David Guyatt Wrote:

Cliff Varnell Wrote:::::cuckoo::

The neo-cons have hungered for a war with Iran since the fall of the Shah.

Please explain why they would they hunger for a war with the man they put in power after Pahlavi was designedly removed by them?

Quote:In case you turned off your computer and TV and crawled under the blankets all last week and, really, who can blame you? here's a quick recap of the news. Leaking like an old waterbed, the national security establishment claimed its first big casualty, national security adviser Michael Flynn. President Trump struck back by reaching new levels of weirdness at his Thursday news conference, telling the media pack that they were "hateful" and "dishonest"… but, hey, "it's a great honor to be with you."

The "least racist man you'll ever meet" then went on to ask an African American reporter to set up a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus, because, well, she's black.

He then totally lost it with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication, ordering him to "sit down" and "be quiet," and saying that he was "repulsed" by his question about the recent rise of anti-Semitic incidents. Apparently Trump who, if you haven't noticed, can be just a tad thin-skinned thought the yarmulke-wearing reporter was accusing him of vandalizing temples and Jewish community centers. "I'm the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life," Trump berated the utterly bewildered reporter, who had just fawningly prefaced his question by praising the president's credentials as a "zayde," the grandfather of Jewish children.

Trump's news conference antics only fed the growing public perception that we are being led, or misled, by a mad king. Meanwhile, the war in Washington grew so heated that Julian Assange tweeted about "the amazing battle for dominance between the elected US govt & the IC (intelligence community.)"

Twitterdom is ringing with lunatic effusions, and not all of them are coming from the president himself.

The hubbub for a coup on the left and right grows louder by the day. William Kristol, a leader of the neoconservative anti-Trump pack, is among those who has tweeted his secret longing to be saved by Big Brother: "Obviously strongly prefer normal democratic and constitutional politics. But if it comes to it, prefer the deep state to the Trump state."

If it comes to it. … At least one spook, a former NSA analyst named John Schindler, thinks we're at that point now. Schindler let loose a disturbing war cry last week, tweeting, "Now we go nuclear. IC war going to new levels."

Schindler's crowd is convinced Trump's fate is sealed. "He will die in jail," Schindler was told by a "senior IC friend." Weirdly, Schindler who thinks Trump has sold out the country to the Russians is the national security correspondent for the New York Observer, the newspaper owned by Trump son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner. Maybe Trump is not such a beloved zayde in the Kushner household.

Even the New York Times, which in the past has dismissed all discussion of deep state plotting against U.S. democracy as the paranoid ravings of the conspiracy set, ran a long, sober feature on Friday exploring whether the United States is following the tumultuous path of countries like Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan and "seeing the rise of its own deep state."

The truth is that the deep state powerful officials in the national security world and their Wall Street and corporate allies have long had a contentious history with American democracy. The FBI, including high official Mark Felt (a.k.a. "Deep Throat"), and the CIA played key roles in the Watergate intrigue that finally brought down Richard Nixon. William Casey, President Ronald Reagan's spymaster, helped engineer the October Surprise during the 1980 presidential campaign that sabotaged the Iran hostage release and ensured Jimmy Carter's defeat. Some historians and investigators (including me) argue that CIA legend Allen Dulles played a central role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the crime's cover-up.

Democracy is an exquisitely fragile enterprise, "a delicate eggshell in the rough-and-tumble of history," as I wrote in my book, "The Devil's Chessboard." Rule by the people must always contend with rule by elites who are much more organized, financed, ruthless and armed.

What's odd about these increasingly odd times is that many engaged citizens, including progressives, are eagerly hoping for the overthrow of our elected government, if we can rid ourselves of the dangerously unhinged Trump. But a coup would mean the coup de grace for American democracy. Yes, the mad king would be gone. In the process, however, we'd be empowering the most militaristic, secretive and sinister elements of our society.

I agree that saving America means bringing down Trump. But it's a revived democracy that must be his downfall a newly invigorated media, judicial system and citizenry not the dark maneuvers of spies and generals.

As a journalist, I have no problem receiving Trump-damaging leaks from the deep state, if these leaks are thoroughly vetted and substantiated. That's often the only way to find glimpses of the truth in secretive democracies like ours. "There is a crack, a crack in everything that's how the light gets in," as Leonard Cohen sang.

