Just as I predicted several days ago, the deep state planned an attack and coerced Trump into it with their expert advice (because we know Trump has no defense minister). NYT knew about it in real time which is consistent. Someone in control is working with NYT directly. Strange times... Trump either knowingly bluffed and called it off or felt the weight of responsibility of it all and couldn't go through with murder. This happens to potential killers a lot. Most people aren't capable of mass murder and can easily be talked down. Its why hostage negotiators exist. The deep state was pissed and told NYT to report it immediately to embarrass Trump for not following through. I have no interest in debating if it was 3-D chess or operational incompetence because I only care about results. The result is that we don't have a war.



[Edited on June 21, 2019 at 1:00 PM. Reason : liberal favs bush, mccain, and obomba would have thought 150 was low]

6/21/2019 12:40:36 PM

6/21/2019 12:47:50 PM

The best thing about the Greenwald/Tracey camp is that nothing Trump ever does or doesn’t do is his fault. It’s liberals fault for yelling at him, or the Deep State or MSNBC.

He has no agency at all.

6/21/2019 1:00:09 PM

Isn’t this called the bigotry of low expectations?

6/21/2019 1:01:55 PM

you beta lib cucks just don't understand interdimensional parcheesi

6/21/2019 1:13:56 PM

Quote :

"Anyone buying the BS stories that aircrafts were in the air and had to turn around? "

i think it's believable.

Nixon and his foreign policy people were famous for exploiting the perception that he was unhinged enough to do some seriously crazy shit. Trump is definitely and rightfully perceived as erratic and unhinged enough to do some seriously crazy shit.

I can totally see this being a head fake.

Also, I'm drawing a blank on specific examples, but I'm almost certain that I've heard of strike packages being cancelled after the engines were turning and maybe even jets airborne.

6/22/2019 7:21:03 PM

So Trump and the ayatollah are basically exchanging boring insults with each other.

Because I’ve watched “Mean Girls” more times than I’d ever admit IRL, I predict further escalation until some brave referee backs Trump and the crazies in Iran back from the cliff.

Well that’s what I’m hoping.

6/25/2019 6:16:09 PM

Why would the Iranians back off if Russia is their ally?

6/25/2019 9:32:31 PM

Some kind of direct war is not a very popular idea among Iranians. I think their leadership will look for off-ramps if they are politically tenable (they aren’t gonna completely fold).

6/26/2019 5:36:29 AM

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/holy-war-pompeo-preaches-to-pro-israel-christian-confab/

7/10/2019 2:07:23 PM

Tom Cotton is furiously beating off right now.

9/15/2019 7:04:21 PM

https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/1172970423635648514

https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1172979282349559808

What an administration we're dealing with.

9/15/2019 9:40:39 PM

^ Anybody who wants to understand what's going on in Yemen and how that ties in with Iran and other regional powers should read this 15-tweet thread by a Yemeni:

https://twitter.com/YemeniFatima/status/1133827680988741632

9/16/2019 12:04:47 AM

In any case, Trumps Iran policy is an incoherent disaster with no planning aside from “not Obama.” He’s a compete idiot and unfortunately he listens to the absurd Cotton wing of the GOP for this.

9/16/2019 4:02:00 PM

so do we give Iran the $15B after we bomb them?

9/16/2019 4:19:14 PM

Maybe instead of war, we can just go back and forth exchanging strikes on oil fields until the price is 800 a barrel.

9/16/2019 6:00:31 PM

https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-trump-saudis-see-this-attack-as-their-911

L M A O

9/17/2019 12:47:04 PM

So why do we care that Iran bombed Saudi Arabia anyway? Our "ally" who recently decapitated a prominent journalist, and a regime that's totally in cahoots with Trump deserves our military protection in exchange for what, exactly?

9/19/2019 12:29:12 PM

*Iranian weapons used by Houthi rebels, not Iran. Just like our bombs that are being used to kill children in Yemen. It's just more pretense for war with Iran.

[Edited on September 19, 2019 at 12:42 PM. Reason : .]

9/19/2019 12:41:40 PM

^^ those Turnberry rooms aren’t gonna fill themselves.

9/19/2019 1:21:52 PM

American intelligence is saying it was cruise missiles, not simply drones, something the Houthis don't have.

