Democratic Primary Thread: The Deuce

[Clyde_Style]

I agree with all of this. I guess this doesn't take away from "getting out in front of" but the stuff DB was looking into over Vrablic seemed fairly minor (buying a condo with 2 other people and flipping it for a less than 20% gain a year later in a building Kushner had an as yet unreported stake). Listen, I think they are all corrupt as hell, but this smelled like pushing out a little bs investigation to say "See! See how good we are? We investigated and found nothing! Nothing to see here!" Meanwhile they looked right past a giant pile of crimes.

What I don't understand about Germany and Merkel is how they've let Deutsche Bank get away with its many obvious crimes unless there is some overlap with German national agendas. It is very peculiar since this bank keeps getting slapped with penalties for recurring rogue behavior.

As far as Vrablic, yeah, it's for show, but they did comply with the subpoena which is the real heft of the idea they're getting ahead of this one. It was one of the clearest indicators that Trump is trapped and is definitely going to be indicted for crimes that will be probably fairly easy to prove and convict. That means no way out and jail time for the orange blob.

Pet theory, and why I think Trump got into money laundering, other than he's always been in Real Estate, and in NYC, and that business in that local has LONG been a venue for it:

After the 2008 financial crash, dark, laundered money was instrumental in propping up the financial system with its ability to inject cash into the system at key times.

Trump has always had a feel, gained over the years of participating in the semi corrupt NYC government/real estate nexus, of what stuff is borderline legal/skirts the law/you can get away with it stuff. And the best stuff to get away with is the stuff that is kind of illegal, but a lot connected people are into it, so you know that if they try to roll up on you, some of them are going down, so it's "kind of" safe.

I suspect the answer is the same for Germany, the USA, UK, all sorts of places.

Trump is just the extra stupid, extra obvious, slob about it.

If there had not been the family business and had his father not seeded capital to prop him up (and Trump had not stolen a disproportionate share of the inheritance), there'd likely have never been the Donald Trump we know now. What allowed him to transition from Daddy's lifeline into the present was massive debt, but with a twist. Trump's debtors never expected to get repaid.

Deutsche Bank is a funnel for the Kremlin to Trump and those debts are collateralized by komprommat, not assets. In that sense, Trump is the ultimate Russian asset. Putin invested in Trump as a hedge, probably never fully expecting America to go for this buffoon as a government official, but what a spectacular bet it was. For a billion or three (less than 1% of Putin's net worth), Putin bought the American political system between his ownership of Trump and his purchase of the GOP (through the NRA, for example; Exhibit A: Butina and Alexander Torshin).

So basically, Deutsche Bank raked in banker's fees with no liability. Great deal for them. They can afford to pay their fines.

Look at Epstein as another example. DB transacted lots of his payment schemes to bankroll baksheesh payola and incentivizations to victims of his sex trade syndicate. Do you think they did that for anything less than a premium percentage? They take a cut of everything for doing things other banks won't touch.

But as far as your dates go, it precedes 2008. DB started working with Trump in 1998 and have transacted several billion dollars since.

And Trump was ALWAYS a criminal. He did not slide into money laundering to appease the only foreign bankers that would touch him (i.e. Kremlin/post-Soviet nationals via banks like DB, Alfa and entities in Cyprus, a notorious clearing house for Russian oligarch money laundering).

And Trump did not become a criminal because no American banks would lend to him after the collapse of his casinos. Those casinos themselves were money laundering operations that had Russian gangsters from Brighton Beach walking into Trump's casinos with briefases of cash to play the casino chip money washing game (buy the chips, don't gamble, cash back out, collect check, deposit, rinse, repeat). Trump was busted by New York for this and paid a fine. How he got away with just a cash penalty is one of the mysteries of Trump's past teflon crime history, but there is no doubt he has been in business with the mob (and Russian gangsters before the consolidation of Putin's power) for decades.

[thebuzzardman]

What I don't understand about Germany and Merkel is how they've let Deutsche Bank get away with its many obvious crimes unless there is some overlap with German national agendas. It is very peculiar since this bank keeps getting slapped with penalties for recurring rogue behavior.