But there's a big difference between taking advantage of the cracks in the national security establishment to shed light on the dark operations of power, and celebrating the deep state as our savior. That's what some liberal commentators like Tim Weiner, a former New York Times reporter and author of books about the CIA and FBI were doing last week, going on the cable shows and getting all gooey about the strongmen in the shadows who will supposedly protect us. Weiner got so carried away at one point on "The Rachel Maddow Show" that he called the FBI's Machiavellian director, James Comey, and Sen. John McCain a man who has never seen a war he didn't like the only heroic watchmen standing in the way of the Trump abyss.

Wrong. My fellow Americans we're democracy's last line of defense.

Quote:There is now a full-scale clandestine revolutionary war being waged against the Trump Administration. The C.I.A. usually attempts a soft coup first at the direction of its masters in Deep State. When that's not successful in effectuating a regime change, they know the territory has been sufficiently softened up for the hot phase of the revolution.

In these United States of America, that would be the ongoing but rapidly intensifying Purple Revolution. This revolution began the very day that President Trump won the election on November 8, 2016, if not before.

KEY POINTS:

Deep State will not permit President Trump to govern as POTUS.

Deep State uses the C.I.A. and the Mainstream Media (MSM) to run interference at every turn against the Trump Administration

Deep State will continue to prosecute the revolution until Trump is removed from power

Deep State will eventually attempt to oust the entire Trump Administration

These preceding bullet points constitute the current NWO globalist agenda being carried throughout the USA in direct opposition to the Trump Administration. In other words, when Assistant to the President and White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon said that the Mainstream Media (MSM) had morphed into the opposition party, he was speaking literally.

"Steve Bannon: I Could Care Less' About Repairing Relationship with Opposition Party' Media" BREITBART

A Counter Declaration of War on the Mainstream Media

There you have it (see preceding link), the whole world is now witnessing an all-out war between the MSM and a sitting POTUS. This unparalleled conflict is not only being fought between the Mainstream Media and the Trump Administration, it's occurring throughout the entire body politic of the USA and beyond.

The U.S. citizenry saw as never before the complete lack of integrity exhibited by the MSM during the entire 2016 election cycle. Candidate Trump exposed the lying media and avalanche of fake news with his every news conference and campaign stop. In so doing, the whole world is now aware that the MSM can never EVER be trusted again.

Because the MSM is the primary mouthpiece of Deep State, a highly consequential decision was made by its concealed leadership to remove Trump from power with great haste and recklessness lest their Global Control Matrix experience an unprecedented collapse. Deep State knows full well that it's now in its death throes. And that such grave existential threats must be faced before its entire superstructure (and infrastructure) falls into it own footprint.

This 21st century "War of the Titans" has gotten so hot, in fact, that there is now no turning back for either side. IT WILL BE A DEATH TO THE FINISH.

Because the Mainstream Media has been outed like never, the most likely outcome is that it will simply be shut down. The public domain is now replete with hard evidence proving treason and sedition perpetrated over many decades by the MSM. Once the American people have reviewed the relevant proof of high treason and crimes against humanity, it will only be a matter of MSM industrywide criminal prosecution.

Bear in mind that Deep State cannot function to any reasonable degree without total ownership and efficient functioning of the media. The C.I.A., as well as the other 16 US intelligence agencies, all require the media cover staunchly provided by the MSM. So does the Military-Industrial Complex, as does the much larger Government-Corporate Complex. Therefore, when the MSM finally crashes and burns, so will all of the other major entities which comprise the Deep State.

"MAY DAY! MAY DAY! MAY DAY!"

With this critical understanding it ought to be quite obvious that the next 120 days are pivotal for Deep State. Every single day that the Trump Administration is able to consolidate and increase its power, Deep State loses its influence throughout the US government and the world-at-large. Such a crucial attenuation of power will serve as the death knell of the Deep State within the American Republic.

Hence, there is now a great race against time … for both sides of this epic war. The agents of Deep State clearly hope that a soft coup will be successful through a presidential impeachment or by other means. The C.I.A. recently executed such a strategy to peacefully' remove Dilma Rousseff, the 36th President of Brazil.

Make no mistake about it, if a soft coup is not successful, the agents of Deep State will commence the hot phase of their Purple Revolution. Everything points to a massive May Day stealth event. An unrivaled National Mall rally in D.C. attended by the many misguided groups which make up the Democratic Party is already in the works.

