Maybe someone could help me out here. This morning I was half listening to Trump blather on about the upcoming Alaska talks and I could have sworn he said something about Ukraine starting the war with Russia. I doublechecked and found out that my hearing was not deceiving me. Why does he think that? And why doesn't anyone call him on that? How did those two idiots standing next to him (Hegseth and Blondi) nod their heads in unison? Did Ukraine start the whole thing?
Tiime for a refresher on Tulsi's Garbage Intel Show, in which ye olde Durham project gets recycled to once again hoodwink MAGAts into believing that Hillary and Barack "plotted" to make poor little Donny look bad because "Russia Hoax."
Durham whipped up a yawner out of oversights (lies) and overhype (lies) that fed a few news cycles but died out due to lack of substance. Tulsi is now trying to rehabilitate the lyingest lies parts of Durham's report.
Here's where Putin/kompromat comes in: those lies can be shown as what they are by intelligence the GRU possesses, because they were predicated on GRU attempts to sow disinformation in 2016.
For more of this, go to Emptywheel, where Marcy Wheeler explains it all in detail.
I often wonder if Putin smiles and then smoothly threatens to serve tea to negotiators' families. The turn around is so fast and he can't have Kompromat on everyone, can he?
I am on the horns of a dilemma. I have been offered a job out of town. It’s temporary but could be all winter. I am pretty sure I could not bring all five of my cats. Plus, one of them needs to have regular bloodwork, which I couldn’t manage. There was a possibility that I could take a couple of them, but. The money would come in handy, but it’s not essential.
The work is very appealing. The location would be remote, but beautiful and I think it would be an unforgettable opportunity. I told him I would have to think about it and see if I could find a house sitter who loves cats.
My wife, Ana, and I would welcome any opportunity just to park our vehicle out of the sun. Hell, we'll even bring another cat, a gentle Maine coon giant named Dimebag.
Not exactly, but Alaska or northern contiguous states seems to fit. I infer from your posts that it's somewhat remote with long winters. I prefer that, and Ana may be persuadable. But the Sonoran desert as it becomes militarized is No Country For Old(ish) Men. I loved living in Island Park, Idaho, and I'd go back there in a heartbeat if I could afford to live there.
"It’s not a land “swap” if Ukraine is getting no Russian land"
WHy does anyone presume that Ukraine would want any Russian land? Yeah, they want to get Crimea back and all the other lands that Russia has ILLEGALLY occupied since 2014 ( including Crimea ). If Putin and FFOTUS think that Ukraine will agree to cede those lands to the Russians - despite the fact that Russian occupation and "annexation" of this lands is ILLEGAL, then they're idiots. We know FFOTUS is, and Putin really thinks he can get away with this, then maybe he's not so smart, either.
"And now Putin and Trump [sic] are going to meet in Alaska on Friday, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy."
(In a Mr Rogers voice) Can you say Ashraf Ghani?
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"there those two are anyway, planning to carve up Ukraine and present it to Zelenskyy, like a done deal"
It will be a done deal! The Fulvous Fuckwad will present it to Zelenskyy as a fait accompli, with a "this is the best deal you're going to get so you might as well agree. Otherwise, no more military materiel for you and ***all*** of Ukraine will again be a satellite in the new Russian hegemony."
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"Putin must be such a charmer! Especially if Witkoff is still not even bringing his own translator."
Vladimir Vladimirovich's hand picked translator would never leave out key details; he'd be as honest and straightforward as Putin (unless Putin told his translator, in Russian, to lie through his teeth, or to make up whatever the fuck he wants to) and Witless bought it hook, line, and sinker. (Anecdotally, a family member who worked at the State Dept once noted that since the leadup to the end of the Soviet Union up until Putin came to power both sides had several plants on the back benches fluent in the other language but not identified as so in the necessary documents. They would note when the official translation wasn't quite exactly what was said. These notes would then be used by those on the front line the next day.)
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"So what would Ukraine get out of any of this? Shrug! “Assurances.” Ones that are really assuring this time, and not like the assurances Ukraine already had that Trump [sic] is now ignoring."
* Question: is "Assurances" a synonym of the RINO "thoughts and prayers?" It seems to me that both are equally effective.
* Should Zelenskyy take the bait (which I highly doubt) then, by one definition, he is stark raving mad:
> "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" Albert Einstein (attributed)
* As a rule, the Deep Saffron Dipstick ignores everything he doesn't like so why would this situation be any different? (If he can't ignore it he'll spin it so he doesn't look like the loser he is. As a well-known example, the Gamboge Garbage-can claimed the 9-0 SCOTUS ruling against him in the Abrego Garcia case was spun to a claim of complete exoneration of his asshattery -- 9-0 in his favor if I recall.)
PAB better keep a tight eye on his diet cokes.
Meeting is just a few miles from here. None of us want a nuclear armed demented autocrat anywhere near here. Or Putin either.
Maybe someone could help me out here. This morning I was half listening to Trump blather on about the upcoming Alaska talks and I could have sworn he said something about Ukraine starting the war with Russia. I doublechecked and found out that my hearing was not deceiving me. Why does he think that? And why doesn't anyone call him on that? How did those two idiots standing next to him (Hegseth and Blondi) nod their heads in unison? Did Ukraine start the whole thing?
NPR: "Trump says he will 'feel out' Putin in Alaska on ending the war in Ukraine"
Putin: No thanks. Not yet. Not now. Because Russian History. Because NATO.
Because Mother Russia. Because Ukraine attacking Russia. Because Ukraine
NAZIs. Because corruption in Ukraine.