9/19/2019 4:58:14 PM

Quote :

"American intelligence is saying"

9/19/2019 5:02:27 PM

'Zactly!

9/19/2019 5:06:21 PM

they would never lie to us

9/19/2019 5:10:02 PM

Ejaculately!

9/19/2019 8:16:59 PM

I mean, it was either the Iranians directly, or it was the Houthis with Iranian support. I just don't give a shit. The Saudi government is a pack of murdering animals, and I'm tired of U.S. troops being pawns for Riyadh. We already sell them the most advanced weapons systems on the planet. If they can't shoot down some half-assed Iranian drone, that's on them.

The only thing that even gets me close to caring which bunch of fanatical assholes comes out on top in this conflict is the notion that an Iranian victory would enhance Russian power and influence. So you know what, if the Revolutionary Guard starts rolling tanks through Iraq to the Saudi border, then we should get involved. If they want to do this petty bombing shit, they can do it on their own. Surely MBS can come up with some sort of retaliation. Hell, Saudis managed to kill 3,000 Americans in a couple of hours without any missiles or jet fighters. Imagine what they can do to Iran with the toys we've sold them.

But maybe we do have to get involved. After all, this whole thing is Trump's fault. If that dipshit hadn't scrapped the nuclear deal, Iran wouldn't be acting nearly so petulant. I mean, all the Yemenis would still be starving to death and Syria would still be a horror show, but you wouldn't have all this shit with oil tankers and drones.

9/21/2019 6:21:29 PM

US: Illegally bomb Shia bases in Iraq

Iraqi's: protest at our embassy

US: Why is Iran always attacking us?

12/31/2019 4:30:30 PM

^^

12/31/2019 7:28:57 PM

750 more troops going to Mid East on top of thousands more that have been added the past year. Definitely seems like we’re prepping for a ground war.

Good job trump voters.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-sending-hundreds-troops-mideast-after-attack-embassy-compound-n1109196

[Edited on January 1, 2020 at 1:55 AM. Reason : ]

1/1/2020 1:55:41 AM

Over the past year there’s been about 15,000 troops sent to the region. That’s about 20-30% increase from the Obama admin.

1/1/2020 2:03:09 AM

horosho will be here soon to explain that this is a 4d chess strategy to actually get us out of the region more quickly than obama

1/1/2020 2:02:00 PM

Weird flex because I thought Putin was controlling Trump. I knew liberals would try to rewrite Trump's legacy as something other than a war president. Obama wouldn't crush ISIS because he and the Saudis were using them to counter Shia influence in the region. Trump had to send in extra troops to fulfill the roles of all those ISIS fighters we lost. Two different strategies within the same MIC doctrine.

Fox News had a guy from Benghazi on to ask him about the embassy riot and he basically said this

"WE ARE THERE BOMBING THEM TO HELP THEM AND THIS IS HOW THEY REPAY US?"

1/2/2020 2:20:05 AM

I totally disagree. I think Obama liked Shias more than Sunnis

[Edited on January 2, 2020 at 2:41 AM. Reason : Islam]

1/2/2020 2:34:52 AM

^^ sending in troops because he is abysmal at diplomacy is stupid and expensive, and one of the biggest reasons people shouldn't vote for trump.

1/2/2020 11:40:53 AM

bttt

1/2/2020 8:58:21 PM

Never really hear much about drone strikes since Jan 21, 2017. We are about to again..

1/2/2020 8:59:27 PM

1/2/2020 10:43:09 PM

1/2/2020 10:49:55 PM

The Pentagon statement is full of shit. The demonstrations had already long ended because Iraqi Parliament began to take legal action against US presence. You can't call an assassination "self defense". This type of behavior is unacceptable and clearly a war crime.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/protesters-retreat-from-u-s-embassy-site-in-iraq-11577891592
I can't read the article but it sounds like it supports my claim that the "attack" on our embassy was over.