An enormous May Day protest could be used to manufacture a context in which a Maidan type event takes place (remember the violent uprising in Kiev, Ukraine). The Illuminati are notorious for using dates and numerology by which to stage their revolutions and civil wars over centuries (e.g. May Day parades and terror events). Just as the engineered uprising in Kiev was surreptitiously utilized to force Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych into exile, a similar trigger point could be fabricated by which the Bolshevik Left goes really crazy and tries to chase Trump from the White House.

With their de facto leader Barack Obama leading the Purple Revolution quietly from behind, many Democratic factions have been adequately brainwashed by his unmatched cult of personality. The ultra-liberals, extreme left-wingers, fake progressives and DINOs* have all demonstrated that they will resort to violence both verbal and physical whenever necessary. Hence, a real May Day event, no matter when it is scheduled must be met with an overwhelming display of support for President Trump.

*DINO = Democrat in name only, and not the real Democrats of old

Much more importantly, perhaps the single most effective way of responding to a subversive May Day plot is to pre-empt it. The Trump Movement might need to mobilize like never before and converge on Washington, D.C. with a show of support and unity and numbers as never seen before in U.S. history. Such an impressive and incomparable show of public support might be all that's needed to quell the brewing Democrat insurgency. It will also serve to put the cowardly liberals in their proper place, especially those hidden manipulators who are stoking the flames of insurrection.

A Civil War, a Second American Revolution or Both

Some are calling this ongoing soft coup a prelude to a full-blown civil war; others refer to it as the Second American Revolution against the tyrannical U.S. Federal Government that was purposefully created by the Obama and Bush administrations since September 11th, 2001.

There is no question that the present phase of hostilities was initiated by the Soros-Obama-Clinton faction which essentially represents the seditious face Deep State. Deep State is the monolithic and all-pervasive rubric under which the globalist New World Agenda is being executed worldwide24/7.

Key Point: Deep State is no respecter of national sovereignty; nor does it have any loyalty to any principle or people except globalization and the homogenization of populations across the planet. It's primary goal is a New World Order overseen by an One World Government (OWG) which the agents of Deep State (DS) will foist on the world community of nations.

Given their fatally flawed agenda, it's obvious that the United States of America is an essential cog in their machine. As the military arm of the New World Order, the USA is absolutely necessary to the black operations and running of Deep State; otherwise, DS is but a paper tiger. Hence, such an OWG harebrained scheme can only be accomplished with the total commitment of the U.S. Armed Forces. Which is why there is now both a revolution and civil war evolving on parallel tracks at the same time in real time.

As a matter of fact, the Soros-funded, Obama-led, Clinton-inaugurated civil war (also known as the Purple Revolution) is being instigated to short-circuit the authentic rebellion of We the People against Deep State and its horrific creation known as the Obamanation. This is an extremely important point [in brackets] which must be understood by every American patriots. [There is a HUGE difference between the seditious Purple Revolution against the nation and the We the People revolution against Deep State.] <Again, This is a VERY IMPORTANT POINT

Paul Rigby Wrote:Washington's coup fever heats up

By David Talbot, San Francisco Chronicle, February 19, 2017

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Washington-s-coup-fever-heats-up-10942988.php?t=6d2fefcdbb&cmpid=fb-premium

Quote:In case you turned off your computer and TV and crawled under the blankets all last week and, really, who can blame you? here's a quick recap of the news. Leaking like an old waterbed, the national security establishment claimed its first big casualty, national security adviser Michael Flynn. President Trump struck back by reaching new levels of weirdness at his Thursday news conference, telling the media pack that they were "hateful" and "dishonest"… but, hey, "it's a great honor to be with you."

The "least racist man you'll ever meet" then went on to ask an African American reporter to set up a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus, because, well, she's black.

He then totally lost it with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication, ordering him to "sit down" and "be quiet," and saying that he was "repulsed" by his question about the recent rise of anti-Semitic incidents. Apparently Trump who, if you haven't noticed, can be just a tad thin-skinned thought the yarmulke-wearing reporter was accusing him of vandalizing temples and Jewish community centers. "I'm the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life," Trump berated the utterly bewildered reporter, who had just fawningly prefaced his question by praising the president's credentials as a "zayde," the grandfather of Jewish children.

