Cowardice Chasing Stupidity

Welcome to a stupid enterprise--emissaries from the Trump Administration appearing in Riyadh ready to deal away things they have no control over to appease Russians who our best intelligence indicates have no intention whatsoever to end the war in Ukraine.  They sat there and discussed what we were willing to stipulate without Europe or (and ESPECIALLY) Ukraine there, like their input would not matter. 

Because what the hell is the country that was actually invaded even doing in the picture, right? Let alone our NATO partners, huh? Like, what ABOUT Poland?

The picture above is a portrait of "cowardice chasing stupidity". Collectively, they might know what they are doing has no fucking chance in the world of leading to anything productive because of course not--but they are all dancing to Trump's incredibly foolish tune. 

TWGB: Good Old Ronny Johnson

It's not a good sign, is it, when someone with the best memory ever forgets the name of his dealer doctor, the reverse-promoted Captain Jackson, right? Especially when he's challenging President Biden to dueling cognitive tests:

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee referred to Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was the White House physician for part of his presidency, as “Ronny Johnson.” The moment came as Trump was questioning Biden’s mental acuity, something he often does on the campaign trail and social media. 

“He doesn’t even know what the word ‘inflation’ means. I think he should take a cognitive test like I did,” the former president said of Biden during a speech at a convention of Turning Point Action in Detroit. 

Seconds later, he continued, “Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor, and he said I was the healthiest president, he feels, in history, so I liked him very much indeed immediately.”

This isn't like "Tim Apple." This is more like his conflation of Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi--these are people he knows, and their names escape him. But he made another gaffe along the same lines yesterday, failing to recognize the man he was just introduced to and was speaking about. 

TWGB: Art of the Deal

 

Trump claims he can free a journalist imprisoned by Russia, after he wins the election, but before he takes office, definitely. There's tons of reasons to be skeptical or, I would actually say--extremely appalled. Tom Nichols knows a bit about Russia, and he's pretty sure Trump is full of shit, but isn't the interesting part that he wants him there until after the election? 

I would add--isn't it pretty interesting he has this special relationship, and never used it during his presidency?

As a former wrongful detainee in Russia, I would just like to remind everyone that President Trump had the ability to get myself and Paul Whelan out of Russia for years and chose not to. I would be skeptical of any claims about getting Evan Gershkovich back in a day.

— Trevorrowdyreed🇺🇲🇺🇦 (@trevorrowdyreed) May 24, 2024

I mean--he did things that were great for Putin--but not for the US?  He thinks he has a relationship but what he isn't going to have is leverage because he is a soft weak pudding of a man who never cared about anything but himself. Because he made an imprisoned journalist, just now, about himself and his election. 

Sort of in the way he made a border bill about him, and deferred it until he was (he hopes) back in office, and could take credit. The way he shut down the government in 2018 because he panicked about his future and wanted border wall money when he no longer had control of the House. And what did he get?

Impeached. Because he was still making deals for himself and not doing whatever it was he promised he would do in office.