Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
 
ROCKS OFF - The Rolling Stones Message Board

Free optional entertainment since (at least) 14 July 1998
...
Meanwhile… somewhere in the US the Rolling Stones were starting tour rehearsals.. 🎸🎸 © The Rolling Stones

...
YaBB - Yet another Bulletin Board
Home Help Search Login Register Broadcast Message to Admin(s)


Pages: 1 ... 169 170 171 172 173 ... 275
Send Topic Print
The nonsense thread - Enter at your own risk! Warning… 100% off topic and full of nonsense inside (Read 890,694 times)
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4250 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 8:37pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<   ------------ VERY STRONG AND POWERFUL LEADER !!!!!!!!!!!!! PRESIDENT FOR LIFE  ?! ... !!!!! :










...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 2:44pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4251 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 8:41pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Some Guy wrote on Mar 25th, 2019 at 8:04am:
All right, let's move on. Let's all get behind this President and put the business of the county first. I like the fitted Maga hat as opposed to the snap type if possible.



No Need to Get FUSTY !!!!   ..... You will get a ' Best of Xi  ' and you will LIKE it !   :




<  -------------Due to continuous celebrations for President Trump's  GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT VICTORY over The Mueller Investigation there will be No  " Drinking with Xi  " this week   .........  Please enjoy this " BEST OF Xi !!!! "  [ Original Post Date 10/08/2018  ] :


Regular Posting will resume next week . 



...



   So Emperor Xi sends me a text message Friday Morning stating he is stuck in New York all weekend and cannot make it to
The Brazen Head to celebrate our Great President Donald J. Trump’s ( ‘ PRECIOUS ‘ LEADER ! ) victorious achievement  : Brett  Kavanaugh’s
Ascension / Confirmation to the United States Supreme Court . I brayed , “ No problem !  --- I will meet you in NYC and we can have drinks
Friday Evening at The Russian Vodka Room . “   ---  Yes ,  THAT RUSSIAN VODKA ROOM !! :  265 WEST 52nd Street   -- just on the fringes of
The Theatre District   -- an absolutely lovely , lively little nightspot with that gorgeous Rolling Stones’ B2B ( Bridges to Babylon ) Era
Painting on the East Wall  ( …. only the artist was Stones’ Savvy enough to include Bill “ The Lil’ Hands that Could “ Wyman )   .  Xi’s
Entourage and myself arrived promptly at 6:00 PM  ; EST and we got the corner VIP table on the left -- which fits three people ( Perfect ) .
The Emperor and myself immediately recognized the piano player’s jazz infused standards and one of the bartenders was actually
singing – lovely voice .  Speaking of which  , there is no Bar Manager Christy around this place . Indeed , the bartenders are invariably
Russian women with ice-blue eyes who manage to convey , with very few words and in no uncertain terms , one message to the
after-work happy-hour droves: “ Don’t FRIG with me ! If you want warmth , DRINK VODKA  !!!!!!  “
     My Stonesian Brothers and Sisters  , the Vodka here is delicious and smooth -- proper infused vodka – where it sits
in giant kegs with fruits or spices whose flavors are imparted over a long period of time. We both had the Cranberry  ( It tasted
almost like cranberry juice --  but after nine shots we found ourselves surprisingly drunk  ) . The covert leader of the mysterious
seating system (a free-for-all, unless you can get in good with her), was asked to name her favorite thing on the menu.
For just a moment, her face softened and she lit up: “The meat dumplings are fantastic.”  SOLD !  It was at that point Xi
remarked how President Trump seems to be a NATURAL at this political thing with one victory after another victory .  In fact ,
we are winning so much we almost feel sorry for the Dems and their beloved POCAHONTAS . The Emperor exclaimed that if
the Democratic Party exalts Pocahontas as their 2020 Democratic Standard Bearer , President Trump may win not ONLY all
Fifty States but even capture the Puerto Rico Commonwealth  [ Spit Kit NOT Included    …….. “ that Lil’ Kit !!!!!!  ….. THAT Lil’ KIT !!!!  “] .
With that the Emperor wolfed down another Dumpling ,  sucked away two more Cranberry Vodka’s and joined the singing bartender
in an invigorating , stirring  , energizing ,  electrifyingly rousing edition of “ Theme from New York , New York  !!!  “ 


“Dorogie Tovarischi Me Stoneslings !!!! "




************************     ………..............……..  “  I LOVE YOU ALL !!!!!!!!!!!  “   …………….   **************************












...



















Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 2:14pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4252 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 8:48pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 




...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 9:10am by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4253 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 8:58pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 



<  --------- Victory Celebrations Continue Throughout the World !   ... Mount Rushmore Here We Come    .... Gonna Be a Biggin'   .  We never get tired of Winning ! ..... Drinks are on Joey Tonight !  :





...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 4:27pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4254 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 9:12pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<  -------------- Some Guy  ?!  ... !!!!!   :






https://www.arcamax.com/politics/mod/davidignatius/s-2189302







" Are we entering the age of 'hack back'? "







David Ignatius






" WASHINGTON -- When the debris settles after special counsel Robert Mueller completes his investigation into Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election, America will still be left with the underlying problem that triggered the probe in the first place -- the threat of malicious cyberattacks against political parties, corporations, and anybody else who uses the internet.

Here's a disturbing fact: Even after all the uproar that has surrounded Mueller's inquiry, the U.S. government can't do much to protect most private citizens or organizations against attacks. There's better security now for election systems and critical infrastructure, but that doesn't help the banks, hedge funds, law firms and other companies with sensitive data -- which are basically on their own.

Mueller's findings about President Trump will have their own fiery afterlife on Capitol Hill, which nobody can predict. But Congress should also be thinking about the less-sexy fallout from the investigation, which highlighted the vulnerability of all data to foreign spies, meddlers and information pirates.

U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency have already gone on the offensive against Moscow. Last fall, their joint "Russia Small Group" secretly "hacked back," in effect, against Russia's Internet Research Agency, briefly shutting down some of its computers. The aim was to deter the Russians from meddling in the 2018 midterm elections, and it seems to have worked.

Private companies are going on the offensive in cyberspace, too -- even though the legal terrain is murky and there's a big risk of triggering a tit-for-tat melee.

"Some organizations are conducting active cyber-defense 'hacking back,' but in my experience this will amplify the global cyber-arms race," warns Milan Patel, a prominent former FBI cyber expert who's now with BlueVoyant, a cyber-consulting firm. "Rather than hacking back, which will only bring a short-term sense of relief, companies need to do a better job at education and training." Patel estimates that 92 percent of attacks originate from spear-phishing, where employees unwittingly click on malicious malware.


American history offers an unlikely lesson in how cyber-offense might be enhanced and also regulated, as explained by Michael Chertoff, former secretary of homeland security, in his recent book "Exploding Data."

At the very beginning of our nation, when America and France were fighting an undeclared war, the U.S. Navy was too weak to protect American vessels from attack. The high seas were an 18th-century version of cyberspace, with attackers lurking everywhere. So, as Chertoff notes, the U.S. Constitution mandated that: "Congress shall have Power ... To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water."

Today, argues Chertoff, the government could grant the equivalent of letters of marque to private cyber-defense companies. "To bolster its capacity to defend and deter cyberattacks, the government should train and license 'privateers' for certain specific operations ... to assist in deterring attacks against U.S. companies and infrastructure," he writes.

But Chertoff cautions in an interview: "Don't try this at home!" Meaning, companies should avoid any retaliatory action that might be illegal under U.S. or foreign law, or that would trigger counter-reprisals that would make the problem even worse.

In the real-world marketplace, cyber consultants are already selling "active defense" tools that push the envelope. Illusive Networks specializes in what its website calls "deception-based cybersecurity." The idea is to create what intelligence organizations call "honeypots" that lure attackers and allow defenders to observe and manipulate them. "To catch an attacker, you must think like one," says the company's website.

Another cyber-deception specialist is Attivo Networks. Its website explains: "Deception changes the asymmetry against attackers with attractive traps and lures designed to deceive and detect attackers." A third prominent player in the active-defense market is Endgame, which promises on its website that its software can hunt and stop exploits, phishing, malware, ransomware and other attacks. Social-media platforms such as Facebook have become increasingly active, too, in defending their networks.

Cyber experts warn that active defense is a slippery slope. A honeypot can identify invaders. But it can also lure them to gobble malicious software that disables the attackers' network, or to steal false documents that deliberately mislead the attackers. And because attackers hide in servers that aren't their own, a reprisal meant to target malicious hackers could take down a hospital or university.

