 258 million of our 640 million acres of public lands. It's on a fast track, with mandatory selloffs. These lands are our legacy, have made the West what it is, and many Americans have no idea of the extent or value. Mike Lee has been trying to do this in Utah for decades.
Trust you are enjoying a fine Maine summer; meanwhile the country went to war. You and the rest of Congress are not doing your job. Was there ""a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces". If so show us? Did you get your 48 hours notice? Will you hold DT to the 60 days? Is the Constitution's Article 1, Section 8 still in force? We slid into war in Vietnam (my war) without Congressional approval and we know how that came out. The 1973 War Powers Act passed over Nixon's veto was designed to prevent this. It hasn't done so because you and your fellow Congress people have not been doing your job. Why should you continue to hold your job? Shame....
Please please do a long essay about Trump selling public lands! This would be a disaster. There must be some law that prevents this in some fashion. Mr. Eisen you are a brilliant lawyer. Help all of us with this! Jessica Josephson
Also: The Democrats benefited further when many swing voters turned against the Iraq war. President Bush did not help the GOP cause with his handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Consider also the run of scandals and a widespread feeling that the GOP had lost its way, and you come away with the makings of a Democratic sweep that could not have been foreseen after Bush’s second-term victory, and perhaps this will be the case now, especially since Trump has destroyed FEMA and many places are suffering badly.
Fight in the senate.... buried in Section 70302 of the legislation— would severely restrict federal courts’ authority to hold government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders.
Press the senate parimentarian. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the Big Crappy bill to implement Trump’s agenda run afoul of the Byrd Rule and must be taken out of the package to allow it to pass with a simple majority vote on a special procedural fast track.
The parliamentarian ruled against several provisions under the jurisdictions of the Senate committees on Banking, Environment and Public Works, and Armed Services.
These included a provision that would have placed a funding cap on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which would have cut $6.4 billion from the agency by reducing its maximum funding to zero percent of the Federal Reserve’s operating expenses. The funding cut would have eliminated the agency.
The creation of the CFPB was one of the central reforms of the Dodd-Frank Act that Democrats passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
She also ruled against language cutting $1.4 billion in costs by reducing the pay of Federal Reserve staff, cutting $293 million by reducing the Office of Financial Research funding and cutting $771 million by eliminating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Where I live, we have 3 Cuban American Republican House members under tremedous pressure. To influence them plese contact the Cuban American National Foudation, https://www.canf.org/get-involved/contact-us
FLASH -- Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that.Section 70302 of the Big Crappy bill runs afoul of the Byrd Rule and must be taken out of the package to allow it to pass with a simple majority vote on a special procedural fast track.
Where is the outcry from the leaders of other democracies round the world? We no longer bother to ask about the missing outcry, the silence, from our own Congress. Congress has abdicated its role and they all need to be impeached!
"Where is the outcry from the leaders of other democracies round the world?"
Where was their outcry...
...as Iran continued to lie about their nuclear program for decades?
...when Iran repeatedly refused inspections?
...when Iran funded and armed terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah?
...when Iran refused to give up their nuclear ambitions after several attempts by multiple administrations via diplomacy?
There would certainly be an outcry if Iran managed to build just one device and delivered it to any Western nation and detonated it.
"Congress has abdicated its role and they all need to be impeached!"
Members of Congress can't be impeached. They can be censured or expelled. Impeachment is what Congress can do to members of the executive and judicial branches.
You're right, of course, that members of Congress can only be voted out of office, not impeached. As for Iran: why do they not have the right, as other nations have done, to develop nuclear power? If a country like North Korea can have nuclear arms, why not Iran? India and Pakistan, traditional enemies, have each been left to develop nuclear weapons, Why not Iran? It's a wholly arbitrary question, it seems. And to a great extent it's Israel trying to set the ground rules, in this matter. I'm not in favor of nuclear weapons in the hands of any nation including our own. But it's a fantasy to say, I and my trusted friends can have these, but not you. And PS who my ally is today, may change in the blink of an eye. Just ask Canada.
