The Odious Drumpf Saudi Debacle- Why No One Should Be Surprised By The Actions Of This Swine-in-Chief Traitor

Traitor Trump palsy-walsy with the murderous rogue Mohammed bin Salman.  As Michelle Goldberg put it, Trump is a 'supplicant' to the Saudis - not a master.

"We have a monster in the White House who lacks any empathy or honor!" - Janice, this morning.

"For fascist politics to take hold, we have to have a failure of our democratic culture. Fascism is ultranationalism, where the nation is defined in racial, ethnic, religious or perhaps cultural identity, and the nation is identified with one person: the leader, who is its voice. Fascist politics is tactics that exploit this kind of us/them distinction. Fascist politics might not result ultimately in a fascist state. But it's important to be attendant to the dangers because in and of itself, it breaks down the democratic culture."  Yale Prof. Jason Stanley, 'Can Fascism Happen In The U.S.?"

Let's leave aside for the moment that the foul fungal filth desecrating the People's House (the White House) has only in the past week: slimed former Navy Seal Adm. William McRaven for "not taking out Osama bin Laden fast enough",  this by a craven putz who 5 times used bone spurs to get out of service. He also declined to be present at a ceremony at an American cemetery in France honoring U.S. WWI war dead, and refused to join other leaders at another ceremony - because of the weather. While also earlier declaring he's a "nationalist".   But by now, why be surprised at anything this dishonorable narcissist authoritarian resident does?  Especially in his ongoing pandering to tyrants and autocrats.
  
In the wake of even the past week's events, many appear amazed that Dotard Drumpf has chosen to side with Saudi Arabia's  tyrant autocrat (Mohammed bin Salman) over his own CIA, and intelligence agencies re: the Jamal Khashoggi case. To jog memories, WaPo journalist Jamal Khashoggi was chopped up into tiny pieces and then bagged at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to be carted off and disposed of like so much garbage. What was Khashoggi's "crime"?  Criticizing the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his anti-democratic moves, including house arrest of members of the same Saudi family! See e.g.  Mr. Khashoggi's final column.

A nearly 2 month pursuit of verification ensued with the Turks and now the CIA finally coming up with the goods: an audio tape of the slaughter of Khashoggi, accompanied by unbearable screams. The tape was given to Trump to verify for himself, but this shitfaced coward refused to listen to it,  claiming it was "too painful" a thing to subject his sorry-ass ears to.  He then had the temerity to dispute the CIA's finding, and in total mendacity and utter flippancy had the ungodly, verminous gall to spout in respect to bin Salman's complicity,  "maybe he did, maybe he didn't."

Thereby Traitor Trump expressed his unstinting support for Saudi Arabia and claimed there was “nothing definitive” linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.   Further, an extraordinary statement issued yesterday by Mike Pompeo began with the words “The world is a very dangerous place!” – while Trump quoted Saudi officials as describing Khashoggi as an “enemy of the state”.  (Recall Trump has also described the American press as "the enemy of the people" so one presumes he'd love to mete out his own brand of executions for the 4th estate.)

The callous 649-word statement issued by this bipedal maggot and his collaborating vermin appeared to be a presidential act of defiance against the CIA, which reportedly concluded that the Saudi prince ordered the killing. Further,  the Senate,  is now considering bipartisan legislation that would suspend weapons sales to Saudi Arabia among other punitive measures.  Well, that remains to be seen given how the GOP Senate has covered for Trump's ass, but some branch has to stand tall and not have the majority of Americans mourning this nation fall into a moral sewer.

This is critical now that the Swine-Traitor has barked to reporters at the White House that the CIA “didn’t make a determination” on the murder, and that they had “nothing definitive” on its perpetrator. This mendacious claim is contradicted by multiple reports that the intelligence agency unambiguously concluded that bin Salman ordered the hit on the journalist  who had become a persistent critic.

In his written statement, Trump wrote: “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!"