[Edited on January 3, 2020 at 12:08 AM. Reason : yikes]

1/3/2020 12:07:38 AM

hope wsj doesn't delete my account for posting this etc

Quote :

"By Ghassan Adnan and Isabel Coles Updated Jan. 1, 2020 4:36 pm ET SAVE PRINT TEXT 360 BAGHDAD—An attempt by supporters of Iran-backed militias to storm the U.S. Embassy here ended on Wednesday, as protesters withdrew from the area after their leadership ordered the suspension of a violent challenge to American troop presence in Iraq. The withdrawal was instigated by the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella body for dozens of militia groups including factions aligned with Iran. Some of those groups and their supporters tried Tuesday to force their way into the U.S. Embassy compound but failed to break in. Despite their retreat from the embassy, Iran’s allies plan to maintain pressure on the U.S. by pushing for a vote in parliament on the withdrawal of American troops, which returned to Iraq in 2014 to fight Islamic State. The assault on the embassy led to no deaths, but it prompted the U.S. to deploy military reinforcements and put fresh strain on increasingly fraught relations between Washington and Baghdad. The continuing backlash against the U.S. after it killed more than two dozen Iraqi militia fighters in airstrikes over the weekend has given Iran-backed groups an opportunity to regain the initiative politically after three months of intense pressure from antigovernment protests denouncing Tehran’s involvement in the country’s affairs. It also starkly revealed the dominance of factions allied to Tehran within the Iraqi government, drawing it more closely into Iran’s orbit. Militia supporters disregarded orders from caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to withdraw from the embassy on Tuesday but almost immediately began dismantling tents they had pitched on the opposite side of the street in response to the PMF’s request. Paramilitary fighters trying to enter the U.S. Embassy during the protest. Supporters and members of the Iran-backed Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, militia scale walls during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday. U.S. Embassy security personnel take positions on the roof of the U.S. Embassy as protesters gathered again Wednesday outside the building to condemn earlier air strikes on bases belonging to Hashd al-Shaabi. The burnt entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after a demonstration this week. Protesters and militia fighters gather outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday for a further day of protests. Protesters burned property in front of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday. One protester prepared to throw a large rock at the glass window of a security guard building of the U.S. Embassy. Fighters from the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, set the U.S. Embassy wall on fire to protest U.S. airstrikes that killed 27 people near the Iraq-Syria border. Protesters damaged property inside the U.S. Embassy compound. U.S. Embassy Security staff as seen through a glass window while protesters and militia fighters gathered to condemn the U.S. airstrikes. Iraqi security forces, right, stood guard as protesters, including clerics, prayed inside the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone. Earlier in the day U.S. troops fired tear gas to disperse militia supporters gathered outside the embassy for a second day. Apache helicopters flew overhead. Marines were sent from neighboring Kuwait to strengthen the embassy’s security, and the Pentagon said it would deploy an infantry battalion of about 750 soldiers to the region. The unit, from the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., was expected to deploy to military bases, likely in Kuwait, and remain on standby, officials said. Additional U.S. forces were preparing to deploy over the next several days, the Pentagon said. The PMF said the sit-in was no longer necessary because it had already achieved the goal of sending the U.S. the message that it is unwelcome in Iraq. “To preserve the authority of the state” and “out of respect for the government’s decision,” protesters should move away from the embassy, said the PMF, which is part of the Iraqi security apparatus. Earlier, they had appeared to be in for the long haul, setting up portable bathrooms and a podium. The PMF said the protest site would be moved to a new location still within sight of the embassy but on the other side of the Tigris River, which bisects Baghdad. Though the situation outside the embassy appeared to have been defused Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put off a long-planned trip this week to Kyiv, where he was to have met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the postponement was necessary so Mr. Pompeo could monitor “the ongoing situation in Iraq” and focus on the security of Americans in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces, who have done little to prevent the mob from attacking the embassy, moved in on Wednesday and took up positions in front of the scorched walls daubed with anti-American graffiti. Iraqi soldiers stand guard in front of the U.S. Embassy as Iran-backed militia supporters take part in a sit-in outside the gates of the embassy on Wednesday. PHOTO: AMEER AL MOHMMEDAW/ZUMA PRESS Kataib Hezbollah, which the U.S. sees as a terrorist group and a proxy for Iran, left its yellow flag flying over an outer entrance to the embassy compound on Wednesday, having earlier said it wouldn’t back down. “Our message has been delivered. Kicking the Americans out of Iraq remains the key demand and parliament must approve a law in this regard,” Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Mohyee said from a podium in front of the embassy before the group left. The violence came after the U.S. conducted airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah near the Iraq-Syria border over the weekend, killing 27 members of the militia. The strikes drew censure from Iraqi leaders, including the country’s most important Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The U.S. said it had targeted the militia after the Iraqi government failed to prevent a recent string of rocket attacks targeting bases where American forces are stationed across the country, assaults that resulted in the killing of an American contractor Friday. President Trump spoke to Mr. Abdul-Mahdi overnight and declared the embassy safe, saying the Iraqi government had “stepped up.” He blamed Iran for the attack. Later, Mr. Pompeo also spoke with the prime minister about the attack, the State Department said. Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim on Wednesday said he had discussed the necessity of ending the protests with Mr. Abdul-Mahdi, who announced his resignation in November but is serving as a caretaker leader. Kataib Hezbollah said on its TV channel that Mr. Abdul-Mahdi had threatened to leave his post vacant unless they drew back from the embassy. “Abdul-Mahdi is on our side and has been helping us a lot, so we don’t want to harm him or cause him problems,” said a mid-ranking member of Kataib Hezbollah outside the embassy. The group later said it had agreed to Mr. Abdul-Mahdi’s request to move its protest site in exchange for “serious work” on a vote to expel foreign forces from the country. “We will observe the work of the parliament next week to begin legislating a law to expel foreign troops,” it said. Mr. Abdul-Mahdi had denounced the U.S. strikes against Kataib Hezbollah as a violation of sovereignty. The assault on the U.S. Embassy was condemned by some Iraqi politicians, including a Sunni block that described it as a “dangerous development” that risked isolating Iraq. Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also said the incident was unacceptable and damaging to Iraqi interests Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, also rejected it and defended the U.S. “The Americans are friends and allies of Iraq and the Kurdistan region and they were main partners in liberating Iraq and the victory over the terrorists of al Qaeda and ISIS,” he said. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS Does the retreat by protesters provide an opening to the Trump administration to ease strained relations between Washington and Baghdad? Join the conversation below. Iran-backed factions have sought to capitalize on the U.S. airstrikes, garnering public sympathy for the victims and deflecting months of pressure against them. Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets since October in protest against poor services, corruption and Iran’s interference in the country’s affairs. The U.S. has voiced support for those demands and blamed factions close to Iran for a violent crackdown on the protests that has killed more than 400 people. Many of them were killed when attempting to cross bridges leading to the Green Zone, a symbol of the Iraqi elite they want to uproot. Supporters of Kataib Hezbollah, however, faced little resistance on Tuesday when they sought to enter the heavily fortified area. Mr. Pompeo said Tuesday the assault on the U.S. Embassy “should not be confused with the legitimate efforts of the Iraqi protesters who have been in the streets since October working for the people of Iraq to end the corruption exported there by the Iranian regime.” —Michael R. Gordon contributed to this article."