"As for Iran: why do they not have the right, as other nations have done, to develop nuclear power?"
They are not developing "nuclear power". That only requires 3%-5% enrichment. According to the IAEA, Iran was at least at the 60% level, well on their way to "weapons grade" uranium.
"If a country like North Korea can have nuclear arms, why not Iran?"
We didn't want North Korea to have nukes but they had help I believe from Pakistan. Despite Kim's sabre-rattling, he's rational and keeps his nukes as a deterrent.
Iran, though, is different. They are not rational actors in they way we think. The country is an actual theocracy run by religious zealots who see us as the Great Satan and Israel as the Little Satan. Iran has been chanting "Dearth to America/Israel" since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. They actually do mean us harm either through direct action or proxies.
"And to a great extent it's Israel trying to set the ground rules, in this matter."
Israel is the only democracy in the region. Israel would allow LGBTQ+ types to live there, whereas they would be killed practically anywhere else. Lebanon used to be a democracy but now is essentially controlled by Hezbollah. After the '73 Arab-Israeli conflict it took a while but Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord that ultimately led to Anwar Sadat's assassination. Since then there have been long-standing treaties with Jordan and, most recently, the Abraham Accords from Trump's first term. Rumor has it that Israel and Saudi Arabia are close to an agreement as well, which would further isolate Iran.
"And PS who my ally is today, may change in the blink of an eye. Just ask Canada."
For all the talk about tariffs and other such nonsense, we are still allies with Canada. Neither of us has left NATO and we still trade with each other. This current division will soon pass.
Your point seems to be that only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be. Democracies, including our own and Israel, are infected with zealotry. India, Pakistan, North Korea have had nuclear weapons without leading us to armagedon. Given what Netanyahu has done to Gaza, his unwillingness to consider a two-state solution for Palestine, and his seeming aim to seek regime change in Iran, he’s lost all credibility as a statesman who might further peace in the Middle East.
This misbegotten war we've just entered is not our war; it's Netanyahu's. His vision for the region is not to be trusted.
"Your point seems to be that only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be."
I made several points - one of them was that Israel was the only democracy in the region. I neither stated nor implied that "only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be."
The other point was that Iran was different because they are a theocracy run by religious zealots. Those zealots have been shouting/chanting "Death to America/Israel" for decades. I'm not talking about Islam in general - I'm talking about the radical element of Islam that is in charge of Iran. This is why they are seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Please understand that.
"Given what Netanyahu has done to Gaza, his unwillingness to consider a two-state solution for Palestine..."
Do you remember what happened on October 7, 2023? Do you honestly believe that Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran believe in a "two state solution"?
World leaders (esp Western) have a delicate balance to maintain, considering the Toddler-in-Chief’s raw power & delicate ego.
Say anything even slightly off-putting to Trump & the repercussions can be enormous … not just to their countries during this trade war, but to countries like Ukraine, where many lives hang in the balance.
That's what DJT would like us to believe: that he will unleash enormous power if we all don't fall in place. If allies would stand in unison against this bully, he has little or no power. We may find that his threats are empty.
It wd take an enormous amount of cohesiveness to tackle Trump as president of the U.S. & the power that goes with the world’s largest economy & military.
— but I agree Re: standing up to him where possible … for example the legal businesses under threat — but you need to fight very smart vs his hijacked administrative powers.
Yes, you're right. It would take a great deal of solidarity from our allies--and opponents--to standup to DJT. I don't know what outrage it would take, given all his outrageous behavior, before the world's nations will say "Enougn."
Everything he does is "in a fit of pique." I'm not trying to be flippant. OK...perhaps not everything - because he does more than just take away people's civil rights, start wars, enable domestic terrorism, but those things? Pique. Temper. A trumpertantrum. Proving that he is "top of the world, Ma!" And the rest of us suffer for it.
All this talk of constitutionality is entirely relevant, but in the end we know what Trump is up to. His poll numbers in all areas are tanking, and so he decided to try to boost them by killing a mob of Muslims.
