The US is estimated to be burning through high-end weapons at a rapid pace in its war on Iran and stockpiles could take years to replenish. Analysts say the weapons may not be available for use should other conflicts break out. They say the duration and outcome of the war could be affected by which side runs out of critical weapons first."
Also note that the U.S. is using million-dollar missiles to shoot down missiles that cost a few thousand dollars. Iran wins again against our mighty leaderless forces.
Right — and per CNN reporting last week, Iran still has plenty of those cheap weapons left:
“Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past five weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments…”
I am reminded of "The Guns of August", Barbara Tuchman's history of the first World War. The leadership of the European armies had not adapted to the evolving military technology of the time and the lack of effective leadership and tactical planning resulted in unprecedented levels of casualties, especially in the first two months of the war. While Trump's "little excursion" has not, thankfully, resulted in high levels of casualties, the conflict is disproportionally expensive in terms of materiel. Someone, somewhere, should be planning on manufacturing drones rather than $200 - $300 million dollar aircraft.
Another thought from literature on military ignorance: "The Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert & Sullivan, first produced in 1880, has a character who is a Major General. After going through all the things he knows ( mythic history, names of plants and animals, and other non-military subjects) with each segment closing with "I am the very model of a modern Major General.," he moves on to military topics.
"In fact when I . . . can tell a chasepôt rifle from a javelin, When such affairs as sorties and surprises, I'm more wary at
And when I know precisely what is meant by 'commisariat'
When I have learnt what progress has mean made in modern gunnery
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,
You'll say a better Major General has never sat a gee-"
Thank you for the correct spelling of materiel, American style. Generally, the accent aigue is used, matériel, if one is French or Canadian. (Not meant to be snarky, merely instructional).
So Iran sends up a $5,000 flying object, the US a $5 million flying object they collide and both sides cheer their victory? The casualty is the actual humans under the falling debris and the tax payers on both sides that pay for it. But hey at least both sets of politicians are super happy.
In any large war, the US will run out of precision weapons in a week or so. This has been widely reported. Not as well understood is that the US will also very rapidly run out of troops and have to restart a draft. The Iraq invasion, a relatively small war, where the US had allies, required the activation of virtually all Army and Air Force national guard and reserve units, multiple times.
why do our august "defense" contractors suddenly seem unable, or unwilling, to ramp up production to ensure that we and our allies (those that we have left) have adequate stocks?????? Is this somehow part of the stable genius's plan to aid Russia???
Defense contractors are in the return on capital business, not the surge production capacity business. Every dollar spent on extra factory space or employees is a dollar not spent on stock buybacks.
Too late indeed. The world has now realised that Republican America does not have "friends". Only vassals, who will act as "janitors" to clean up America's messes.
If America wants support in this world it will have to start by terminating Trump and his cabal. Preferably with "extreme prejudice". Then a complete rebuild of your political system, to reduce the chance of another "mad emperor" to as near zero as possible. Only then can the world consider trusting you.
great idea! A large and very comfortable spaceship with plenty of space and a lot of golden appliances for Donald. Everybody in, emptying the White House, and Elon Musk included of course.
We should be thankful he's over there to show the Hungarians how well MAGA and authoritarianism is for a country. I'm sure the Trump administration is a positive beacon of prosperity and good.
For those of you who are absolutely literal, SARCASM.
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is among possible events". Jefferson
Well, if God is said to "work in mysterious ways," maybe this is what "blessed and protected" looks like to them? If I believed in any gods, I'd be praying for them to kick Trump's butt, Hegseth's butt, and every other Republican butt in reach till they were *gone*.
Anyone else remember by far the best reason not to remove Donald Trump from office in his first term? The answer was Mike Pence.
Current line of succession:
1. JD Vance
2. Mike Johnson
3. Chuck Grassley
4. "Little" Marco Rubio
5. Pete Hegseth
To again quote Paul Krugman about Donald Trump:
What’s most important is that we realize where we are right NOW, that we don’t try to sugarcoat and sanewash what’s happening: A petulant, violent and deranged individual is running America.
Does anyone really think anything will change given who would succeed Trump?
Yes. Things will change when 47 is succeeded. And when we prevail in the house and senate in November, they’ll change a little more. And when the dirty dems get that message and stop running, we’ll make more changes in 2028. It took 400 years for this boil to come to a head. Treating it will take time. But if we don’t, I believe we’ll succumb to sepsis.
Had all of the Biden voters voted for Harris we would have never seen this long year of mistakes and wrong decisions. Do not think November is a done deal. Fight for every vote. We will need them.
I blame Democrats for the loss in the 2024 election.
Or to put another way, Joe Biden was going to win the 2024 election had he not have been sabotaged by Democrats. Kamala Harris on the other hand as a Black women was in today's America unelectable.
The problem is that while Trump was obviously less capable than Joe Biden, who a few days after the debate with Trump held a foreign policy event with world leaders that included a press conference where Biden showed he was the most knowledgeable and capable president of our lifetime on foreign policy, Democrats were too weak and scared to defend their candidate whereas Republican fell in line.
From the moment Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election everyone who knows anything about politics knew Joe Biden or Kamala Harris was going to be the Democrat nominee in 2024 or the Democrat would have angered their most loyal base, Black women. The problem was Harris as a Black woman could never win and Biden as a White man running against a obvious demented Trump could not lose.
It was Democrats failure to stand up for their man, making themselves look weak and unable to govern and putting a Black woman as their replacement that elected Donald Trump.
It wasn’t that she was a black woman.. She had the energy and the skills to do the job. She wasn’t given enough time to get her message out. It was the Democratic Party and the donors ( George Clooney) coming out to late to have Biden pull out. He should have run in spite of them!! Now we’re stuck with the 🤡🤡
IF Democrats win the majority in the House in November and are able to take office, THEN 2 on the list above will change from Mike Johnson to Akeem Jefferies. If Democrats win the majority in the Senate in November then 3 would change from Chuck Grassley to Senator Patty Murray from the state of Washington. But the change would not happen until January 2027.
Rubio sold out as most of the GOP have done. He did know better but decided that was less important than his personal advancement. When the wind changes direction, he may try to shift with it but ….
I asked AI “What are JDV’s duties as a practicing Roman Catholic in light of Trump’s threats against Iran?”
1. Adherence to "Just War" Doctrine
The Catholic Church teaches that all citizens and governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war (CCC 2307–2308). The "Just War" tradition requires that for a war to be moral, it must meet several strict criteria:
Last Resort: War is only permissible when all peaceful efforts have been exhausted.
Proportionality: The use of arms must not produce evils graver than the evil to be eliminated.
Probability of Success: A clear, achievable, and morally acceptable definition of "success" must exist.
Duty: Vance has a moral duty to rigorously apply these criteria to Trump’s threats, particularly challenging any actions that could escalate into a disproportionate, long-term conflict.
2. Duty of Conscience in Decision-Making
As a leader in the executive branch, Vance holds responsibility for the common good. Catholic theology holds that the evaluation of "Just War" conditions belongs to the "prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good".
Preventing "Endless Wars": Vance’s own stated anti-interventionist stance, rooted in his Iraq War service, aligns with Catholic concerns about unjust, prolonged entanglements.
The Problem of "Gaslighting": Critics, including some Catholic voices, have argued that justifying war while claiming to be "pro-life" or "anti-war" is a moral contradiction.
Duty: Vance’s duty is to ensure his actions and advice are oriented toward peace, avoiding the use of his faith to justify aggressive actions, and to voice dissent if the "just war" criteria are not met.
3. Protecting Human Life and Dignity
The Catholic Church teaches that the intentional destruction of human life is forbidden, and the fifth commandment requires peace of heart and denounces murderous anger (CCC 2302-2303).
Protection of Civilians: Any military action must rigorously avoid the intentional targeting of civilians.
Refugees and Vulnerable Populations: The human dignity of all people, including Iranians, must be respected.
Duty: Vance has a duty to influence policy to ensure that any action avoids the "indiscriminate damage" to civilian infrastructure and lives that Pope Francis has warned against.
4. Public Defense of Church Teaching
As a prominent Catholic, Vance has a duty to align his political actions with the teachings of the Church, particularly those regarding peace, justice, and solidarity.
Reconciliation: The "right intention" criterion requires that war be fought to establish a "just peace," not for retaliation, personal gain, or vengeance.
Duty: Vance's duty is to counsel that foreign policy is an instrument of peace, not an impediment to it, and to support diplomatic efforts over military ones whenever possible.
In Summary: While Vance has publicly defended the Trump administration's strikes as necessary to prevent a larger war, Catholic moral teaching places a heavy burden on him to use his position to actively prevent the "ancient bondage of war" (CCC 2307) and ensure that any actions taken align with strict moral constraints against unjust violence.
Chamberlin was given a bad rap because he was dead so could not defend himself and thus became a sin eater for the establishment of the 1930s.
If Munich was a complete capitulation, why would he be setting up the largest peacetime mobilization in British history and setting up a training cadre for further expansion, setting up the shadow factories, buying the long-lead time items for the RN, drawing up plans for the Flower Class Corvette (Convoy escort) for building in civilian yards, letting the RAF upgrade from biplanes like the Gladiator to Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires, finishing the Radar chain... He was like a making the world look at his left hand whilst his right was moving lots of stuff though parliament.
Sorry, but I don't agree with this at all. Chamberlin's rearmament program was underfunded and started much too late. He also dithered in his negotiations with the USSR, thus helping to set up Stalin's non-aggression pact with Hitler. Ultimately, his actions at Munich ended up trading an alliance with a strong Czechoslovakian state and army and, possibly, the USSR for what ultimately became an alliance with a weak Polish state that France and Britain were in no position to support and at war with the two most heavily armed states in Europe. His shortsightedness and gullibility to Hitler's promises as late as 1938 were epitomized by his idiotic waving of his useless agreement with Hitler as he disembarked from the plane carrying him from Munich.
And his leadership of Britain after the start of WWII was no better.
So Chamberlin’s statecraft was absolutely wretched. He deserves history’s opprobrium.
1) Czechoslovakia is landlocked. How is that fundamentally different from Poland if France and UK can't reinforce?
2) war in 1938 fractures the Commonwealth. Canada and South Africa probably sit out. Mackenzie King made it explicitly clear Canada would not back a war over the Sudetenland.
3) the UK can't contest the skies - no radar ground control intercept and have 6 Squadrons of hurricanes and zero Spitfires in 38, vs 24 squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires in September '39.
4) lack of naval lead time items means longer and more successful first happy time for German submarines
5) lack of RCN (from 2) means lack of manning of corvettes that screened convoys to the UK.
1) Czechoslovakia had a belt of fortifications centered on the Bohemian mountains that would have been very difficult for Germany to penetrate. The country was also much closer to France and Britain than Poland, and had a much more developed armaments industry, a stronger army and better tanks. Geography also favored Czech defenses in that the Czech armies did not have a German salient extending deep into its territory the way Poland did - East Prussia - in 1939. Nor would Czechoslovakia be forced to fight a two front war.
2) Mackenzie King did not state that Canada would not back a war over the Sudetenland.
"As British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiated in Munich with Adolf Hitler in September 1938, Mackenzie King, Canada’s Prime Minister, grew agitated. Hitler now wanted a piece of western Czechoslovakia, supposedly demanding justice for the Germans of the Czech Sudetenland. Upon learning of this development, King’s position hardened. Oscar D. Skelton, the Undersecretary for External Affairs at the time (today, the position is called Deputy Minister of Global Affairs Canada) discovered that the prime minister was even prepared to take Canada into a European war."