Trump's news conference antics only fed the growing public perception that we are being led, or misled, by a mad king. Meanwhile, the war in Washington grew so heated that Julian Assange tweeted about "the amazing battle for dominance between the elected US govt & the IC (intelligence community.)"

Twitterdom is ringing with lunatic effusions, and not all of them are coming from the president himself.

The hubbub for a coup on the left and right grows louder by the day. William Kristol, a leader of the neoconservative anti-Trump pack, is among those who has tweeted his secret longing to be saved by Big Brother: "Obviously strongly prefer normal democratic and constitutional politics. But if it comes to it, prefer the deep state to the Trump state."

If it comes to it. … At least one spook, a former NSA analyst named John Schindler, thinks we're at that point now. Schindler let loose a disturbing war cry last week, tweeting, "Now we go nuclear. IC war going to new levels."

Schindler's crowd is convinced Trump's fate is sealed. "He will die in jail," Schindler was told by a "senior IC friend." Weirdly, Schindler who thinks Trump has sold out the country to the Russians is the national security correspondent for the New York Observer, the newspaper owned by Trump son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner. Maybe Trump is not such a beloved zayde in the Kushner household.

Even the New York Times, which in the past has dismissed all discussion of deep state plotting against U.S. democracy as the paranoid ravings of the conspiracy set, ran a long, sober feature on Friday exploring whether the United States is following the tumultuous path of countries like Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan and "seeing the rise of its own deep state."

The truth is that the deep state powerful officials in the national security world and their Wall Street and corporate allies have long had a contentious history with American democracy. The FBI, including high official Mark Felt (a.k.a. "Deep Throat"), and the CIA played key roles in the Watergate intrigue that finally brought down Richard Nixon. William Casey, President Ronald Reagan's spymaster, helped engineer the October Surprise during the 1980 presidential campaign that sabotaged the Iran hostage release and ensured Jimmy Carter's defeat. Some historians and investigators (including me) argue that CIA legend Allen Dulles played a central role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the crime's cover-up.

Democracy is an exquisitely fragile enterprise, "a delicate eggshell in the rough-and-tumble of history," as I wrote in my book, "The Devil's Chessboard." Rule by the people must always contend with rule by elites who are much more organized, financed, ruthless and armed.

What's odd about these increasingly odd times is that many engaged citizens, including progressives, are eagerly hoping for the overthrow of our elected government, if we can rid ourselves of the dangerously unhinged Trump. But a coup would mean the coup de grace for American democracy. Yes, the mad king would be gone. In the process, however, we'd be empowering the most militaristic, secretive and sinister elements of our society.

I agree that saving America means bringing down Trump. But it's a revived democracy that must be his downfall a newly invigorated media, judicial system and citizenry not the dark maneuvers of spies and generals.

As a journalist, I have no problem receiving Trump-damaging leaks from the deep state, if these leaks are thoroughly vetted and substantiated. That's often the only way to find glimpses of the truth in secretive democracies like ours. "There is a crack, a crack in everything that's how the light gets in," as Leonard Cohen sang.

But there's a big difference between taking advantage of the cracks in the national security establishment to shed light on the dark operations of power, and celebrating the deep state as our savior. That's what some liberal commentators like Tim Weiner, a former New York Times reporter and author of books about the CIA and FBI were doing last week, going on the cable shows and getting all gooey about the strongmen in the shadows who will supposedly protect us. Weiner got so carried away at one point on "The Rachel Maddow Show" that he called the FBI's Machiavellian director, James Comey, and Sen. John McCain a man who has never seen a war he didn't like the only heroic watchmen standing in the way of the Trump abyss.

Wrong. My fellow Americans we're democracy's last line of defense.

Cliff Varnell Wrote:

David Guyatt Wrote:

Cliff Varnell Wrote:::::cuckoo::

The neo-cons have hungered for a war with Iran since the fall of the Shah.

Please explain why they would they hunger for a war with the man they put in power after Pahlavi was designedly removed by them?

That's how the game of perpetual war is played.

Play all ends against the middle.

There has to be a Boogyman to provide the rationale for militarization.

For decades it was The Commies, then it became The Muslims.

It was Morgan/Harriman money which financed Lenin.

Brown-Bothers Harriman financed almost half of the Nazi War machine.

W. Averell Harriman was the number one war hawk in FDR's administration.

Who spurred the 8-year Iran-Iraq War?

Carter and Reagan, arming both sides.