Historically, of course, the closest parallel in the Cuban missile Crisis of October, 1962. Then the country faced a far more direct and immediate threat to our southern and eastern coast than Iran does.
All the same, Kennedy had the same options as Trump has, and they were strongly urged on him by the Joint Chiefs. Destroy the Russian missiles (and of course in the process probably toss Castro off the throne). Kennedy chose statesmanship. Fortunately Khrushchev chose the same. Together, and in opposition to their hard liners, they de-escalated. Had either one not done so, something unimaginable could easily have happened, and as we now know, almost did.
Trump lived through that period, as I did. But he seems to have learned nothing. And even though he often brags being ‘the great negotiator’ he chose instead to play Macho Man with our Air Force because he knew the American people, including some of his own supporters, were growing tired of promises he wasn’t (and couldn’t) keep, so he went for the big show.
In spite of the fact that over half of all Americans were against starting yet another war halfway round the world, in the face of the accomplished fact, the MAGA crowd may well boost the numbers for a time, and the right wing echo chamber will be employed full force to back them. But the Iranians, like the Vietnamese, the Iraqis, and the Afghans before them, will not react well to a US strike. And once the dogs of war are loosed, getting them back in the kennel usually prover far more problematic than initially supposed by those loosing them. Bibi Netanyahu ought to know that very well indeed.
Thank you to all Contrarians for all you do. We can’t allow this Administration to distract our attention from all the horrible things they are doing. The abominable Trump big bill, massive deportations, the daily violations of the Constitution and the rule of law and the very visible decline of the president’s health. Please, please don’t concentrate on just one issue or we will end up like the “legacy media”. Keep up the good work and a huge thanks to all Contrarians.
So much of what this president does is driven by revenge, by greed, by ego needs. After his recent failures--that dismal parade, the No Kings rallies rejecting him, his tariff fiascos, his plummeting popularity, his judicial losses, his secondary role at the G7 meeting, his failure to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza on Day One as he claimed he would or even by day 153--he needed some opportunity to show "strength." (Hint: if you have to resort to war you're weak, as a deal-maker, a negotiator, a diplomat.) We have to think Netanyahu promised him Gaza in exchange for bombing Iran. And in the background there is Obama, always Obama. DJT couldn't tolerate his Nobel or his effective treaty with Iran so he shredded it. If Obama was hailed for taking out bin Laden, DJT will be celebrated for destroying Fordow. It remains to be seen if this is an Eisenhower Mission Accomplished or a GW Bush Mission (Un)accomplished..
Several good points here, Donna. The best-case scenario here is that the nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed and that regime change is in progress. I have serious doubts that either of these is true. First, I would not trust any BDA (battle damage assessment) made public by this administration. They lie. Without pause and without shame. It will take time to evaluate the effects of these strikes, and it is not clear that we have the capability of doing so without direct observation. And we need to remember that even if the authorities in your country are hateful, when your country is attacked, the normal reaction is to support those authorities. We have seen this time and again, several times within the span of my own lifetime (closing in on 80 years). With regard to Gaza, Trump doesn't need anything other than the opportunity to plaster his name on another developmental project that other people pay for.
Apart from your stating that the best-case scenario is for Iran's nuclear facilities to have been destroyed and that regime change is in progress, I agree with the rest of what you've said. Why shouldn't Iran have nuclear facilities, if eight or so other nations have them? (And are any of these other countries governed by a leader who is more of a madman than our own leader is??)
So yesterday I saw the presidential helicopters heading toward Morristown airport and I knew something must be up because Trump had just flown to Bedminster the day before!! They fly right over my town!! So if you ever want to know what he’s doing.. or not doing!!
So we can assume that DJT planned to golf until someone convinced him he shouldn't wait two weeks before taking out Iran's nuclear assets? I wonder who called him back to the Situation Room.
For a draft dodging fellow (5x.... those damned imaginary bone spurs!) this trump guy sure likes to play war with the lives of other people. His sidekick Vance is also hilarious in a very morbid way. "We are not at war with Iran" the guy said, "we are only bombing the hell out of it".
