"Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, a real estate executive with no prior diplomatic experience, had been preparing for talks in Oman as Israeli jets were carrying out the strikes."
Every poor appointment by this administration gambles on the power of some rich idiot's personality to prevail in any given situation--just as Trump believes his stable genius translates to success in any position, including president. Those of us living in reality know that his personality serves only to fracture the forces that make this country run well: dedicated Congressfolk, civil servants, military service personnel.
Voters! When you pick a guy based on his entertainment value to lead a country of 330 million in a volatile world, you get FAILURE. Get wise, or get used to it.
We live in a kakistocracy and this is what that looks like. The US is ripe to be a target of Iranian ire and there is no one in charge who is capable of addressing it or protecting us.
Putin repeatedly gives Trump the back of his hand on Ukraine, China rolled Trump into lowering tariffs on China while leaving consumer taxes on Americans at much higher levels, now even our alleged ally, Israel, blows off Trump's demand for diplomacy and attacks Iran. Trump is being treated by friends and foes alike as the unserious circus clown he is. And to make matters worse, after American officials swore the US played no part in the attack, Trump shoots his mouth off on his Dollar Store twitter and claims we did. No wonder America under Trump is a laughing stock. My worry is that Trump is being played by Netanyahu, and the result will be American participation in another endless war, this time between Israel and Iran.
China is also making aggressive moves in the area of Taiwan with no response from the USA. Testing the waters here is more than a metaphor of what is going on. I believe in less than 6 months, every country realizes that the US is not an ally, and also not a true threat because no one in charge knows how to do anything that is not scripted for television. In the real world that does not work.
"Whatever his end goal, Mr. Trump seems to lack patience with the hard work required to get to real diplomatic outcomes. The Obama administration spent nearly two years negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Mr. Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 — a move that critics say put Iran and Israel on an inevitable path to conflict." [NYT]
It wasn't a lack of patience in that case; the Loser tried to erase anything that Obama did, without a thought to any consequence. He created the epitaph for his "presidencies" himself: "No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Bibi will try to draw him into bombing Iranian facilities. We got here because we had a strong sanction regime which gave us JCPOA, which Trump and the GOP subsequently killed. Now the ability to impose the kind of sanctions we had before is gone. Beyond that, I suspect Netanyahu wants regime change.
Trump still wants a Nobel Peace Prize which shows how completely detached from reality he is. It might make him hesitate to bomb Iran.
It has been a longstanding bipartisan policy to not just allow Israel to do anything it wants to anyone, but to give it full support when doing so.
There is no war crime, no unprovoked attack, no theft of land, no violent oppression Israel can commit that will be condemned in any way by the US...or by the Contrarian, for that matter, which continues to be silent regarding Israel's nonstop violations of international law.
Just days ago, Sen. Schumer was trying to out-hawk Trump, essentially demanding that the US demand subservience from the 'terrorist government' of Iran. Now Schumer look like a fool, again. But no matter, since both parties fundamentally agree that Israel can commit any aggression it wants.
"What we are witnessing is not just a crisis but a commentary on Trump’s broader foreign policy approach..."
What we're witnessing is far worse than either a crisis or a commentary on Trump's incompetence. It's an indescribably perilous, erratic act of a desperate madman, tying to save his own freedom. He's willing to risk global nuclear conflict for his own purposes. How long will the US stand with Israel? Cut off money and weapons to Israel immediately and totally, until their government has a rational leader.
So, in reading the comments and commentary, do you get now why our policy has always been to support Israel? Could it be ... to ward off Iran and other threats to America?
The policy of supporting the rogue state of Israel, as it attacks several of of its neighbors and commits genocide on an imprisoned subjugated population while trapping another under apartheid as it annexes the territory, has made the US far less safe, not to mention the entire Middle East...and, you know, there's the whole crime against humanity thing....