As far as Vrablic, yeah, it's for show, but they did comply with the subpoena which is the real heft of the idea they're getting ahead of this one. It was one of the clearest indicators that Trump is trapped and is definitely going to be indicted for crimes that will be probably fairly easy to prove and convict. That means no way out and jail time for the orange blob.

Pet theory, and why I think Trump got into money laundering, other than he's always been in Real Estate, and in NYC, and that business in that local has LONG been a venue for it:

After the 2008 financial crash, dark, laundered money was instrumental in propping up the financial system with its ability to inject cash into the system at key times.

Trump has always had a feel, gained over the years of participating in the semi corrupt NYC government/real estate nexus, of what stuff is borderline legal/skirts the law/you can get away with it stuff. And the best stuff to get away with is the stuff that is kind of illegal, but a lot connected people are into it, so you know that if they try to roll up on you, some of them are going down, so it's "kind of" safe.

I suspect the answer is the same for Germany, the USA, UK, all sorts of places.

Trump is just the extra stupid, extra obvious, slob about it.

If there had not been the family business and had his father not seeded capital to prop him up (and Trump had not stolen a disproportionate share of the inheritance), there'd likely have never been the Donald Trump we know now. What allowed him to transition from Daddy's lifeline into the present was massive debt, but with a twist. Trump's debtors never expected to get repaid.

Deutsche Bank is a funnel for the Kremlin to Trump and those debts are collateralized by komprommat, not assets. In that sense, Trump is the ultimate Russian asset. Putin invested in Trump as a hedge, probably never fully expecting America to go for this buffoon as a government official, but what a spectacular bet it was. For a billion or three (less than 1% of Putin's net worth), Putin bought the American political system between his ownership of Trump and his purchase of the GOP (through the NRA, for example; Exhibit A: Butina and Alexander Torshin).

So basically, Deutsche Bank raked in banker's fees with no liability. Great deal for them. They can afford to pay their fines.

Look at Epstein as another example. DB transacted lots of his payment schemes to bankroll baksheesh payola and incentivizations to victims of his sex trade syndicate. Do you think they did that for anything less than a premium percentage? They take a cut of everything for doing things other banks won't touch.

But as far as your dates go, it precedes 2008. DB started working with Trump in 1998 and have transacted several billion dollars since.

And Trump was ALWAYS a criminal. He did not slide into money laundering to appease the only foreign bankers that would touch him (i.e. Kremlin/post-Soviet nationals via banks like DB, Alfa and entities in Cyprus, a notorious clearing house for Russian oligarch money laundering).

And Trump did not become a criminal because no American banks would lend to him after the collapse of his casinos. Those casinos themselves were money laundering operations that had Russian gangsters from Brighton Beach walking into Trump's casinos with briefases of cash to play the casino chip money washing game (buy the chips, don't gamble, cash back out, collect check, deposit, rinse, repeat). Trump was busted by New York for this and paid a fine. How he got away with just a cash penalty is one of the mysteries of Trump's past teflon crime history, but there is no doubt he has been in business with the mob (and Russian gangsters before the consolidation of Putin's power) for decades.

Agree with all of that.

It dovetails with my part of Trump knowing where the illegal/legal line is and what can be gotten away with. Or, that he's always had a hand in illegal stuff and post Berlin Wall/ USSR fall, recognized the bigger "opportunity"

For DB, if not the German gov't, there's the massive profit to be made, which applies to all countries as well.

As an aside, we had to take anti money laundering classes each year when I worked at JPMorgan, later JPMChase and a zillion mergers after. Anyway, I took the "dumb IT guy version", which I guess happened each time the bank got caught with it's pants down/got sued. Anyway, those classes would mention "terrorism" and "drug dealing" but were kind of light on mentioning "organized crime"

And in the news, at least until recently, most of your money laundering stories are about terrorists and narco guys. And sure, they and people connected to them are absolutely involved. But the organized crime angle kind of downplayed.

I don't think that's exactly coincidence.

[Clyde_Style]

Pet theory, and why I think Trump got into money laundering, other than he's always been in Real Estate, and in NYC, and that business in that local has LONG been a venue for it:

After the 2008 financial crash, dark, laundered money was instrumental in propping up the financial system with its ability to inject cash into the system at key times.