1/3/2020 12:15:50 AM

Mother fucker. Trump really just started a goddamn war.

1/3/2020 12:23:57 AM

Iran doesn’t have the resources for war. Ironically the Obama nuclear deal likely stalled their nuclear development.

I’m 50/50 on whether Russia steps in to help Iran out.

1/3/2020 12:33:21 AM

LOL CNN is already showing Sunnis celebrating in the streets. Its an endless cycle of bullshit. We really are doomed as a country.

1/3/2020 12:35:45 AM

I am definitely in the minority, I guess, but I am glad we assassinated Suleimani

1/3/2020 12:45:41 AM

ya lets set that precedent

1/3/2020 1:43:18 AM

Yeah drone assassinations against officials of countries we are not at war against is a great precedent to set. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

1/3/2020 7:23:54 AM

From the top of the page:





LOL! Nah, bro; you'd realize it's more like this if you'd really been paying attention:

1/3/2020 8:43:23 AM

I mean, it’s Earl. Not a serious person.

Anyone who can seriously think the guy openly endorsing committing war crimes during debates was actually anti-war is a complete and utter fool.

1/3/2020 9:05:08 AM

https://twitter.com/jingoisticdem/status/1213030264236118017?s=20

The US is a terrorist state and the #1 enemy to peace and progress.

1/3/2020 10:37:30 AM

The US has always been a terrorist, genocidal nation, pre-founding till now. Nothing new.

1/3/2020 11:13:06 AM