The Mueller investigation has galvanized efforts to protect U.S. elections from future meddling. But the larger American vulnerability to cyberattack remains, and it deserves more attention.

As U.S. companies move to protect their secrets, sometimes using tools once reserved for intelligence agencies, they need better guidance from Washington. "

Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 1:50pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4255 - Mar 25th, 2019 at 9:30pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<  ---------------  GIMMEKEEF   ?!   ..... !!!!!!!!!!!!    Will You Attend    ?!  .. !!!!     :






https://www.michiganradio.org/post/trump-hold-campaign-rally-grand-rapids





" Trump to hold campaign rally to Grand Rapids .  "







" President Donald Trump is bringing a campaign rally to Grand Rapids.

The rally is scheduled for Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena. Free tickets are available here.

Trump has previously thanked Michigan for supporting him the in 2016 election. Michigan proved to be one of the key states in securing his victory of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump is coming to Michigan after Democratic candidates for president Kirsten Gillibrand and Beto O'Rourke made appearances here last week.  "







*********************************************




Fire up the colortini(s), sit back, relax, and enjoy the show .  Gonna be SWEET !!!!!

' Pets for Trump ' and the ' Youth for Trump ' will be in attendance . 

J. " Tom "  Snyder !


Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 5:09pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Some Guy
Resident Cretin
*****
Offline



Posts: 15,814
Atlanta
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4256 - Mar 26th, 2019 at 7:41am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Edith?

...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 26th, 2019 at 2:25pm by Some Guy »  
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4257 - Mar 26th, 2019 at 9:25pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<  ----------------   GIMMEKEEF  ?!    ...... !!!!!!!!    :






https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/james-comey-says-he-confused-muel...





" James Comey says he is confused by Mueller's decision on obstruction . "



“The entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals aren't making the key charging decisions," the former FBI chief said.

By Julia Ainsley




" CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former FBI Director James Comey told an audience in Charlotte on Tuesday that he is confused by special counsel Robert Mueller's decision to neither charge nor exonerate President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice.

"The part that's confusing is, I can't quite understand what's going on with the obstruction stuff," Comey told an audience of roughly 2,000 people gathered at the Belk Theatre for an event sponsored by Queens University.

"And I have great faith in Bob Mueller, but I just can't tell from the letter why didn't he decide these questions when the entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals aren't making the key charging decisions," the former FBI chief said.

Lester Holt will have an exclusive interview with Comey Wednesday on NBC Nightly News at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.

Comey, who oversaw the beginning of the Russia probe before he was fired by Trump in May 2017, said he has not seen the Mueller report.

He also pushed back on Attorney General William Barr's logic in deciding not to pursue obstruction charges against the president, saying he found that part of Barr's letter summarizing Mueller's findings "really confusing."

"The notion that obstruction cases are somehow undermined by the absence of proof of an underlying crime, that is not my experience in 40 years of doing this nor is it the Department of Justice's tradition. Obstruction crimes matter without regard to what you prove about the underlying crime," Comey said.

In a four-page letter on Sunday summarizing Mueller's findings, the attorney general said since Mueller found no evidence that Trump or anyone in his orbit coordinated with Russians, their intent could not be established.

Barr wrote that "to obtain and sustain an obstruction conviction, the government would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person, acting with corrupt intent, engaged in obstructive conduct."

Comey told the audience that he hoped the public knew he was "not hoping for a particular result" of the Mueller probe.

"The good part is that the special counsel was allowed to finish his work and reached a conclusion; that's very, very important to this country," Comey said. "The Russians really did massively interfere with the 2016 election with the goal of damaging one candidate and helping the other. That was not a hoax. That was a real thing."

Comey also pushed for transparency in the Mueller probe, saying he hoped that as much of it as possible would be made public.

On Tuesday, a Justice Department official said Barr would release details of the probe that could be viewed by the public in "weeks not months."








|
|
|
|
V




...


" I'm gonna make Bob an offer he can't refuse. "



...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 27th, 2019 at 9:01pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4258 - Mar 26th, 2019 at 9:46pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 




...





...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 27th, 2019 at 2:03pm by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
gimmekeef
Rocks Off Regular
*****
Offline



Posts: 5,753
Ontario Canada
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4259 - Mar 27th, 2019 at 12:18pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Well what do you know......The newly appointed yes man over at AG is refusing to back the ACA in an appeal. There goes your protection against pre-existing conditions and rights to meaningful preventive care under any insurance plan. The GOP is unrelenting in there attack on the middle class.

