Politics

[Red Leg]

Nice bit of showmanship which no other president would have done. Whether a positive or negative influence on the negotiations - who knows. But very clever showmanship.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1956435809189478527

 

[Wheels]

American power on an American AFB in the former Russia. Definitely a play on optics.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Nice bit of showmanship which no other president would have done. Whether a positive or negative influence on the negotiations - who knows. But very clever showmanship.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1956435809189478527

The CNN panel of experts including Rahm Emanuel and John Bolton all in a tizzy that Trump is letting Putin see all of our secrets up close. And how Putin was allowed in the beast.

 

[Wheels]

The CNN panel of experts including Rahm Emanuel and John Bolton all in a tizzy that Trump is letting Putin see all of our secrets up close. And how Putin was allowed in the beast.

 

[Newboomer]

The CNN panel of experts including Rahm Emanuel and John Bolton all in a tizzy that Trump is letting Putin see all of our secrets up close. And how Putin was allowed in the beast.

I'd say that is a subtle warning to Putin that he better not mess with us and our capabilities.

 

[The creed]

@Longwalker , you holding any Rugers that you're too embarrassed to own anymore? Perhaps I could set you free.

After all, we are here to help, lol

 

[Brent in Az]

Should have told Putin the B-2 was on it's way to the Kremlin with a load of MOP's.....lol.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

What were the first two words of my response?

WHAT IF?

My point being WHAT IF the things you had been taught were wrong, and pertinent facts had been purposely left out?

It astounds me that people can't grasp basic fundamentals of logic and reason.

Bullseye!

 

[Tanks]

I am of two minds about this summit. It is good to have dialogue. However, Putin has not changed his demands since the invasion.
Also, I tell all my sales guys never to negotiate against themselves as they'd be taken to the cleaners. It seems we are going to this meeting after having capitulated to Putin's demands of Ukraine's territory.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

When is our President going to realize Putin is always and ever just blowing smoke up his ass?

 

[Tbitty]

There is a rather important figure missing from the meeting today to expect a deal to be reached. .. perhaps we give the Ukrainian president a chance to weigh in before we call today a failure.

The above post sounds eerily similar to the MSM calling Joe Biden the clear debate winner while he was being laughed out of the race...

Of course, it's possible the meeting wil ultimately prove fruitless, but I at least want to let it marinate when no one except the 6 people in the room know exactly what was said.

 

[Scott CWO]

Two of the funnier comments I read about the summit elsewhere:

“Super cool watching the man leading America meeting Trump.”

“Couldn’t we just roll them both up in the red carpet and throw them in the river?”

I thought they were funny.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

Did Churchill or Roosevelt say about Hitler "He's a smart guy. We get along. Good respect."

I view Putin in the same vein. Do I want Trump to talk shit? No. But I think there is ground between there and kissing his ass.

To be fair Churchill and Roosevelt never had a chance to negotiate anything with Hitler so we can’t know what they would or wouldn’t have said. I will also point out that both were very careful to not insult Stalin who deserved as much disdain as Hitler. Roosevelt also was said to have mocked Churchill on occasion for the amusement of Stalin. I think Churchill was even a better leader than Roosevelt but such is realpolitik.

I think the reality is that this war has very few similarities to WWII. The US is not directly engaged and there will be no unconditional surrender by Russia. Best case scenario is Russia pulling out of Ukraine but barring complete economic collapse or an internal coup, I don’t think that is realistic.

I think a negotiated settlement is probably how this ends. The question is what that looks like. Putin needs something that can be spun as a victory inside Russia. I think Trump would have a better hand if he had kept up the weapons to Ukraine.

Unfortunately for Ukraine, they have less of a hand. I don’t think they will be able to negotiate a total Russian retreat and they will probably get stuck with whatever the US and Russia negotiate. If they don’t, Trump will have a justification to pull out completely and say “well, I tried.”

I think the real problem is that there’s no satisfactory way out of this. The US doesn’t want to directly fight the war (20 years in Afghanistan followed by a humiliating evacuation burned the voters out and the longer this war goes on the more people will want to abandon it), Ukraine doesn’t want to give up territory to an aggressor (which is completely understandable), and, as a dictator, Putin can’t appear weak or else he risks being overthrown.

Which I guess is a lot to say that while I agree that Trump shouldn’t be kissing Putin’s ass, I do think that negotiations were inevitable and probably necessary.

 

[spike.t]

As I said played into putins hands...being allowed back onto the big stage etc etc etc....

Trump and Putin Alaska summit: Five takeaways from the meeting

With no ceasefire and an invitation to Moscow, the US and Russia's meeting yields more questions than answers.

bbc.com

No Ukraine ceasefire but a PR victory for Putin: key takeaways from Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian president

Fighting set to continue in Ukraine while US and Russian leaders cling to old grievances and exchange warm words

www.theguardian.com

 

[Betterinthebush]

I’m dubious of any headlines by any media source. Unfortunately, if forced between choosing the lies of the politicians or the lies of the media, I’ve found that the lying words of the politicians are easier to digest because I at least expect them to lie.

The real meeting was taking place somewhere else between Rubio and Lavrov. Trump and Putin had a good time playing redirect for the lathered up, panting media to pay attention to while the lieutenants got the real work done. Always watch the other hand.

 

[RLD]

I’m dubious of any headlines by any media source. Unfortunately, if forced between choosing the lies of the politicians or the lies of the media, I’ve found that the lying words of the politicians are easier to digest because I at least expect them to lie.

The real meeting was taking place somewhere else between Rubio and Lavrov. Trump and Putin had a good time playing redirect for the lathered up, panting media to pay attention to while the lieutenants got the real work done. Always watch the other hand.

Actually, as I understand it, all six men were in the same room together. There was not somewhere else meeting.

 

[Altitude sickness]

“No deal until there is a deal”

Putin thought he could demand concessions without a cease fire.

Putin thought Trump needed any sort of deal more than he.

So what we all want to know now is, When are the 3rd party sanctions on Russian oil happening.

 

[Tanks]

So what we all want to know now is, When are the 3rd party sanctions on Russian oil happening.

We’ll TACO and get back to you on that. After making statements like “ a productive meeting “ etc. I doubt any sanctions will happen.

Trump rates Putin summit a '10 out of 10' and touts 'very good progress' toward peace

Trump and Putin hold productive Alaska summit on Ukraine conflict, agreeing on many points but acknowledging couple of big issues remain unresolved.

www.foxnews.com

“Speak loudly, and carry a tiny stick.”

From that article:

Putin stated during the press conference that he "can confirm" President Trump's previous statements that a war would not have broken out under the Trump administration. Trump told Fox News he believes it happened under the Biden administration due to "gross incompetence."


"I love seeing this country be great again and Vladimir said just a little while ago, he said, 'I've never seen anybody do so much so fast.' He said, 'Your country is like... hot as a pistol,' and a year ago, he thought it was dead. Everybody thought it was dead," Trump said.

Putin played Trump’s ego like a fiddle.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Actually, as I understand it, all six men were in the same room together. There was not somewhere else meeting.

Well, actually, my sources told me that there was a second meeting. And after it was concluded Rubio and Lavrov went out for drinks to wind down @ The Alaska Bush Club.

lol! We don’t have the faintest idea what really happened regardless of any written reported words. Including any report from a press secretary from any country.

In fact, my speculating has just as good a chance of being accurate measured against any agency reporting on the issue. 50/50.

 

[spike.t]

New Orleans mayor and bodyguard lover charged with fraud and corruption

Prosecutors accuse LaToya Cantrell of conspiring with her protection cop to pay him for personal liasons.

www.bbc.com