MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! ISIS DEFEATED!

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

So was I. I don't think those guys are operators.

- Doc

[_Chap]

So was I. I don't think those guys are operators.

- Doc

Perhaps the Seals had the nous to anticipate the inevitable Trump demand for a photo opportunity, and thus mounted a little deception operation as a counter ...

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

So was I. I don't think those guys are operators.

- Doc

Perhaps the Seals had the nous to anticipate the inevitable Trump demand for a photo opportunity, and thus mounted a little deception operation as a counter ...

Yeah, I mean if you look at the video you have guys wearing standard issue NODs, a couple of them have their rain gear thrown over their kits, and to be honest they just don't look like operators. I mean, look at the guy at :06 in the lower left-hand corner as he lines up for a handshake. That's not an operator. Lol. Everyone else in the chow hall are just regular jamokes. Video for those interested:

https://Twitter.com/Twitter/statuses/10 ... 0021544960

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

Pssssst just read a headline that says President and FLOTUS are going to Iraq to visit troops.

And in classic Trump form, he tweeted out the faces and uniform insignias of covert special forces members currently serving there.

Welp. I don't know if those were SEALS. Cam seems to have had something to say about that.

His trip was also prematurely "outed" on Flickr by a UK resident who snapped a pic of AF1 flying over the UK.

So. Anyway.

So far as I'm concerned President and FLOTUS did the right thing--boosting morale. Apparently the trip was 3-4 weeks in the making according to what I read.

In this case, Trump being Trump, I say well done.

[_Doctor Steuss]

Welp. I don't know if those were SEALS. Cam seems to have had something to say about that.

I was admittedly basing my outrage on a few articles that have popped up about it, and ashamedly didn't put much footwork into seeing if there was any validity. I let my "if it's bad, it must be true" bone get the best of me.

I defer to Cam.

[_Jersey Girl]

Welp. I don't know if those were SEALS. Cam seems to have had something to say about that.

I was admittedly basing my outrage on a few articles that have popped up about it, and ashamedly didn't put much footwork into seeing if there was any validity. I let my "if it's bad, it must be true" bone get the best of me.

I defer to Cam.

It's hard not to do. In this case, I say if Trump can get all gung ho with the troops, I'm all for it.

When I called him a coward twice in reference to visiting troops overseas, I had no way of knowing that a trip was in the works.

Turns out he's not the chicken I thought he was. I'm okay with admitting that.

[_Jersey Girl]

Q: Didn't Trump say at one point that he wanted to pay for the wall out of the defense budget and let the military build it or am I misremembering that altogether?

And if so, is pulling out of Syria freeing up funds?

This is much easier said than done, due to how appropriations and budgets work.

Stranger still is how the Base might accept this diversion of military funds after Trump’s bombastic statements about Mexico funding it.

Someone needs to hold a bake sale. I want to see who lines up to start throwing their money at this thing.

Here's an implication from Trump himself.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering using emergency powers which would allow him to use military funding to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, saying "I can do it if I want."

"We can call a national emergency because of the security ... I haven't done it. I may do it but we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly," he said during remarks in the White House Rose Garden.


https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics ... index.html

Whatcha think?

[_MeDotOrg]

Here's an implication from Trump himself.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering using emergency powers which would allow him to use military funding to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, saying "I can do it if I want."

"We can call a national emergency because of the security ... I haven't done it. I may do it but we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly," he said during remarks in the White House Rose Garden.


https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics ... index.html

Whatcha think?

I'm not sure this option plays out well for Trump. It certainly blows up any 'Mexico will pay for it' argument, no matter how convoluted. Whether his base will see this as an acceptable response to the 'emergency' at the border is anybody's guess. Donald Trump is stuck on the horns of a dilemma. The more he caters to his base, the more he solidifies the opposition against him and makes it more difficult for him to pick up support from moderates and independents.

And if he goes the national emergency route, the question then becomes why he let the government shutdown occur? Why didn't he do it like that in the first place and save the country a lot of time and expense? I would certainly go broke trying to predict Trump's behavior, but if he elects to go down this road it means he couldn't get what he wanted legislatively, and waited over 2 years into his Presidency to declare a 'national emergency'. If he doesn't feel he can get anything he can call a victory legislatively he may elect to do so, but it is an option of last resort.

In watching the President's future strategies, keep in mind the fact that he wants to keep the GOP Senators loyal if there is to be a trial in the Senate. He has an interesting dance to do.