Another day, another run at nuclear war by the Trump administration.
The U.S. ambassador to NATO set off alarm bells Tuesday when she suggested that the United States might “take out” Russian missiles that U.S. officials say violate a landmark arms control treaty. (Washington Post)
Her words were
The question was what would you do if this continues to a point where we know that they are capable of delivering [the banned missiles.] And at that point we would then be looking at a capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America in Alaska.
This is ambiguous, and Nuclear Twitter lit up. The words are ambiguous, not clearly signaling that the bombers and missiles are flying or might any time soon. But “take out a missile,” particularly since the discussion of North Korea’s nuclear capability has been phrased that way recently, are dangerous words. It could refer to a preventive attack, or it could be a brag about more than our missile defense system is likely to be able to do. Either way, probably not a good idea to threaten our nuclear equals on the other side of the globe.
It turned out that she was talking about a threat that Tom Cotton and a few other warmonger senators have made: If Russia builds a missile that violates that Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and we think they may be doing that, then we will build something equivalent. This is a dumb response to a treaty violation, but that is the timeline we are living in now.
I’ve had some respect for Kay Bailey Hutchison in the past. What bothers me is that the US Ambassador to NATO should understand the current status of missiles relevant to the INF Treaty, Russian sensitivities about the possibility of a first strike, and how to handle the English language. It appears that all three of these were absent from the speech.
Yutsano
fryshocked.gif
Wasn’t she a hawk in Congress?
Mary G
Even formerly reasonable Republicans have gone crazy from exposure to Twitler and too much time in their Fox News bubble. I’m starting to think the fact that he’s let a lot of State Department positions, including ambassadors, stay empty is a feature not a bug.
AThornton
This is the Trump administration. Nobody knows anything about anything.
On the good side the GOP is facing a “spending tsunami” the like of which they’ve never seen and suburban white women and even some suburban white men are saying they plan to vote Democrat in 30 & some odd days.
AThornton
And tick-tock motherfuckers ….
NotMax
Just to add the Reuters story about this.
Beyond impolitic, beyond provocative. Totally outrageous and unprofessional behavior for an ostensible diplomat. Just shy of Khrushchevian shoe banging.
ruemara
These are the least competent bastards
But her emails!!!
The Russians helped install these asshats. It should be incumbent on them to be a little less thin skinned about the verbal diarrhea issuing from their meat puppets.
sdhays
I sort of wonder what Spankee’s reaction was when he found out 1) he has an Ambassador to NATO and she’s a woman and 2) his Ambassador to NATO threatened to attack his best buddy Vlad. Did he shit his pants? It would irresponsible not to speculate.
billcinsd
What countries do we have in Europe?
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@But her emails!!!: Winner !
TenguPhule
Three words.
Appointed by Trump.
TenguPhule
@NotMax: And it was yesterday.
JPL
I always thought of her as a moderate, but maybe not. Is it possible that it’s not Trump’s party, but Cotton’s party. If so help us all.
TenguPhule
@But her emails!!!:
Appearances need to be kept up.
NotMax
First rule of sabre rattling: Actually have a sabre.
This is scabbard rattling.
Mike in NC
Hutchinson is an idiot. That’s why Trump hired her. Only the worst people!
TenguPhule
@NotMax:
The codpiece was empty.
MJS
And Trump will file this under, “Russia, nobody’s been tougher on”, to be accessed the next time someone is indicted.
TenguPhule
I remain hopeful that selection, natural or otherwise will cull their numbers to endangered or extinction.
debbie
@JPL:
No, she was quite the hawk. I always thought it was just anti-Obama posturing, but maybe she’s a legit fascist.
?BillinGlendaleCA
She’s a Trump hire.
JPL
@debbie: I lived in Dallas in the mid eighties and that is not how she came across, but I now think you are right.
NotMax
@TenguP{hule
Somewhat surprising that Mr. Cole doesn’t realize it is the job of a political party to offer up (and convince enough people of) something to vote for and not depend on campaigning to vote against the other party.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Well in case this is it… it’s been nice knowing you all virtually.
LosGatosCA
John Bolton and Dick Cheney approve this gaffe.
But her emails!!!
@NotMax:
1. A platform of voting against the other party works for Republicans
2. The Democrats have a platform full of good reasons to vote for them. Everything from civil rights to combating global warming to supporting education to letting people continue to purchase birth control
3. Not Democrats fault that a sizable minority of people in the right places prefers tire rims, anthrax and fucking over brown people to actual policies.
NotMax
@ But her emails!!!
Gerrymandering and voter suppression.
TenguPhule
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:
This happened yesterday.
It was clarified for all parties.
Nine hours after she said it.
TenguPhule
@NotMax:
Which we need to employ against white Republican voters in shithole counties.
Because fuck it, rule of law means nothing anymore.
NotMax
@TenguPhule
Tell me you didn’t just come out in favor of voter suppression. Please.
ArchTeryx
@NotMax: I’m all for it, though I suspect for reasons differennt then TenguPhule.
“They bring a knife, you bring a gun. They put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue! That’s the Chicago way!”
If it becomes a tit for tat war of voter suppression, the odds of a nonpartisan neutral district drawer (which is our real goal) skyrocket. The other party understands nothing short of being fucked in the ass with no lube. So fuck ’em hard and often, and eventually, you may get the bastards to stand down and let the good cop have a word in edgewise.
J R in WV
@TenguPhule:
NotMax
@ArchTeryx
Piling whipped sickness and perversion atop a sh*t sundae isn’t a remedy.
J R in WV
@NotMax:
ArchTeryx was around quite a bit a couple of years ago, haven’t seen a word from them since the election. That’s not a sure thing, but it is a pretty good sign of trolling. I won’t be pieing ArchTeryx for now, because of lack of volume. But it only takes a moment since M^4 and Alain and cleek made that invention so flawlessly easy to implement.
jl
So, we may blow up the world, because our leaders can’t manage the kind of English usage we’d expect in a high school report from a grad C level student?
Make America Great Again.
Well, at least I know my TrumpAlert is working!