The garbage excuse that 'Iran is on the verge of a nuclear weapon' has been repeated ad nauseam for decades now. Israel just attacked a sovereign country, killing civilians, and politicians in the US say 'pray for Israel'. There isn't another country on Earth that would receive such a welcome after such an attack. It's simply nuts. Why is such a violent, lawless authoritarian regime like Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons? Likud is far more murderous than any other political group in the region. It's not even close.
The JPCOA implemented under Obama was the single best plan to normalize relations with Iran and prevent further conflict in ages..but the US policy of supporting Israel while it laughs at international law and commits daily war crimes has just permanently destroyed that effort.
Tradeoffs"?? backing genocide, apartheid and now a. potential regional war gets us..what exactly? gets the entire Middle east united against the US for backing Israel? gets the US possibly directly involved in a serious military conflict?
Nobody can trust FFOTUS. Not even Bibi Netanyahu. Who knows we might be in a war before he can even be removed. With Pete Hegseth at the helm it looks more likely.
TACO man made his bed and now he must lay there alone. Oh, I forget all his cultish followers will lay there with him. Oops, unless those who supported democracy by voting and those who failed it by not voting do something to save democracy going forward, we will all share that bed. Icky thought. Will the once strong and capable USA ever exist again?
"Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure early Friday morning, the culmination of months of rising tensions and contingency planning. These past days, President Donald Trump was still insisting that a negotiated deal with Iran was within reach. He wasn’t sidelined by accident—he was sidelined by circumstances he failed to shape."
For another view...
"The Ultimate Deception: How Trump and Bibi Outfoxed Iran"
Iran has been playing us too long to the point they were on the verge of producing nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them, threatening all of the Middle East, parts of Europe, Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Obama and Biden were fools to believe that Iran has rational people in charge, and by "rational" I mean people who think like secular Western cultures. They don't because Iran is a theocracy with a religion at odds with Judasim and Christianity. Iran considers us the Great Satan and Israel the Little Satan, and they will do whatever it takes to destroy us.
Trump has been gracious in attempting to get Iran to give up their nuclear program but they refused. There's not much in the way of condemnation from other countries in the Middle East or from allied countries such as Russia and China. They all know how dangerous a nuclear-armed Iran would be.
Thanks for speaking truth to power! We need more of this.
For those planning on standing up to power tomorrow I have this article which I put together from my Indivisible training on safety and know your rights.
It's a notable that this article, and few of the comments, do not even address the fact that Israel not only just launched an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country, killing civilians with the flimsiest of pretexts..but that same country has bombed several of its neighbors in recent weeks, all while continuing its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
While US politicians solemnly proclaim to 'pray for Israel', news from the Occupied Territories is being virtually ignored by Western media (certainly ignored by The Contrarian):
Israel's assault in the West Bank has increased dramatically in few days. After announcing the biggest expansion of so-called 'settlements' in decades two weeks ago (22 new 'settlements'), Israel launched a large-scale military raid in the West Bank, focused on Nablus. Many Palestinians have been killed or injured as the IDF raided homes and took over the street with military vehicles.
Now, Israel has completely locked down the West Bank after its attack on Iran, closing off all entrances to the region, erecting barriers, closing off roads, and restricting movement. Israeli forces also kicked Muslim worshippers out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and sealed its gates as they were performing the dawn prayer.
Meanwhile, Israel completely cut off all internet and landline communications in Gaza 2 days ago, while the daily mass killings and internal starvation of the population by Israel continues.
This comes as the UN General Assembly, again overwhelmingly voted for a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a release of all hostages. The vote was 149 out of 193 countries supporting, with only the US, Israel and a handful of other countries voting against, with a few abstentions.
There is not a single word about any of this in The Contrarian.
These blatant crimes against humanity are not simply tolerated by the US but are actively supported.
It's amazing how much isn't said in this article, especially concerning how the constant US, bipartisan support for Israel's war crimes and unrestrained violence against it s own subjects and several other countries has led to this extreme escalation.