Why did the American neo-cons oppose the Iran nuke deal Obama pushed thru?

Because it removed the main rationale for war with Iran.

Why did Obama take so much heat from the neo-cons for not bombing Syria when Assad was reported to have gassed 1100 civilians in 2013?

Because he negotiated with the Russians to remove vast quantities of chemical weapons, thus removing the main rationale for an attack on Assad.

Don't be surprised if Trump picks major neo-con John Bolton for National Security Advisor.

Cliff Varnell Wrote:[quote=Paul Rigby]

Talbot is unaware of the Dominionist Proto-Autocracy conducting a massive voter suppression campaign spear-headed by Republican Party operatives Kris Kobach and James Comey.

Clinton won the popular vote by almost 3 million in spite of the GOP disenfranchisement of millions of minority voters.

Trump wasn't elected by We The People -- he was selected by the Bible Thumpers in the bi-polar Deep State.

Any discussion of the 2016 election that doesn't acknowledge this Dominionist Coup D'Etat is wrong-headed.

Quote:OLIVER STONE'S MASTERCLASS AT THE WRITERS GUILD AWARDS


"You don't have to fit in. It's fashionable now to take shots at Republicans and Trump and avoid the Obamas and Clintons. But remember this: In the 13 wars we've started over the last 30 years and the $14 trillion we've spent, and the hundreds of thousands of lives that have perished from this earth, remember that it wasn't one leader, but a system, both Republican and Democrat. Call it what you will: the military industrial money media security complex. It's a system that has been perpetuated under the guise that these are just wars justifiable in the name of our flag that flies so proudly."


"Our country has become more prosperous for many but in the name of that wealth we cannot justify our system as a center for the world's values. But we continue to create such chaos and wars. No need to go through the victims, but we know we've intervened in more than 100 countries with invasion, regime change, economic chaos. Or hired war. It's war of some kind. In the end, it's become a system leading to the death of this planet and the extinction of us all."


"I've fought these people who practice war for most of my life. It's a tiring game. And mostly you'll get your a kicked. With all the criticism and insults you'll receive, and the flattery too, it's important to remember, if you believe in what you're saying and you can stay the course, you can make a difference."


"I urge you to find a way to remain alone with yourself, listen to your silences, not always in a writer's room. Try to find not what the crowd wants so you can be successful, but try instead to find the true inner meaning of your life here on earth, and never give up on your heart in your struggle for peace, decency, and telling the truth."

Quote:Is the 'deep state' out to get Trump? We're not there yet


Doyle McManus Doyle McManusContact Reporter


The scariest new catchphrase of the Trump era and we're only one month in is the "deep state," a term borrowed from countries like Turkey and Egypt, where networks of military officers and intelligence operatives control much of the government.


Last week, President Trump complained that "illegal leaks" from the FBI and other intelligence agencies forced him to fire his national security advisor, Michael Flynn.


The leaks revealed that Flynn had secretly discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador, then falsely claimed he hadn't. The talks didn't bother Trump; the leaks did.


"The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by intelligence' like candy," he tweeted. "The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!"


In a country controlled by the deep state, members of the armed forces and intelligence agencies can overthrow presidents they don't like.
Others worried, too. Republican members of Congress condemned the leaks as a misuse of classified information. Critics of the intelligence community, both conservative and liberal, warned that unelected bureaucrats were exerting too much political power.


Was the American deep state, panicked by Trump, revealing itself?


"The intelligence agencies are pretty hard to roll," a former top CIA official told me last week. "These guys are trained to manipulate people and overthrow governments, and they're rather good at it."


But no, this wasn't the deep state seizing power. We're not there yet.


In a country controlled by the deep state, members of the armed forces and intelligence agencies can overthrow presidents they don't like; that's what happened in Egypt in 2013. They hold veto power over major decisions. They often run large parts of the economy, or at least enough government contracts to make their families rich. And they're rarely held accountable for their actions. They act with impunity.


U.S. intelligence agencies, on the other hand, are restrained by law. Sometimes they overstep, but eventually they are reined in. The officials who leaked the details of Flynn's conversations knew that Trump would order the FBI to track them down. They put themselves at risk.


Trump's problem isn't the deep state; it's the broad state. He's facing pushback not only from intelligence agencies, but from civilian bureaucracies, too.