All this is from the diaries of a senior Canadian diplomat who was at Munich.
3) the French and English air forces were about on par with Germany's and the land armies of both greatly outnumbered Germany's in 1938. I think you're confusing the strength of German armed forces in 1938 with that of 1940. There's a big difference. Germany's army was much stronger in 1940 than in 1938, ironically in part because of the war booty it got from the results of Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler.
4) Germany had less than two dozen operational U-boats ready in 1938, and many of them were coastal submarines. Moreover, the thing that made German submarine's first happy time possible in 1940 was Germany’s conquest of the French coastline along the Bay of Biscay. That was a huge force multiplier for Donitz.
5) Since your second point is at best dubious, your fifth is moot.
1) Forgetting about Anschluss and Austria? That's an undefended southern flank. And again, you haven't answered the logistical question: how do the French and British physically reach them to resupply them when they are surrounded?"
2) You are cherry-picking a diary entry of a diplomat's momentary impression during the climax of the crisis, ignoring the actual stated policy of the Canadian government. At the 1937 Imperial Conference, Mackenzie King explicitly warned Chamberlain that Canada would not be dragged into another European war over a continental dispute. King was terrified of repeating the 1917 Conscription Crisis that nearly tore English and French Canada apart. Could King have eventually forced a deeply divided Canada into war in '38? Maybe. But Munich bought the time necessary to prove Hitler's bad faith, allowing the Canadian Parliament to vote for war in 1939 almost unanimously, saving the nation from fracturing. Statecraft is about political capital, not just military hardware.
3) Having a massive land army means nothing if it refuses to move. The French military doctrine in 1938 was strictly defensive, tied to the Maginot Line. They physically lacked the logistical framework for an offensive push into Germany to relieve the Czechs (as proven by the pathetic Saar Offensive in 1939). Regarding the air forces: you are entirely mistaken. In 1938, the Armée de l'Air was in a state of chaotic transition and largely obsolete. The Luftwaffe had battle-tested their modern Bf 109s and He 111s in the Spanish Civil War. The RAF was still flying biplanes. Parity on paper is not parity in the sky.
4) You are missing the other half of the equation. It doesn't matter if Dönitz only had two dozen coastal U-boats if the Royal Navy had zero way to stop them. The issue in 1938 wasn't just German strength; it was British weakness. The Admiralty was stuck in a 1918 playbook, suffering from the "ASDIC delusion" and entirely unprepared for Dönitz's night-surface wolfpack tactics. A small wolfpack can absolutely devastate an unescorted, unorganized merchant fleet. The extra year bought the UK time to organize the convoy system and lay down the keels for the escorts. The U-boat threat in 1938 would have been catastrophic due to a massive British doctrinal deficit.
5) Since point 2 stands as a matter of Canadian parliamentary history, point 5 remains the reality of the Battle of the Atlantic. A united Canada provided the escorts that kept Britain alive.
1) It wasn't an undefended Southern flank; but I'll grant it was an exposure that needed to be covered. But Czechoslovakia was still in a much better position to defend itself in 1938 than Poland was in 1939.
2) Quoting diary entries from eye witnesses to historical events is not cherry picking. It's part of how primary historical research is done. Your assumption that King would not support England if it declared war on Germany as a result of an attack in on Czechoslovakia by Hitler in 1938 is idle speculation that's not really supported by the facts. King supported Chamberlain. If Chamberlain supported a stand against Hitler in late 1938 instead of early 1939, King would have gone along with it. That's my idle speculation on the matter.
3) The French army was not completely immobile and tied to the Maginot Line. One of the purposes of the line was to allow the French to create mobile armies that it could commit to the field. Franch's 1939 Saar offensive failed because of military incompetence and the cowardice of France's high command, not a lack of logistical support. In 1939 the French were simply too scared to fight.
You are also overestimating the Luftwaffe as it was in 1938. It just wasn't that good. And it didn't have nearly as many modern planes as it did in 1940, or even Sept 1939. Britain and France would have been able to give it a run for its money in 1938 if they handled their air assets properly - admittedly a big if.
4) Having at most 8 or 9 operational U-boats in the Atlantic would not be enough to seriously effect British shipping or even form wolfpacks, especially if the boats would have to sail through the North Sea to get to the Atlantic, rather than start from bases on the Bay of Biscay. A convoy system, even with limited escorts, would have worked just fine in 1938 to stop that minimal threat.
Half the battle in finding a target at sea is to find it. Convoys greatly limit the actual area that ships occupy in an ocean relative to what a sub commander can see from his conning tower. That's big reason why convoys work. They make shipping much harder to find visually from the deck of a warship.
5) No, my objection still stands. You seem to keep projecting what happened later in the war, during 1941 through 1945, to what was going on in 1938. Sure, Canada made up a big portion of escorts used in the Battle of the Atlantic. But that just wasn't the case in 1938, because Canada hadn't mobilized.
Anyway, the judgement of history is that Chamberlain and Daladier were played for fools by Hitler at Munich, and I tend to agree with its verdict.
Churchill is one of the major authors that use Neville Chamberlain as a sin eater. Much better historiography when you have access to documents that was covered by the official secrets act.
You have a real hard-on for rehabilitating Neville, going so far as to grapple with Anthony Beavers. Regardless of the details, the UK and France had a much better shot at stopping Hitler in Czecho than a year later in Poland. Besides, there are reliable reports that Hitler's military staff was about to assassinate him on the eve of the invasion of Czecho, but their plans were aborted when Neville, sua sponte, offered to let Hitler have western Czecho without a fight.
Hi Stacy. First, just a quick point of clarification: I believe you are confusing the commenter above (Anthony Beavers) with Sir Antony Beevor, the world-renowned British military historian who wrote Stalingrad and D-Day. Sir Antony spells his surname B-e-e-v-o-r. Furthermore, the real Antony Beevor is a master of archival research and military logistics; he understands the brutal math of supply chains and would certainly not argue that a modern army can fight without one, nor would he misrepresent the codified realities of French Bataille Méthodique doctrine. Even if it were him, the physical limitations of 1938 remain the same.
However, speaking as an academic, even if I were debating Sir Antony Beevor himself, I would still push back just as hard. In historiography, a credential is only worth the paper it's printed on if the arguments hold up to scrutiny. It gets you a hearing, but it doesn't bend physics.
To your main point: I don't have a "hard-on for rehabilitating Neville." Chamberlain was a highly competent financial manager who suffered from a profound lack of imagination. His fatal flaw was treating a messianic zealot like a rational rival businessman. He wasn't a hero. But pointing out that he was trapped by the physical realities of 1938—no radar, no Spitfires, a deeply divided Canadian parliament, and a French military physically incapable of rapid offensive action—is not rehabilitation; it's just acknowledging historical logistics instead of relying on the post-Dunkirk myth of "cowardice."
Regarding the 1938 assassination plot (the Oster Conspiracy): you are absolutely correct that General Oster and Halder had a nascent plan to overthrow Hitler if the Sudeten crisis led to war. But banking the survival of the British and French empires on the hope that a handful of German generals might successfully assassinate their wildly popular dictator is catastrophic grand strategy.
What happens if Chamberlain declares war and the coup fails (which was highly likely, given the failure of the July 20 plot years later)? Britain and France would suddenly be trapped in an offensive war they were entirely unequipped to fight, with an unmobilized Commonwealth, obsolete aircraft, and a besieged Czech army they had zero geographic ability to resupply. Statecraft and war are governed by industrial math, slipway economics, and domestic political consensus, not just hoping your enemy's staff officers do your job for you.
I thought I’d responded. Anyway, thanks for setting me straight on a number of things. I still think that my joke about Trump’s portraying Hitler and Chamberlain is apt and, if I may so, witty.
I most certainly stand corrected on numerous points. Thank you, Martin. But with all that aside, I stick by my little jape that Trump played the parts of Hitler (threatening, blustering, maximalist) and Chamberlain (surrendering in advance) in the same negotiation. I’ve never seen the like.
just read their interminable comments (above) and then make up your own mind. I object to multiple repartees continuing on - especially when they are barely related to the subject of PK's post. They need to start their own Substacks and fight it out there.
Prof Krugman's post of March 31 took its title and theme from Norman F. Dixon's 1976 book "On the Psychology of Military Incompetence". In the book, Dixon deals at length with the generals who were available to advise Chamberlain. They believed that real soldiers rode horses rather than driving tanks. They were unimpressed with Czechoslovakia's modern army and told Chamberlain that there was no possibility of resisting a German attack.
When Chamberlain succeeded Stanley Baldwin in 1937, he was widely regarded as a more warlike replacement. After the Munich event, he ordered an extensive rebuilding of British forces. The existence of Spitfire aircraft in 1940 was due to his backing of their development. He may not have been a Churchill but he was not as useless as he is often depicted.
I guess I'm the only who read in early March that the negotiators in Geneva, just before Feb 28, had received a proposal from Iran that was much better than anything Iran had proposed before and was not meant as final, but was for further negotiation. Does anyone else remember that, and which Substack reported it? Maybe we could compare that late-Feb proposal with yesterday's 10 points. Very similar, perhaps, except back then Iran couldn't even dream of being able to collect tolls on then-wide-open Hormuz?
I also remember this report but will have to try to find the source. When the US has negotiators who don’t know what they are doing and don’t make use of the staff who actually know something about the Middle East, this is what you get. I don’t think the Iranians will go for a Trump/Kushner resort on the Strait of Hormuz.
Heather Cox Richardson said basically the same thing yesterday. That they didn't understand the language of diplomacy, because they are not experienced diplomats.
Why are they even doing negotiations? All they’re good for is building new hotels.. I don’t know why Rubio doesn’t speak out.. I didn’t always agree with him but at least when he was Senator he did agree that Russia did interfere with the 2016 elections.. He can forget about running for president in 2028!! Good riddance 🤡🤡
Hegseth is obviously correct that the US military is highly capable of blowing up and destroying just about anything it sets its sights on. But it stops there. When he conflates this with any idea that this is what constitutes winning a war, he is seriously misguided.
In military circles on this side of the Atlantic we refer to him as the Chief Boy Scout. God alone knows what your military call him, but I listened to American 4* General Ben Hodges last night as he openly wondered whether or not American troops would follow illegal orders. That is how bad things have got in the US. The rest of NATO just will not become involved in this utter moral depravity and injustice.
If you are American Luigi, I wish you luck. If you are not American, I also wish you luck. We are all going to need lots of luck to get through this shit show.
I spent two very happy years based in Milano selling salmon to the likes of Esselunga in Roma, Euromercato, Standa (Berlusconi's old supermarket chain) and Gruppo GS for Ian Anderson, the singer with Jethro Tull. I loved everything about Italy - the people, the art, the architecture, the food the wine. Such a civilized country with such a deep love for the aesthetic.
Many thanks for your wonderful words! I lived in Milan for more than 20 years (first as a student and then working there). Probably/Hopefully I bought some of your salmon at Esselunga!!! I used to buy either the bio (organic) one or the raw (Smokeye) one. I left Milan 20 years ago circa and now live in southern Italy… I wish you all the best! 💪💪💪
You are correct about what constitutes a lie. There is a different word for a statement uttered by a speaker indifferent to it's truth value: "bullshit." That explains Trump. Hegseth is a whole 'nother matter.