But we will get a Wall!....no matter where  the money is stolen from.
Back to top
 

"Runnin Like A Cat In A Thunderstorm"
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4260 - Mar 28th, 2019 at 9:47pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<  ----- Some Guy   ?!    .............  !!!!!   :







https://www.foxnews.com/us/michael-avenatti-lived-luxury-life-while-avoiding-pay...






" Michael Avenatti lived luxury life while avoiding paying taxes for a decade, says federal tax authorities . "










" Embattled lawyer Michael Avenatti evaded paying taxes for over a decade while simultaneously living the high-life and splashing money on expensive cars, jewelry, and luxury apartments, IRS records reveal.

Avenatti, who once represented adult-film star Stormy Daniels before she dropped him, is currently facing almost 100 years in prison stemming from charges in two separate cases.

Federal prosecutors in New York accused the hotshot lawyer on Monday of operating “an old-fashioned shakedown” after trying to extort about $25 million from sports apparel giant Nike “by threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial and reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met.”

In California, He was also charged with wire fraud and bank fraud, following a lengthy investigation by the authorities.

But the legal problems for Avenatti don’t end here – he’s been accused by tax authorities of failing to pay millions of dollars in income tax and through his company. The authorities began pursuing the lawyer nearly a decade ago.

According to the IRS documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Avenatti earned $1.9 million in personal income back in 2009, yet didn’t pay the $570,000 he owed in taxes. In 2010, he earned $1.2 million, yet again didn’t pay the supposed $282,000 tax bill to the IRS.

Federal prosecutors now claim that since 2010, Avenatti hasn’t filed personal income tax returns even though $18 million came into his bank account.

Avenatti’s personal bank accounts aren’t the only place authorities are looking into. The lawyer’s company Avenatti & Associates, which reportedly recorded $38 million in deposits, has also not filed tax returns.

Yet while he’s been allegedly avoiding paying taxes, Avenatti used his company to pay for personal expenses, including $176,500 to Exclusive Resorts, an elite private vacation club, according to the Times.

The IRS notes that Avenatti also spent $217,000 at department store Neiman Marcus, nearly $120,000 at a watch store, $277,236 and $39,762 on Porsche and Ferrari dealers respectively.

He splashed $100,000-a-month rent on a luxury waterfront house in Newport Beach in California, while also paying $123,825 in rent on his apartment in a luxury high-rise in Century City.

“During these tax years, Avenatti generated substantial income and lived lavishly,” an IRS investigator, Remoun Karlous, wrote in documents reviewed by the newspaper.

Amid the legal troubles in California and New York, Avenatti said earlier this week that he’s “nervous” and “scared” about potentially being put behind bars.

“No, and any suggestion is absolutely absurd,” he told CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan when asked if he tried to extort money from the sports company.

“Nike knew, from the very first moment that I had any contact with Nike, that I was insisting that the truth about what Nike had done be disclosed to federal prosecutors and investigators,” he said on the network.

“The truth is, for years Nike and its executives have been funneling payments to amateur players, high school players and to their handlers and family members in an effort to get them to go to colleges that were Nike colleges and ultimately hopefully to the NBA so they can sign a shoe deal with Nike.”

Avenatti was released on a $300,000 bond on Monday following his arrest in New York. He’s set to appear in court in April. "
Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 29th, 2019 at 11:25am by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4261 - Mar 28th, 2019 at 10:07pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 


...






Back to top
« Last Edit: Mar 29th, 2019 at 9:01am by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Some Guy
Resident Cretin
*****
Offline



Posts: 15,814
Atlanta
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4262 - Mar 29th, 2019 at 8:33am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Edith Grove
Agent Provocateur
*****
Offline


Disco STILL sucks!

Posts: 12,336
New Orleans
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4263 - Mar 29th, 2019 at 8:59am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Some Guy wrote on Mar 29th, 2019 at 8:33am:
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.