I also long for a regime change..... in Washington DC.
The first opportunity to reduce Trump's power is to make sure Democrats win the Governorships of New Jersey and Virginia on Nov.4, 2025 OVERWHELMINGLY.
We must hope that he does not declare Martial law limiting our actions and movements, and then declare that there will not be elections.
That has been said about quite a few of our recent Presidents, but this is the first president (who doesn't deserve capitalization), I actually fear, will do it.
None of us were here for the first time martial law was declared or what happened afterward: https://www.nps.gov/articles/andrew-jackson-and-martial-law-in-new-orleans.htm
"Jackson’s men won a spectacular victory against the British at the Battle of New Orleans in January. But even with the threat of invasion checked, Jackson still refused to lift his order instituting martial law for months afterward. The open-ended order made many civilians uncomfortable. A Louisiana State senator expressed unease about the ongoing state of martial law in a March 3 newspaper article; Jackson promptly had the senator arrested. When a U.S. District Court Judge demanded that the senator be charged or released, Jackson not only refused, he ordered the judge jailed before banishing him from the city. (When Jackson eventually lifted martial law, the returned judge proceeded to charge him with contempt and levied a thousand-dollar fine, which the “Hero of New Orleans” paid.)"
Imagine tRump being charged with contempt now...
I can imagine him being charged. I can't imagine him paying.
Well said.
Martial Law in S. Korea.
Then, the people spoke louder.
Thanks for the history.
Trump has said for years that Jackson was a great president and that he admires him.
This is what I wrote about this unconstitutional Strike last night after traveling back to Europe from the US. I write about being warned by Lucian K. Truscott, IV, who has good military contacts.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/we-are-at-war-with-iran?r=f0qfn
A friend then pointed out that Trump bombed Iran on the 84th anniversary of the Nazi Operation Barbarossa, wondering whether it was a coincidence. And, she concludes with "and we know how that turned out...."
And Norm. Please keep up the good work. You are a treasure.
Trump usually does the wrong thing. IMHO he's nutsy koo koo.
Headlines: U.S. attack on Iran puts 40,000 American troops at risk. A broken watch is right twice a day. In 2020, after the Pentagon killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran responded by firing 13 ballistic missiles at an air base in Iraq. The attack wounded more than 100 U.S. troops.
Some Arabs are saying he conferred with the gulf states.....
According to several sources, there is an ongoing coup. According to Tousi, most of the Iranian general staff has been killed and their successors are pledging support to the crown prince in exile and he asked Trump for help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjJdkOqhTg
Tousi TV. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJec0wv1EUomjrBNt1xCTA
He also is a material man and could have a big payday when the markets open tomorrow.
Daniel, what can you tell me about Tousi. My understanding is that he is a conservative social media commentator from Iran.
Not much. He's in England, but his father is still in Iran. He aggregates videos from inside Iran.
I know the bombing of Iran is the latest outrage but please don't sleep on the massive effort to steal 258 million of our 640 million acres of public lands. It's on a fast track, with mandatory selloffs. These lands are our legacy, have made the West what it is, and many Americans have no idea of the extent or value. Mike Lee has been trying to do this in Utah for decades.
This is what I sent our Congress people this day.
Trust you are enjoying a fine Maine summer; meanwhile the country went to war. You and the rest of Congress are not doing your job. Was there ""a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces". If so show us? Did you get your 48 hours notice? Will you hold DT to the 60 days? Is the Constitution's Article 1, Section 8 still in force? We slid into war in Vietnam (my war) without Congressional approval and we know how that came out. The 1973 War Powers Act passed over Nixon's veto was designed to prevent this. It hasn't done so because you and your fellow Congress people have not been doing your job. Why should you continue to hold your job? Shame....
Dear senator, thank you for all you do for us, but.......
Yes, but you still don't have a way to get rid of Trump once and for all.