Hi Rainer, I’m not sure but I think it’s the same also in Italian.
Probably the problem lies with the fact that both in US and Italy we believe that when the Defence Secretary (pardon… the War Secretary) speaks in these important times we all assume he should say the truth.
Of course it should be obvious that the whole of the Trump administration consists of evil scum. Trump voters may be too simple-minded to understand what they're doing, but Trump's henchmen cannot be afforded that excuse.
I'm not too sure about Hegseth though. I find this perennially drunk troglodyte thoroughly repugnant, but that doesn't mean he's a liar. Not all evil requires dishonesty, and he may well fall into that category.
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is among possible events". Jefferson
I agree that were Mr Hegseth speaking only for himself, his statements would be delusions rather than lies. But, unfortunately, Mr Hegseth speaks for an administration, which knows that what he is saying is false.
The fact that the senate confirmed Hegseth, and the rest of the complete incompetents and freaks in the cabinet, permanently stains the reputation of the senate and calls into question the basic structure of the US government.
You will read lots of “analysis” today. Consider these points:
Trump won on some dimensions. He was able to threaten “annihilation.” Without saying nukes, he sent the message. The Republican leadership and members gave him a pass. Congress remained in recess. He proved again that there is no meaningful opposition in his own party. He proved once again that Democratic leadership is neutered, too.
Trump also got Netanyahu to agree to the two week pause. Israel will press on in Lebanon, but Iran’s destruction is paused. Basically, a shrug from Netanyahu, but something.
Trump got the markets to improve, if only temporarily. He gets to declare a win there. And, he gets to spend two weeks manipulating markets through social media posts.
He keeps his bromance with Putin going. Chaos works for both of them. Trump has a desire for chaos and he’s given himself at least two more weeks of it to keep the Epstein mess at bay. Everyone will be guessing and asking “what’s next?” That’s Trump’s turf.
Right but exactly that is the problem. The cries haunting him should be corruption, destroyer of democracy, killer of thousands of human beings (not animals) by starting a war, destroyer of the environment and so on. Could it be that the US public (not to speak of the media) should review their priorities?
The priority is whatever it takes to overthrow this regime. The Trumpstein Files seem to provide the best bet to accomplish that. That's the reason they terrify him so much, and the reason we emphasize them.
Not that he shouldn't answer for all the other crimes you've enumerated above. He sure as hell should, and will, once we manage to extricate him from the Oval Office.
Let's assume Trump is forced to leave the Oval Office maybe even before 2028. What will happen then? One third of the US population will still firmly believe that he is a first cousin of Jesus who was crucified by godless people. Two third will desperately believe that he was only an accident that will never happen again (just remember Nixon). They will proudly point to the system that was able to remove a sexual predator from office and they will be happy. And they'll mourn the brave soldiers who were killed in Trump's wars and they'll never talk about the people who were killed by the best and most powerful military on our side of the universe.
No president or DOJ will ever try to hold him accountable for anything because of the SCOTUS and even more important, because everybody will be terrified of being accused of a political witch hunt (just remember Merrick B. Garland). So everybody will talk about coming together and of the need to forgive and forget.
Nobody will talk about what's currently happening in the US: the attempt of a small class of billionaires to take over the country and to establish a pluto/kleptocracy comparable to Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and a lot of other countries. And nobody will talk about how the US political system made all this possible.
And then another guy will walk down a golden escalator ...
I don't believe that's the case. I don't believe that fully 1/3 of the country is that deeply enthralled in the MAGA cult. Maybe not even 1/4 at this point.
While it's true the Dems have been cowed since the St. Reagan "revolution", the tide is turning.
The next president and DOJ will be expected to exact justice. The next president will also be expected to overhaul the corrupted SCOTUS. Nobody will fear being accused of a political witch hunt, because the phrase has worn out it's power.
At this stage, most Americans are fully aware that we can't just continue with business as usual - because Trumpkopf so completely shattered that. Everybody is now talking about how the plutocrat/Epstein class has been taking over the country, and we're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore!
We need constitutional amendments, solid guardrails to make damned sure these kinds of abuses never happen again. Maybe, just maybe, we'll finally do away with that damned electoral college.
It took four decades, but America is finally starting to snap out of its 1980 coma and realizing that "trickle down" was a lie - and so was everything that went along with it.
I think the Prime Minister of Spain got it exactly right in his statement that "The government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket".
I agree with you. What I mean by wins are wins in Trump’s mind. He won by not being impeached or removed by the 25th. He won by keeping Congress at bay. He won by giving himself another market manipulation windfall. He won by not having any Republicans seriously challenge him. In his game, he’s still winning. He’s president. He’s alive. His family is still making bank.
And Republicans will gush with pride and applaud his "bravery" and astute negotiating skill.
A perfect example:
Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota, gushed “I’m grateful for President Trump’s unwavering dedication to defending our country and holding our adversaries accountable” calling it “Peace through Strength leadership." (https://x.com/SenKevinCramer)
So completely and totally sick of anything and everything being so dependent on "the markets"! That is what is so wrong with this friggin' country--all we care about is money.
The markets are an indicator. They are going up rapidly today, but they went up yesterday also. No one believes Trump anymore. His threat of starting WWIII was outlandish, and Iran made it clear that everyone would suffer. They put thousands of people on the bridges just to taunt him.
Also, the Saudis have given up on Trump. They signed a deal with Ukraine for mutual aid. Ukraine will teach the Saudis how to defend themselves. Trump is now viewed as untrustworthy -- because he is.
That's only one of several deals that Ukraine has made in the region. The reports that I've seen claim that these are ten year contracts. Ukraine has sent some teams out to show them how to defend against the Iranian drones. Ukraine has lots of experience at that.
Yes, but it's good for the Ukrainians to get some help buying weapons. They are also pulling back the money they promised to Trump, and probably Kushner, because they know they can't trust them.
Why not a "Wellness Index" or a "Satisfaction Index" as a measure of how well the country is doing instead? Why always is it how much richer the rich guys are getting???
Well said ... the financialization of everything and the concentration of wealth in so few hands is precisely what lies at the rotten heart of America. What America cannot steal, control and dominate, you destroy and bomb.
But it should be recalled that so often when earthquakes or tsunamis hit any part of the world the first and largest team of helpers was usually the American one. America`s Marshall plan dragged Europe out of the morass of post-war Europe and America has presided over the many decades of peace we have enjoyed since then. The horror is that with all its laws and more lawyers than the rest of the world it has been unable to implement these laws to imprison Trump before he got near the White House. It has been unable to recognise that Trump is not only criminal but deranged That has to change if America is to regain any standing in the world. A president must not be above the law any more than a beggar is.
I know ... I worked in Africa in banking, agriculture and education; I worked at JPM 35 years ago. I worked with many fine Americans. I simply do not recognise what America has become ... it is heart breaking and fearful in equal measure.
I cannot think of a single friend in the UK or Europe who would like to Linda ... sorry. On the other hand, there are tens of thousands of Americans who have been applying for long stay visas here in the UK and in Europe. It is hard to get accurate data, but the best I can find suggest between 20 and 30,000 Americans applied for long stay visas last year and this year to date it is over 40,000. Come to Europe Linda ... some of your best engineers and scientists are finding new homes in our Universities; European schooling has its issues but it is a good deal better than America; maternity/infant mortality outcomes are far superior in Europe, and healthcare is free. The food is better and free from toxins (Potassium Bromate in dough, Titanium Dioxide which we use in paints but you use to whiten pastries and sauces, Azodicarbonamide, Propylparaben, BHA, growth hormones in your beef ... the list goes on). Sorry, I was originally an Agricultural and Food Chemist and we work hard in Europe and the UK to keep our food free of toxins. You guys don't seem to care.
'Fill the zone with shit', as Bannon infamously said. Who knows where this strategy can take Trump and his goons. The media can't resist the lure of hyperbole; criticism of the lies no longer gets any traction - he's told so many lies and got away with it, you can't shame him; genuine opponents have to take the bait and assume he's being serious in case he is and they didn't call him out on it; so the whole thing can be run over and over again, without end.
“They” are fractured. Yes, some are all over the news. Yes, they are in the minority in Congress. However, I could imagine a leadership team that put together a bigger, better, louder, more powerful message across all of media. Where are the local town halls? Where are the candidates being developed and supported in red counties? Schumer and Jeffries and the DNC are doing too little.
> He proved once again that Democratic leadership is neutered, too.
Do you folks get a gold star or something every time you bothsides an issue?
Democratic leadership cannot do anything substantive. Literally nothing, now, when Congress is not in session and they have no power to change that. And when they talk, nobody reports it. And somehow people like you expect them to magically do… something. What? Do you expect the minority leader to grab two guns and start shooting up the White House? That’s the only thing that would put them back in the news.
But no. There is nothing in particular you expect from them. You have just decided that Democrats must be terrible or they would have stopped all this and made the world perfect. And because those are your expectations, you will continue to help the Republicans retain power. Well done.
trump has been playing 5 dimensional Chutes and Ladders. Even if the points you make are valid - at what cost? $1b/d, most of our arsenal gone, exposure as a paper tiger, hatred from the rest of the world, ad nauseam. He's the bully in the sandbox who destroys or bankrupts everything he touches. When you break something why give you credit for fixing it badly at huge expense? I won't be surprised if Iran starts filing law suits in New York or the Hague for reparations and punishment.
I'm going to summarize the situation just to make sure I understand what I've read so far about the Iran war.
Today there are cells of Islamic Revolutionary Guards scattered throughout the mountains of Iran with cheap drones and shoulder fired missiles able to disrupt shipping and air traffic throughout the Persian Gulf.
Trump is asking the Iran central command to reign in these cells so shipping through the straits can resume. Unfortunately the Iranian central military command is dead.
The Trump administration has complained NATO allies are not helping. But it's not clear to me what NATO allies could do: A prolonged Viet Nam style guerrilla war in the mountains of Iran would make the situation worse.
The "10 point plan" put forward by Iranian political leaders is not really a plan, but rather just the Iranian politicians' assessment of the situation. Since there is no one able to command the armed Iranian cells to stand down, there is little scope for negotiating anything else.
This means that the US military will leave, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards will collect tolls on Persian Gulf traffic, will rebuild Iran, will recruit new leaders, and so be even stronger (and more aggrieved) than they were before.
Fine, but your former allies think America is a dangerous rogue state now. America is truly alone in the World, which ironically is the isolationist state MAGA wanted in the first place. There are some of us Liberals in Europe secretly cheer MAGA ... we think a World with a reduced and chastened America will be a better, less violent and more moral place.
I disagree. These "wins" you list are not wins. They are mostly just resetting the clock back several weeks. Republicans haven't changed at all, Netanyahu hasn't changed and the markets are back to where they were.
I think Trump and Putin are in constant communication. I think Putin possessed the Iran plans stolen in 2021. I think Putin and China stepped up pressure on Iran to take the ceasefire. And I think Vance and Trump stepped up their campaign for Victor Orban. The ceasefire right before the Orban election serves Putin. Orban inhibits European funding of Ukraine.
⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️Guess what!⁉️⁉️⁉️ The New York Times put out enlightening article about the run up to Trump's war on Iran. Apparently, he was told all the potential pitfalls but insisted on going ahead. For gift Link, click here.
The major media outlets have to go with certifiable facts. They've had lots of opinion pieces speculating on his cognition, but it can't be reported as fact. We should appreciate the distinction. It's important.