Trump has always had a feel, gained over the years of participating in the semi corrupt NYC government/real estate nexus, of what stuff is borderline legal/skirts the law/you can get away with it stuff. And the best stuff to get away with is the stuff that is kind of illegal, but a lot connected people are into it, so you know that if they try to roll up on you, some of them are going down, so it's "kind of" safe.

I suspect the answer is the same for Germany, the USA, UK, all sorts of places.

Trump is just the extra stupid, extra obvious, slob about it.

If there had not been the family business and had his father not seeded capital to prop him up (and Trump had not stolen a disproportionate share of the inheritance), there'd likely have never been the Donald Trump we know now. What allowed him to transition from Daddy's lifeline into the present was massive debt, but with a twist. Trump's debtors never expected to get repaid.

Deutsche Bank is a funnel for the Kremlin to Trump and those debts are collateralized by komprommat, not assets. In that sense, Trump is the ultimate Russian asset. Putin invested in Trump as a hedge, probably never fully expecting America to go for this buffoon as a government official, but what a spectacular bet it was. For a billion or three (less than 1% of Putin's net worth), Putin bought the American political system between his ownership of Trump and his purchase of the GOP (through the NRA, for example; Exhibit A: Butina and Alexander Torshin).

So basically, Deutsche Bank raked in banker's fees with no liability. Great deal for them. They can afford to pay their fines.

Look at Epstein as another example. DB transacted lots of his payment schemes to bankroll baksheesh payola and incentivizations to victims of his sex trade syndicate. Do you think they did that for anything less than a premium percentage? They take a cut of everything for doing things other banks won't touch.

But as far as your dates go, it precedes 2008. DB started working with Trump in 1998 and have transacted several billion dollars since.

And Trump was ALWAYS a criminal. He did not slide into money laundering to appease the only foreign bankers that would touch him (i.e. Kremlin/post-Soviet nationals via banks like DB, Alfa and entities in Cyprus, a notorious clearing house for Russian oligarch money laundering).

And Trump did not become a criminal because no American banks would lend to him after the collapse of his casinos. Those casinos themselves were money laundering operations that had Russian gangsters from Brighton Beach walking into Trump's casinos with briefases of cash to play the casino chip money washing game (buy the chips, don't gamble, cash back out, collect check, deposit, rinse, repeat). Trump was busted by New York for this and paid a fine. How he got away with just a cash penalty is one of the mysteries of Trump's past teflon crime history, but there is no doubt he has been in business with the mob (and Russian gangsters before the consolidation of Putin's power) for decades.

Agree with all of that.

It dovetails with my part of Trump knowing where the illegal/legal line is and what can be gotten away with. Or, that he's always had a hand in illegal stuff and post Berlin Wall/ USSR fall, recognized the bigger "opportunity"

For DB, if not the German gov't, there's the massive profit to be made, which applies to all countries as well.

As an aside, we had to take anti money laundering classes each year when I worked at JPMorgan, later JPMChase and a zillion mergers after. Anyway, I took the "dumb IT guy version", which I guess happened each time the bank got caught with it's pants down/got sued. Anyway, those classes would mention "terrorism" and "drug dealing" but were kind of light on mentioning "organized crime"

And in the news, at least until recently, most of your money laundering stories are about terrorists and narco guys. And sure, they and people connected to them are absolutely involved. But the organized crime angle kind of downplayed.

I don't think that's exactly coincidence.

It's not a coincidence. It was why the Bushies were like flies on chit when 9/11 happened. It was a gift from heaven to have that kind of boogey man and we've been off to the races ever since.

Walls, Mexicans, Gangs, Jihad, take your pick, they are usually smoke screens for the real grifts going on.

But as you point out there was never a gang of crooks as uniquely stupid and transparent about their grifting as Trump and his flock. I say transparent, but Americans are fcking stupid for the most part and they still cannot see what is so blatantly obvious. It took such a massive combination of stupidity and hubris in the form of Trump + Covid + Economic Depression to get to the point where even the average person might listen to what we already know and understand, but even then .................

Just get me to January 21st and Adam Schiff at the wheel and then I can put down my quill. I'm tired of stating the obvious to the blind (aside from the handful of people who get it).

