41 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

The very nature of diplomacy is lying, dissembling, spinning and generally being devious.

This kind of mentality that could produce such a silly statement  embodies the very essence of a bad B movie script. Those of us who take a more realistic view of things know that in a dark fantasy world like the one you conjure, business between nations could never get done.

Just now, Nyezhov said:

You as smart as he is? You are a rich President too? Heavens!

 

The best part about all the Trump hating is that he is more sucessful, well off, wealthy and powerful than 99.9% of his haters. Like here....He doesnt have to worry about where to grub up 25K in order to live somewhere....

 

 

I dare say im smarter than him. People have seen my records.

 

How do u know he is smart, he threatens to sue anyone that releases his academic records.

 

How do you know he is rich? He wont release his tax records.

 

What we do know he inherited a boatload and loves bankruptcy. Now that takes skill.

 

And btw. I dont need to show any money at all to live somewhere.

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Count Trump's current nominee as Ambassador to Thailand as one among that group of political Ambassador appointments, a corporate lawyer guy who heads an international Republicans group who would be the first non-career diplomat to hold the U.S.'s Thai ambassador position since the mid 1970s.

 

Oh no! You don't mean that DJT's appointee for Thai Ambassador is really just a... a... SWAMP THING???!!!

These diplomats work for the President. 

 

He decides who gets hired, who stays, and who goes.

27 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Yes. Donald Trump as a genius to be born to a rich daddy.And even more of a genius to have that rich daddy repeatedly bail him out from bankruptcy. Oh, and he destroyed his daddy's business, too. Another stroke of genius.

Quite. Smartest he has been was before he was born. All downhill from there.

4 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

These diplomats work for the President. 

 

He decides who gets hired, who stays, and who goes.

The diplomats work for the govt. They swear an oath. They are not required to break the law at request of the president.

4 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Quite. Smartest he has been was before he was born. All downhill from there.

The funny thing is, he repeatedly found himself in bankruptcy because he paid way too much for the businesses he purchased. In other words, the Great Negotiator was repeatedly outnegotiated.

Edited October 7, 20196 yr by bristolboy

33 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

These diplomats work for the President. 

 

He decides who gets hired, who stays, and who goes.

 

No, some of them are career civil servants, others are political appointees.

 

He and his admin can pick the political appointee positions. But the career civil service positions are not supposed to be subject to political whims.

 

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

He and his admin can pick the political appointee positions. But the career civil service positions are not supposed to be subject to political whims.

She was an Ambassador. Appointed on a political whim, fired on a political whim. An ambassador represents the United States on behalf of hishers boss, the President of the United States. The Boss doesnt like you, bye bye. Lifes tough.

7 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

 

 

 I do know he has more money than you or any of his critics on this Forum and was smart enough to be elected President. How bout you?

 

 

 

 

How much money Trump has is questionable. For all you or I know, he may be in hock to Russian oligarchs for the whole of it. Would not be the first time a business empire was built on flim flam, and it won't be the last.

Similarly, it may not be a question of how smart Trump is to get elected President. More about how dumb the voters were to put him there.

2 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

State Department employees have been coddled for decades, given a phony elitism over other civil servants.  Trump needs to get rid of the deadwood at State.

Yes its always good management to appoint people into positions for which they have no experience. ????

59 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

5555. Well dumb as he is, he is the President of the USA, he has lots of money, and his wife is young and hot and has that savagely sexy slavic accent.

 

What about you Big Boy? Head up there to your palatial estate in Phitsanalok via your Chopper or Limo or Private Plane do you? Got a whole bunch of prettys waiting? Russian ones? When you go to the bank in the USA, do they bow and call you Mister and have you do your transactions privately? Hell, you can transfer a million from one account to the other with just a phone call, right.

 

I wish I was half as dumb as Donald Trump.

The things you list are hardly an indication of “smartness” -- they are a clear mark of shallowness and even vacuity. In an (admittedly cruel) line variously attributed to Fran Lebowitz and others: Trump is a stupid man’s idea of a smart man, a poor man’s idea of a rich man, a weak man’s idea of a strong man, a trashy man’s idea of a cultured man.