...
Back to top
 

“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” he says. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.” - Keef
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4264 - Apr 1st, 2019 at 8:59pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<  -------------  No Collusion !!!!!   ...... GET WELL SOON MICK !!!!!!!   :







...
Back to top
« Last Edit: Apr 2nd, 2019 at 10:49am by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Joey
I Have No Life!
*****
Online



Posts: 20,234
Omaha , NE
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4265 - Apr 1st, 2019 at 9:05pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 





<   ------   Some Guy   ?!   ..... !!!!!!!!!   :





https://www.arcamax.com/politics/mod/davidignatius/s-2191427





" Moscow shouldn't misjudge the Mueller moment . "





David Ignatius on Mar 28, 2019







" WASHINGTON -- Russian claims this week that they've been exonerated by Robert Mueller's final report make my skin crawl. But they highlight the critical question of how the U.S. and Russia can begin to move back toward a saner relationship.

Frankly speaking (as Russians like to say), the first step is for Russia to stop pretending that it didn't meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Kremlin got caught red-handed, one could say, and if they keep claiming otherwise, they obstruct the dialogue they say they want.

Moscow shouldn't misjudge the moment. The special counsel's report affirmed the judgment of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia meddled in the 2016 race. Mueller's strongest cases, in fact, were the indictments that detailed how 13 operatives from Russia's Internet Research Agency manipulated social media and 12 GRU officers hacked Democratic Party information and passed stolen emails to WikiLeaks.

Russian commentators were nearly as jubilant as the White House, after Attorney General William Barr released his summary of Mueller's findings. "Significant taxpayer resources went into disproving an obvious fake," crowed a Foreign Ministry statement. "The agents of conspiracy have been discredited," tweeted Alexey Pushkov, a foreign-policy expert in Russia's parliament.

President Trump may enjoy the Kremlin fist pumps. But they're the wrong way to restart a serious dialogue between Moscow and Washington. A restart won't work unless it's founded on mutual trust between the two nations, as opposed to mutual backscratching by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Andrey Krutskikh, the Kremlin's leading cyber expert, dropped a hankie in an article this week in the Moscow newspaper Kommersant. He said that "some voices" were re-emerging in the U.S., as opposed to ritual "anti-Russian propaganda." He proposed that the two nations resume "depoliticized expert dialogue" about cybersecurity, like the quiet conversations that took place during the Obama administration.

"Russia has nothing to fear -- nor do we have anything to conceal," Krutskikh said. He said the U.S. should agree to disclose the secret pre-election contacts between the U.S. and Russia in 2016 about U.S. "concerns over the intrusion into its electronic infrastructure."

This sounds dubious; Russia was conducting a covert action against the U.S., which means that it was deniable. Moscow's statements in 2016 would reinforce its claim that it didn't do what U.S. intelligence and Mueller's indictments say it did.

Chris Painter, who was the Obama administration's top cyber diplomat, told me Wednesday that a resumption of working-level contacts about cyber would be fine. But he cautioned against any top-rank contacts about cyber issues now, because they might allow Russia to pretend the 2016 cyberattacks didn't happen.

"If you resume high-level dialogue, that says everything's OK -- no harm, no foul," explains Painter. This would be a mistake, he argues, because it would allow Moscow "to white wash what has happened." A policymakers' discussion about cyber and other issues "has to have clearly defined goals and outcomes that advance our interests."

What about a broader conversation between the U.S. and Russia -- dealing with big, potentially explosive problems like Ukraine, Syria and nuclear arms control? As with cyber issues, the answer is that the two sides need to talk, but they need to build a solid foundation.

"We should begin in a modest way, not with a full-up arms-control negotiation, but by starting an ongoing dialogue about strategic stability" argues Stephen Hadley, who was national security adviser for President George W. Bush. He suggests a range of confidence-building measures that might seek to avoid confrontations in outer space and cyberspace.

Hadley argues the basic rationale for a reset: "The lack of dialogue between the two countries is not in either country's interest. It is also potentially dangerous."

A warier view comes from Tom Donilon, who was national security adviser under Obama. He thinks the U.S. shouldn't engage Russia until its own house is in better order -- with full disclosure of the Mueller report on what the Russians did in 2016, better protection for U.S. election security, and repair of America's damaged alliances in Europe.

Trump administration officials argue that their Russia policy is based on U.S. interest. They've imposed sanctions when necessary but also tried to keep open channels between Trump and Putin. If officials have plans for any major post-Mueller opening, they don't say so.