Adding:

“That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

As in the past with Vladimir Putin, Trump put official denials of wrongdoing from Riyadh on a par with US intelligence assessments.  In other words, placing his allegiance to a foreign power over duty to country, violating his oath of office to defend the Constitution -  and again stamping himself as a traitor who merits hanging.   Perhaps ultimately the spooks will carry out the job given they are now getting ever more pissed, actually enraged at Dotard's antics. This, according to former JFK assassination researcher, Jefferson Morley, e.g.

What Happens When The Intelligence Community Decides That Trump Is Too Dangerous To Be President?

Excerpt:

"Trump’s contempt for the intelligence profession, weaponized in his “deep state” conspiracy theories, has agency personnel feeling professionally vulnerable, perhaps for the first time. An irrational chief executive has shattered their apolitical pretensions and forced them to re-examine what their core beliefs require....

If there’s one thing to be learned from talking to former CIA personnel, it’s the sense that the CIA system—powerful, stealthy, and dangerous—is blinking red about the latest news of an authoritarian leader in an unstable nation."

What ought to truly enrage the Agency to the Richter Vengeance scale level of '10' is when this foul pretender actually said:: “King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr Khashoggi.”

In other words, bin Salman's specious denial trumps the CIA's own efforts including the actual tape of Khashoggi's torture and dismemberment.

In the wake of this moral atrocity carried out at the nation's highest office, it appears at least one Repug:  Sen. Lindsey Graham – otherwise a fervent Trump fan – may have found his balls once again. For how long, before he reverts to a pussified punk,  we cannot say.  Anyway, it was heartening to see and hear him  issuing a statement predicting “strong bipartisan support for serious sanctions against Saudi Arabia, including appropriate members of the royal family, for this barbaric act which defied all civilized norms.”

Well, seeing is believing, Lindsey old sport!

Lindsey added:

“While Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, the behavior of the crown prince – in multiple ways – has shown disrespect for the relationship and made him, in my view, beyond toxic.”

Indeed, and let's get it clear that NO amount of economic heft or assistance is worth the repudiation of a nation's moral compass - to become just another latter day clone of the Nazi Reich. (This also requires skewering Dotard's insane exaggeration of $450 b in Saudi assistance when the actual funds amount to only $14.5b)

Meanwhile, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee sent a joint letter to the president on Tuesday evening demanding he make a clear official statement to Congress on the prince’s involvement in the murder

Fred Ryan, the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, said: “The CIA has thoroughly investigated the murder of this innocent journalist and concluded with high confidence that it was directed by the crown prince. If there is reason to doubt the findings of the CIA, President Trump should immediately make that evidence public.”

NY Times columnist Michelle Goldberg also identified (last night on  MSNBC's  'All In')   one of the most vile effects of Trump sucking up to the Saudi autocratic butchers: That it will now give a green light to every despot to chop up journalists and outspoken critics with impunity. The larger issue, of course, is the supposed land of liberty lining up with one of the most regressed and barbaric regimes on the planet. Where a hapless woman can still be whipped 200 times after being gang-raped:

See e.g.

Rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail | World …

We also learned today  ('Saudi Women's Rights Activists Face Torture',  WSJ,  p. A6)  that "at least 8 of 18 women rights activists held in prison by the Saudis have been tortured."  This included being subjected to electric shocks, lashing from whips, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation and sexual harassment.  This is the bloodthirsty Saudi regime with which the Trump Imperium makes common cause to try to get better oil deals.  

 Over and above the Saudi regime's crimes in murdering a member of the U.S. press, let's bear in mind the ongoing genocide and famine in Yemen is totally on the Saudi prince and his barbaric cohort. They are pounding the Yemenis  into oblivion with U.S. weapons even as they seal off a key port - preventing foodstuffs from entering - and leaving over a million (mainly children) at the throes of starvation. The worst since the Biafra famine decades ago.

You want to see the fruit of the Saudi -U.S. relationship in Yemen? Take a cold hard look at the images below. Then ask yourself how much lower the moral altitude of this nation can  go!