23 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

I dont know any of the foregoing, nor do I care about your records showing how allegedly smart you are.

 

 I do know he has more money than you or any of his critics on this Forum and was smart enough to be elected President. How bout you?

 

Im glad your Visa staus here in Thailand does not require you to put down the 25 large? Could you do it though? He could...

 

Or maybe you arent in Thailand. 

 

But regardless, life is too short to lecture y'all on the Sin of Envy. Off to the Sewing Lady under the Bridge for a repair. Tahs....

 

 

Lots of corrupt people and/or criminals are rich. Often that's how they became rich. If you look at the origins of 45's wealth (or as 45 has said -- oranges), that started by his father using him as a funnel for a dodgy tax dodge. That wasn't the boy's fault of course but it's not that he went clean after that. If your argument is that we should respect 45 because he is rich that's completely ridiculous. If you're saying we should respect him because he is president, well that's partly true. We need to respect the awesome POWER of the American presidency, but in this case there is no logical reason to have personal respect for it's current occupant.

 

Cheers.

Edited October 7, 20196 yr by Jingthing

46 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

She was an Ambassador. Appointed on a political whim, fired on a political whim. An ambassador represents the United States on behalf of hishers boss, the President of the United States. The Boss doesnt like you, bye bye. Lifes tough.

In Trump's case, "whim" might accurately describe his decision making process. But what does that say about his ability and judgement? A competent chief executive doesn't hire and fire on whims.

Edited October 7, 20196 yr by bristolboy

51 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

I dont know any of the foregoing, nor do I care about your records showing how allegedly smart you are.

 

 I do know he has more money than you or any of his critics on this Forum and was smart enough to be elected President. How bout you?

 

Im glad your Visa staus here in Thailand does not require you to put down the 25 large? Could you do it though? He could...

 

Or maybe you arent in Thailand. 

 

But regardless, life is too short to lecture y'all on the Sin of Envy. Off to the Sewing Lady under the Bridge for a repair. Tahs....

 

 

As for the money, he was smart enough to be born to a rich daddy. But if being elected President is your criterion of intelligence, then Barack Obama, without the benefit of inherited wealth to help him on his way and raised by a single mother, must be an absolute genius. That goes for Bill Clinton, too. And George Bush...oh wait a minute. And George Bush Sr....oh wait another minute. 

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

5555. Well dumb as he is, he is the President of the USA, he has lots of money, and his wife is young and hot and has that savagely sexy slavic accent.

 

What about you Big Boy? Head up there to your palatial estate in Phitsanalok via your Chopper or Limo or Private Plane do you? Got a whole bunch of prettys waiting? Russian ones? When you go to the bank in the USA, do they bow and call you Mister and have you do your transactions privately? Hell, you can transfer a million from one account to the other with just a phone call, right.

 

I wish I was half as dumb as Donald Trump.

Perhaps I do, but the politics of envy prevent me disclosing my position.

I have never been bankrupt, and as far as needing to have my ego stroked by people kowtowing, is not something I need.

 

1 hour ago, Kelsall said:

State Department employees have been coddled for decades, given a phony elitism over other civil servants.  Trump needs to get rid of the deadwood at State.

But can Trump distinguish wood from trees? Or does he prefer just to burn all to be sure?

Edited October 7, 20196 yr by Dumbastheycome

6 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Career government folks are OK as long as they realize who they are working for. When they start being a law unto themselves, time for them to go. All the political whinging in the world doesnt change that.

 

Presidents have had to contend with the "experts" in Foggy Bottom since 1945. The same folks redux since then, the same schools, the same clubs, the same elite attitudes. All part of the swamp where the government had become the decisionmaker, rather than the entity that carries out the decisions.

 

If you cant tell that this whole staory is based on politcs, then I want to smoke some too. There is an election coming let the people decide. What are they afraid of.?