If he keeps doing through 2028 what he has done through the first FIVE MONTHS in office, we won't have anything left in this country.
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
Please please do a long essay about Trump selling public lands! This would be a disaster. There must be some law that prevents this in some fashion. Mr. Eisen you are a brilliant lawyer. Help all of us with this! Jessica Josephson
Also: The Democrats benefited further when many swing voters turned against the Iraq war. President Bush did not help the GOP cause with his handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Consider also the run of scandals and a widespread feeling that the GOP had lost its way, and you come away with the makings of a Democratic sweep that could not have been foreseen after Bush’s second-term victory, and perhaps this will be the case now, especially since Trump has destroyed FEMA and many places are suffering badly.
Fight in the senate.... buried in Section 70302 of the legislation— would severely restrict federal courts’ authority to hold government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders.
Press the senate parimentarian. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the Big Crappy bill to implement Trump’s agenda run afoul of the Byrd Rule and must be taken out of the package to allow it to pass with a simple majority vote on a special procedural fast track.
The parliamentarian ruled against several provisions under the jurisdictions of the Senate committees on Banking, Environment and Public Works, and Armed Services.
These included a provision that would have placed a funding cap on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which would have cut $6.4 billion from the agency by reducing its maximum funding to zero percent of the Federal Reserve’s operating expenses. The funding cut would have eliminated the agency.
The creation of the CFPB was one of the central reforms of the Dodd-Frank Act that Democrats passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
She also ruled against language cutting $1.4 billion in costs by reducing the pay of Federal Reserve staff, cutting $293 million by reducing the Office of Financial Research funding and cutting $771 million by eliminating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Ask her to cut Section 70302.
Thune is under tremendous pressure. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5360488-parliamentarian-rules-bill-trump-agenda/
House Republicans in blue states are extremely vulnerable. https://www.house.gov/representatives
Where I live, we have 3 Cuban American Republican House members under tremedous pressure. To influence them plese contact the Cuban American National Foudation, https://www.canf.org/get-involved/contact-us
FLASH -- Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that.Section 70302 of the Big Crappy bill runs afoul of the Byrd Rule and must be taken out of the package to allow it to pass with a simple majority vote on a special procedural fast track.
Where is the outcry from the leaders of other democracies round the world? We no longer bother to ask about the missing outcry, the silence, from our own Congress. Congress has abdicated its role and they all need to be impeached!
"Where is the outcry from the leaders of other democracies round the world?"
Where was their outcry...
...as Iran continued to lie about their nuclear program for decades?
...when Iran repeatedly refused inspections?
...when Iran funded and armed terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah?
...when Iran refused to give up their nuclear ambitions after several attempts by multiple administrations via diplomacy?
There would certainly be an outcry if Iran managed to build just one device and delivered it to any Western nation and detonated it.
"Congress has abdicated its role and they all need to be impeached!"
Members of Congress can't be impeached. They can be censured or expelled. Impeachment is what Congress can do to members of the executive and judicial branches.
You're right, of course, that members of Congress can only be voted out of office, not impeached. As for Iran: why do they not have the right, as other nations have done, to develop nuclear power? If a country like North Korea can have nuclear arms, why not Iran? India and Pakistan, traditional enemies, have each been left to develop nuclear weapons, Why not Iran? It's a wholly arbitrary question, it seems. And to a great extent it's Israel trying to set the ground rules, in this matter. I'm not in favor of nuclear weapons in the hands of any nation including our own. But it's a fantasy to say, I and my trusted friends can have these, but not you. And PS who my ally is today, may change in the blink of an eye. Just ask Canada.
"As for Iran: why do they not have the right, as other nations have done, to develop nuclear power?"
They are not developing "nuclear power". That only requires 3%-5% enrichment. According to the IAEA, Iran was at least at the 60% level, well on their way to "weapons grade" uranium.
"If a country like North Korea can have nuclear arms, why not Iran?"
We didn't want North Korea to have nukes but they had help I believe from Pakistan. Despite Kim's sabre-rattling, he's rational and keeps his nukes as a deterrent.
