(And if reports are accurate, Trump is prepared to release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, $23.3 billion more than released in conjunction with the JCPOA. Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama, claiming he was funding Iran’s nefarious activities.)
"Pallets of cash to terrorists!"
Boy do I remember the hyperventilating outrage of Republicans back in 2016.
Now, as is so predictable, they suffer from self-imposed amnesia.
In fact, I believe that should be the revised definition of "Trump Derangement Syndrome": self-imposed amnesia.
No she didn't. She has never acknowledged her decades of errors.
Show me one time she has.
And not only that, she doesn't just not acknowledge it here, when she writes how 'Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama' , she literally writes herself right out of that group, as if she wasn't a major vocal part of that 'excoriation'.
I have seen the 'shut up and obey' style replies here before. Not very convincing in a journal called 'The Contrarian' to simply demand obsequious praise, or go away.
And again, sine you ignored my point, she hides the truth here by criticizing those bad 'Republicans' when she was one of them...its; well past apologizing, its even acknowledging, her past views, its openly pretending she never had them at all.
It's also pretty funny that you claim to remember the 'hyperventilating outrage of Republicans ' but are 'offended' when its pointed out that Rubin was one of the most hyperventilating pundits who shredded Obama's deal.
But since you didn't even attempt to find one single example to back up your outright lie that Rubin 'acknowledged her error', I wont' waste more time responding to you.
Well you win the dumbest reply award so far...responding to Rubin's coverup of her own past MAGA adjacent views, from a progressive standpoint...becomes 'MAGAfied'.
Cognitive dissonance much? Or maybe just plain ol' lack of brain cells?
This was an excellent commentary, Ms. Rubin. History, the takeover by capitalism, the abdication of congressional responsibilities and 'just another three day weekend' was well covered. It should be a special day, not a floating date. We have much to be thankful for, and much to remember, and it isn't the great price that we got on a mattress or anything else. More honor is in order.
Though trump surrendered to the Taliban with the Doha Accords in August 2020 & is trying to declare his catastrophic war of choice a victory because in his demented mind he can never lose.
The reality is that this illegal and preemptive war has been nothing short of a disaster. Without a plan or exit strategy, it has limped along, achieving no viable or beneficial goals and costing us trillions of dollars. It has done the U.S. international reputation no good as the world markets were destabilized. Just how has this making America great?
Steve, that's because everything the mad king does is based on a whim or who he talked to most recently on the subject. Case in point: this latest debacle was caused by Drumpf being the first POTUS since GWB to cave in to Netanyahu's demands to invade Iran. Drumpf is a malleable, spineless demented vainglorious fool and our country and the world we are in peril on multiple levels as a result.
The DC skyline will be forever tarnished if he is allowed to built the ridiculous 250' knockoff of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Xi's ballroom (aka gallroom) he wants to erect as a giant melanoma attached to the people's White House.
"Every other president has recognized that war must be the last resort after exercising all avenues and should be undertaken only for vital national interests."
Really? Have you forgotten adventurist wars of distraction by Republican Presidents like Reagan and the Bushies? I guess your "Republican" is showing.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives and gave everything for their country. We should remember them and pay tribute for their service and sacrifice. Where I am from, we still decorate graves in cemeteries not just the ones who sacrificed but everyone. In many locations there are memorial remembrance services at cemeteries where many veterans are buried. I put a flag on my father’s grave this weekend.
How ironic that a “weak” President lost an election to Trump. Trump’s weaknesses are now legendary and Americans are threatened by the consequences of his laziness. Too lazy to argue for attacking Iran in front of Congress. Too lazy to choose quality over fealty in his Cabinet picks. Too lazy to write or even have a lackey write Easter or Christmas remarks for posterity. Too lazy to stand in the Oval Office for staged recognitions. Too lazy to even act Presidential in a foreign capital. Too lazy to admit mistakes in every aspect of his life. Too lazy to ask forgiveness, to show respect, to be human.
I think this "war", as well as many others, brings wealth to the rich who take advantage of destruction and shortages. Unlike some conflicts where the goal is to protect societies from hostile forces (e.g. WWII, Ukraine), the "excursion" to Iran has no moral goal. It is solely to erase an effective, well thought out agreement (with no money pouring into greedy pockets) that has Obama's name attached to it. What a tragic way to use America's resources and dishonor those who have fought and died for our stated values.