When his White House staff drafted an executive order to reopen CIA "black sites" and reintroduce torture, it leaked and the decision was promptly put on ice.


When they drafted another order to repeal protections for LGBT federal employees, that leaked too and the president's daughter and son-in-law blocked the idea.


When Trump banned travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the attorneys general of several states sued, and federal courts blocked the order's enforcement.


There have been less-dramatic forms of defiance, too. Bureaucrats in the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency have signed petitions protesting the new administration's policies.


In a different category, Trump's own Cabinet appears to harbor a modest dose of dissent: Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sound distinctly less enthusiastic than their boss about cooperating with Vladimir Putin.


Just about every segment of the federal government has struggled against White House actions it didn't like, and when you add up all those varieties of resistance, it begins to look almost like a Resistance. But and this is crucial there's no central power organizing or directing the fight.




It's not unusual for a new Republican administration to encounter recalcitrant bureaucrats in domestic agencies like the EPA, or for a Democratic president to clash with hawks in national security agencies. In 2009, for example, President Obama believed the Pentagon tried to force him to send more troops to Afghanistan than he wanted.


But Trump and his chief theoretician, Stephen K. Bannon, have taken aim at both sides: not only Democratic bureaucrats, but also much of the Republican establishment. The bureaucratic resistance they've met has been unusually bipartisan.


The result, especially in the wake of Flynn's ouster, has been chaos. The National Security Council is leaderless and understaffed. Domestic agencies are gripped by uncertainty, too, a state that induces self-protective bureaucrats to move even more slowly than usual.


"The main danger in a Trump presidency is not that it will be too strong, but that it will be too weak," Jack Goldsmith, an assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush, argued last week. "The U.S. government cannot work well … without a minimally staffed, well-organized, energetic, competent executive branch. Right now we don't have such an executive branch."


We may still be heading for several kinds of trouble: an international crisis with an unready NSC, a constitutional crisis if Trump ignores a court order he dislikes. But a shadow government? It's a peril to guard against, to be sure but it's far from the biggest danger we face.

Quote:FEBRUARY 17, 2017
Blood in the Water: the Trump Revolution Ends in a Whimper
by MIKE WHITNEY




Email


The Flynn fiasco is not about national security advisor Michael Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador. It's much deeper than that. It's about Russia. It's about Putin. It's about the explosive rise of China and the world's biggest free trade zone that will eventually stretch from Lisbon to Vladivostok. It's about the one country in the world that is obstructing Washington's plan for global domination. (Russia) And, it's about the future; which country will be the key player in the world's most prosperous and populous region, Asia.


That's what's at stake, and that's what the Flynn controversy is really all about.


Many readers are familiar with the expression "pivot to Asia", but do they know what it means?


It means the United States has embarked on an ambitious plan to extend its military grip and market power over the Eurasian landmass thus securing its position as the world's only superpower into the next century. The pivot is Washington's top strategic priority. As Hillary Clinton said in 2011:


"Harnessing Asia's growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests… Open markets in Asia provide the United States with unprecedented opportunities for investment, trade, and access to cutting-edge technology…..American firms (need) to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia…


The region already generates more than half of global output and nearly half of global trade…. we are looking for opportunities to do even more business in Asia…and our investment opportunities in Asia's dynamic markets."("America's Pacific Century", Secretary of State Hillary Clinton", Foreign Policy Magazine, 2011)


In other words, it's pivot or bust. Those are the only two options. Naturally, ruling elites in the US have chosen the former over the latter, which means they are committed to a strategy that will inevitably pit the US against a nuclear-armed adversary, Russia.


Trump's National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, wanted to normalize relations with Russia. He rejected the flagrantly hostile approach of the US foreign policy establishment. That's why he had to be removed. And, that's why he's been so viciously attacked in the media and why the threadbare story about his contacts with the Russian ambassador were used to force his resignation.


This isn't about the law and it isn't about the truth. It's about bare-knuckle geopolitics and global hegemony. Flynn got in the way of the pivot, so Flynn had to be eliminated. End of story. Here's a clip from an article by Robert Parry:


"Flynn's real "offense" appears to be that he favors détente with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous Cold War. Trump's idea of a rapprochement with Moscow and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise has been driving Official Washington's foreign policy establishment crazy for months and the neocons, in particular, have been determined to block it.


