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[iammeiam]

So he's basically ignoring over half of his war cabinet?

I kind of get the impression he wanted his cabinet as a thing to show off. Look at all these immensely wealthy and powerful people who now work for Trump! Generals, billionaire CEOs, yada yada all united until the greatest, strongest, bestest leadership our country has ever seen!

I don't think he understands that he's supposed to listen to them on things he wants to do, so much as he views them as buffing his reputation and taking care of the parts he doesn't care about.

 

[Dr.Acula]

I really want a reporter to ask Trump if he plans on reopening the 38 billion dollar, decade-long military aid package with Israel. He's gotta flub that response, right?

 

[Dude Abides]

I just wish the stakes were lower because this ridiculous shitshow is entertaining as hell.

 

[Ecotic]

I'd be seriously pissed if I was Secretary of State and was overruled on foreign policy by anyone other than the President.

 

[Wag]

Pride comes before the fall....

It's gonna be a spectacular fall.

Huge.

 

[Dr.Acula]

I just wish the stakes were lower because this ridiculous shitshow is entertaining as hell.

That was The Apprentice.

 

[sir_kevith]

The funny thing about Trump and how he treats his people is he constantly passes the buck or even throws his own people into the fray.

He'll play victim and say "Mattis thought it was a good idea" or something and try to put accountability on someone else. He's done this a few times already and they must start sweating when this happens.

 

[Beartruck]

It's pretty amusing how Tillerson is turning out to be one of the better Cabinet picks considering the reasonable misgivings people had about him at the start.

Absolutely insane. 2 weeks ago we thought he was a corrupt russian stooge, and it turns out hes one of the only sane men in the room.

 

[Ithil]

Somehow the oil tycoon is the good guy in this particular story. How low can they go?

 

[Lautaro]

Absolutely insane. 2 weeks ago we thought he was a corrupt russian stooge, and it turns out hes one of the only sane men in the room.

He can be both. Everyone looks sane compared to Trump.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Basically this; everyone Trump picks is suspect, Tillerson was well deserving of scrutiny and skepticism, but it is on some level reassuring to know the adults trying to protect some semblance of a functional government viewed him as a more likely ally against Trump's craziness.

Yeah, after hearing the leak that said Tillerson was side-swiped by Trumps Muslim ban, and that Tillerson was against Flynn, I've kinda done a 180 of him. He may have done business with Russia, but seeing as Tillerson is an actual business man, that was probably just business.

 

[Host Samurai]

There must be huge egos in that cabinet.

 

[Steel]

Absolutely insane. 2 weeks ago we thought he was a corrupt russian stooge, and it turns out hes one of the only sane men in the room.

I said it at the time: As bad as Tillerson is, he's probably one of Trump's sanest picks. He's terrible, but we weren't getting better.

 

[Kusagari]

You don't get to be CEO of a company like Exxon by embracing dysfunction like Trump does. I'm not surprised Tillerson is getting pissed at Trump's randomness and chaos.

 

[Seik]

Guys, guys.

That's fake news, don't you understand that?

The leaks? They're real, but the news is fake, illegaly obtained and confidential. You weren't supposed to know that. The people that leaked these confidential information should be ashamed, sad!

You guys need to be more straight and fair with the president, the tone here is so aggresive. He's doing such a good job so far.

Spoiler

/SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[Hyperactivity]

oh Tillerson was a sane one.

oh...

 

[Buddha Beam]

Well, I have to give credit to Tillerson – at least he's trying to do a good job and not blow the world up.

 

[Steel]

oh Tillerson was a sane one.

oh...

Relative to Trump. But I've been saying this this whole time. Tillerson was literally the best pick that Trump had any sort of chance of picking. Which doesn't say much, of course.

 

[McLovin]

Really seems like the whitehouse is full of like minded batshit people. And the only ones that are even remotely qualified(I use qualified loosely here) are just in awe of what's going on around them. He should probably bail, but I'm guessing that position is too important for him to just leave.

 

[TheOddOne]

Discussions are ongoing about several other spots, with White House officials weighing whether to approve the hires, several sources say. While he’s been away, White House staff has been interviewing potential State Department staffers, including Fox News anchor Heather Nauert, who visited the White House this week and is under consideration to serve as Tillerson’s spokeswoman, according to two West Wing sources.

Wat.

The Strategic Initiatives Group, a new group in the West Wing led by Kushner and White House senior adviser Steve Bannon, has been set up to serve as a shadow National Security Council, which worries Edelman and other mainstream conservative foreign policy and defense experts concerned about the outsize influence of less experienced ideologues like Bannon ally Sebastian Gorka.

Wat.

According to one source familiar with Priebus’ list, hedge fund manager and campaign bundler Lew Eisenberg will be named ambassador to Italy; Duke Buchan, another Wall Street financier who was among the earliest to bet big on Trump, will be ambassador to Spain; and Georgette Mosbacher, an entrepreneur and Fox News contributor, is likely to serve as ambassador to either Luxembourg or Belgium.

Wat.

 

[Tommy DJ]

It's pretty amusing how Tillerson is turning out to be one of the better Cabinet picks considering the reasonable misgivings people had about him at the start.