[Clyde_Style]

ADDENDUM:

The Kremlin is not the only investor in Trump. Other countries own a piece of Trump too, probably including Israel, the Saudis, UAE and Turkey and assorted grifts from smaller players too probably.

and when all of this shakes out and if we ever get all the deets, then look out for Trump's arrangements with China. Everything he does is to deflect from his own self-interest so when he goes around bashing China, I call BS. The odds are rather high he is in for some serious coin with the Chinese. Ivanka and Jared sure are in bed in the CCP.

I'd say Putin has had the tightest grip on Trump and is probably the one with the biggest dossier on Trump since Putin inherited the intel going back to Trump's first trip to Moscow in the 80's and he took it from there.

But Israel is a contender with their likely sponsorship of Epstein. Trump is definitely implicated there.

Pee Pee tapes? Yeah, something like that exists, but one of the strangest things about all of that is there are doctored tapes of Trump committing sex crimes supposedly already circulating on the dark web. And they are almost certainly fake. It is Deza, fake intel, manufactured to sucker an opponent into claiming it is evidence and thus discrediting them when it is revealed to be fake. That aside, there is certainly tape of Trump doing bad things, but it may never see the light of day.

[HarthorneWingo]

Big win for progressive Democratic Senate candidate from Tennessee Marquita Bradshaw who knocked of the establishment Democrats to face the GOP counterpart, Trump-endorsed Bill Hagerty. ("Hagerty, a former private-equity executive who became President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Japan, had been the clear favorite in the GOP primary after earning Trump’s early support.")

Bradshaw won despite the fact that she was outspent 250 to 1.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/us/politics/tennessee-election-marquita-bradshaw.html

Spoiler:

[Clyde_Style]

Appeals court rejects key argument against McGahn subpoena

In a 7-2 decision, the D.C. Circuit holds that the House has standing to ask courts to enforce subpoenas for executive branch information

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/appeals-court-rules-mcgahn-must-testify-392562

The court system continues to tighten the noose around Trump's neck and dismantle the court challenges attempting to assert the shield of executive privilege.

The checks and balances are happening. Finally.

[Clyde_Style]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

[HarthorneWingo]

I just found out that the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Elliot Engel over Jamall Bowman. WTF?

[Knick4Real]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

Wow, that could be problematic. I was beginning to come around to her as a potential choice.

[HarthorneWingo]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

Wow, that could be problematic. I was beginning to come around to her as a potential choice.

She also has a gap in her resume around 2000-01 during which she worked for a "consulting company" which sometimes worked with bad actors and challenged one's moral convictions. She was also a supporter of the Iraq War. Rice has her problems.

[GONYK]

Read on Twitter

[Pointgod]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

It depends actually. Are the investments in a blind trust? Are they part of an underlying fund? Unless Susan Rice was making the investments directly or she knew of the particular investments I’m not sure if this is as problematic as it sounds. If you have someone else handling your investments, unless you explicitly tell them not to invest in certain industries I’m sure we’d all be surprised what’s being invested in.

[Pointgod]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

Wow, that could be problematic. I was beginning to come around to her as a potential choice.

She also has a gap in her resume around 2000-01 during which she worked for a "consulting company" which sometimes worked with bad actors and challenged one's moral convictions. She was also a supporter of the Iraq War. Rice has her problems.

Wrong again bucko

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/steve-chapman/ct-column-susan-rice-iraq-war-chapman-20200702-bto32c5k6nhx3can3pxf5jgbau-story.html

From everything I’ve been able to find, Rice did not support the Iraq War. She opposed it, in a show of wise and independent judgment.

[Clyde_Style]

Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments

The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/progressives-alarmed-by-rices-vast-investments-392507

Fairly anti-environmental in nature. Pretty much what Biden does not need or should not want. Biden is anti-Keystone already.

I think the issue may not just be that she held stock in the holding company, but that she probably knew she should have divested yet still held on to that position the whole 8 years of Obama's tenure. Seems like questionable judgment. Perhaps, if she divested much earlier and issued a statement as to why she divested, she'd be able to say it was a mistake. But she seems to have ignored all that for $$$$$

It depends actually. Are the investments in a blind trust? Are they part of an underlying fund? Unless Susan Rice was making the investments directly or she knew of the particular investments I’m not sure if this is as problematic as it sounds. If you have someone else handling your investments, unless you explicitly tell them not to invest in certain industries I’m sure we’d all be surprised what’s being invested in.