See also:

Ashamed to be an American

And:

Much To Worry About In Trump's Latest Statement

And:

Cody Fenwick

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Donald Trump

'He’s afraid people want to kill him': Trump has reportedly refused to visit soldiers in combat zones out of fear

Trump's Trip A "Home Run"? More Like A Bunt Foul Out

"That was a great, great trip! Except Macron  mashed my hand up with that handshake!"

Predictably, Trump on return from his nine-day Middle East, European junket overinflated it for his Trumpie fake news supporters' benefit: "It was great! A home run!"  Actually, more like a foul out two-strike bunt.  From his groveling and ass-kissing performance with the Saudis, among the most repressive regimes on the planet, to his European NATO summit and G7 meet which The Financial Times described as a "disaster" and "chaos". It even prompted Germany's Angela Merkel to assert Europe must now "become self reliant and stop depending on traditional allies".  Translation:
Germany and Europe can't depend on the U.S. with a nutwhack, unstable leader.

The Saudi spectacle was especially appalling, Trump et al doing sword dances with these degenerates while making hundred billion dollar weapons' deals.  Did Trump even know or was he aware that most of the 9/11 hijackers - terrorists hailed from Saudi Arabia, and these vermin have hatched more terrorists (under the Wahabbi sect) than any other group?  Where were the snarky voices of the Trumpies screaming "Ragheads!" ? Well, nowhere to be heard, as they seemed by their silence or mute blogs to make a special exception and heap more praise on these scumballs than long time allies who actually have our best interests at heart.

As former Dept. of Justice official Matt Miller put it this morning: "If you look at the way Trump behaved in Saudi Arabia versus the way in Europe - so much of it is personal for him. He likes  autocrats who are willing to throw him big parties and are to say nice things about him. But he doesn't get along with other leaders who are going to stand up for the democracies but not behave with this personal allegiance to him."

Which is the mindset of an autocrat, going all the way back to the fascists Mussolini and Hitler. (Recall again Hitler regularly had his S.A. pummel and beat German journalists, as he berated the press for being "unpatriotic")

Particularly outrageous was that while Trump courted and paid homage to the Saudi terror regime he essentially spat on the Europeans at the NATO summit and G7 meet. At the former venue he browbeat NATO members by asserting they weren't paying "their fair share" to the U.S.  But the dolt doesn't even know they wouldn't be paying to the U.S. anyway but to a common NATO defense pool. The U.S, pays the lion's share, but as one commentator noted over the weekend it also reaps the biggest payoff - the immense military spending catapulting it into the role of sole superpower. None of the other NATO nations would remotely approach that given it would mean tossing their own citizens' needs and welfare under the proverbial 'bus'.  Besides, they wouldn't gain anything - the NATO bond is supposed to be "one for all, all for one" anyway and the U.S. would have as much or more to lose by a retreat - say in the face of aggressive Russian advance.

As in the G7 meeting, Trump's boorish behavior was on display as he literally pushed the President of Montenegro out of the way, jostling to the head of the pack.  Trump literally acted like another head of state didn't exist, and might have merely been an obstacle in his way. But why be surprised given this is his M.O.?

At the G7 he managed to nettle all the allies by his irksome and aggressive, arrogant behavior - even calling the Germans "bad" for their trade surplus. The moron isn't even aware that shows the U.S. isn't properly in technological competition - showing they might do better in trade if so much wasn't squandered on military toys - many of which end up with cost overruns.

Angela Merkel and others were appalled by Trump's behavior and it also didn't sit well in the German Press. The Editor of Der Spiegel wrote in the aftermath:

"Donald Trump is not fit to be president of the United States. He does not possess the requisite intellect and does not understand the significance of the office he holds nor the tasks associated with it. He doesn't read. He doesn't bother to peruse important files and intelligence reports and knows little about the issues that he has identified as his priorities. His decisions are capricious and they are delivered in the form of tyrannical decrees.

He is a man free of morals. As has been demonstrated hundreds of times, he is a liar, a racist and a cheat. I feel ashamed to use these words, as sharp and loud as they are. But if they apply to anyone, they apply to Trump. And one of the media's tasks is to continue telling things as they are: Trump has to be removed from the White House. Quickly. He is a danger to the world.......The U.S. elected a laughing stock to the presidency and has now made itself dependent on a joke of a man. The country is, as David Brooks wrote recently in the New York Times, dependent on a child."