Really, it’s not important. The fact is, he threatened war, crimes. Who needs “certification”?
I do not care about his cognition, his nonexistent morality and ethics, his psychiatric state, his upbringing, his feeble justifications, his political enablers, the pundits cheap opinions, or the oligarchical press pretense of “fairness” towards him. They only play at fairness for the rich and powerful. Where’s the fairness for the thousands hurt or killed in this Epstein distraction/ oil grab? The little girls whose school was bombed?
I wonder who the unnamed source was...speculation is Vance. He might see his opening in that Trump is scaring the shit out of a lot of his supporters. Conspiracy theories are great money spinners, but threatening nuclear war is going a bit too far.
My understanding was there was a variety of sources, especially since the article describes an initial meeting with Netanyahu that Vance did not attend.
He wasn’t chastened by Covid, where his ignorance killed 1.2 million people. He won’t be chastened by this.
Second biggest story of the day was the GOP losing 23 points off its 2024 margin in GA 14, one of America’s reddest districts. The natives are restless—even the maga natives.
Yeah, the GOP is hard at work trying to rig it. At least their attempt to gerrymander more insanely than usual backfired. It's also another good reason to promote a massive turnout - too massive to overcome with rigging.
It's really difficult to predict. There's a whole lot of voters who don't seem to "see the light" while staring directly into the sun. Absent a huge shift, where the oligarchs start noticing the pitchforks and guillotines, and directing their media toadies to change the message to the cult, there may not be a big shift.
That's true, but I believe the tide is turning. His poll number just keep going down. The No Kings protests have been very visible, and people are noticing. The crimes of ICE have also been all too noticable. And now this insanity with Iran? There's change in the air. Big change.
Yes, I’m disappointed in that one. A whole bunch of Republicans were on Harris‘s side, but apparently they weren’t able to completely sway the outcome. I don’t know if they came out strongly for him publicly, after he declined a switch to Republican, but I guess this swing in the percentage is worth something.
Say this over and over and over again -- we were led by The Republican Party. Elected Republicans in Washington have stood by, stuffed their morals, ethics, and common sense into garbage bags and watched all of this unfold. Looking to the future, we don't want same circus, different clowns. The entire National Republican Party needs to have the circus tent collapse around it.
Say this over and over and over again -- we were led by The Republican Party. Elected Republicans in Washington have stood by, stuffed their morals, ethics, and common sense into garbage bags and watched all of this unfold. Looking to the future, we don't want same circus, different clowns. The entire National Republican Party needs to have the circus tent collapse around it.
The Republican party has been captured by the angertainment industry. Angertainment is typically labeled as right wing or conservative media. These terms, when used to identify angertainment providers, constitute deceptive misrepresentation.
Angertainment is an industry that reaps very large profits by generating extremely engaging, non-verified, news-like content. Angertainment providers package it skillfully, accompany it with extraordinary amounts of highly engaging angry opinion and rhetoric, and amplify it via social media.
The angertainment industry has created a product that is addictive. The core constituency of the current Republican Party is comprised of voters who are long-time angertainment consumers who believe what they hear and see.
The impact of angertainment in American society to amplify divisive political discourse, promote conspiracies, and engage in character assassination. The “engagement” of their audience (the Republican “base”) produces tremendous profits. The process results in civic pollution; a residue sludge of toxic partisanship that has turned the United States into a Hazardous Political Waste Site.
Incapable of learning. Incapable of introspection. And incapable of running anything more complicated than a telephone. The US absolutely needs to turn Trump, Hegseth, and the rest over to the ICC.
And we need to charge and arrest all the other members of this, the most openly corrupt administration in history.
You can add Biden to it also. Our system is failing the majority of the population. I am not advocating for a French Revolution style change to our institutions. We need to get big money out of our politics. And a fine-tuning of our constitution may be sufficient. I have too much respect for Edmund Burke to do otherwise.
Obama had Iran's nuclear program under close control and surveillance, Iran's oil industry operating under heavy sanctions, Iran largely isolated and friendless, and the Straight of Hormuz fully open for business without threat or the Iranian's charging a toll for safe passage. Oh, and Russian energy exports were heavily sanctioned by the US and our allies. We looked like the world's strongest, most competent, and capable power having achieved this outcome. Then, of course, Trump marches in and tears the whole thing up.
Fast forward to today. Iran's nuclear program is intact and now unfettered, the Straight is open only to those ships paying them for safe passage, America has demonstrated that its massive military can be countered by cheap drones and threats to its economy, Russian gas and oil is flowing at windfall profit and without sanctions, Iranian energy and drone exports are now highly sought after and available without sanction, America has fully sundered its alliances and credibility, we've thoroughly embarrassed and disgraced ourselves with boasts and threats of war crimes, we've got 13 dead service members and hundreds wounded, we've put untold additional billions on a credit card for our children to deal with, many of our aircraft and ships have been damaged or destroyed, our stockpiles of multi-million dollar missiles are depleted, and the US dollar is now in jeopardy as the sole currency used in the global oil trade.
Congratulations to Trump, Hegseth, the Banana-Republican Party, and all of those who supported and enabled them on this clear, humiliating, and crushing defeat.
The complete downfall of the American empire won’t happen with just one event. But this one is a huge one. Paul: you forgot to include in your peice how ‘allies’ also let the US go this completely alone owning nothing of this failure. Not only did the US lose the war but it lost its friends. I say it’s time the UN start to look elsewhere for UN headquarters. Montréal would be wonderful.
Theocrats always claim that gawd's silence is tacit approval of their actions. If only deities showed up once in a while to set things straight. If only. Deity is probably too busy partying with the Easter Bunny.
God help us is right. Trump needs to be removed before he really does something catastrophic, and which is likely as he deteriorates mentally, which is happening rapidly.
Trump managed to be both Hitler and Chamberlain in the same negotiation. An unprecedented feat.
Brilliant comparison!
I hope Whiskey Pete revives an ancient religious tradition and becomes a lone hermit living in the remote desert.
Maybe our brave military soldiers can give him a ride and drop him off?
And Pete conveniently forgot to include anything about this, from one week ago... Do you think this makes us stronger? How about China and Russia?
US burning through years' worth of critical weapons stockpiles in Iran
Weds, 1 April
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-02/us-israel-gulf-states-burn-through-weapons-supplies-iran-war/106489382
"In short:
The US is estimated to be burning through high-end weapons at a rapid pace in its war on Iran and stockpiles could take years to replenish. Analysts say the weapons may not be available for use should other conflicts break out. They say the duration and outcome of the war could be affected by which side runs out of critical weapons first."
Also note that the U.S. is using million-dollar missiles to shoot down missiles that cost a few thousand dollars. Iran wins again against our mighty leaderless forces.
Right — and per CNN reporting last week, Iran still has plenty of those cheap weapons left:
“Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past five weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments…”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/02/politics/iran-missiles-us-military-strikes-trump
I am reminded of "The Guns of August", Barbara Tuchman's history of the first World War. The leadership of the European armies had not adapted to the evolving military technology of the time and the lack of effective leadership and tactical planning resulted in unprecedented levels of casualties, especially in the first two months of the war. While Trump's "little excursion" has not, thankfully, resulted in high levels of casualties, the conflict is disproportionally expensive in terms of materiel. Someone, somewhere, should be planning on manufacturing drones rather than $200 - $300 million dollar aircraft.
Not a high level of American casualties, but thousands of Iranian casualties, including civilians. They count.
If we are nice, Ukraine can help us. If we make amends. They know what to do.
Another thought from literature on military ignorance: "The Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert & Sullivan, first produced in 1880, has a character who is a Major General. After going through all the things he knows ( mythic history, names of plants and animals, and other non-military subjects) with each segment closing with "I am the very model of a modern Major General.," he moves on to military topics.
"In fact when I . . . can tell a chasepôt rifle from a javelin, When such affairs as sorties and surprises, I'm more wary at
And when I know precisely what is meant by 'commisariat'
When I have learnt what progress has mean made in modern gunnery
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,
You'll say a better Major General has never sat a gee-"
Thank you for the correct spelling of materiel, American style. Generally, the accent aigue is used, matériel, if one is French or Canadian. (Not meant to be snarky, merely instructional).
So Iran sends up a $5,000 flying object, the US a $5 million flying object they collide and both sides cheer their victory? The casualty is the actual humans under the falling debris and the tax payers on both sides that pay for it. But hey at least both sets of politicians are super happy.
In any large war, the US will run out of precision weapons in a week or so. This has been widely reported. Not as well understood is that the US will also very rapidly run out of troops and have to restart a draft. The Iraq invasion, a relatively small war, where the US had allies, required the activation of virtually all Army and Air Force national guard and reserve units, multiple times.
why do our august "defense" contractors suddenly seem unable, or unwilling, to ramp up production to ensure that we and our allies (those that we have left) have adequate stocks?????? Is this somehow part of the stable genius's plan to aid Russia???
Defense contractors are in the return on capital business, not the surge production capacity business. Every dollar spent on extra factory space or employees is a dollar not spent on stock buybacks.
Too late for that. We got to mind our manners and make friends. Again.
Too late indeed. The world has now realised that Republican America does not have "friends". Only vassals, who will act as "janitors" to clean up America's messes.
If America wants support in this world it will have to start by terminating Trump and his cabal. Preferably with "extreme prejudice". Then a complete rebuild of your political system, to reduce the chance of another "mad emperor" to as near zero as possible. Only then can the world consider trusting you.
Would rather he drink himself to death. Soon.
In some circles, drinking oneself to death after years of dedicated service is an honored form of transition to the great beyond.
Unfortunately, Hegseth has no notion of what service is.
Except as a Crusader for Christ. Onward! Christian soldiers.
or honor
Pete “bring out the holy hand grenade” Hegseth is reviving an ancient religious tradition, à la Monty Python.
But, I like your idea of the lone hermit better. Maybe our soldiers can leave him in the desert for forty days, at least.
https://youtu.be/xOrgLj9lOwk?si=rIZ8p4fsugtF4oWZ
The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. Classic.
Actually if he had any character he would commit sepoku.
He is on the way out. Or so it seems to me. Trump will never be a loser when he has someone to fire.
From 35000 feet.
Seriously, TY for the chuckle 🙊 may he find a cliff somewhere far, far away!
a remote desert, yes. But preferably in another planet. A distant one, in one of those science-fiction spaceships that disintegrate upon arrival.
isn't Musk looking for a volunteer for the first Mars flight?
great idea! A large and very comfortable spaceship with plenty of space and a lot of golden appliances for Donald. Everybody in, emptying the White House, and Elon Musk included of course.
He should emulate Origen - that might settle him down....
25th amendment now. JDV has a duty. As a USMC vet, he knows that duty involves personal sacrifice. Enough dithering.
JDV is too busy interfering in European politics as has been America's way recently.
We should be thankful he's over there to show the Hungarians how well MAGA and authoritarianism is for a country. I'm sure the Trump administration is a positive beacon of prosperity and good.
For those of you who are absolutely literal, SARCASM.
Was certainly the last straw for Canada's conservatives.
LOL ... our American cousins do not always get sarcasm.
Long ago, Vance forgot how to spell D-U-T-Y.
Anyone who thinks God blessed and protected us in this little excursion is out of their minds.
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is among possible events". Jefferson
Well, if God is said to "work in mysterious ways," maybe this is what "blessed and protected" looks like to them? If I believed in any gods, I'd be praying for them to kick Trump's butt, Hegseth's butt, and every other Republican butt in reach till they were *gone*.