 

Yes, this whole story is based on politics, the criminal politics of one man who  who can't compete without cheating. He seems to wallow in the swamp.

1 minute ago, kamahele said:

Yes, this whole story is based on politics, the criminal politics of one man who  who can't compete without cheating. He seems to wallow in the swamp.

Goodness next they will tell us that POTUS has cheated at golf and told "alternative facts" about his scores.

 

1 hour ago, Cory1848 said:

I know a lot of foreign service officers, have worked with them and been married to them, and they would disagree with your uninformed opinion.

All of them? You must have put yourself about a fair bit.

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

All of them? You must have put yourself about a fair bit.

Yes, all in the service of one's country of course!

4 hours ago, Mavideol said:

the guy doesn't respect himself how do we expect him to respect others.... his modo/logo is

"it's always my way or no way" the surprised come from the ones within his party that criticized him during his 2016 campaign and now they support & follow him like dogs follow a bone

 

4 hours ago, Opl said:

Yes, some people know exactly who they are working for, and why.  Since Trump is the best advocate representing  his own interests, Trump has nominated 14 major inauguration donors for ambassador roles 

These nominees donated an average of just over $350,000 to Trump's inauguration. NBC also notes that only 8 of Trump's diplomatic nominees have made it through the Republican-controlled Senate

He is no different than other presidents in doing this, just more brazen.    Corruption has been going on in Washington for many years.    Draining the swamp.

5 minutes ago, Ken126 said:

 

He is no different than other presidents in doing this, just more brazen.    Corruption has been going on in Washington for many years.    Draining the swamp.

Deepening the swamp. Making it more attractive for his cronies

 

5 minutes ago, Ken126 said:

 

He is no different than other presidents in doing this, just more brazen.    Corruption has been going on in Washington for many years.    Draining the swamp.

Deepening the swamp. Making it more attractive for his cronies

 

Troll posts and off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

She was an Ambassador. Appointed on a political whim, fired on a political whim. An ambassador represents the United States on behalf of hishers boss, the President of the United States. The Boss doesnt like you, bye bye. Lifes tough.

 

The comment I was responding to was about "diplomats" in general -- not just the one woman ambassador you're talking about. Yes, presidents have the right to pick their own ambassadors, but they don't have the right to dismiss from government service career civil service people.

 

There are lots of career civil service diplomats, including the past 40 years of U.S. ambassadorial appointments to Thailand. If a president doesn't like one, they just go on to some other diplomatic assignment.

 

Then there also are a separate cadre of political appointees, who can be appointed, subject to Senate confirmation, and removed at will.

1 hour ago, Ken126 said:

 

He is no different than other presidents in doing this, just more brazen.    Corruption has been going on in Washington for many years.    Draining the swamp.

I know ;  "Drain the swamp -  "surround myself only with the best and most serious people" …, what else ?  Giuliani's shadow diplomacy ? See the result? 

 

8 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

If you cant tell that this whole staory is based on politcs, then I want to smoke some too. There is an election coming let the people decide. What are they afraid of.?

 

Republicans espouse eschewing investigation to keep the electorate ignorant such that the ignorant will support the traitor... those divided states has fallen to previously unimaginable lows and the stink shall linger for years as potential partners struggle to deal with what has indeed been revealed to be a (very) flawed democracy which is losing more and more of its credibility.

 

US politics need to be reset to a time when America truly was great... oh for a man in tan.

12 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Career government folks are OK as long as they realize who they are working for. When they start being a law unto themselves, time for them to go. All the political whinging in the world doesnt change that.

 

Presidents have had to contend with the "experts" in Foggy Bottom since 1945. The same folks redux since then, the same schools, the same clubs, the same elite attitudes. All part of the swamp where the government had become the decisionmaker, rather than the entity that carries out the decisions.

 

If you cant tell that this whole staory is based on politcs, then I want to smoke some too. There is an election coming let the people decide. What are they afraid of.?

 

They are afraid that a nutcase who won a rigged election as an outsider will win again as the main power broker.

Off-topic posts and replies removed.