A former intelligence analyst and US Army major just published this list of common lies about Israel's attacked in Zeteo:
1. Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon - false
2. Israel’s attack on Iran was a preemptive strike required for self-defense - false
3. Israeli military operations will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon - false
4. The United States is not responsible for Israel’s attack - false
5. The attack will bring Iran to the table for a nuclear deal - false
6. Attacking the Iranian government will lead to a coup - false
7. Israel can “drag” the United States into a war against Iran - false
Netanyahu ignored Trump’s warning to not attack Iran and upset nuclear negotiations. But, so as to not appear weak to his supporters , Trump jumped on board soon after the attack and threw in with Netanyahu. The day of Israel‘s attack, the US was going to negotiate Trump‘s proposal versus Iran’s proposal for resolving the nuclear issues. By supporting the attack, Trump completely pulled the rug out from under Iran. In doing so, the great deal maker, just blew the peace negotiations to smithereens.
The Second World War began with surprise, massive, premeditated attacks of one country on another (Japan on China in the mid 1930s, Germany on Poland 1939, Germany on USSR 1941, Japan on US 1941). In contrast, The First World War began because both sides backed and blundered into a war that neither side needed nor even wanted.
If there's ever a Third World War, I suspect it will begin more like the First than like the Second.
"Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, a real estate executive with no prior diplomatic experience, had been preparing for talks in Oman as Israeli jets were carrying out the strikes."
Every poor appointment by this administration gambles on the power of some rich idiot's personality to prevail in any given situation--just as Trump believes his stable genius translates to success in any position, including president. Those of us living in reality know that his personality serves only to fracture the forces that make this country run well: dedicated Congressfolk, civil servants, military service personnel.
Voters! When you pick a guy based on his entertainment value to lead a country of 330 million in a volatile world, you get FAILURE. Get wise, or get used to it.
We live in a kakistocracy and this is what that looks like. The US is ripe to be a target of Iranian ire and there is no one in charge who is capable of addressing it or protecting us.
Putin repeatedly gives Trump the back of his hand on Ukraine, China rolled Trump into lowering tariffs on China while leaving consumer taxes on Americans at much higher levels, now even our alleged ally, Israel, blows off Trump's demand for diplomacy and attacks Iran. Trump is being treated by friends and foes alike as the unserious circus clown he is. And to make matters worse, after American officials swore the US played no part in the attack, Trump shoots his mouth off on his Dollar Store twitter and claims we did. No wonder America under Trump is a laughing stock. My worry is that Trump is being played by Netanyahu, and the result will be American participation in another endless war, this time between Israel and Iran.
China is also making aggressive moves in the area of Taiwan with no response from the USA. Testing the waters here is more than a metaphor of what is going on. I believe in less than 6 months, every country realizes that the US is not an ally, and also not a true threat because no one in charge knows how to do anything that is not scripted for television. In the real world that does not work.
China doesn't take us seriously as a world power or as a threat. It's clear they, and the rest of the world, look at Trump as TACO, too.
Yup!
"Whatever his end goal, Mr. Trump seems to lack patience with the hard work required to get to real diplomatic outcomes. The Obama administration spent nearly two years negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Mr. Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 — a move that critics say put Iran and Israel on an inevitable path to conflict." [NYT]
It wasn't a lack of patience in that case; the Loser tried to erase anything that Obama did, without a thought to any consequence. He created the epitaph for his "presidencies" himself: "No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Bibi will try to draw him into bombing Iranian facilities. We got here because we had a strong sanction regime which gave us JCPOA, which Trump and the GOP subsequently killed. Now the ability to impose the kind of sanctions we had before is gone. Beyond that, I suspect Netanyahu wants regime change.
Trump still wants a Nobel Peace Prize which shows how completely detached from reality he is. It might make him hesitate to bomb Iran.
Trump postures for his cultists as Bibi wags the dog to stay out of jail.
It has been a longstanding bipartisan policy to not just allow Israel to do anything it wants to anyone, but to give it full support when doing so.