Well I would say Pope Leo is doing a good job calling out their BS spiritual claims. I wish he would excommunicate JDV.
Vance is visiting with Viktor Orban, Putin’s lapdog in Europe. Helping him on the campaign trail.
Do not forget that Putin gave Iran intelligence to help them conduct the war!
Putin is planning on fighting to the last Iranian.
My oh my.. Yet while the USA is going down and JD 🤡is getting the vote out with Orban why no pushback for the American 1st people? Makes me sick 🤢🤮🤢
💩 Dookie!
Anyone else remember by far the best reason not to remove Donald Trump from office in his first term? The answer was Mike Pence.
Current line of succession:
1. JD Vance
2. Mike Johnson
3. Chuck Grassley
4. "Little" Marco Rubio
5. Pete Hegseth
To again quote Paul Krugman about Donald Trump:
What’s most important is that we realize where we are right NOW, that we don’t try to sugarcoat and sanewash what’s happening: A petulant, violent and deranged individual is running America.
Does anyone really think anything will change given who would succeed Trump?
Yes. Things will change when 47 is succeeded. And when we prevail in the house and senate in November, they’ll change a little more. And when the dirty dems get that message and stop running, we’ll make more changes in 2028. It took 400 years for this boil to come to a head. Treating it will take time. But if we don’t, I believe we’ll succumb to sepsis.
Had all of the Biden voters voted for Harris we would have never seen this long year of mistakes and wrong decisions. Do not think November is a done deal. Fight for every vote. We will need them.
I blame Democrats for the loss in the 2024 election.
Or to put another way, Joe Biden was going to win the 2024 election had he not have been sabotaged by Democrats. Kamala Harris on the other hand as a Black women was in today's America unelectable.
The problem is that while Trump was obviously less capable than Joe Biden, who a few days after the debate with Trump held a foreign policy event with world leaders that included a press conference where Biden showed he was the most knowledgeable and capable president of our lifetime on foreign policy, Democrats were too weak and scared to defend their candidate whereas Republican fell in line.
From the moment Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election everyone who knows anything about politics knew Joe Biden or Kamala Harris was going to be the Democrat nominee in 2024 or the Democrat would have angered their most loyal base, Black women. The problem was Harris as a Black woman could never win and Biden as a White man running against a obvious demented Trump could not lose.
It was Democrats failure to stand up for their man, making themselves look weak and unable to govern and putting a Black woman as their replacement that elected Donald Trump.
It wasn’t that she was a black woman.. She had the energy and the skills to do the job. She wasn’t given enough time to get her message out. It was the Democratic Party and the donors ( George Clooney) coming out to late to have Biden pull out. He should have run in spite of them!! Now we’re stuck with the 🤡🤡
IF Democrats win the majority in the House in November and are able to take office, THEN 2 on the list above will change from Mike Johnson to Akeem Jefferies. If Democrats win the majority in the Senate in November then 3 would change from Chuck Grassley to Senator Patty Murray from the state of Washington. But the change would not happen until January 2027.
It’s one name off the list. Then we go after the rest. If we have to, we’ll do it one at a time.
Billionaires are running this country. Trump is just a psychopathic mouthpiece for them.
Vance is trying to stay clean, above the fray. A good distance away.
Sucking up to Orban is hardly staying clean. It is aid and comfort to a corrupt autocrat and enemy of Ukraine.
Rubio sold out as most of the GOP have done. He did know better but decided that was less important than his personal advancement. When the wind changes direction, he may try to shift with it but ….
Hiding in a cess-pool of Hungarian politics is a strange strategy.
Not possible as vpotus, imho.
You are a subtle humorist don.
I asked AI “What are JDV’s duties as a practicing Roman Catholic in light of Trump’s threats against Iran?”
1. Adherence to "Just War" Doctrine
The Catholic Church teaches that all citizens and governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war (CCC 2307–2308). The "Just War" tradition requires that for a war to be moral, it must meet several strict criteria:
Last Resort: War is only permissible when all peaceful efforts have been exhausted.
Proportionality: The use of arms must not produce evils graver than the evil to be eliminated.
Probability of Success: A clear, achievable, and morally acceptable definition of "success" must exist.
Duty: Vance has a moral duty to rigorously apply these criteria to Trump’s threats, particularly challenging any actions that could escalate into a disproportionate, long-term conflict.
2. Duty of Conscience in Decision-Making
As a leader in the executive branch, Vance holds responsibility for the common good. Catholic theology holds that the evaluation of "Just War" conditions belongs to the "prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good".
Preventing "Endless Wars": Vance’s own stated anti-interventionist stance, rooted in his Iraq War service, aligns with Catholic concerns about unjust, prolonged entanglements.
The Problem of "Gaslighting": Critics, including some Catholic voices, have argued that justifying war while claiming to be "pro-life" or "anti-war" is a moral contradiction.
Duty: Vance’s duty is to ensure his actions and advice are oriented toward peace, avoiding the use of his faith to justify aggressive actions, and to voice dissent if the "just war" criteria are not met.
3. Protecting Human Life and Dignity
The Catholic Church teaches that the intentional destruction of human life is forbidden, and the fifth commandment requires peace of heart and denounces murderous anger (CCC 2302-2303).
Protection of Civilians: Any military action must rigorously avoid the intentional targeting of civilians.
Refugees and Vulnerable Populations: The human dignity of all people, including Iranians, must be respected.
Duty: Vance has a duty to influence policy to ensure that any action avoids the "indiscriminate damage" to civilian infrastructure and lives that Pope Francis has warned against.
4. Public Defense of Church Teaching
As a prominent Catholic, Vance has a duty to align his political actions with the teachings of the Church, particularly those regarding peace, justice, and solidarity.
Reconciliation: The "right intention" criterion requires that war be fought to establish a "just peace," not for retaliation, personal gain, or vengeance.
Duty: Vance's duty is to counsel that foreign policy is an instrument of peace, not an impediment to it, and to support diplomatic efforts over military ones whenever possible.
In Summary: While Vance has publicly defended the Trump administration's strikes as necessary to prevent a larger war, Catholic moral teaching places a heavy burden on him to use his position to actively prevent the "ancient bondage of war" (CCC 2307) and ensure that any actions taken align with strict moral constraints against unjust violence.
Vance was unenthusiastic about the war but went along.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html
JDV is an adult. He has duties as VPOTUS and those that his faith tradition dictates. Will he comply or be derelict?
I’m not optimistic.
No matter what, he’ll prove exactly which duties he honors and which he shirks.
The line of succession is beyond our control. Until November.
Tell me what you think we can do about it next year, then.
That’s a small part of a solution, the larger part is motivating the non-voters.
Trump and Hegseth made the big news
By their misadventures at sea in Hormuz
As a 1000 ships wait
To pass through the Strait
And the world resoundingly boos...
I believe Garrison Keillor would approve.
We need more poetry!
Chamberlin was given a bad rap because he was dead so could not defend himself and thus became a sin eater for the establishment of the 1930s.
If Munich was a complete capitulation, why would he be setting up the largest peacetime mobilization in British history and setting up a training cadre for further expansion, setting up the shadow factories, buying the long-lead time items for the RN, drawing up plans for the Flower Class Corvette (Convoy escort) for building in civilian yards, letting the RAF upgrade from biplanes like the Gladiator to Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires, finishing the Radar chain... He was like a making the world look at his left hand whilst his right was moving lots of stuff though parliament.
Sorry, but I don't agree with this at all. Chamberlin's rearmament program was underfunded and started much too late. He also dithered in his negotiations with the USSR, thus helping to set up Stalin's non-aggression pact with Hitler. Ultimately, his actions at Munich ended up trading an alliance with a strong Czechoslovakian state and army and, possibly, the USSR for what ultimately became an alliance with a weak Polish state that France and Britain were in no position to support and at war with the two most heavily armed states in Europe. His shortsightedness and gullibility to Hitler's promises as late as 1938 were epitomized by his idiotic waving of his useless agreement with Hitler as he disembarked from the plane carrying him from Munich.
And his leadership of Britain after the start of WWII was no better.
So Chamberlin’s statecraft was absolutely wretched. He deserves history’s opprobrium.
1) Czechoslovakia is landlocked. How is that fundamentally different from Poland if France and UK can't reinforce?
2) war in 1938 fractures the Commonwealth. Canada and South Africa probably sit out. Mackenzie King made it explicitly clear Canada would not back a war over the Sudetenland.
3) the UK can't contest the skies - no radar ground control intercept and have 6 Squadrons of hurricanes and zero Spitfires in 38, vs 24 squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires in September '39.
4) lack of naval lead time items means longer and more successful first happy time for German submarines
5) lack of RCN (from 2) means lack of manning of corvettes that screened convoys to the UK.
Well...
1) Czechoslovakia had a belt of fortifications centered on the Bohemian mountains that would have been very difficult for Germany to penetrate. The country was also much closer to France and Britain than Poland, and had a much more developed armaments industry, a stronger army and better tanks. Geography also favored Czech defenses in that the Czech armies did not have a German salient extending deep into its territory the way Poland did - East Prussia - in 1939. Nor would Czechoslovakia be forced to fight a two front war.
2) Mackenzie King did not state that Canada would not back a war over the Sudetenland.
https://champlainsociety.utppublishing.com/digital-content/champlain-blog/mackenzie-king-munich-agreement-1938-by-norman-hillmer
"As British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiated in Munich with Adolf Hitler in September 1938, Mackenzie King, Canada’s Prime Minister, grew agitated. Hitler now wanted a piece of western Czechoslovakia, supposedly demanding justice for the Germans of the Czech Sudetenland. Upon learning of this development, King’s position hardened. Oscar D. Skelton, the Undersecretary for External Affairs at the time (today, the position is called Deputy Minister of Global Affairs Canada) discovered that the prime minister was even prepared to take Canada into a European war."
All this is from the diaries of a senior Canadian diplomat who was at Munich.
3) the French and English air forces were about on par with Germany's and the land armies of both greatly outnumbered Germany's in 1938. I think you're confusing the strength of German armed forces in 1938 with that of 1940. There's a big difference. Germany's army was much stronger in 1940 than in 1938, ironically in part because of the war booty it got from the results of Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler.
4) Germany had less than two dozen operational U-boats ready in 1938, and many of them were coastal submarines. Moreover, the thing that made German submarine's first happy time possible in 1940 was Germany’s conquest of the French coastline along the Bay of Biscay. That was a huge force multiplier for Donitz.
5) Since your second point is at best dubious, your fifth is moot.
1) Forgetting about Anschluss and Austria? That's an undefended southern flank. And again, you haven't answered the logistical question: how do the French and British physically reach them to resupply them when they are surrounded?"
2) You are cherry-picking a diary entry of a diplomat's momentary impression during the climax of the crisis, ignoring the actual stated policy of the Canadian government. At the 1937 Imperial Conference, Mackenzie King explicitly warned Chamberlain that Canada would not be dragged into another European war over a continental dispute. King was terrified of repeating the 1917 Conscription Crisis that nearly tore English and French Canada apart. Could King have eventually forced a deeply divided Canada into war in '38? Maybe. But Munich bought the time necessary to prove Hitler's bad faith, allowing the Canadian Parliament to vote for war in 1939 almost unanimously, saving the nation from fracturing. Statecraft is about political capital, not just military hardware.