Yes, that is possible. Similar thing happened with Pelosi when there was a routine liquidation of shares that coincided with the Coronavirus closed briefings. Unlike Loeffler and Warner, she had nothing to do with it and it was unrelated. Warner was literally warning his big donors to dump their stocks in a massive breach of ethics.

[Clyde_Style]

Read on Twitter

China benefits from Trump destabilizing American influence as much as Putin does. China's ambitions are much greater than Putin's and they aim to be the last superpower standing and ultimately the dominant nation on the whole planet.

It is complex now though with trade conflict, but in the long-term China benefits from more Trump and a weaker American presence in the East.

So it is probably a very mixed bag as to the value of any "leaks" about what China actually wants.

[Clyde_Style]

Read on Twitter

One of the things that is most jarring about The Cultiness of Trumpism is that once you volunteer yourself to become a Trump fukboi not only will you lie about anything, you'll even stake yourself on the most trivial points. I know D'Souza is a tard, but geezus is this what passes for a right wing public intellectual these days? Crazy

I experienced this recently. I've posted before about a Trumper I know here in Florida. He admitted Trump may lose the election and asked me what did I think he was doing wrong (as if I want to give advice on how to do well, but ok whatever)

I said maybe he should not retweet videos of old white people in a golf cart parade in The Villages chanting "White Power" for starters

this guy then proceeded to lecture me that they were speaking ironically as if that made it both OK for them to say it and for Trump to re-tweet it

I said he was FOS and that they were goading the protestors who were shouting at them that they were Nazis and Klansmen

this guy then tells me they were countering the golf cart Trumpers by declaring themselves as Nazis and Klansmen, also done out of irony

I then yelled at him that was the stupidest thing he's ever said and we have not spoken since

(and this was after I had to tell him to stop texting me videos of black people attacking white people which was his attempt to show me BLM is BS)

Anyway, the brain rot that sets in to people once they pledge allegiance to Trump is gross and disturbing. It is black magic. They become angry vegetables.

[HarthorneWingo]

Wow, that could be problematic. I was beginning to come around to her as a potential choice.

She also has a gap in her resume around 2000-01 during which she worked for a "consulting company" which sometimes worked with bad actors and challenged one's moral convictions. She was also a supporter of the Iraq War. Rice has her problems.

Wrong again bucko

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/steve-chapman/ct-column-susan-rice-iraq-war-chapman-20200702-bto32c5k6nhx3can3pxf5jgbau-story.html

From everything I’ve been able to find, Rice did not support the Iraq War. She opposed it, in a show of wise and independent judgment.

Okay Junior, Wrong “again”? I haven’t been wrong about anything. If I have been wrong about something, I can surely tell you that I’ve NEVER been as wrong about anything as you are here. This must be a joke or something. Maybe you should let the adults in the room handle the political debates.

“From everything I can find”? You really come at me with BS? It is a nice try at revisionist history by the establishment Democrats In a desperate attempt to rehabilitate her In time for a VP nomination though.

Maybe the author chose not to look hard enough. Eggs meet face



https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2012/11/28/1165415/-Susan-Rice-Vocally-Supported-the-Iraq-War-and-Every-MidEast-War-Since

Susan Rice was a cheerleader for Bush’s invasion of Iraq (11/02, 12/02, 02/03)

Assistant secretary of state in the Clinton administration, Rice has been a prominent foreign policy spokesperson for the Obama campaign. Here are some of her claims shortly before the invasion of Iraq:

“I think he has proved that Iraq has these weapons and is hiding them, and I don’t think many informed people doubted that.” (NPR, Feb. 6, 2003)

“We need to be ready for the possibility that the attack against the U.S. could come in some form against the homeland, not necessarily on the battlefield against our forces. And I think there, too, is an area where the American people need to be better prepared by our leadership. … It’s clear that Iraq poses a major threat. It’s clear that its weapons of mass destruction need to be dealt with forcefully, and that’s the path we’re on. I think the question becomes whether we can keep the diplomatic balls in the air and not drop any, even as we move forward, as we must, on the military side.” (NPR, Dec. 20, 2002)