There is no war crime, no unprovoked attack, no theft of land, no violent oppression Israel can commit that will be condemned in any way by the US...or by the Contrarian, for that matter, which continues to be silent regarding Israel's nonstop violations of international law.
Just days ago, Sen. Schumer was trying to out-hawk Trump, essentially demanding that the US demand subservience from the 'terrorist government' of Iran. Now Schumer look like a fool, again. But no matter, since both parties fundamentally agree that Israel can commit any aggression it wants.
"What we are witnessing is not just a crisis but a commentary on Trump’s broader foreign policy approach..."
What we're witnessing is far worse than either a crisis or a commentary on Trump's incompetence. It's an indescribably perilous, erratic act of a desperate madman, tying to save his own freedom. He's willing to risk global nuclear conflict for his own purposes. How long will the US stand with Israel? Cut off money and weapons to Israel immediately and totally, until their government has a rational leader.
So, in reading the comments and commentary, do you get now why our policy has always been to support Israel? Could it be ... to ward off Iran and other threats to America?
How many ways is that a ridiculous comment...
The policy of supporting the rogue state of Israel, as it attacks several of of its neighbors and commits genocide on an imprisoned subjugated population while trapping another under apartheid as it annexes the territory, has made the US far less safe, not to mention the entire Middle East...and, you know, there's the whole crime against humanity thing....
The garbage excuse that 'Iran is on the verge of a nuclear weapon' has been repeated ad nauseam for decades now. Israel just attacked a sovereign country, killing civilians, and politicians in the US say 'pray for Israel'. There isn't another country on Earth that would receive such a welcome after such an attack. It's simply nuts. Why is such a violent, lawless authoritarian regime like Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons? Likud is far more murderous than any other political group in the region. It's not even close.
The JPCOA implemented under Obama was the single best plan to normalize relations with Iran and prevent further conflict in ages..but the US policy of supporting Israel while it laughs at international law and commits daily war crimes has just permanently destroyed that effort.
Tradeoffs, friend. That's how it works in this world. Best wishes.
Tradeoffs"?? backing genocide, apartheid and now a. potential regional war gets us..what exactly? gets the entire Middle east united against the US for backing Israel? gets the US possibly directly involved in a serious military conflict?
What a bunch of nonsense.
Poor trump (just kidding!), poor trump. Nobody wants to talk to him anymore.
Not Bibi when he attacks Iran or continues the horrible slaughter in Gaza and on the Westbank.
Not Putin when he throws rockets and bombs on Ukrainian cities night after night.
Not Zelensky when he plans an attack deep into Russia.
None of the western intelligence bureaus as they do not want there secrets on Putin's desk.
Not Xi when poor trump threatens China with destroying the US economy.
Not Melania who only appears at his side when her contract forces her.
Nobody can trust FFOTUS. Not even Bibi Netanyahu. Who knows we might be in a war before he can even be removed. With Pete Hegseth at the helm it looks more likely.
TACO man made his bed and now he must lay there alone. Oh, I forget all his cultish followers will lay there with him. Oops, unless those who supported democracy by voting and those who failed it by not voting do something to save democracy going forward, we will all share that bed. Icky thought. Will the once strong and capable USA ever exist again?
"Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure early Friday morning, the culmination of months of rising tensions and contingency planning. These past days, President Donald Trump was still insisting that a negotiated deal with Iran was within reach. He wasn’t sidelined by accident—he was sidelined by circumstances he failed to shape."
For another view...
"The Ultimate Deception: How Trump and Bibi Outfoxed Iran"
https://www.hudson.org/missile-defense/ultimate-deception-how-trump-bibi-outfoxed-iran-michael-doran
"I am completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly."
"I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."
Iran has been playing us too long to the point they were on the verge of producing nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them, threatening all of the Middle East, parts of Europe, Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Obama and Biden were fools to believe that Iran has rational people in charge, and by "rational" I mean people who think like secular Western cultures. They don't because Iran is a theocracy with a religion at odds with Judasim and Christianity. Iran considers us the Great Satan and Israel the Little Satan, and they will do whatever it takes to destroy us.