Iran, though, is different. They are not rational actors in they way we think. The country is an actual theocracy run by religious zealots who see us as the Great Satan and Israel as the Little Satan. Iran has been chanting "Dearth to America/Israel" since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. They actually do mean us harm either through direct action or proxies.
"And to a great extent it's Israel trying to set the ground rules, in this matter."
Israel is the only democracy in the region. Israel would allow LGBTQ+ types to live there, whereas they would be killed practically anywhere else. Lebanon used to be a democracy but now is essentially controlled by Hezbollah. After the '73 Arab-Israeli conflict it took a while but Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord that ultimately led to Anwar Sadat's assassination. Since then there have been long-standing treaties with Jordan and, most recently, the Abraham Accords from Trump's first term. Rumor has it that Israel and Saudi Arabia are close to an agreement as well, which would further isolate Iran.
"And PS who my ally is today, may change in the blink of an eye. Just ask Canada."
For all the talk about tariffs and other such nonsense, we are still allies with Canada. Neither of us has left NATO and we still trade with each other. This current division will soon pass.
Your point seems to be that only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be. Democracies, including our own and Israel, are infected with zealotry. India, Pakistan, North Korea have had nuclear weapons without leading us to armagedon. Given what Netanyahu has done to Gaza, his unwillingness to consider a two-state solution for Palestine, and his seeming aim to seek regime change in Iran, he’s lost all credibility as a statesman who might further peace in the Middle East.
This misbegotten war we've just entered is not our war; it's Netanyahu's. His vision for the region is not to be trusted.
"Your point seems to be that only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be."
I made several points - one of them was that Israel was the only democracy in the region. I neither stated nor implied that "only democracies can be trusted with nuclear arms; nations run by religious zealots can’t be."
The other point was that Iran was different because they are a theocracy run by religious zealots. Those zealots have been shouting/chanting "Death to America/Israel" for decades. I'm not talking about Islam in general - I'm talking about the radical element of Islam that is in charge of Iran. This is why they are seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Please understand that.
"Given what Netanyahu has done to Gaza, his unwillingness to consider a two-state solution for Palestine..."
Do you remember what happened on October 7, 2023? Do you honestly believe that Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran believe in a "two state solution"?
World leaders (esp Western) have a delicate balance to maintain, considering the Toddler-in-Chief’s raw power & delicate ego.
Say anything even slightly off-putting to Trump & the repercussions can be enormous … not just to their countries during this trade war, but to countries like Ukraine, where many lives hang in the balance.
That's what DJT would like us to believe: that he will unleash enormous power if we all don't fall in place. If allies would stand in unison against this bully, he has little or no power. We may find that his threats are empty.
It wd take an enormous amount of cohesiveness to tackle Trump as president of the U.S. & the power that goes with the world’s largest economy & military.
— but I agree Re: standing up to him where possible … for example the legal businesses under threat — but you need to fight very smart vs his hijacked administrative powers.
Yes, you're right. It would take a great deal of solidarity from our allies--and opponents--to standup to DJT. I don't know what outrage it would take, given all his outrageous behavior, before the world's nations will say "Enougn."
Everything he does is "in a fit of pique." I'm not trying to be flippant. OK...perhaps not everything - because he does more than just take away people's civil rights, start wars, enable domestic terrorism, but those things? Pique. Temper. A trumpertantrum. Proving that he is "top of the world, Ma!" And the rest of us suffer for it.
All this talk of constitutionality is entirely relevant, but in the end we know what Trump is up to. His poll numbers in all areas are tanking, and so he decided to try to boost them by killing a mob of Muslims.
Historically, of course, the closest parallel in the Cuban missile Crisis of October, 1962. Then the country faced a far more direct and immediate threat to our southern and eastern coast than Iran does.
All the same, Kennedy had the same options as Trump has, and they were strongly urged on him by the Joint Chiefs. Destroy the Russian missiles (and of course in the process probably toss Castro off the throne). Kennedy chose statesmanship. Fortunately Khrushchev chose the same. Together, and in opposition to their hard liners, they de-escalated. Had either one not done so, something unimaginable could easily have happened, and as we now know, almost did.
