Wingate

Perhaps Tug has sympathy for innocent Iranians, especially for those who through no fault of their own had to endure life in a theocracy? Many of those innocent souls are being killed, and likely if Trump's pretend warrior rhetoric is real, tens or hundreds of thousands more may perish horribly. Perhaps Tug, like myself, does not think a fat old guy living in Cambodia, paying money to have sex with (maybe) barely legal girls (as he has admitted in his posts), girls who might even be below the US age of consent, is somehow superior to young Iranian kids who have never had a chance to enjoy what life offers. See, morality and empathy are alien to people like that poster to whom Tug addresses his comment. Miscreant losers, whose life did not match the high school delusion of what they hoped to achieve in life, are rejoicing not just in the deaths of truly bad people, but deaths of anyone whose random birth had them materialize as brown people in Iran. Besides being against all the ideals upon which America should be based, and which true American patriots support, the Seditionist and dictator wannabe Trump brings out the worst in people, especially those lacking any character or integrity. Trump is a magnet for losers.

Some antisemites are selective, as they direct their hate at Arabs, not Jews. In the various Gaza threads we had posters justifying the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinian children, who are apparently guilty or less than human because of their heritage. Somehow those kids have guilt simply because of their ethnicity, so these posters support the killing or say "That will teach Hamas a lesson. Such blanket assertion of guilt simply because of the badness of some of similar heritage has a name: Racism. We are seeing it again with Iran. The ayatollah was bad, so all Iranians get what they deserve, even if they hated the ayatollah. That's racism.

Why are you glad he went to prison? Do you have any Combat Ribbons? Your messiah thinks he deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor because he once spent 3 1/2 hours heavily shield in Iraq.

You do know oil is a commodity and prices are set on the margin, right? No, I guess you don't. If oil reaching East Asia is selling for $100/bbl, nobody is going to sell the same variety of crude for $60/bbl in the US. While we won't likely see $20 gallon at the pump, we have already seen a $1 per gallon rise since last Friday. That hits not just the consumer who drives, but also the consumer who buys stuff that gets shipped. It hits airline ticket prices and heating costs, too. Trump's claim he would escort ULCCs through Hormuz had a minimal short term effect. If Iran hits production facilities---as they have already done a little---there will be nothing to carry. Yanbu is fine, but all of the oil exported from there comes from the eastern province. The pipeline is easily targeted, either by Iranian missiles or the predominantly Shi'a population of the eastern province. Iran is beginning to call the attack not a war against Iran, but a war against Islam. That talk will resonate in the Arab street, even among Sunnis. That could set the ME truly on fire, and threaten the corrupt monarchies of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

I wonder if it was wise to fire all the people who actually knew something about Iran? The little guy pretending he's running the FBI, and abusing the taxpayer by flying around to see his girlfriend, fired the CI team that had expertise on Iran, because they also happened to investigate the theft of classified documents Trump carted off to his wedding planner facility with membership that includes MSS ops officers. Gabbard fired the intel community's top Iran expert because he wrote an analysis that differed from what Trump's "gut feel" tells him, just like his latest excuse for the Iran attack is he had a "hunch" Iran was going to attack the US. Other Iran experts, if not fired, left the intel community. So it seems his sycophantic gaggle of Carnival People simply corroborated his view that the Iranian people would just bow down and thank him, and then instantly build a democracy, just because he dropped a few bombs. It clearly surprised the entire Administration when Iran struck out against GCC countries, even hitting oil and gas production facilities. He has no plan, no expertise, and is making up his Epstein diversion on the fly.

Pretty easy to list Trump's criminality....though it requires lots of pixels. What crime did Biden commit? None.

"Love it or leave it" Did you resurrect that line from the McCarthy Era? REAL American patriots understand the Constitution and have an understanding of what the US can be. NOBODY on the left is siding with any tin pot dictator. Those types tend to be Trump's friends, like Orban and Putin, or lovers like Kim Jong-un. Trump is totally self-serving, corrupt, a liar, and he thinks he is above the law. I despise him because he is everything the US should not be. He stole highly classified documents, some of which had the true identities of clandestine foreign assets, which puts them and their families at risk (The only possible explanation for that theft is that Trump intended to monetize them.). Trump mouthed off to Lavrov and Kislyak in the Oval Office in Term 1, which led to a secret penetration of a terror group getting his head cut off. Trump tried to overthrow the democracy in 2021, via his frothing at the mouth goobers, because he could not accept his loss. He then pardoned people who beat cops and tried to hang the Vice President. Trump has used his office to enrich himself to the tune of $4 billion in one year. Trump is also the ultimate crybaby snowflake, trying to get late night comedians who make fun of him kicked off the air. If you like a 3 year old as President, good for you. Adults and intelligent people do not like that. None of what he is reflects what America is supposed to be. Because more than half the country opposes Trump does not mean we are commies or socialists or anything of the sort. It means we see willful ignorance, corruption, and violations of the Constitution and take exception to that.