For someone who was CEO of a company literally the size of a small country, they'd have enough humility and intellectual curiosity to understand when they're out of depth. And when you're out of your depth, you start learning and ask for help so you can at least try and do a competent job. He could be corrupt as fuck but he definitely doesn't seem to be the sort of guy who'd openly threaten the international community and proudly air their corruption. That shit just makes everyone nervous for no reason.

Donald Trump could actually be an alright president. He has insane support from his supporters and he also has majorities in both the senate and house. But he's got an ego larger than the sun that prevents him from doing anything but running the government like his pretty underwhelming businesses.

 

[thecouncil]

It seems like he doesn't understand what his Cabinet actually does just that he needed to pick them.

 

[Morat]

you can bet your ass a war would be unpopular with the us (citizens) as well no matter how much shit talking we do

Really? The US tends to go full military fascist circle-jerk whenever a war is in the offing. All the news channels start on the wonders of the american military machine and anyone complaining gets called a traitor.

 

[Tovarisc]

Muppet's Cabinet is trying to do damage control, run the US and maintain global relationships, but Muppet keeps going for their knees at every turn with his rhetoric. Even Pence just now went on record about how US stands firmly by EU and NATO while Muppet still sticking to ambassador pick who is on record about wanting to see EU grumble.

 

[thefro]

For someone who was CEO of a company literally the size of a small country, they'd have enough humility and intellectual curiosity to understand when they're out of depth. And when you're out of your depth, you start learning and ask for help so you can at least try and do a competent job. He could be corrupt as fuck but he definitely doesn't seem to be the sort of guy who'd openly threaten the international community and proudly air their corruption. That shit just makes everyone nervous for no reason.

Tillerson actually started out as a production engineer at Exxon. He's not someone who's only been a fatcat his entire life.

I don't like the Russia stuff and him being a big oil CEO, but you don't get promoted from within a company all the way to the top from an entry-level position by being incompetent.

 

[Dehnus]

Absolutely insane. 2 weeks ago we thought he was a corrupt russian stooge, and it turns out hes one of the only sane men in the room.

It just shows how far you slid down in 2 weeks. See how it is in 2 weeks from now, when he insulted Belgium by "calling the Atomium Fake news" or "It's a shame folks, that thing? it can't exist, and just like their fries? THEIR FRIES!? The best fries are in Trump Towers folks, and we sure invented the Freedom Fries, I thus call for a bann on all fries from Belgium until these EU hosting surrender monkeys give us a formal apology for inviting Australia and not the USA to the Eurovision. Everybody knows I would have made a better Song Contest, like sure classy with loads of gold things people like. Also what is this about Denmark not being the Capital of the Netherlands? the EU failing already as Denmark Succeeds from it's own country? See folks" and he'll go on for about 4 hours longer like that .

Soon he'll break the records set by Castro for longest speeches .

 

[Dehnus]

Really? The US tends to go full military fascist circle-jerk whenever a war is in the offing. All the news channels start on the wonders of the american military machine and anyone complaining gets called a traitor.

Indeed remember "Freedom Fries" because the French said "NON!" to helping the US invade some country. Everybody in the USA outside of the Left wingers of the Democrats and independents.... will be putting up flags and saluting the Commander in Chief like no tomorrow when Trump declares war on Liechtenstein .... or some Island state in the pacific .

 

[Lord Frieza]

Pride comes before the fall....

It's gonna be a spectacular fall.

Depends on what fall we're talking about, Trump or America?

 

[Lord Frieza]

Really? The US tends to go full military fascist circle-jerk whenever a war is in the offing. All the news channels start on the wonders of the american military machine and anyone complaining gets called a traitor.

It's different. We've been through two draining, failed wars less than a decade ago, and this President has been the most divisive in the modern era of politics and is doing nothing to bridge any gaps. It's easy to forget, but Bush wasn't always hated and ridiculed. Pre-9/11 there really wasn't a lot of thought about him at that point in time outside bitterness from the left of him stealing the election, but that across the board disdain that came about was mainly because of the wars he started and failed.

Would there be a not insignificant amount of people who would rally around it? Sure, no doubt. But anyone who thinks starting a war is going to magically make everyone rally around Trump after all the things he's said and done? No way, not happening. If anything, I think it would probably just be even more dividing between the red and blue states.

 

[Barzul]

Can't wait for when Trump straight up tweets or says top secret info at a press conference or rally. Can see it happening for sure.

 

[Glix]

I kind of get the impression he wanted his cabinet as a thing to show off. Look at all these immensely wealthy and powerful people who now work for Trump! Generals, billionaire CEOs, yada yada all united until the greatest, strongest, bestest leadership our country has ever seen!

I don't think he understands that he's supposed to listen to them on things he wants to do, so much as he views them as buffing his reputation and taking care of the parts he doesn't care about.

This is an insightful post

 

[Quixzlizx]

Indeed remember "Freedom Fries" because the French said "NON!" to helping the US invade some country. Everybody in the USA outside of the Left wingers of the Democrats and independents.... will be putting up flags and saluting the Commander in Chief like no tomorrow when Trump declares war on Liechtenstein .... or some Island state in the pacific .