3) Having a massive land army means nothing if it refuses to move. The French military doctrine in 1938 was strictly defensive, tied to the Maginot Line. They physically lacked the logistical framework for an offensive push into Germany to relieve the Czechs (as proven by the pathetic Saar Offensive in 1939). Regarding the air forces: you are entirely mistaken. In 1938, the Armée de l'Air was in a state of chaotic transition and largely obsolete. The Luftwaffe had battle-tested their modern Bf 109s and He 111s in the Spanish Civil War. The RAF was still flying biplanes. Parity on paper is not parity in the sky.
4) You are missing the other half of the equation. It doesn't matter if Dönitz only had two dozen coastal U-boats if the Royal Navy had zero way to stop them. The issue in 1938 wasn't just German strength; it was British weakness. The Admiralty was stuck in a 1918 playbook, suffering from the "ASDIC delusion" and entirely unprepared for Dönitz's night-surface wolfpack tactics. A small wolfpack can absolutely devastate an unescorted, unorganized merchant fleet. The extra year bought the UK time to organize the convoy system and lay down the keels for the escorts. The U-boat threat in 1938 would have been catastrophic due to a massive British doctrinal deficit.
5) Since point 2 stands as a matter of Canadian parliamentary history, point 5 remains the reality of the Battle of the Atlantic. A united Canada provided the escorts that kept Britain alive.
1) It wasn't an undefended Southern flank; but I'll grant it was an exposure that needed to be covered. But Czechoslovakia was still in a much better position to defend itself in 1938 than Poland was in 1939.
2) Quoting diary entries from eye witnesses to historical events is not cherry picking. It's part of how primary historical research is done. Your assumption that King would not support England if it declared war on Germany as a result of an attack in on Czechoslovakia by Hitler in 1938 is idle speculation that's not really supported by the facts. King supported Chamberlain. If Chamberlain supported a stand against Hitler in late 1938 instead of early 1939, King would have gone along with it. That's my idle speculation on the matter.
3) The French army was not completely immobile and tied to the Maginot Line. One of the purposes of the line was to allow the French to create mobile armies that it could commit to the field. Franch's 1939 Saar offensive failed because of military incompetence and the cowardice of France's high command, not a lack of logistical support. In 1939 the French were simply too scared to fight.
You are also overestimating the Luftwaffe as it was in 1938. It just wasn't that good. And it didn't have nearly as many modern planes as it did in 1940, or even Sept 1939. Britain and France would have been able to give it a run for its money in 1938 if they handled their air assets properly - admittedly a big if.
4) Having at most 8 or 9 operational U-boats in the Atlantic would not be enough to seriously effect British shipping or even form wolfpacks, especially if the boats would have to sail through the North Sea to get to the Atlantic, rather than start from bases on the Bay of Biscay. A convoy system, even with limited escorts, would have worked just fine in 1938 to stop that minimal threat.
Half the battle in finding a target at sea is to find it. Convoys greatly limit the actual area that ships occupy in an ocean relative to what a sub commander can see from his conning tower. That's big reason why convoys work. They make shipping much harder to find visually from the deck of a warship.
5) No, my objection still stands. You seem to keep projecting what happened later in the war, during 1941 through 1945, to what was going on in 1938. Sure, Canada made up a big portion of escorts used in the Battle of the Atlantic. But that just wasn't the case in 1938, because Canada hadn't mobilized.
Anyway, the judgement of history is that Chamberlain and Daladier were played for fools by Hitler at Munich, and I tend to agree with its verdict.
Nobody was perfect and quite a lot was out of reach.
Thank you Mr. Beavers. I have greatly enjoyed several of your books.
You could read "The Second World War" by a dude named Churchill. It lays out the case pretty clearly.
Churchill is one of the major authors that use Neville Chamberlain as a sin eater. Much better historiography when you have access to documents that was covered by the official secrets act.
You have a real hard-on for rehabilitating Neville, going so far as to grapple with Anthony Beavers. Regardless of the details, the UK and France had a much better shot at stopping Hitler in Czecho than a year later in Poland. Besides, there are reliable reports that Hitler's military staff was about to assassinate him on the eve of the invasion of Czecho, but their plans were aborted when Neville, sua sponte, offered to let Hitler have western Czecho without a fight.
Hi Stacy. First, just a quick point of clarification: I believe you are confusing the commenter above (Anthony Beavers) with Sir Antony Beevor, the world-renowned British military historian who wrote Stalingrad and D-Day. Sir Antony spells his surname B-e-e-v-o-r. Furthermore, the real Antony Beevor is a master of archival research and military logistics; he understands the brutal math of supply chains and would certainly not argue that a modern army can fight without one, nor would he misrepresent the codified realities of French Bataille Méthodique doctrine. Even if it were him, the physical limitations of 1938 remain the same.
However, speaking as an academic, even if I were debating Sir Antony Beevor himself, I would still push back just as hard. In historiography, a credential is only worth the paper it's printed on if the arguments hold up to scrutiny. It gets you a hearing, but it doesn't bend physics.
To your main point: I don't have a "hard-on for rehabilitating Neville." Chamberlain was a highly competent financial manager who suffered from a profound lack of imagination. His fatal flaw was treating a messianic zealot like a rational rival businessman. He wasn't a hero. But pointing out that he was trapped by the physical realities of 1938—no radar, no Spitfires, a deeply divided Canadian parliament, and a French military physically incapable of rapid offensive action—is not rehabilitation; it's just acknowledging historical logistics instead of relying on the post-Dunkirk myth of "cowardice."
Regarding the 1938 assassination plot (the Oster Conspiracy): you are absolutely correct that General Oster and Halder had a nascent plan to overthrow Hitler if the Sudeten crisis led to war. But banking the survival of the British and French empires on the hope that a handful of German generals might successfully assassinate their wildly popular dictator is catastrophic grand strategy.
What happens if Chamberlain declares war and the coup fails (which was highly likely, given the failure of the July 20 plot years later)? Britain and France would suddenly be trapped in an offensive war they were entirely unequipped to fight, with an unmobilized Commonwealth, obsolete aircraft, and a besieged Czech army they had zero geographic ability to resupply. Statecraft and war are governed by industrial math, slipway economics, and domestic political consensus, not just hoping your enemy's staff officers do your job for you.
I thought I’d responded. Anyway, thanks for setting me straight on a number of things. I still think that my joke about Trump’s portraying Hitler and Chamberlain is apt and, if I may so, witty.
I most certainly stand corrected on numerous points. Thank you, Martin. But with all that aside, I stick by my little jape that Trump played the parts of Hitler (threatening, blustering, maximalist) and Chamberlain (surrendering in advance) in the same negotiation. I’ve never seen the like.
Evan’s new trilogy on the Third Reich details it all extremely clearly.
Nothing was done about the takeover of Czechoslovakia
I'd like to know more about that. Where can I find that information?
Try Robert Harris's treatment of the event in Munich - The Edge of War
just read their interminable comments (above) and then make up your own mind. I object to multiple repartees continuing on - especially when they are barely related to the subject of PK's post. They need to start their own Substacks and fight it out there.
"Chamberlain"
Prof Krugman's post of March 31 took its title and theme from Norman F. Dixon's 1976 book "On the Psychology of Military Incompetence". In the book, Dixon deals at length with the generals who were available to advise Chamberlain. They believed that real soldiers rode horses rather than driving tanks. They were unimpressed with Czechoslovakia's modern army and told Chamberlain that there was no possibility of resisting a German attack.
When Chamberlain succeeded Stanley Baldwin in 1937, he was widely regarded as a more warlike replacement. After the Munich event, he ordered an extensive rebuilding of British forces. The existence of Spitfire aircraft in 1940 was due to his backing of their development. He may not have been a Churchill but he was not as useless as he is often depicted.
My little joke was a reference to the Munich pact. No one thinks that went well for the UK or its PM.
I thought the same thing yesterday!
I thought Pakistan was the mediator who gave both parties the ultimatum of yes or no to the ceasefire conditions.
If so, I think we need a new analogy for that.
It was more like someone helping to break up a fight in an insane asylum.
I guess I'm the only who read in early March that the negotiators in Geneva, just before Feb 28, had received a proposal from Iran that was much better than anything Iran had proposed before and was not meant as final, but was for further negotiation. Does anyone else remember that, and which Substack reported it? Maybe we could compare that late-Feb proposal with yesterday's 10 points. Very similar, perhaps, except back then Iran couldn't even dream of being able to collect tolls on then-wide-open Hormuz?
I also remember this report but will have to try to find the source. When the US has negotiators who don’t know what they are doing and don’t make use of the staff who actually know something about the Middle East, this is what you get. I don’t think the Iranians will go for a Trump/Kushner resort on the Strait of Hormuz.
Thanks, Carol.
the Omanis said the amateur negotiators, jared and witkoff, misunderstood the Iranians
Heather Cox Richardson said basically the same thing yesterday. That they didn't understand the language of diplomacy, because they are not experienced diplomats.
Why are they even doing negotiations? All they’re good for is building new hotels.. I don’t know why Rubio doesn’t speak out.. I didn’t always agree with him but at least when he was Senator he did agree that Russia did interfere with the 2016 elections.. He can forget about running for president in 2028!! Good riddance 🤡🤡
well jared is the sil and witless is a "friend" both are loyal. notice ruby no longer offers a biblical quote
Best comment I’ve seen since TACO’d last night!
Love your comment! Quite true.
Brilliant analysis, Stacy—and eminently quotable! <3
Schrödinger’s negotiation.
Excellent, Stacy1946!
Correction: Unpresidented
Never have so few, talked so truthfully about the Emporer's war on Iran.
And not in even a semi-good way!
Paul: I genuinely appreciate you.
Me, too!!!
Great commentary.
All the discerning Behnkes do 😄😉
Paul is wrong - o!
Dear Prof Krugman, I completely agree.
The problem with Mr Hegseth’s words is not that they are complete lies (which they obviously are) but the fact that he genuinely believes in them.
Hegseth is obviously correct that the US military is highly capable of blowing up and destroying just about anything it sets its sights on. But it stops there. When he conflates this with any idea that this is what constitutes winning a war, he is seriously misguided.
In military circles on this side of the Atlantic we refer to him as the Chief Boy Scout. God alone knows what your military call him, but I listened to American 4* General Ben Hodges last night as he openly wondered whether or not American troops would follow illegal orders. That is how bad things have got in the US. The rest of NATO just will not become involved in this utter moral depravity and injustice.
We sure all think the same. Ciao!
If you are American Luigi, I wish you luck. If you are not American, I also wish you luck. We are all going to need lots of luck to get through this shit show.
Dear Alastair, I am Italian, and yes, we all really need a lot of luck to fight all this kakistocracy off.
So I wish all the best to you too!
👍👍👍
I spent two very happy years based in Milano selling salmon to the likes of Esselunga in Roma, Euromercato, Standa (Berlusconi's old supermarket chain) and Gruppo GS for Ian Anderson, the singer with Jethro Tull. I loved everything about Italy - the people, the art, the architecture, the food the wine. Such a civilized country with such a deep love for the aesthetic.
Many thanks for your wonderful words! I lived in Milan for more than 20 years (first as a student and then working there). Probably/Hopefully I bought some of your salmon at Esselunga!!! I used to buy either the bio (organic) one or the raw (Smokeye) one. I left Milan 20 years ago circa and now live in southern Italy… I wish you all the best! 💪💪💪
heggie says the boy scouts are too woke
We are all too woke for Hogsbreath.