Ouch! But watching his antics in Europe and the reports on his histrionics in assorted European media, one can now grasp how spot on the Der Spiegel take is and why most sane U.S. citizens and voters are ashamed to have this disgraceful clown representing us and the country.

Perhaps the single most compelling image to emerge from the NATO summit was when the Donald  tried to outdo French President Emmanuel Macron in a photo op handshake. However, Macron got the better of him and crushed his little hand to the extent Donald had to pull away first. The details were captured by the WaPo's Philip Rucker with a similar degree of attention to the six-second shot sequence in the Zapruder film described by Jim Garrison during his New Orleans trial:

"As President Trump met French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time, welcoming him to lunch Thursday at the residence here of the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, the two men shook hands for six long seconds. Their knuckles turned white, their jaws clenched and their faces tightened. Trump reached in first, but then he tried to release, twice, but Macron kept his grip until letting go."

Double ouch! That'll teach ya, Mister Tiny Hands! Macron himself had been forewarned about Trump's gimmick handshakes so was prepared. As he noted in a remark to the French press: "It wasn't innocent."   The newly elected president said the fierce handshake during their first official meeting on Thursday was “a moment of truth,” in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
"My handshake with him,  it wasn’t innocent," said Macron. "One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones but also not over-publicize things, either

In some French media images the Donald was caught still rubbing his widdo hand in the aftermath and  pouting as if to say: "He mangled my hand! BWAAAHAAHAHA!'

The awkwardly long, white-knuckled, handshake was seen by many as a power projection, of sorts, by two newly elected world leaders in the full glare of the international media.. As fate or chance would have it, Trump lost and came away the weakling. (Though his blindsided, deluded followers will probably think otherwise.)

Trump basically tried to do a "reset" with this trip and deflect attention away from the heat of the Russian-Trump cabal investigation. But it won't work. The cold, efficient special counsel continues his task,  unrelenting and single -minded,  and he will overturn every phone record and every grubby 'stone' in getting to the bottom of it all. Trump's followers, for the sake of their dubious sanity, had better hope it's all "fake news" as Trump tweeted  yesterday.  In one he blabbed like the idiot he is:

"It  is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #Fake News media"

If only!  The truth is most of those leaks 'coming out of the White House' are emanating from terrified staffers - disturbed by a president who can't even exert the most minimal  control over his erratic behavior and now risks taking them all down with him. They want to be sure the word gets out before that happens and that it's the nut- in -chief, not them, responsible for the chaos and misfires- not to mention the lawlessness, especially obstruction of justice. 

See also:

 http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/kali-holloway/73124/8-embarrassing-things-trump-did-on-his-european-tour

And:

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/tom-engelhardt/73122/little-big-man-into-the-whirlwind

Trump And Cronies Dance With Saudis While They Screw Millions Of Trump Voters

Trump cabinet members Wilbur Ross & Rex Tillerson took turns dancing with Saudis, Trump had his turn too.

Trump -above- after Saudis delivered several lessons on how to do the "ardah". He still screwed it up.

"No, you asshole! You're doing it the wrong way!"

Many will likely recall how 7 years ago, Trump raked then President Barack Obama over the coals for "bowing" to foreign potentates. One is led to ask how hypocritical one has to be to do that, and then not only bow to the "supreme" Saudi leader but also curtsey, e.g.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-trip-curtsey-bow-king-salman-gold-medal-honour-barack-obama-bowing-a7747016.html


 then do a sword dance with this ilk, along with two members of his cabinet, Wilbur Ross and Rex Tillerson.  By all accounts in the Saudi-controlled media the trio yucked it up pretty good even as within hours Trump put the final touches on a wretched budget plan to reduce Medicaid spending by $800 billion, and also make food stamps cuts of at least 30 percent. Oh, and make those getting food stamps work. (Clue one: 95% of food stamp recipients already work.  It's just that they can't make ends meet with the jobs they have. Since nearly all the non-working food stamp beneficiaries are children, one guesses Trump and his cronies will make them work.)