Getting back to barramarra's incredulity, every decision made by a government weighs the plusses and minuses. Re Saudi, the US has long known they fund Sunni Islamic terror groups. That's the negative. Most Administrations have decided that they also buy lots of weaponry, which helps US industry, often in key electoral districts. Their purchases also place US weapons in an area where the US might someday need to "borrow" them. Finally, maintaining friendly surface relations might give the US some influence if all of a sudden the world needs Saudi to boost oil production. Those pluses are felt to outweigh the minuses. It's not conspiracy theory, it's just Machiavellinism or cold-hearted practicality. The same style of calculus is used with other countries. The US has been grossly betrayed by a supposed ally 3 times of which I am aware, yet those betrayals have been tolerated because Administrations felt the gains outweighed them.

I know it's difficult for a MAGA to think anyone can walk and chew gum at the same time. I guess it's equally difficult to think someone can switch careers. Again, if you need to feel better about yourself for having led a boring and banal life, have at it.

It isn't deliberate, it's willful ignorance. Trump cannot string together a line of thought. Besides, he knows his Donor Class has enough money for $5 a gallon gas, common folks be damned. He still thinks foreign countries pay the tariffs. How dumb is that? Regarding Iran, had you asked him last Thursday what the leadership structure of Iran is, how many people they have, how many in the different military branches, he wouldn't have a clue. I doubt he could point out Iran on a map. He probably watched the movie "300" and thinks, "Nobody knows more about Iran than me". He seems to have not thought through the idea Iran would strike out at GCC countries. I suspect he thought he could just rattle his saber and Iran would tremble and fall to its knees, like Republicans in Congress. What is becoming apparent now is that the US was not prepared for this war. The US was still building up its forces and weaponry. The timing was dictated by Israel, not Trump or the US. Now the US announced it is sending more troops and gear to the region, which confirms the fact it was not ready. Now Trump is announcing he will provide security to ULCCs moving through Hormuz, plus have the US taxpayer insure the vessels. Iran, if it chooses, might see that and go to the source: more attacks on production facilities like Ras Tanura or Saudi GOSPs or Qatari LNG facilities, figuring if there's nothing to load onto the ULCCs, they can pass through Hormuz at their leisure. It's also abundantly clear Trump has no plan for what comes next. Netanyahu does, which is send Iran back to the Stone Age, 93,000,000 people be damned, even if they were innocent victims of the theocracy. Trump is so naive he thinks blowing up a country will make the masses rejoice, overthrow their govt, and maybe buy memberships at Mar-a-Lago, or at least get in on his meme coin. As bad as the ayatollah and his Admin were, it still had the same level of support Trump has in the US. Given that outsiders are now destroying infrastructure, support for the theocracy will likely increase. Funny how tribalism works in humans. Trump is now faced with two possibilities: manufacture some definition of "success" and then claimed he achieved it, which would allow him to withdraw (That would upset Netanyahu). The second choice is to do Netayahu's bidding and drive Iran back into the Stone Age. That's the racist alternative, and will likely find support among the armchair warriors of MAGA.

Yes, Starmer should be willing to put UK blood and treasure on the line for Trump's "hunch". No doubt you've gone down to the local Enlistment Office. When do you hit the beaches of Bandar Abbas? Oh, I forgot. MAGAs let others do their fighting. Can't muss their hair.

