President Donald Trump

[Fresno Bob]

You are normally better than this. Saying that misdirection is a basic part of the Trump toolbox is like saying water is wet. It's still a long ways from flim flam.

Trump was out front with what he wanted to do and has been very effective in delivering on Republican/conservative issues. So, there is solid reason why his base will vote for him gain. Also, any reasonable person will admit he has shone outright brilliance in foreign affairs. North Korea was the Obama administration's #1 priority.

J

you are insane, any reasonable person, for example, anyone with ANY significant foreign policy experience, knows that other than with Russia, our foreign affairs are in a 100% downspiral.

[Fresno Bob]

Solved, no. Managed to greatly lower the tensions, definitely. The North/South handshake and the Kim/Trump summit are landmark events. If you are not counting this as a big win for the Trump administration then you need to reconsider your standards.

J

big win for the Kim administration, no one else. Please explain the win of "no actual progress/getting played by Kim" to me

[DMT]

Funny, I haven't heard anyone mention Trump Derangement Syndrome recently. Oh, maybe because we were right, just like we were about Iraqi WMDs. Another disaster that could've been averted if the left had any power in our country.

[Fresno Bob]

There were also remains repatriated, which might not be a huge deal, but certainly isn’t a bad thing.

not a bad thing, but not worth validating the Kim regime on the global stage

[Fresno Bob]

when are we going to see his taxes? Why haven't we seen them yet? Maybe because Trump isn't actually a citizen? No, it's because he's worth less than $200M, maybe less than zero!

[In the Corn]

I'll disagree here because if these stories are accurate (and they most assuredly are), the truly patriotic thing to do would be to invoke the 25th amendment and remove this dangerous moron from office. Instead, they call Woodward a liar.

This is a pretty hard standard to meet:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office

[DMT]

This is a pretty hard standard to meet:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office

Even if ultimately unsuccessful, it would cripple his presidency until the next election. Of course, Republicans don't want that because they're too focused on tax cuts for the rich and taking health care away from the rest of us.

[B-Fly]

This is a pretty hard standard to meet:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office

What makes this so tricky is that, by most accounts, he walked into the office lacking the knowledge, skill and temperament to competently discharge the powers and duties of his office. It's not like there was some traumatic event or degenerative disease that occurred since he was sworn in. We, the American voters, chose someone incompetent. That's really on us, and I suspect we're the ones that will have to fix it in 2020.

[In the Corn]

Even if ultimately unsuccessful, it would cripple his presidency until the next election. Of course, Republicans don't want that because they're too focused on tax cuts for the rich and taking health care away from the rest of us.

I don't know that it would cripple his presidency. I think in a lot of ways, this would be viewed as a coup from a lot of people. Sometimes covert actions like the ones referenced by Woodward's book are more targeted and serve a greater purpose.

[Fresno Bob]

Here's your great foreign policy leader in action

https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17819298/woodward-book-fear-trump-north-korea-mattis-syria-assad

[revo]

Three books, all independent of one another, all revealing that Trump is hated by his staff; his admin is amateur hour; and like the first two, Dumb Donald just tries to discredit the messenger, and in this case, attempting to change laws to help himself! But Bob Woodward, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is unlike the other two, and saying he's just making shit up is painfully disturbing.

Heck, let's see if Bobby W can take down his second corrupt president!

And this doozy from 2013:

[Sour Masher]

What makes this so tricky is that, by most accounts, he walked into the office lacking the knowledge, skill and temperament to competently discharge the powers and duties of his office. It's not like there was some traumatic event or degenerative disease that occurred since he was sworn in. We, the American voters, chose someone incompetent. That's really on us, and I suspect we're the ones that will have to fix it in 2020.

All true. I hope we do fix it. His improbably march to the White House still dumbfounds me.

[Sour Masher]

His attempts to feel out people on Twitter by asking questions about fundamentaling changing the rules of the game any time he is losing is so disturbing to me. It's obvious to me that if he feels out the room and thinks he can get away with it, he'd burn the constitution, if it was a win for him personally to do so.

[Sour Masher]

As I hear more about Woodward's book, one of my take-aways about his staff and them working around him (if they actually are, and I am inclined to think they are) is they are making a sacrifice in being tied to this administration, when they should be lauded as true patriots in they have acted in the best interest for America.

From talking down Trump from assassinating al-Assad to taking trade documents off his desk before he could sign them, these Cabinet members should be applauded for doing their best damage control for the nation.

I go back and forth about my feelings on this, but you are probably right--lord knows where our country would be without adults in the room handling him away from his worst impulses.

[DMT]

It appears ITC was spot-on. This is fucking insane.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html

The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.

That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.