Though Flynn has pandered to elements of the neocon movement with his own hysterical denunciations of Iran and Islam in general, he emerged as a key architect for Trump's plans to seek a constructive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Meanwhile, the neocons and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks have invested heavily in making Putin the all-purpose bête noire to justify a major investment in new military hardware and in pricy propaganda operations." ("Trump Caves on Flynn's resignation", Consortium News)


US foreign policy is not developed willy-nilly. It emerges as the consensus view of various competing factions within the permanent national security state. And, although there are notable differences between the rival factions (either hardline or dovish) there appears to be unanimity on the question of Russia. There is virtually no constituency within the political leadership of either of the two major parties (or their puppetmaster supporters in the deep state) for improving relations with Russia. None. Russia is blocking Washington's eastward expansion, therefore, Russia must be defeated. Here's more from the World Socialist Web Site:


"US imperialism seeks to counter its declining world economic position by exploiting its unchallenged global military dominance. It sees as the principal roadblocks to its hegemonic aims the growing economic and military power of China and the still-considerable strength of Russia, possessor of the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal, the largest reserves of oil and gas, and a critical geographical position at the center of the Eurasian land mass.


Trump's opponents within the ruling class insist that US foreign policy must target Russia with the aim of weakening the Putin regime or overthrowing it. This is deemed a prerequisite for taking on the challenge posed by China.


Numerous Washington think tanks have developed scenarios for military conflicts with Russian forces in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in the Baltic States and in cyberspace. The national security elite is not prepared to accept a shift in orientation away from the policy of direct confrontation with Russia along the lines proposed by Trump, who would like for the present to lower tensions with Russia in order to focus first on China." ("Behind the Flynn resignation and Trump crisis: A bitter conflict over imperialist policy", WSWS)


Foreign policy elites believe the US and its NATO allies can engage Russia in a shooting war without it expanding into a regional conflict and without an escalation into a nuclear conflagration. It's a risky calculation but, nevertheless, it is the rationale behind the persistent build up of troops and weaponry on Russia's western perimeter. Take a look at this from the Independent:


"Thousands of Nato troops have amassed close to the border with Russia as part of the largest build-up of Western troops neighbouring Moscow's sphere of influence since the Cold War…Tanks and heavy armoured vehicles, plus Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin howitzers, are also in situ and British Typhoon jets from RAF Conningsby will be deployed to Romania this summer to contribute to Nato's Southern Air Policing mission…


Kremlin officials claim the build-up is the largest since the Second World War." ("The map that shows how many Nato troops are deployed along Russia's border", The Independent)


Saber-rattling and belligerence have cleared the way for another world war. Washington thinks the conflict can be contained, but we're nor so sure.


The inexperienced Trump who naively believed that the president sets his own foreign policyhas now learned that that's not the case. The Flynn slap-down, followed by blistering attacks in the media and threats of impeachment, have left Trump shaken to the core. As a result, he has done a speedy about-face and swung into damage control-mode. On Tuesday, he tried to extend the olive branch by tweeting that "Crimea was taken by Russia" and by offering to replace Flynn with a trusted insider who will not veer from the script prepared by the foreign policy establishment. Check out this blurb on the Foreign Policy magazine website on Wednesday:


"President Donald Trump offered the job of national security advisor to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward on Monday night…If, as expected, Harward accepts the job today, he is likely to bring in his own team, from deputy on down, with a focus on national security types with some experience under their belts…


Harward also would work well with Defense Secretary James Mattis. When Mattis was chief of Central Command, Harward was his deputy. Mattis trusted him enough to put him in charge of planning for war with Iran. Mattis has urged Harward to take the NSA job.


If Harward becomes NSA, Mattis would emerge from the Flynn mess in a uniquely powerful position: He would have two of his former deputies at the table in some meetings. The other one is John Kelly, now secretary for Homeland Security, who was his number two when Mattis commanded a Marine division early in the invasion of Iraq in 2003." ("A Mattis protégé poised to take the helm of Trump's NSC," Foreign Policy)


In other words, Trump is relinquishing control over foreign policy and returning it to trusted insiders who will comply with pre-set elitist guidelines. Trump's sudden metamorphosis was apparent in another story that appeared in Wednesday's news, this time related to Rex Tillerson and General Joseph Dunford. Here's a clip from CNN:


"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford meet face to face with their Russian counterparts Thursday, as the Trump administration evaluates the future direction of US-Russian relations….But even as Tillerson's plane was taking off in Washington, the Pentagon announced the meeting between Dunford and his Russian counterpart Valeriy Gerasimov, which will take place Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan….