Gengis khan was too woke for Hegseth.
You'd believe it too if your brain was pickled in bourbon the way his is.
"The problem with Mr Hegseth’s words is not that they are complete lies (which they obviously are) but the fact that he genuinely believes in them."
Interesting. In common English, a lie is an assertion believed by the speaker to be untrue, and uttered with the intent to deceive the listener.
Therefore, Mr Hegseth’s words cannot be lies if he genuinely believes in them.
Is that possibly different in Italian?
You are correct about what constitutes a lie. There is a different word for a statement uttered by a speaker indifferent to it's truth value: "bullshit." That explains Trump. Hegseth is a whole 'nother matter.
I think the right word for Hegseth is Deluded. That is when everyone knows something is not the truth but you believe it anyway.
Hi Rainer, I’m not sure but I think it’s the same also in Italian.
Probably the problem lies with the fact that both in US and Italy we believe that when the Defence Secretary (pardon… the War Secretary) speaks in these important times we all assume he should say the truth.
What about?
Ciao!
I’m not sure what he believes…
How ‘bout he believes he’s a brilliant military strategist and God’s gift to women?
I have no idea what goes on in his mind actually.
Visualize an unending river of pus…
"What about?"
Of course it should be obvious that the whole of the Trump administration consists of evil scum. Trump voters may be too simple-minded to understand what they're doing, but Trump's henchmen cannot be afforded that excuse.
I'm not too sure about Hegseth though. I find this perennially drunk troglodyte thoroughly repugnant, but that doesn't mean he's a liar. Not all evil requires dishonesty, and he may well fall into that category.
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation, is among possible events". Jefferson
Hi! The last poll on Trump’s approval is 18% (some days ago, now it’s probably even lower). The Iranian war is also very unpopular
Ciao!
-18% (difference between approve and disapprove) unfortunately. 40% of Americans still support trump.
No no… 18% favourable, 82% unfavourable… 😃🤗🤗
🤗🤗
I agree that were Mr Hegseth speaking only for himself, his statements would be delusions rather than lies. But, unfortunately, Mr Hegseth speaks for an administration, which knows that what he is saying is false.
Nonsense
I cry horseshit on his beliefs since they are totally incongruent with his former “values”. He’s just another turncoat. opportunist.
You'd think among 330 million Americans the nation could find a military leader smart enough not to believe her own lies.
You don’t know what he genuinely believes in except money. He is getting rich off this war.
And dead drunk on top of all that.
Ouch, Rob! Ouch! Methinks a spineless puff of wind will not stay too long. And that's alright.
A spineless puff of wind is just a fart without a brain.
The fact that the senate confirmed Hegseth, and the rest of the complete incompetents and freaks in the cabinet, permanently stains the reputation of the senate and calls into question the basic structure of the US government.
he, that macho blowhard, has his own Pentagon, make-up room
You will read lots of “analysis” today. Consider these points:
Trump won on some dimensions. He was able to threaten “annihilation.” Without saying nukes, he sent the message. The Republican leadership and members gave him a pass. Congress remained in recess. He proved again that there is no meaningful opposition in his own party. He proved once again that Democratic leadership is neutered, too.
Trump also got Netanyahu to agree to the two week pause. Israel will press on in Lebanon, but Iran’s destruction is paused. Basically, a shrug from Netanyahu, but something.
Trump got the markets to improve, if only temporarily. He gets to declare a win there. And, he gets to spend two weeks manipulating markets through social media posts.
He keeps his bromance with Putin going. Chaos works for both of them. Trump has a desire for chaos and he’s given himself at least two more weeks of it to keep the Epstein mess at bay. Everyone will be guessing and asking “what’s next?” That’s Trump’s turf.
You make some solid points here, but make no mistake about it, The Trumpstein Files will continue to haunt him.
He can run but he can't hide. It will follow him wherever he goes till he goes into the ground. Epstein! Epstein! Epstein!
Right but exactly that is the problem. The cries haunting him should be corruption, destroyer of democracy, killer of thousands of human beings (not animals) by starting a war, destroyer of the environment and so on. Could it be that the US public (not to speak of the media) should review their priorities?
The priority is whatever it takes to overthrow this regime. The Trumpstein Files seem to provide the best bet to accomplish that. That's the reason they terrify him so much, and the reason we emphasize them.
Not that he shouldn't answer for all the other crimes you've enumerated above. He sure as hell should, and will, once we manage to extricate him from the Oval Office.
I see your point and I fully understand it.
Let's assume Trump is forced to leave the Oval Office maybe even before 2028. What will happen then? One third of the US population will still firmly believe that he is a first cousin of Jesus who was crucified by godless people. Two third will desperately believe that he was only an accident that will never happen again (just remember Nixon). They will proudly point to the system that was able to remove a sexual predator from office and they will be happy. And they'll mourn the brave soldiers who were killed in Trump's wars and they'll never talk about the people who were killed by the best and most powerful military on our side of the universe.
No president or DOJ will ever try to hold him accountable for anything because of the SCOTUS and even more important, because everybody will be terrified of being accused of a political witch hunt (just remember Merrick B. Garland). So everybody will talk about coming together and of the need to forgive and forget.
Nobody will talk about what's currently happening in the US: the attempt of a small class of billionaires to take over the country and to establish a pluto/kleptocracy comparable to Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and a lot of other countries. And nobody will talk about how the US political system made all this possible.
And then another guy will walk down a golden escalator ...
I don't believe that's the case. I don't believe that fully 1/3 of the country is that deeply enthralled in the MAGA cult. Maybe not even 1/4 at this point.
While it's true the Dems have been cowed since the St. Reagan "revolution", the tide is turning.
The next president and DOJ will be expected to exact justice. The next president will also be expected to overhaul the corrupted SCOTUS. Nobody will fear being accused of a political witch hunt, because the phrase has worn out it's power.
At this stage, most Americans are fully aware that we can't just continue with business as usual - because Trumpkopf so completely shattered that. Everybody is now talking about how the plutocrat/Epstein class has been taking over the country, and we're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore!
We need constitutional amendments, solid guardrails to make damned sure these kinds of abuses never happen again. Maybe, just maybe, we'll finally do away with that damned electoral college.
It took four decades, but America is finally starting to snap out of its 1980 coma and realizing that "trickle down" was a lie - and so was everything that went along with it.
I really hope you're right (but I don't think so) ...
butterfingers is hoping he will die before they are released
I think the Prime Minister of Spain got it exactly right in his statement that "The government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket".
I agree with you. What I mean by wins are wins in Trump’s mind. He won by not being impeached or removed by the 25th. He won by keeping Congress at bay. He won by giving himself another market manipulation windfall. He won by not having any Republicans seriously challenge him. In his game, he’s still winning. He’s president. He’s alive. His family is still making bank.
And Republicans will gush with pride and applaud his "bravery" and astute negotiating skill.
A perfect example:
Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota, gushed “I’m grateful for President Trump’s unwavering dedication to defending our country and holding our adversaries accountable” calling it “Peace through Strength leadership." (https://x.com/SenKevinCramer)
How Orwellian.
I call it "Peace through Terrorism."
In that sense yes.
Beautiful!
So completely and totally sick of anything and everything being so dependent on "the markets"! That is what is so wrong with this friggin' country--all we care about is money.
The markets are an indicator. They are going up rapidly today, but they went up yesterday also. No one believes Trump anymore. His threat of starting WWIII was outlandish, and Iran made it clear that everyone would suffer. They put thousands of people on the bridges just to taunt him.
Also, the Saudis have given up on Trump. They signed a deal with Ukraine for mutual aid. Ukraine will teach the Saudis how to defend themselves. Trump is now viewed as untrustworthy -- because he is.
That's only one of several deals that Ukraine has made in the region. The reports that I've seen claim that these are ten year contracts. Ukraine has sent some teams out to show them how to defend against the Iranian drones. Ukraine has lots of experience at that.
the saudis are as medieval as Iran - public executions via swords, killing journalista,
little fredom for women
Yes, but it's good for the Ukrainians to get some help buying weapons. They are also pulling back the money they promised to Trump, and probably Kushner, because they know they can't trust them.
Why not a "Wellness Index" or a "Satisfaction Index" as a measure of how well the country is doing instead? Why always is it how much richer the rich guys are getting???
Those two are over in Pakistan at the moment.
negotiating for a trump tower?
Well said ... the financialization of everything and the concentration of wealth in so few hands is precisely what lies at the rotten heart of America. What America cannot steal, control and dominate, you destroy and bomb.
But it should be recalled that so often when earthquakes or tsunamis hit any part of the world the first and largest team of helpers was usually the American one. America`s Marshall plan dragged Europe out of the morass of post-war Europe and America has presided over the many decades of peace we have enjoyed since then. The horror is that with all its laws and more lawyers than the rest of the world it has been unable to implement these laws to imprison Trump before he got near the White House. It has been unable to recognise that Trump is not only criminal but deranged That has to change if America is to regain any standing in the world. A president must not be above the law any more than a beggar is.
I know ... I worked in Africa in banking, agriculture and education; I worked at JPM 35 years ago. I worked with many fine Americans. I simply do not recognise what America has become ... it is heart breaking and fearful in equal measure.
Try living here.
I cannot think of a single friend in the UK or Europe who would like to Linda ... sorry. On the other hand, there are tens of thousands of Americans who have been applying for long stay visas here in the UK and in Europe. It is hard to get accurate data, but the best I can find suggest between 20 and 30,000 Americans applied for long stay visas last year and this year to date it is over 40,000. Come to Europe Linda ... some of your best engineers and scientists are finding new homes in our Universities; European schooling has its issues but it is a good deal better than America; maternity/infant mortality outcomes are far superior in Europe, and healthcare is free. The food is better and free from toxins (Potassium Bromate in dough, Titanium Dioxide which we use in paints but you use to whiten pastries and sauces, Azodicarbonamide, Propylparaben, BHA, growth hormones in your beef ... the list goes on). Sorry, I was originally an Agricultural and Food Chemist and we work hard in Europe and the UK to keep our food free of toxins. You guys don't seem to care.
Exactly.
Thank you Alastair. Unfortunately, your words are so true.
Enough is never enough for these goons.
"Enough" is an unknown concept.
Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little. Epicurus
'Fill the zone with shit', as Bannon infamously said. Who knows where this strategy can take Trump and his goons. The media can't resist the lure of hyperbole; criticism of the lies no longer gets any traction - he's told so many lies and got away with it, you can't shame him; genuine opponents have to take the bait and assume he's being serious in case he is and they didn't call him out on it; so the whole thing can be run over and over again, without end.
You’re too hard on the Democrats. They’ve been all over the news blasting Trump and the GOP. Being in the minority, that’s all they can do.
I understand, but…
“They” are fractured. Yes, some are all over the news. Yes, they are in the minority in Congress. However, I could imagine a leadership team that put together a bigger, better, louder, more powerful message across all of media. Where are the local town halls? Where are the candidates being developed and supported in red counties? Schumer and Jeffries and the DNC are doing too little.
Dems in red counties need to build their own base.
Having Schumer and Jeffries as loud leaders would actually hurt the process.
You want to have a town hall? Pull it together yourself.
> He proved once again that Democratic leadership is neutered, too.
Do you folks get a gold star or something every time you bothsides an issue?