Trump lived through that period, as I did. But he seems to have learned nothing. And even though he often brags being ‘the great negotiator’ he chose instead to play Macho Man with our Air Force because he knew the American people, including some of his own supporters, were growing tired of promises he wasn’t (and couldn’t) keep, so he went for the big show.
In spite of the fact that over half of all Americans were against starting yet another war halfway round the world, in the face of the accomplished fact, the MAGA crowd may well boost the numbers for a time, and the right wing echo chamber will be employed full force to back them. But the Iranians, like the Vietnamese, the Iraqis, and the Afghans before them, will not react well to a US strike. And once the dogs of war are loosed, getting them back in the kennel usually prover far more problematic than initially supposed by those loosing them. Bibi Netanyahu ought to know that very well indeed.
Thank you to all Contrarians for all you do. We can’t allow this Administration to distract our attention from all the horrible things they are doing. The abominable Trump big bill, massive deportations, the daily violations of the Constitution and the rule of law and the very visible decline of the president’s health. Please, please don’t concentrate on just one issue or we will end up like the “legacy media”. Keep up the good work and a huge thanks to all Contrarians.
So much of what this president does is driven by revenge, by greed, by ego needs. After his recent failures--that dismal parade, the No Kings rallies rejecting him, his tariff fiascos, his plummeting popularity, his judicial losses, his secondary role at the G7 meeting, his failure to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza on Day One as he claimed he would or even by day 153--he needed some opportunity to show "strength." (Hint: if you have to resort to war you're weak, as a deal-maker, a negotiator, a diplomat.) We have to think Netanyahu promised him Gaza in exchange for bombing Iran. And in the background there is Obama, always Obama. DJT couldn't tolerate his Nobel or his effective treaty with Iran so he shredded it. If Obama was hailed for taking out bin Laden, DJT will be celebrated for destroying Fordow. It remains to be seen if this is an Eisenhower Mission Accomplished or a GW Bush Mission (Un)accomplished..
Several good points here, Donna. The best-case scenario here is that the nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed and that regime change is in progress. I have serious doubts that either of these is true. First, I would not trust any BDA (battle damage assessment) made public by this administration. They lie. Without pause and without shame. It will take time to evaluate the effects of these strikes, and it is not clear that we have the capability of doing so without direct observation. And we need to remember that even if the authorities in your country are hateful, when your country is attacked, the normal reaction is to support those authorities. We have seen this time and again, several times within the span of my own lifetime (closing in on 80 years). With regard to Gaza, Trump doesn't need anything other than the opportunity to plaster his name on another developmental project that other people pay for.
Apart from your stating that the best-case scenario is for Iran's nuclear facilities to have been destroyed and that regime change is in progress, I agree with the rest of what you've said. Why shouldn't Iran have nuclear facilities, if eight or so other nations have them? (And are any of these other countries governed by a leader who is more of a madman than our own leader is??)
I appreciate your being there for us. Having you and the rest of the crew is helping with sanity in this insane time.
So yesterday I saw the presidential helicopters heading toward Morristown airport and I knew something must be up because Trump had just flown to Bedminster the day before!! They fly right over my town!! So if you ever want to know what he’s doing.. or not doing!!
So we can assume that DJT planned to golf until someone convinced him he shouldn't wait two weeks before taking out Iran's nuclear assets? I wonder who called him back to the Situation Room.
Not Tulsi!!🤪
Norm. Zaid et al. The few do all the work. Thank you.
For a draft dodging fellow (5x.... those damned imaginary bone spurs!) this trump guy sure likes to play war with the lives of other people. His sidekick Vance is also hilarious in a very morbid way. "We are not at war with Iran" the guy said, "we are only bombing the hell out of it".
I also long for a regime change..... in Washington DC.
Yes. Regime change in DC is far more important to us than regime change in Iran.