And for what? To keep the Trump Epstein Files out of the news seems like the obvious answer. It was clear that Trump was a pedophile even before the 2016 election. The material in those files about Trump and a number of Epstein Elites will shake the world. This is what happens when these kinds of people have massive power.
This is assuming that we ever see all of the pertainant files. It's not so much the power, but the lack of ethics, intergrity, and morality that "these people" are lacking.
Yes the War Powers Act definitely needs to be revised, but I'm convinced the only thing that would have influenced Trump's decision not to go to war would have been a huge personal monetary fee if he acted without Congressional approval, because we know his only motivator is money.
Thank you, Jennifer. Your analysis and commentary never fail to educate and inspire. I am so grateful to you and The Contrarian for a window of sanity in this insane media environment.
'Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama (for unfreezing Iranian assets), claiming he was funding Iran’s nefarious activities.'
For the second day in a row, Rubin has criticized how Republicans, or "they" as she put it yesterday, condemned Obama for this point of JCPOA, as well as for the agreement in general. Rubin writes as if she was not one of those Republicans at all.
Will Rubin ever acknowledge that she herself was one of the loudest, fiercest critics of Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, including specifically criticizing his releasing of these funds? She 'excoriated' Obama's agreement over and over, saying things like " Obama's deal is worse than no deal, destructive of attempts to prevent WMDs. It is not merely ineffective, but hugely dangerous."
I have asked before, but no one here who responds with the same tired 'she can change her mind' excuse can point to one single example of Rubin explaining her change of heart, or even acknowledging her past opinions, let alone apologizing for past extreme right wing views, of which this is just one glaring example.
The comments Trump has made about JCPOA could have been lifted verbatim from Rubin's own writings. But Rubin writes as if that never even happened.
I can accept that the “scales fell” from Rubin’s eyes and celebrate that it happened. She has been a staunch supporter since then, and I for one, do not need a Mea culpa to appreciate her viewpoints.
I understand her easily - I grew up in a family of Eisenhower Republicans. Were it not for running face-first into a batch of RWNJs in 1970, I might still feel a little guilt voting a strait Democratic ticket. So I have some sympathy for Adam Kinzinger, Michael Steele, Steve Schmidt, The Guys at the Lincoln Project, etc. We all recover from our childhood tribal indoctrination at different rates.
Well I disagree, I think it is really important, especially when it concerns a well known pundit with millions of readers over time and a lot of influence.
But these examples of the past couple days from Rubin are more than just expressing a 180 change with no explanation. She is literally rewriting history by talking about 'them' as if she wasn't a big part of that criticism herself. She doesn't even give a hint that these were her own views.
It's also not like she just wrote one or two things criticizing this deal. She went on and one about it for months, in the harshest terms, far harsher than even much of what Trump himself has said.
Many other Never Trumpers have explained their change of views and have actually apologized for their years of being wrong. I respect that.
Also just for the record, regarding the implication of repeated postings..
I read these comments most days and I see virtually the same words posted over and over constantly. I have seen one specific daily commenter who once said he would sue me for libel and called me both a Hamas member and a MAGA follower, write 'Epstein files' literally a hundred times. I see the same people saying the same things daily for months on end....I, on the other hand, do not comment every single day.
So, I don't feel bad about being one of the only people in this thread to point our Empress Rubin's missing clothes, especially when it is so glaring.
Go tell that to the many people in these threads who say the same thing every day for months on end, which I do not. There are so many nearly identical posts from the same people here all the time I can't possibly count them all.
Until someone, anyone, here can point to one single instance of Rubin saying one single word about her past views, I am not interested in the ad hominem responses.
If you and others here think it's fine for Rubin to quite literally cover up her own past comments that are precisely the same as the ones she now says are 'excoriating' criticisms 'they' made, that's a poor reflection on the 'contrarians' who comment here.
All I have asked is one single person to post one single instance of Rubin even acknowledge her past views. Instead, I get harassed and scolded every time, while some like Liverpool above claim she 'acknowledges her error', an outright lie.
But Rubin's nearly identical comment these past two days about the unfrozen assets is something else, and is especially galling. It's her, (not me) that brought up a very specific view that she herself held, but she writes as if she had nothing to do with it.
Is it too much to expect from a internationally known pundit? We would expect it from anyone of her stature.
While I do see hypocrisy in some postings, I'm of a bit more forgiving mind, because I think I see that she has had a "sea-change" in her thinking, stemming perhaps from the Bozo's misadventures at the Post.
