Meanwhile in Iraq & Syria

[ssu]

It's noticed on this forum. Are we so much smarter than the people leading the U.S.? (In fact, that could be. Find the smartest U.S. leader, I want to talk to them for 10 minutes.) Probably there's something else going on: conservatism, nest-lining, empire-building, palm-slicking. Unfortunately, even though all of those things are understandable, they aren't admirable. What happened to the admirable, trustworthy people?

Start with fact that no President and his staff cannot simply handle the multitude of things he ought to handle in 24 hours. No matter how smart anyone would be, there simply isn't the time. Or then you would have to have an absolutely astonishing 2nd tier people who can make the best possible judgement call about the options on everything on the issues that come to the desk of the President. Which isn't going to happen.

I've always found it odd and macabre this idea of the President doing something, then he is rushed to the situation room to make the "judgement call" on if to attack some person (target) in some wedding or so (a window of opportunity). Then he says yes or no, and goes back to meet people. And the POTUS has shown he is the most powerful person in the World. And everybody is OK with this, as if it is how you either fight a war or how an US President works.

[Smitty-48]

It's noticed on this forum. Are we so much smarter than the people leading the U.S.?

Some of us are, but it's really all about entrenched interests, you can be the smartest guy in the room, but if you're beholden to deeply entrenched public and private sector interests, you'll be forced to do crazy stupid shit, just to keep all the balls in the air, can't say "not doing it", because if you said that, you wouldn't be in the chair in the first place.

To wit, you ain't gonna be leading shit, if you ain't prepared to make deals with the devils.

[Martin Hash]

To wit, you ain't gonna be leading shit, if you ain't prepared to make deals with the devils.

Explains my political career (or lack thereof) quite aptly.

[Smitty-48]

To wit, you ain't gonna be leading shit, if you ain't prepared to make deals with the devils.

Explains my political career (or lack thereof) quite aptly.

That's the thing, in order to win the votes, you have to rob from Peter to pay Paul, you have to dirty yourself up, you can't be all things to all people, but you have to get as close to that as possible, to straddle the majority, and can't be done, without making a deal with the devil, politics, a Faustian Bargain.

[SuburbanFarmer]

It's noticed on this forum. Are we so much smarter than the people leading the U.S.? (In fact, that could be. Find the smartest U.S. leader, I want to talk to them for 10 minutes.) Probably there's something else going on: conservatism, nest-lining, job-padding, empire-building & palm-slicking. Unfortunately, even though all of those things are understandable, they aren't admirable. What happened to the admirable, trustworthy people?

Well, the fact that we're on the internet at all filters our group into a higher intelligence bracket than the global average. Add to that, the topics discussed, age range, and low tolerance of bullshit, and I'd say that this group is automatically going to end up in the top 10% or so, among average citizens. With a few exceptions..

[Smitty-48]

It's not that Americans are stupid, in terms of raw intellectual capacity, but there is adherence to a lot of magical thinking and logical fallacy, in order to square the circle of their desires and preffered reality, and all that shit barnacles the politicians, as a politician, it's not that you're dealing with mongoloids, but they are fantasists and mythologists, and telling them not to believe what they believe is political suicide.

[Martin Hash]

I've already put the quote up today in "Ask a Liberalist" but that was so good I'm adding it.

[Smitty-48]

Well, you Ameicans say it all the time, in the end, America is a religion, the American Religion is both your exponential strength, but also your pitiful downfall, it's a double edged sword, creates an Icaraus Effect.

[C-Mag]

Here is an interesting article on the decision making process that led to the cruise missile attack.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... nnel=11563

McMaster and Mattis presented Trump with three options, which were quickly narrowed to two: bomb multiple airfields or just the Shayrat airfield near the city of Homs, where the military jet carrying the poison gas had taken off, the official said.

After listening to an argument that it was best to minimize both Russian and Arab casualties, the official said, Trump chose the minimum option and ordered the launch of a barrage of cruise missiles against the Shayrat air field.

Trump threw out the decapitation strike on Assad quickly.

[Okeefenokee]

Fuck that. I would prefer we did not bomb them. Stay out of foreign entanglements! I mean our meddling in the middle east since the early 90's has went SOOOOOOOO well for us and all. Now we hit Russia's ally. Not a great move IMO. Cold War 2.0 incoming and all because of a damn pipeline that S.A. wants run through Syria but the media will never talk about that little nugget.

this guy must have been paying attention for the past ten years. others.......

Wait a minute.....Okee is agreeing with me?

We agree on all kinds of stuff (I think), but when people start talking about an inability to get ahead because there is no opportunity, I disagree.