Freedom Fries was a joke to almost everyone in the US at the time, so let's not spread #FAKENEWS. Sad!

 

[Lord Frieza]

Freedom Fries was a joke to almost everyone in the US at the time, so let's not spread #FAKENEWS. Sad!

I wish I could agree, but it really wasn't. I mean, it wasn't nationally loved or whatever, but I remember there was a lot of people who were really into that. It was a big thing legitimately.

 

[Kusagari]

I wish I could agree, but it really wasn't. I mean, it wasn't nationally loved or whatever, but I remember there was a lot of people who were really into that. It was a big thing legitimately.

Mainly because Republicans actually pushed it as a serious issue.

Whole thing was stupid as hell.

 

[Pomerlaw]

Would there be a not insignificant amount of people who would rally around it? Sure, no doubt. But anyone who thinks starting a war is going to magically make everyone rally around Trump after all the things he's said and done? No way, not happening. If anything, I think it would probably just be even more dividing between the red and blue states.

That's exactly what Bannon wants.

 

[Quixzlizx]

I wish I could agree, but it really wasn't. I mean, it wasn't nationally loved or whatever, but I remember there was a lot of people who were really into that. It was a big thing legitimately.

Maybe it was a bigger thing in Hellholeville, Flyover Country? I'm pretty sure the only people I noticed who supported it where I was were Fox News employees and the loonier (at the time, it's certainly become a sliding scale) Republican congressmen.

 

[Lord Frieza]

Maybe it was a bigger thing in Hellholeville, Flyover Country? I'm pretty sure the only people I noticed who supported it where I was were Fox News employees and the loonier (at the time, it's certainly become a sliding scale) Republican congressmen.

It was huge at my school at the time, and I know a lot of people around there who were all about it. The McDs, I remember, asked people if they wanted freedom fries for awhile. I'm from TN, so yeah, pretty much Hellholeville, Flyover

 

[Steel]

Freedom Fries was a joke to almost everyone in the US at the time, so let's not spread #FAKENEWS. Sad!

Nah, people I knew were pretty serious about it. Deeply conservative folks jumped on that band wagon in all seriousness.

 

[VariantX]

Indeed remember "Freedom Fries" because the French said "NON!" to helping the US invade some country. Everybody in the USA outside of the Left wingers of the Democrats and independents.... will be putting up flags and saluting the Commander in Chief like no tomorrow when Trump declares war on Liechtenstein .... or some Island state in the pacific .

Support the Troops.

I fucking hated that phrase and the way it was used.

As if we're not allowed to question under what pretense that someone's family or friends may be making a return trip to the us in a box with a flag draped over it.

 

[chadskin]

[Mattis] pushed hard for Phillip Bilden’s appointment as Navy secretary

News: Am told by two people familiar with the matter that Navy Secretary nominee Philip Bilden is likely to withdraw - cld b this weekend.

https://twitter.com/majorcbs/status/832993108589686784

So much for that.

 

[Fancyarcher]

I wish I could agree, but it really wasn't. I mean, it wasn't nationally loved or whatever, but I remember there was a lot of people who were really into that. It was a big thing legitimately.

I never even knew the term freedom fries existed for a long time, cause they still called em French fries where I lived. Looking it up, it seems like the name "freedom fries", was pretty much only used in conservative south states, unsurprisingly.

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

It's different. We've been through two draining, failed wars less than a decade ago, and this President has been the most divisive in the modern era of politics and is doing nothing to bridge any gaps. It's easy to forget, but Bush wasn't always hated and ridiculed. Pre-9/11 there really wasn't a lot of thought about him at that point in time outside bitterness from the left of him stealing the election, but that across the board disdain that came about was mainly because of the wars he started and failed.

Would there be a not insignificant amount of people who would rally around it? Sure, no doubt. But anyone who thinks starting a war is going to magically make everyone rally around Trump after all the things he's said and done? No way, not happening. If anything, I think it would probably just be even more dividing between the red and blue states.

Not to mention 9/11 broke people because Americans weren't used to being attacked directly on our own land. That sheer society-wide mania has rather passed at this point.

Also even though Bush was a moron he at least could put on the airs of knowing what he was doing so Americans at the time put their trust in him. Trump has none of that, he's a ranting buffoon and no one feels safe around him aside from his brainwashed Nazi stooges.

 

[Gozan]

Absolutely insane. 2 weeks ago we thought he was a corrupt russian stooge, and it turns out hes one of the only sane men in the room.

In this administration, the best we can hope for is that an appointment is motivated merely by greed.

 

[norm9]

I never even knew the term freedom fries existed for a long time, cause they still called em French fries where I lived. Looking it up, it seems like the name "freedom fries", was pretty much only used in conservative south states, unsurprisingly.

So Cal restaurant i went to owned by conservative dude (Reagan's framed picture hung on the wall) or just a big Reagan fan had a sign for freedom fries after 9/11 and the last time I was there five(?) years ago, the sign was still up. I just called them fried though when I ordered them.