But thanks for the visit to historically Russian territory of Alaska. Hmmm.
Greater Russia. Also Russian history in California, did you know?
Tiime for a refresher on Tulsi's Garbage Intel Show, in which ye olde Durham project gets recycled to once again hoodwink MAGAts into believing that Hillary and Barack "plotted" to make poor little Donny look bad because "Russia Hoax."
Durham whipped up a yawner out of oversights (lies) and overhype (lies) that fed a few news cycles but died out due to lack of substance. Tulsi is now trying to rehabilitate the lyingest lies parts of Durham's report.
Here's where Putin/kompromat comes in: those lies can be shown as what they are by intelligence the GRU possesses, because they were predicated on GRU attempts to sow disinformation in 2016.
For more of this, go to Emptywheel, where Marcy Wheeler explains it all in detail.
I often wonder if Putin smiles and then smoothly threatens to serve tea to negotiators' families. The turn around is so fast and he can't have Kompromat on everyone, can he?
So, a wanted international war criminal will meet with a multiply-convicted felon. For peace.
<snip>
I am on the horns of a dilemma. I have been offered a job out of town. It’s temporary but could be all winter. I am pretty sure I could not bring all five of my cats. Plus, one of them needs to have regular bloodwork, which I couldn’t manage. There was a possibility that I could take a couple of them, but. The money would come in handy, but it’s not essential.
The work is very appealing. The location would be remote, but beautiful and I think it would be an unforgettable opportunity. I told him I would have to think about it and see if I could find a house sitter who loves cats.
This is tough.
My wife, Ana, and I would welcome any opportunity just to park our vehicle out of the sun. Hell, we'll even bring another cat, a gentle Maine coon giant named Dimebag.
What general neck of the woods are you located in at this time?
Sierra Vista, AZ.
Ummm… you know where I live, right? Approximately?
Not exactly, but Alaska or northern contiguous states seems to fit. I infer from your posts that it's somewhat remote with long winters. I prefer that, and Ana may be persuadable. But the Sonoran desert as it becomes militarized is No Country For Old(ish) Men. I loved living in Island Park, Idaho, and I'd go back there in a heartbeat if I could afford to live there.
Well, if you propose it, I would love to hear about her reaction. My mental Rolodex is spinning with possibilities.
As Andrew Borowitz suggested, how 'bout Russia gets Florida in return for withdrawal from Ukraine...?
Slava Ukraini!!!!!
"It’s not a land “swap” if Ukraine is getting no Russian land"
WHy does anyone presume that Ukraine would want any Russian land? Yeah, they want to get Crimea back and all the other lands that Russia has ILLEGALLY occupied since 2014 ( including Crimea ). If Putin and FFOTUS think that Ukraine will agree to cede those lands to the Russians - despite the fact that Russian occupation and "annexation" of this lands is ILLEGAL, then they're idiots. We know FFOTUS is, and Putin really thinks he can get away with this, then maybe he's not so smart, either.
"Even the Trump side seems unclear on what the goal is."
The goal is to distract from Epstein and from every other incompetent and unacceptable thing TACO engages in.
I trust Alaska has stopped feeding it's polar bears to make them more excited to greet their new visitors.
Wasn't trump calling Alaska "Russia" a tell? Maybe he will trade it to Russia for Greenland
He called Alaska Russia twice in his verbal vomitus of a speech.
TWICE.
And mainstream media stays silent.
If it were Biden, Jake Tapper would be writing a book.
"And now Putin and Trump [sic] are going to meet in Alaska on Friday, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy."
(In a Mr Rogers voice) Can you say Ashraf Ghani?
-----
"there those two are anyway, planning to carve up Ukraine and present it to Zelenskyy, like a done deal"
It will be a done deal! The Fulvous Fuckwad will present it to Zelenskyy as a fait accompli, with a "this is the best deal you're going to get so you might as well agree. Otherwise, no more military materiel for you and ***all*** of Ukraine will again be a satellite in the new Russian hegemony."
-----
"Putin must be such a charmer! Especially if Witkoff is still not even bringing his own translator."
Vladimir Vladimirovich's hand picked translator would never leave out key details; he'd be as honest and straightforward as Putin (unless Putin told his translator, in Russian, to lie through his teeth, or to make up whatever the fuck he wants to) and Witless bought it hook, line, and sinker. (Anecdotally, a family member who worked at the State Dept once noted that since the leadup to the end of the Soviet Union up until Putin came to power both sides had several plants on the back benches fluent in the other language but not identified as so in the necessary documents. They would note when the official translation wasn't quite exactly what was said. These notes would then be used by those on the front line the next day.)
-----
"So what would Ukraine get out of any of this? Shrug! “Assurances.” Ones that are really assuring this time, and not like the assurances Ukraine already had that Trump [sic] is now ignoring."
* Question: is "Assurances" a synonym of the RINO "thoughts and prayers?" It seems to me that both are equally effective.
* Should Zelenskyy take the bait (which I highly doubt) then, by one definition, he is stark raving mad:
> "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" Albert Einstein (attributed)
* As a rule, the Deep Saffron Dipstick ignores everything he doesn't like so why would this situation be any different? (If he can't ignore it he'll spin it so he doesn't look like the loser he is. As a well-known example, the Gamboge Garbage-can claimed the 9-0 SCOTUS ruling against him in the Abrego Garcia case was spun to a claim of complete exoneration of his asshattery -- 9-0 in his favor if I recall.)
fnord