Democratic leadership cannot do anything substantive. Literally nothing, now, when Congress is not in session and they have no power to change that. And when they talk, nobody reports it. And somehow people like you expect them to magically do… something. What? Do you expect the minority leader to grab two guns and start shooting up the White House? That’s the only thing that would put them back in the news.
But no. There is nothing in particular you expect from them. You have just decided that Democrats must be terrible or they would have stopped all this and made the world perfect. And because those are your expectations, you will continue to help the Republicans retain power. Well done.
trump has been playing 5 dimensional Chutes and Ladders. Even if the points you make are valid - at what cost? $1b/d, most of our arsenal gone, exposure as a paper tiger, hatred from the rest of the world, ad nauseam. He's the bully in the sandbox who destroys or bankrupts everything he touches. When you break something why give you credit for fixing it badly at huge expense? I won't be surprised if Iran starts filing law suits in New York or the Hague for reparations and punishment.
I'm going to summarize the situation just to make sure I understand what I've read so far about the Iran war.
Today there are cells of Islamic Revolutionary Guards scattered throughout the mountains of Iran with cheap drones and shoulder fired missiles able to disrupt shipping and air traffic throughout the Persian Gulf.
Trump is asking the Iran central command to reign in these cells so shipping through the straits can resume. Unfortunately the Iranian central military command is dead.
The Trump administration has complained NATO allies are not helping. But it's not clear to me what NATO allies could do: A prolonged Viet Nam style guerrilla war in the mountains of Iran would make the situation worse.
The "10 point plan" put forward by Iranian political leaders is not really a plan, but rather just the Iranian politicians' assessment of the situation. Since there is no one able to command the armed Iranian cells to stand down, there is little scope for negotiating anything else.
This means that the US military will leave, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards will collect tolls on Persian Gulf traffic, will rebuild Iran, will recruit new leaders, and so be even stronger (and more aggrieved) than they were before.
Am I missing something?
Fine, but your former allies think America is a dangerous rogue state now. America is truly alone in the World, which ironically is the isolationist state MAGA wanted in the first place. There are some of us Liberals in Europe secretly cheer MAGA ... we think a World with a reduced and chastened America will be a better, less violent and more moral place.
I disagree. These "wins" you list are not wins. They are mostly just resetting the clock back several weeks. Republicans haven't changed at all, Netanyahu hasn't changed and the markets are back to where they were.
markets are not back and fuel is still expensive and there are only 2 weeks before he changes his little mind again
I think Trump and Putin are in constant communication. I think Putin possessed the Iran plans stolen in 2021. I think Putin and China stepped up pressure on Iran to take the ceasefire. And I think Vance and Trump stepped up their campaign for Victor Orban. The ceasefire right before the Orban election serves Putin. Orban inhibits European funding of Ukraine.
⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️Guess what!⁉️⁉️⁉️ The New York Times put out enlightening article about the run up to Trump's war on Iran. Apparently, he was told all the potential pitfalls but insisted on going ahead. For gift Link, click here.
https://kathleenweber.substack.com/p/gift-link-how-trump-took-the-us-to
I am surprised. I am so frustrated and fed-up with the Times as they refuse to acknowledge Trump's cognitive decline.
The major media outlets have to go with certifiable facts. They've had lots of opinion pieces speculating on his cognition, but it can't be reported as fact. We should appreciate the distinction. It's important.
DIDN'T STOP THEIR SPECULATION ABOUT BIDEN, DID IT?
I don’t remember speculation until very late in the day, after the debate.
Plus the NYT article I think she’s referring to doesn’t speculate that Trump has dementia.
Really, it’s not important. The fact is, he threatened war, crimes. Who needs “certification”?
I do not care about his cognition, his nonexistent morality and ethics, his psychiatric state, his upbringing, his feeble justifications, his political enablers, the pundits cheap opinions, or the oligarchical press pretense of “fairness” towards him. They only play at fairness for the rich and powerful. Where’s the fairness for the thousands hurt or killed in this Epstein distraction/ oil grab? The little girls whose school was bombed?
The article doesn’t mention cognitive decline.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html
It was obvious from the beginning that Bibi played Trump into this war. He probably told Trump they would erect a golden statue of him in Tehran.
A life sized Trump sitting on a golden calf would be appropriate, on many levels.
Or sitting on a golden toilet.
I wonder who the unnamed source was...speculation is Vance. He might see his opening in that Trump is scaring the shit out of a lot of his supporters. Conspiracy theories are great money spinners, but threatening nuclear war is going a bit too far.
My understanding was there was a variety of sources, especially since the article describes an initial meeting with Netanyahu that Vance did not attend.
Thanks, amazing. So all those cited are culprits too.
Of course he was. And of course he didn't care. This shouldn't surprise anyone.
he wanted to be in the big boy club of dictators
Thanks for the gift article.
He wasn’t chastened by Covid, where his ignorance killed 1.2 million people. He won’t be chastened by this.
Second biggest story of the day was the GOP losing 23 points off its 2024 margin in GA 14, one of America’s reddest districts. The natives are restless—even the maga natives.
It was an r +37 district. It was never going to flip. Losing by 14 suggests bad things for a ton of House members in r+10 or less districts
The GOP is going to lose the senate too. One Big Beautiful Blue Tsunami.
As long as there's a free and fair election. I'm worried ...
Yeah, the GOP is hard at work trying to rig it. At least their attempt to gerrymander more insanely than usual backfired. It's also another good reason to promote a massive turnout - too massive to overcome with rigging.
It's really difficult to predict. There's a whole lot of voters who don't seem to "see the light" while staring directly into the sun. Absent a huge shift, where the oligarchs start noticing the pitchforks and guillotines, and directing their media toadies to change the message to the cult, there may not be a big shift.
That's true, but I believe the tide is turning. His poll number just keep going down. The No Kings protests have been very visible, and people are noticing. The crimes of ICE have also been all too noticable. And now this insanity with Iran? There's change in the air. Big change.
Yes, I’m disappointed in that one. A whole bunch of Republicans were on Harris‘s side, but apparently they weren’t able to completely sway the outcome. I don’t know if they came out strongly for him publicly, after he declined a switch to Republican, but I guess this swing in the percentage is worth something.
Well, another big story of the day was that support for Israel has tanked amongst both Republicans and Democrats. https://clashreport.com/world/articles/pew-poll-dislike-of-americans-for-israel-netanyahu-rising-sharply-c70ia3ssu6q
Yes and th Israel criticism of Likud seems to be coming from the right
Say this over and over and over again -- we were led by The Republican Party. Elected Republicans in Washington have stood by, stuffed their morals, ethics, and common sense into garbage bags and watched all of this unfold. Looking to the future, we don't want same circus, different clowns. The entire National Republican Party needs to have the circus tent collapse around it.
Here's an expansion on the comment
Say this over and over and over again -- we were led by The Republican Party. Elected Republicans in Washington have stood by, stuffed their morals, ethics, and common sense into garbage bags and watched all of this unfold. Looking to the future, we don't want same circus, different clowns. The entire National Republican Party needs to have the circus tent collapse around it.
The Republican party has been captured by the angertainment industry. Angertainment is typically labeled as right wing or conservative media. These terms, when used to identify angertainment providers, constitute deceptive misrepresentation.
Angertainment is an industry that reaps very large profits by generating extremely engaging, non-verified, news-like content. Angertainment providers package it skillfully, accompany it with extraordinary amounts of highly engaging angry opinion and rhetoric, and amplify it via social media.
The angertainment industry has created a product that is addictive. The core constituency of the current Republican Party is comprised of voters who are long-time angertainment consumers who believe what they hear and see.
The impact of angertainment in American society to amplify divisive political discourse, promote conspiracies, and engage in character assassination. The “engagement” of their audience (the Republican “base”) produces tremendous profits. The process results in civic pollution; a residue sludge of toxic partisanship that has turned the United States into a Hazardous Political Waste Site.
I encourage you to visit www.angertainment.info for more about angertainment and ridgekennedy.com for The Field Manual for Discouraged Democrats.
Interesting perspective. 🤔
Incapable of learning. Incapable of introspection. And incapable of running anything more complicated than a telephone. The US absolutely needs to turn Trump, Hegseth, and the rest over to the ICC.
And we need to charge and arrest all the other members of this, the most openly corrupt administration in history.
And add most republicans and democrats in Congress. We need to tear down this horrible system that gave us Trump and build it back up.
Replace "Trump" with "Biden" in your statement, and you have exactly what MAGA has been shouting. That's not the solution.
One additional comment, George. MAGA has no interest in the building back up part.
You can add Biden to it also. Our system is failing the majority of the population. I am not advocating for a French Revolution style change to our institutions. We need to get big money out of our politics. And a fine-tuning of our constitution may be sufficient. I have too much respect for Edmund Burke to do otherwise.
we're americans we don't farm out our justice to feckless foreigeners - we'll hang them ourselves
How’s the cat doing?
Best comment yet.
It is a matter of genuine concern. How about a brief update?
Obama had Iran's nuclear program under close control and surveillance, Iran's oil industry operating under heavy sanctions, Iran largely isolated and friendless, and the Straight of Hormuz fully open for business without threat or the Iranian's charging a toll for safe passage. Oh, and Russian energy exports were heavily sanctioned by the US and our allies. We looked like the world's strongest, most competent, and capable power having achieved this outcome. Then, of course, Trump marches in and tears the whole thing up.
Fast forward to today. Iran's nuclear program is intact and now unfettered, the Straight is open only to those ships paying them for safe passage, America has demonstrated that its massive military can be countered by cheap drones and threats to its economy, Russian gas and oil is flowing at windfall profit and without sanctions, Iranian energy and drone exports are now highly sought after and available without sanction, America has fully sundered its alliances and credibility, we've thoroughly embarrassed and disgraced ourselves with boasts and threats of war crimes, we've got 13 dead service members and hundreds wounded, we've put untold additional billions on a credit card for our children to deal with, many of our aircraft and ships have been damaged or destroyed, our stockpiles of multi-million dollar missiles are depleted, and the US dollar is now in jeopardy as the sole currency used in the global oil trade.
Congratulations to Trump, Hegseth, the Banana-Republican Party, and all of those who supported and enabled them on this clear, humiliating, and crushing defeat.
The complete downfall of the American empire won’t happen with just one event. But this one is a huge one. Paul: you forgot to include in your peice how ‘allies’ also let the US go this completely alone owning nothing of this failure. Not only did the US lose the war but it lost its friends. I say it’s time the UN start to look elsewhere for UN headquarters. Montréal would be wonderful.
Ditch the "security" council in the move.
The UN certainly needs reforms too.
The emperor truly has no clothes.
And he needs to be hosed off because he's caked in poo
Watching Hegseth make a fool out of himself -- again -- with his disgusting god-praising stupidity, I was once again reminded of why I'm an atheist.
Theocrats always claim that gawd's silence is tacit approval of their actions. If only deities showed up once in a while to set things straight. If only. Deity is probably too busy partying with the Easter Bunny.
You'll notice that the deities invoked do not make an appearance when things go awry. For instance:
in sports: "God tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage" or
in politics: "God made me lose the election."
Ares vs Athena showed up in the ME -Athena was ignored
God help us is right. Trump needs to be removed before he really does something catastrophic, and which is likely as he deteriorates mentally, which is happening rapidly.
Any particular god in mind, or will any deity do?
All hail Jupiter, bringer of light!
HAIL! HAIL!!
Yup, the Doha Agreement; ironically, also signed by Trump was a surrender agreement; this is in a class of its own—and this war is far from over.