I do think, however, that some blindness has crept into modern criticism of the Current Occupant, supposing him to be the Root of all Evil, while ignoring that the ground was laid by critters like "Rush!", and "Newt!" .
She very directly helped lead the ascent of Trump. Her words then sound exactly like Trump's quotes now on a number of topics.
Although it is pretty 'funny' to read her earliest criticisms of Trump, when she said he was too liberal.
All I have ever asked for her is one single example of here explaining or even just acknowledging her decade + of hard right views and shredding of Obama. Just one.
Plenty of other Never Trumpers have done the same, and I respect that completely.
Again though, her comments these past couple days are more than an unexplained change of mind. She is writing her own role right out of her account, pretending it was 'them' not 'us'.
Congressional Republicans have neither conscience nor backbone. Until Republicans in Congress are more concerned about voters, rather than Trump, they will render the US Congress inconsequential.
Take a look at the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. The war industry made lots of money while our soldiers died in wars that accomplished nothing. This Memorial Day we must all remember the bravery and sacrifice of our brave soldiers. We should also show them the respect of holding our leaders accountable for the failures that led to their deaths.
Thank you, Jennifer Rubin, for lifting up the history of today's holiday. No more wars without the approval of Congress, which must place the interests of our people and the safety of our troops over the whims of any president, present or future.
What? No talk of the Trump Files (Epstein's dead)? This country MUST stop thinking this was/is a "war of choice". It was/is, put simply, a "war of diversion", for which the consequences MUST be SEVERE!
(And if reports are accurate, Trump is prepared to release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, $23.3 billion more than released in conjunction with the JCPOA. Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama, claiming he was funding Iran’s nefarious activities.)
"Pallets of cash to terrorists!"
Boy do I remember the hyperventilating outrage of Republicans back in 2016.
Now, as is so predictable, they suffer from self-imposed amnesia.
In fact, I believe that should be the revised definition of "Trump Derangement Syndrome": self-imposed amnesia.
I remember the 'hyperventilating' back then was hardly louder and more hysterical from anyone than from Jennifer Rubin.
Yes, and then she recognized the danger of MAGA-ism and acknowledged her error.
As all historically literate, intelligent people do.
No she didn't. She has never acknowledged her decades of errors.
Show me one time she has.
And not only that, she doesn't just not acknowledge it here, when she writes how 'Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama' , she literally writes herself right out of that group, as if she wasn't a major vocal part of that 'excoriation'.
Well, if you're so offended that she has not sufficiently apologized, please stop reading and trolling her posts.
I am thankful to have her brutal honesty at work every day.
I have seen the 'shut up and obey' style replies here before. Not very convincing in a journal called 'The Contrarian' to simply demand obsequious praise, or go away.
And again, sine you ignored my point, she hides the truth here by criticizing those bad 'Republicans' when she was one of them...its; well past apologizing, its even acknowledging, her past views, its openly pretending she never had them at all.
It's also pretty funny that you claim to remember the 'hyperventilating outrage of Republicans ' but are 'offended' when its pointed out that Rubin was one of the most hyperventilating pundits who shredded Obama's deal.
But since you didn't even attempt to find one single example to back up your outright lie that Rubin 'acknowledged her error', I wont' waste more time responding to you.
Why are you subscribing, I wonder? Simply to MAGAfy the comments?
Well you win the dumbest reply award so far...responding to Rubin's coverup of her own past MAGA adjacent views, from a progressive standpoint...becomes 'MAGAfied'.
Cognitive dissonance much? Or maybe just plain ol' lack of brain cells?
It's hypocrisy. Thr GOP is fine eith anything done during a GOP presidency.
It's just those damn Democrats they hate
This was an excellent commentary, Ms. Rubin. History, the takeover by capitalism, the abdication of congressional responsibilities and 'just another three day weekend' was well covered. It should be a special day, not a floating date. We have much to be thankful for, and much to remember, and it isn't the great price that we got on a mattress or anything else. More honor is in order.
Though trump surrendered to the Taliban with the Doha Accords in August 2020 & is trying to declare his catastrophic war of choice a victory because in his demented mind he can never lose.
The reality is that this illegal and preemptive war has been nothing short of a disaster. Without a plan or exit strategy, it has limped along, achieving no viable or beneficial goals and costing us trillions of dollars. It has done the U.S. international reputation no good as the world markets were destabilized. Just how has this making America great?