So you and your armchair warriors celebrate the deaths of kids, like at an elementary school in Minab. Do you think the parents of those children are going to think, "Well, they deserved it for being Iranian, and not western like suze", or might they decide to take revenge in whatever way they can, which could be grabbing a knife and stabbing people like you, because you look western? You certainly are at least as guilty as those elementary school kids, as is the fat old OP, easy to spot in Cambodia, when he's buying young ladies for sex (as he has admitted). Perhaps you've missed a few history lessons, but it's not easy to win the 'hearts and minds' of people when you kill them, no matter the excuse. Also, no regime change has ever happened via aerial bombing only. It's often wise to exhaust all diplomatic avenues before resorting to violence. Reports from the Administration were that the Oman-handled negotiations were going well, and Iran was willing to make concessions. As Marco Rubio has intimated, that seems to have gotten Netanyahu upset, as for him killing en masse is the only answer. So when he attacked, the US was obliged to join in. That doesn't sound like "America First", but no surprise coming from a guy who spent years claiming Obama was going to attack Iran to divert attention away from other things, and who campaigned on "No foreign wars, no world's policeman." (Minutes after announcing the war on Friday, Trump hosted a million dollar-a-plate fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago for the elite, while working class people went into harm's way.) So there are two choices: leave Iran a humanitarian mess of 93,000,000 (no doubt fine for you and the OP, because---you know---Iranians are not white, or put US boots on the ground and suffer casualties, where Trump can write letters to the deceased saying "It is what it is"....but take a look at these beautiful gold curtains I picked out. With how excited you and the OP are, I'd expect both of you to lace up your booties, grab an M4, and hit the beach at Bandar Abbas. Just kidding. Of course I know your true style: going into harm's way is for other people, not you. That won't prevent people like you from stealing valor, like saying "We" took out this or that. BTW, one of the latest "justifications" came out of a Trump Admin official who said, "The President had a hunch Iran was going to attack the US". Well, isn't that special. That's how wars are to be fought in 2026? Some guy has a "hunch"? A volunteer, away from family and in harm's way, is unlikely to think, "Well, my Commander-in-Chief had a hunch, so that's good enough for me." Clarity of mission and objective is what allows soldiers to accept the risk of death; no US soldier has that now, because not even the Administration knows what its objective is. A soldier on the front lines might prefer a clear and consistent message of mission from all Admin officials. They have yet to get that. Instead, they had Trump posting all night on his social media about the fancy outfit Melania wore when she pretended to be UN spokesperson, and how much better she looked 20 years ago.

Be skeptical. Feel better about yourself, if that's what you need. If we ever met in person, I would never bring it up. I dropped cover when I resigned, so I'm free to speak if I want, but no need to. Anonymity is always better. I noted my background here simply to make a point about some things I know in depth, which are the Middle East and radical Islamic terrorism, as I worked in and against it.

The "good news" is that gas prices at the pump are up $1 per gallon since Friday. Now all Trump has to do is define what "success" is, and then claim he achieved it. I won't be surprised if we're still at war when the midterms arrive. Inflation---except "the volatile food and energy sectors", which is what people actually buy---will be 10%. Trump will probably claim he, and only he, can bring prices down 6000%.

Quick answer: Yes. The Brits, like the US, know al Qaeda isn't going to fly fighter jets. The Brits and US get loads of money, and they hope the terror that Saudis fund doesn't harm them. Of course, if it hits, it tends to hit common people, not leadership. It's not a "conspiracy theory". It's from working in the intel community. I personally provided intel on things the government just said, "Well, so long as it's not too bad." I was even ordered to "stand down" and not pursue things that were "uncomfortable and politically sensitive at this time". You are welcome to call it "conspiracy", as many things are, and I regularly dismiss them. When I have direct knowledge, however, I know what's real. There's a lot of bs at the top of the heap. My own experience is that it tends to be in Republican Administrations, as that is where I had issues. There are no grand conspiracies like people on the internet tend to claim, but human frailty, greed and corruption do evidence themselves regularly in many aspects of governance. Trump is actually pretty transparent, as his corruption and self-dealing are right in the open.

I have to assume your post is sarcastic. Otherwise it's incredibly naive regarding how nations actually behave. Nations do things that can be largely against their own interests, provided there is some monetary gain. The US has long known Saudi Arabia funds Sunni terrorists, but sells enough weaponry that they are willing to overlook it. There are additional ways Saudi Arabia has betrayed the US, but those remain classified. The US has very few allies, maybe none now that Trump has alienated the only true allies, who were Canada, the UK and Australia. Japan might be close. Every nation tries to operate in its own best interest. That's understandable. Sometimes interests overlap with the US, sometimes they are at odds. Betrayal is quite common, and tends to be overlooked if net net some in power think there is a gain. When one works in the intel community and sees reality vs public statements, it's easy to become a bit cynical. I learned of some massive and dangerous betrayals, which I am not sure have been declassified. At this point, under Trump, I can say the US has no allies whatsoever.

Saudi Arabia funded the Sunni terrorists in order to keep them from trying to overthrow the monarchy. I do not know if the monarchy was aware of what the plans were. The US knew full well back then that the monarchy was doing funding, but as Saudi was buying lots of military weapons from the US, it was overlooked. The operation itself was pretty simply. al Qaeda operatives are not stupid. They knew where the openings were. They knew the weak spots. The idea of 9-11 came from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and was given the blessing of ObL and Ayman al Zawahiri. The planning began in the late 1990s in Hamburg. Putting sleeper cells in the US, casing airport security, sending "jihadis" to flight school, etc., was not that sophisticated. They were merely patient. They did not know that the structure of the WTC towers made them particularly vulnerable to collapse. That was just a bonus, which they attributed to the will of their deity.