If Russia wants lasting improvement in its relations with America, it should stop its Trumpian gloating about the Mueller report and start rebuilding the basics of trust. Mueller's apparent affirmation that there was "no collusion" creates some space for better relations, but if Trump supporters are Moscow's only champions, any reset with Russia will blow a fuse. "

========

Follow David Ignatius on Twitter: @IgnatiusPost.
Back to top
« Last Edit: Apr 2nd, 2019 at 10:59am by Joey »  

...&&&&D.J. Jazzy Joe and the Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !™&& *** " VICTORY !!!! " ***...
 
IP Logged
 
Some Guy
Resident Cretin
*****
Offline



Posts: 15,814
Atlanta
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4266 - Apr 3rd, 2019 at 4:49pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
All the Free Dumb you can handle.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
MrPleasant
Rocks Off Regular
*****
Offline



Posts: 2,677
Xalapa, Veracruz, México
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4267 - Apr 3rd, 2019 at 5:49pm
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Edith Grove
Agent Provocateur
*****
Offline


Disco STILL sucks!

Posts: 12,336
New Orleans
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4268 - Apr 4th, 2019 at 8:33am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
I think I see Joe Biden up in there:




...
Back to top
 

“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” he says. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.” - Keef
 
IP Logged
 
Some Guy
Resident Cretin
*****
Offline



Posts: 15,814
Atlanta
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4269 - Apr 4th, 2019 at 8:50am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
The border is out of control.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Edith Grove
Agent Provocateur
*****
Offline


Disco STILL sucks!

Posts: 12,336
New Orleans
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4270 - Apr 4th, 2019 at 9:34am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Some Guy wrote on Apr 4th, 2019 at 8:50am:
The border is out of control.



You must have given up on liberal media. Congratulations!
Back to top
 

“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” he says. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.” - Keef
 
IP Logged
 
Some Guy
Resident Cretin
*****
Offline



Posts: 15,814
Atlanta
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4271 - Apr 4th, 2019 at 10:12am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Edith Grove wrote on Apr 4th, 2019 at 9:34am:
Some Guy wrote on Apr 4th, 2019 at 8:50am:
The border is out of control.



You must have given up on liberal media. Congratulations!


Yo Grover, I've been looking at those you tube border videos. It's over.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
gimmekeef
Rocks Off Regular
*****
Offline



Posts: 5,753
Ontario Canada
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4272 - Apr 5th, 2019 at 10:12am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
Tell me this isn't true....Trump is set to nominate Herman Pizza Man Cain as head of the Fed? That way he can call him up anytime (like before an election) and order him to lower interest rates! Can the drained swamp get any more full? This is the most ridiculous attempted appointment yet. The bigger joke will be when the Turtle McConnell agrees he is fit for the job.
Back to top
 

"Runnin Like A Cat In A Thunderstorm"
 
IP Logged
 
Edith Grove
Agent Provocateur
*****
Offline


Disco STILL sucks!

Posts: 12,336
New Orleans
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4273 - Apr 5th, 2019 at 10:25am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
gimmekeef wrote on Apr 5th, 2019 at 10:12am:
Tell me this isn't true....Trump is set to nominate Herman Pizza Man Cain as head of the Fed? That way he can call him up anytime (like before an election) and order him to lower interest rates! Can the drained swamp get any more full? This is the most ridiculous attempted appointment yet. The bigger joke will be when the Turtle McConnell agrees he is fit for the job.



Easy to assume Hillary would do the the same if Trump didn't win.

Let's see how this plays out.



...
Back to top
 

“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” he says. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.” - Keef
 
IP Logged
 
Edith Grove
Agent Provocateur
*****
Offline


Disco STILL sucks!

Posts: 12,336
New Orleans
Gender: male
Re: Politics thread (ssc!!) - Enter at your own risk! Warning… Bullcrap inside
Reply #4274 - Apr 5th, 2019 at 10:25am
Alert Board Moderator about this Post! 
gimmekeef wrote on Apr 5th, 2019 at 10:12am:
Tell me this isn't true....Trump is set to nominate Herman Pizza Man Cain as head of the Fed? That way he can call him up anytime (like before an election) and order him to lower interest rates! Can the drained swamp get any more full? This is the most ridiculous attempted appointment yet. The bigger joke will be when the Turtle McConnell agrees he is fit for the job.



Easy to assume Hillary would do the the same if Trump didn't win.

Let's see how this plays out.



...
Back to top
 

“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” he says. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.” - Keef
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 ... 169 170 171 172 173 ... 275
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: Gazza, Voodoo Chile in Wonderland)