Steve, that's because everything the mad king does is based on a whim or who he talked to most recently on the subject. Case in point: this latest debacle was caused by Drumpf being the first POTUS since GWB to cave in to Netanyahu's demands to invade Iran. Drumpf is a malleable, spineless demented vainglorious fool and our country and the world we are in peril on multiple levels as a result.
The DC skyline will be forever tarnished if he is allowed to built the ridiculous 250' knockoff of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Xi's ballroom (aka gallroom) he wants to erect as a giant melanoma attached to the people's White House.
Will no one rid us of this turbulent pestilence?
Hear hear!!
"Every other president has recognized that war must be the last resort after exercising all avenues and should be undertaken only for vital national interests."
Really? Have you forgotten adventurist wars of distraction by Republican Presidents like Reagan and the Bushies? I guess your "Republican" is showing.
I had the same thought.
The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were totally wrong, but GWB did ask for authorization from Congress first.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives and gave everything for their country. We should remember them and pay tribute for their service and sacrifice. Where I am from, we still decorate graves in cemeteries not just the ones who sacrificed but everyone. In many locations there are memorial remembrance services at cemeteries where many veterans are buried. I put a flag on my father’s grave this weekend.
I did the same, for friends from Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War I.
In the Baltimore area, Scouts place flags at the graves in military/veterans cemeteries.
How ironic that a “weak” President lost an election to Trump. Trump’s weaknesses are now legendary and Americans are threatened by the consequences of his laziness. Too lazy to argue for attacking Iran in front of Congress. Too lazy to choose quality over fealty in his Cabinet picks. Too lazy to write or even have a lackey write Easter or Christmas remarks for posterity. Too lazy to stand in the Oval Office for staged recognitions. Too lazy to even act Presidential in a foreign capital. Too lazy to admit mistakes in every aspect of his life. Too lazy to ask forgiveness, to show respect, to be human.
I think this "war", as well as many others, brings wealth to the rich who take advantage of destruction and shortages. Unlike some conflicts where the goal is to protect societies from hostile forces (e.g. WWII, Ukraine), the "excursion" to Iran has no moral goal. It is solely to erase an effective, well thought out agreement (with no money pouring into greedy pockets) that has Obama's name attached to it. What a tragic way to use America's resources and dishonor those who have fought and died for our stated values.
And for what? To keep the Trump Epstein Files out of the news seems like the obvious answer. It was clear that Trump was a pedophile even before the 2016 election. The material in those files about Trump and a number of Epstein Elites will shake the world. This is what happens when these kinds of people have massive power.
This is assuming that we ever see all of the pertainant files. It's not so much the power, but the lack of ethics, intergrity, and morality that "these people" are lacking.
Yes the War Powers Act definitely needs to be revised, but I'm convinced the only thing that would have influenced Trump's decision not to go to war would have been a huge personal monetary fee if he acted without Congressional approval, because we know his only motivator is money.
Our soldiers died for our Constitution and DEMOCRACY! Honor their memory be voting to restore real Democracy esp., The Bill of Rights.
Thank you, Jennifer. Your analysis and commentary never fail to educate and inspire. I am so grateful to you and The Contrarian for a window of sanity in this insane media environment.
'Republicans excoriated President Barack Obama (for unfreezing Iranian assets), claiming he was funding Iran’s nefarious activities.'
For the second day in a row, Rubin has criticized how Republicans, or "they" as she put it yesterday, condemned Obama for this point of JCPOA, as well as for the agreement in general. Rubin writes as if she was not one of those Republicans at all.
Will Rubin ever acknowledge that she herself was one of the loudest, fiercest critics of Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, including specifically criticizing his releasing of these funds? She 'excoriated' Obama's agreement over and over, saying things like " Obama's deal is worse than no deal, destructive of attempts to prevent WMDs. It is not merely ineffective, but hugely dangerous."
I have asked before, but no one here who responds with the same tired 'she can change her mind' excuse can point to one single example of Rubin explaining her change of heart, or even acknowledging her past opinions, let alone apologizing for past extreme right wing views, of which this is just one glaring example.
The comments Trump has made about JCPOA could have been lifted verbatim from Rubin's own writings. But Rubin writes as if that never even happened.
I can accept that the “scales fell” from Rubin’s eyes and celebrate that it happened. She has been a staunch supporter since then, and I for one, do not need a Mea culpa to appreciate her viewpoints.