The "peace POTUS", who campaigned on no regime change, no wars, no world's policeman and no forever wars has now hit more nations in his first year than Biden did in 4 years, and more than any modern President: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and Venezuela All the MAGAs used to bark about how Trump would never get involved in war. Now they praise him for starting wars without even the concept of a plan of what he wants to happen. The world has lots of bad guys. Khamenei was one. The Taliban is another. MbS is another. Kim Jong-un is another. Orban is another, as is Putin. The major difference is who will pay Trump or offer RE development opportunities, or who writes "love letters" and praises him, or who has kompromat on him.. In every aspect of Trump's Presidency, decisions are based on what's in it for him. He blows up tiny boats---sometimes just fisherman from Trinidad---but pardons a guy who ran 400 tonnes of drugs into the US. He pardoned a guy who laundered money for Hamas, because the guy does business with Trump's family firm. He thinks it's okay for ICE to gun down Americans exercising their 1st Amendment right of free speech, but pardoned 1600 terrorists who stormed the Capitol, beat 140 police and searched for the Vice President to hang him. Everything is about Trump. Money and power.

Saudi Arabia and their proxies killed many more Americans, and still fund Sunni terror groups like al Qaeda. Trump has that classified intel, so he knows full well. When does the bombing of Riyadh start?

So you have no argument, only calling me an old deranged guy sitting behind a laptop. Wouldn't you be surprised, suze! How is Saudi better? They fund Sunni terror. Trump knows that. They oppress anyone who might choose a faith other than Islam. They abuse women. A woman with no brothers who loses her husband must go to jail, since "who could protect her?" No woman is allowed to travel outside of Saudi without a direct male relative. You call that freedom? You obviously have no problem that the monarch---NOT democratically elected leader---ordered the flaying alive of a WaPo journalist married to an American and father to two American sons. I guess you think so long as a miscreant offers RE development opportunities, it's all good and all is forgiven. No doubt you suffer some cognitive dissonance now, not sure if you should volunteer to go fight Iran, or go fight the Taliban, who is equally bad and who took power again despite 20 years of US intervention. Or just be an armchair warrior, pretending you're everything you could never be.

Saudi Arabia has long been, and continues to be, a funder of Sunni terrorism. Perhaps you remember that little incident on 9-11-01? Trump has access to classified intel that indicates Saudi still funds Sunni terror. You need a second tin foil hat if you don't believe that. The Sunni terror group al Qaeda has their "best and brightest" at top universities studying everything from nuclear weapons to biochemistry that might enable them to create bioterror pathogens. They will use AI to create something that will make Covid 19 seem like a sniffle, but no problem, right? Saudi Arabia also has on its books that the "crime" of Christianity within its borders is punishable by public beheading. The current leader of Saudi Arabia, and a bestie of Trump and Jared, ordered the flaying alive of a WaPo journalist. Trump knows that and has undoubtedly seen the images sent from the abattoir to MbS, as that was a SIGINT intercept and shared with him by former DCI Haspel. Where the ayatollah seems to have erred is that he didn't offer Trump a Trump Tower Tehran or some Trump signature golf courses (where LIV golf tournaments could be played), and didn't put $2 billion into Jared's fund management company. Hard to believe there are people---even some who claim an online IQ of 137---who still believe Trump cares at all about freedom. Money and a diversion from Epstein. Nothing more than that.

Trump announced the start of the war from Mar-a-Lago. He stood in front of that black curtain and talked all tough and pretended he actually cared about the men and women going into harm's way at his command. He finished delivering his empty words, and then went behind the curtain where he was holding a million-dollar-a-plate fundraiser dinner with elite donors. The common people go fight his war; the elite drop $1 million for burnt steak and ketchup. Nothing screams his true view ("suckers and losers") than that stark contrast.

"I was against the war before I was for it".....she might have to say.

I guess you fully support the Iraq invasion, too. And Afghanistan for 20 years. The ayatollah was a bad guy. No argument there. Saddam was also a bad guy. And the Taliban are most definitely bad guys. Tough to say who was worse. Oh, and the little guy with the bad haircut to whom Trump wrote "love letters" is a really really bad guy---and he has nukes and Hwasong 20s that can hit the US. I didn't know you were a Neocon.

We all know how much Trump loves superlatives. Everything is always "the worst" or "the greatest". Given that, it's fair to say that this is the NeoCon-iest war ever.