The Trump supporters and voters need to take  note here, because it's estimated that up to 2 out of 5 of them depend on one or both of these programs. While they may firmly believe the current media firestorm over Trump's transgressions is fueled by media "hysteria", I can assure them that if the Trump budget passes they will experience hysteria first hand.

In his speech on Sunday,  Trump, as a guest of the Saudi monarch, spoke of a stronger alliance with mostly Sunni Muslim nations to fight terrorism and extremist ideology and to push back against Iran.  For reference, nearly all the 9/11 terrorists hailed from Saudi Arabia, whose Sunni monarchy controls Islam’s holiest sites. Ironically this bunch of freaks - recall ISIS is a Sunni entity too  -  sees itself as the natural leader of the Muslim world and has used its lavish oil wealth to spread its austere version of the faith.

Iran, meanwhile, was given short shrift by Trump, as he wailed about "terrorism" issuing from their faction of Islam. For reference, Iran is the world’s largest Shiite nation and is led by clerics who aspire to export the ideology of political Islam that brought them to power in 1979. But let us bear in mind, that ascension as well as the taking of hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Iran, didn't just occur spontaneously. It was decades building up based on U.S. meddling ending with the support of the brutal regime of the Shah of Iran.

For historical reference,  U.S. oil interests -   in collusion with the then CIA-   deposed Premier Mohammed Mossadegh in a coup d'etat via  in Operation TPAJAX.  His offense? He had sought to audit the books of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), and implement new rules.  The eventual decision was to remove Mossadegh - the best chance at Iranian democracy.  So if Iran is "extremist" today we are the ones to blame, at least in terms of interfering in their then democratic processes by forcefully removing a head of state (like we did with Salvador Allende in Chile - except more violently in that case).

Let's be clear there is nothing in our Constitution that condones or approves of removing foreign heads of state, for whatever reason.

In some disinformationist quarters the CIA's role in the 1953 overthrow of Mossadegh is dismissed as a "myth" in the same way pro-Warrenites dismiss conspiracy in the JFK assassination as a myth - because it serves their nefarious interests to do so -- in bamboozling our fellow citizens. The truth is the CIA had its hands in the Mossadegh coup d'etat as much as they did in Kennedy's. You can read more details, including how the CIA actually admitted its role here:

http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB435/

Meanwhile, three days ago, Frederic Wehrey, a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said:

“We are picking one side in this geopolitical struggle, and there is very little room for gray,.  Sectarianism is a byproduct of this geopolitical rivalry, and we are inadvertently picking one side in this sectarian struggle.”

The question is why did we pick the side that featured most of the vermin responsible for the most destructive attack on the nation in history?  Why also side with the nation with an embedded extremist strain (Wahabbi) that makes Iran's shortcoming pale in comparison?  

The Smithsonian channel's documentary, 'Islam and the West', ought to be required viewing for every American and especially the hysterical subset that believes all Muslims are the next thing to demons. The documentary traces the origins of Islam from Mohammed and to the present day, including how none other than the Brits- in the latter days of their Empire - drew up all the boundaries in the Middle East including for Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Palestine - totally ignoring ethnic and tribal affiliations. Viewing this excellent program will indicate why Trump's siding with the Saudis is a grave mistake.

In the meantime, the spectacle of the Trumpite Trio dancing with the Saudis even as they put the finishing touches on budget plans to undermine many of their own supporters couldn't be lost on the astute observer. It was also jarring to see Trump cozying up to this authoritarian, extremist lot in the way he did though we've already beheld his fondness for strong men, e.g. in Erdogan of Turkey, and Duterte in the Philippines.

See also:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/eric-zuesse/65437/the-sauds-impunity

And:

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/06/saudi_arabia_funds_and_exports_islamic_extremism_the_truth_behind_the_toxic_u_s_relationship_with_the_theocratic_nation/