I understand her easily - I grew up in a family of Eisenhower Republicans. Were it not for running face-first into a batch of RWNJs in 1970, I might still feel a little guilt voting a strait Democratic ticket. So I have some sympathy for Adam Kinzinger, Michael Steele, Steve Schmidt, The Guys at the Lincoln Project, etc. We all recover from our childhood tribal indoctrination at different rates.
Well I disagree, I think it is really important, especially when it concerns a well known pundit with millions of readers over time and a lot of influence.
But these examples of the past couple days from Rubin are more than just expressing a 180 change with no explanation. She is literally rewriting history by talking about 'them' as if she wasn't a big part of that criticism herself. She doesn't even give a hint that these were her own views.
It's also not like she just wrote one or two things criticizing this deal. She went on and one about it for months, in the harshest terms, far harsher than even much of what Trump himself has said.
Many other Never Trumpers have explained their change of views and have actually apologized for their years of being wrong. I respect that.
You have the right to disagree, and it is noted through your many postings.
Also just for the record, regarding the implication of repeated postings..
I read these comments most days and I see virtually the same words posted over and over constantly. I have seen one specific daily commenter who once said he would sue me for libel and called me both a Hamas member and a MAGA follower, write 'Epstein files' literally a hundred times. I see the same people saying the same things daily for months on end....I, on the other hand, do not comment every single day.
So, I don't feel bad about being one of the only people in this thread to point our Empress Rubin's missing clothes, especially when it is so glaring.
You do, however, run the risk of what we called in the mid 20th century, "sounding like a broken record", just on the other side of the discussion.
Go tell that to the many people in these threads who say the same thing every day for months on end, which I do not. There are so many nearly identical posts from the same people here all the time I can't possibly count them all.
Until someone, anyone, here can point to one single instance of Rubin saying one single word about her past views, I am not interested in the ad hominem responses.
If you and others here think it's fine for Rubin to quite literally cover up her own past comments that are precisely the same as the ones she now says are 'excoriating' criticisms 'they' made, that's a poor reflection on the 'contrarians' who comment here.
All I have asked is one single person to post one single instance of Rubin even acknowledge her past views. Instead, I get harassed and scolded every time, while some like Liverpool above claim she 'acknowledges her error', an outright lie.
But Rubin's nearly identical comment these past two days about the unfrozen assets is something else, and is especially galling. It's her, (not me) that brought up a very specific view that she herself held, but she writes as if she had nothing to do with it.
Is it too much to expect from a internationally known pundit? We would expect it from anyone of her stature.
While I do see hypocrisy in some postings, I'm of a bit more forgiving mind, because I think I see that she has had a "sea-change" in her thinking, stemming perhaps from the Bozo's misadventures at the Post.
I do think, however, that some blindness has crept into modern criticism of the Current Occupant, supposing him to be the Root of all Evil, while ignoring that the ground was laid by critters like "Rush!", and "Newt!" .
Also consider Nixon and Reagan for the list, and of course, the voters, who supported it all.
"Rush!", and "Newt!" ...and Rubin.
She very directly helped lead the ascent of Trump. Her words then sound exactly like Trump's quotes now on a number of topics.
Although it is pretty 'funny' to read her earliest criticisms of Trump, when she said he was too liberal.
All I have ever asked for her is one single example of here explaining or even just acknowledging her decade + of hard right views and shredding of Obama. Just one.
Plenty of other Never Trumpers have done the same, and I respect that completely.
Again though, her comments these past couple days are more than an unexplained change of mind. She is writing her own role right out of her account, pretending it was 'them' not 'us'.
Congressional Republicans have neither conscience nor backbone. Until Republicans in Congress are more concerned about voters, rather than Trump, they will render the US Congress inconsequential.
Take a look at the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. The war industry made lots of money while our soldiers died in wars that accomplished nothing. This Memorial Day we must all remember the bravery and sacrifice of our brave soldiers. We should also show them the respect of holding our leaders accountable for the failures that led to their deaths.
Thank you, Jennifer Rubin, for lifting up the history of today's holiday. No more wars without the approval of Congress, which must place the interests of our people and the safety of our troops over the whims of any president, present or future.
What? No talk of the Trump Files (Epstein's dead)? This country MUST stop thinking this was/is a "war of choice". It was/is, put simply, a "war of diversion", for which the consequences MUST be SEVERE!