Trump has been gracious in attempting to get Iran to give up their nuclear program but they refused. There's not much in the way of condemnation from other countries in the Middle East or from allied countries such as Russia and China. They all know how dangerous a nuclear-armed Iran would be.
"And attending a performance of Les Misérables where half the cast boycotted."
That is their choice to be unprofessional to the other people who purchased tickets, expecting to see all of the cast perform.
Thanks for speaking truth to power! We need more of this.
For those planning on standing up to power tomorrow I have this article which I put together from my Indivisible training on safety and know your rights.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/indivisible-training-recommendations?r=f0qfn
In Solidarity! ✌🏽
Netanyahu always looks like the cat that just ate the canary when standing next to
Trump…
It's a notable that this article, and few of the comments, do not even address the fact that Israel not only just launched an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country, killing civilians with the flimsiest of pretexts..but that same country has bombed several of its neighbors in recent weeks, all while continuing its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
While US politicians solemnly proclaim to 'pray for Israel', news from the Occupied Territories is being virtually ignored by Western media (certainly ignored by The Contrarian):
Israel's assault in the West Bank has increased dramatically in few days. After announcing the biggest expansion of so-called 'settlements' in decades two weeks ago (22 new 'settlements'), Israel launched a large-scale military raid in the West Bank, focused on Nablus. Many Palestinians have been killed or injured as the IDF raided homes and took over the street with military vehicles.
Now, Israel has completely locked down the West Bank after its attack on Iran, closing off all entrances to the region, erecting barriers, closing off roads, and restricting movement. Israeli forces also kicked Muslim worshippers out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and sealed its gates as they were performing the dawn prayer.
Meanwhile, Israel completely cut off all internet and landline communications in Gaza 2 days ago, while the daily mass killings and internal starvation of the population by Israel continues.
This comes as the UN General Assembly, again overwhelmingly voted for a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a release of all hostages. The vote was 149 out of 193 countries supporting, with only the US, Israel and a handful of other countries voting against, with a few abstentions.
There is not a single word about any of this in The Contrarian.
These blatant crimes against humanity are not simply tolerated by the US but are actively supported.
It is all reminiscent of the novel and movie "Being There," particularly the scene where Chance attempts to change reality with his TV remote.
It's amazing how much isn't said in this article, especially concerning how the constant US, bipartisan support for Israel's war crimes and unrestrained violence against it s own subjects and several other countries has led to this extreme escalation.
A former intelligence analyst and US Army major just published this list of common lies about Israel's attacked in Zeteo:
1. Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon - false
2. Israel’s attack on Iran was a preemptive strike required for self-defense - false
3. Israeli military operations will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon - false
4. The United States is not responsible for Israel’s attack - false
5. The attack will bring Iran to the table for a nuclear deal - false
6. Attacking the Iranian government will lead to a coup - false
7. Israel can “drag” the United States into a war against Iran - false
https://zeteo.com/p/seven-lies-about-israels-attack-on?publication_id=2325511&post_id=165892551&isFreemail=false&r=lvo6l&triedRedirect=true
Netanyahu ignored Trump’s warning to not attack Iran and upset nuclear negotiations. But, so as to not appear weak to his supporters , Trump jumped on board soon after the attack and threw in with Netanyahu. The day of Israel‘s attack, the US was going to negotiate Trump‘s proposal versus Iran’s proposal for resolving the nuclear issues. By supporting the attack, Trump completely pulled the rug out from under Iran. In doing so, the great deal maker, just blew the peace negotiations to smithereens.
The Second World War began with surprise, massive, premeditated attacks of one country on another (Japan on China in the mid 1930s, Germany on Poland 1939, Germany on USSR 1941, Japan on US 1941). In contrast, The First World War began because both sides backed and blundered into a war that neither side needed nor even wanted.
If there's ever a Third World War, I suspect it will begin more like the First than like the Second.