“I think the United States government has been clear since the first Bush administration about the threat that Iraq and Saddam Hussein poses. The United States policy has been regime change for many, many years, going well back into the Clinton administration. So it’s a question of timing and tactics. … We do not necessarily need a further Council resolution before we can enforce this and previous resolutions. (NPR, Nov. 11, 2002)

Susan Rice advocated the US stay in Iraq “for many years to come” (04/03)

From WaPo transcript (response to last question):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Susan Rice: “To maximize our likelihood of success, the US is going to have to remain committed to and focused on reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq for many years to come. This administration and future ones will need to demonstrate a longer attention span than we have in Afghanistan, and we will have to embrace rather than evade the essential tasks of peacekeeping and nation building. We would be wise to involve as early as is feasible the UN and key allies in the complex tasks of democracy building and reconstruction, and we would be wise to help foster organic internal processes for selecting a new national leadership in Iraq, as the international community did in supporting the loya jirga process in Afghanistan. We can not be seen to select or anoint new Iraqi leaders. We need also to be to be exceedingly careful with the Americans coming in under General Garner to assume governance roles in Iraq.”

Susan Rice swayed the President to pursue a UN authorization for airstrikes in Libya (03/11)

Time Magazine observed in March 24, 2011 issue about Rice’s role in swaying the President: http://www.time.com/....
As Muammar Gaddafi's troops closed in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on March 15, President Barack Obama put the fate of the city's 1 million residents in the hands of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. At a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) that afternoon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, leery of another war in the Middle East, told Obama a U.N.-proposed no-fly zone would not stop Gaddafi from taking the town. Rice, participating via video teleconference from New York City, said she could get a tougher resolution allowing broader intervention — including the ability to attack armor and ground troops — that would do the trick. Obama gave Rice the go-ahead.

Susan Rice then sought a similar UN authorization for military intervention in Syria (10/11)

Rice was one of the most vociferous champions of international armed intervention against Syria. On October 5, 2011, after Russia and China led a group of countries which vetoed a Security Council resolution similar to that which authorized the use of outside force in Libya. Brazil, India, South Africa and Lebanon abstained. After the vote, Dr. Rice used unusually nondiplomatic language to say that those countries had carried out “a cheap ruse” and, addressing a press confererence after the vote, she said that the Syrians “have been slapped in the face by several members of this Security Council today.”

‘And as I said in the chamber, I think the people of Syria and the people of the region have had today the opportunity to determine who among us stand with the people of the region in their quest for a better future, and who will go to whatever lengths are necessary to defend dictators who are on the warpath. . .
I think Libya has been beat to death, overused, and misused by countries as an excuse by countries to not untake their responsibilities with regard to Syria.”

Susan Rice led the push for the US to join Israel in Confrontation with Iran (09/12)

Dr. Rice has also been the point of the spear in the escalating US confrontation with Iran. Her rhetoric toward that country has been often hostile, played out on the UN stage underlined by gathering regime change operations and economic destabilization under the U.S.-led sanctions regime.

During the past three years, US relations with Iran have steadily deteriorated as the international sanctions regime overseen by Ambassador Rice has intensified. Iran sees the U.S. as playing a see-saw game of threats and economic warfare with Israel to ratchet up pressure and tensions. The Jerusalem Post reported on September 16, 2012: http://www.jpost.com/...

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Sunday that "there is no daylight" between Israel and the United States on the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, in an interview with CNN. The comments came after a media blitz by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the United States. . .

Susan Rice has pushed every Middle East war during this past decade.

If she becomes Secretary of State, chances are she will be a leading voice urging the United States into the next one.

Of course, you can always "take it back." The other option is that I torture you forever.

[GONYK]

Read on Twitter

I didn't think we were dumb enough to bring Hillary back

[GONYK]

And this...

[HarthorneWingo]

Read on Twitter

I didn't think we were dumb enough to bring Hillary back

Seriously? They invited a Republican who’s an antiabortionist