"The military leaders will discuss a variety of issues including the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations …Trump's envoys have been expressing positions more keeping with previous US policies. …


Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, indicated the US would maintain sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014. She condemned what she called the "Russian occupation" of the Ukrainian territory…


The US has deployed thousands of troops and tanks to Poland and Romania in recent weeks, while other NATO allies have sent troops to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.


"There is a common message from the President, from his security team, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, that they stay strongly committed to NATO," he added.


Let's summarize: The sanctions will remain, the tanks are on the border, the commitment to NATO has been reinforced, and Dunford is going to explain Washington's strategic objectives to his Russian counterpart in clear, unambiguous language. There will be no room for Tillerson, who is on friendly terms with Putin, to change the existing policy or to normalize relations; Dunford, Haley, and Defense Secretary James Mattis will make sure of that.


As for Trump, it's clear by the Crimea tweet, the sacking of Flynn and the (prospective) appointment of Harward, that he's running scared and is doing everything in his power to get out of the hole he's dug for himself. There's no way of knowing whether he'll be allowed to carry on as before or if he'll be forced to throw other allies, like Bannon or Conway, under the bus. I would expect the purge to continue and to eventually include Trump himself. But that's just a guess.


The hope that Trump would bring an element of sanity to US foreign policy has now been extinguished. The so called "Trump Revolution" has fizzled out before it ever began.


In contrast, the military buildup along Russia's western flank continues apace.

Quote:In 1947, the president of the United States, Harry Truman, decided: I'm going to create a snake and call it the CIA. Its watchword will be secrecy. It will collect secrets of our enemies and hold them secret and report the secrets to the president, who will decide what to do. Of course, the snake will remain under the president's control. Its entire personality will be based on deception, but it will remain loyal to the president. No problem. Sure.

I'm thankful for Charles Hollander's challenging piece on Thomas Pynchon's novel, The Crying of Lot 49: "Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49."

Hollander offers vital reminders of the war between two parts of the Executive Branch: the presidency and the CIA.

"Implicit in Pynchon's fiction is the view that events in recent American history have led to a virtual constitutional crisis, a challenge to the supremacy of the presidency by the intelligence community."

"When Eisenhower made his open skies' proposal, in July 21, 1955, at a Geneva summit conference, calling for unrestricted but monitored overflight of national territories on both sides of the Iron Curtain, many observers felts its acceptance would have gone a long way toward thawing the Cold War. To make a gesture of good faith toward Soviet Premier Khrushchev, the president ordered the CIA (under Allen Dulles) to halt its U2 photoreconnaissance flights. But Dulles secretly arranged for the flights to continue. When Francis Gary Powers's U2 spy plane was shot down in the Ural mountains on May 1, 1960, and Khrushchev announced the facts to the world media, the embarrassed Eisenhower lied to cover up. To many it appeared that the CIA chief had disobeyed a direct order from the CommanderinChief. The St. Louis PostDispatch asked the next day, Do our intelligence operatives enjoy so much freewheeling authority that they can touch off an incident of grave international import by lowlevel decisions unchecked by responsible policymaking power'?"

"Later, when Lee Harvey Oswald's possible role in the U2 affair became known, some observers felt Dulles's action implied that the director of the CIA was above the president and that the militaryindustrial complex could do what it pleased, independent of the will of the people as expressed by the popularly elected and duly constituted chief executive. No wonder Ike [Eisenhower] was peeved: the CIA was running the U.S. the way it ran Latin America. The U2 affair was no mere personality squabble, Ike vs. Dulles; it was two institutions of the executive branch vying for supremacy, the presidency vs. the CIA, hence the democratic process vs. a form of totalitarism."

"The CIA had already planned the April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion before Kennedy took office in January, and when the invasion failed, Kennedy felt that the CIA had set him up. He let it be known he intended to dismantle the CIA and assign its functions to the other intelligence units within the government. He reportedly vowed to splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds'… Kennedy, a Democrat, forced the Republican Allen Dulles to resign, along with other senior CIA officers. But the CIA was too deeply involved just then in operations around the world to be disassembled. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, in a way that implicated the CIA…critics of the Warren Commission Report, maybe even J. Edgar Hooverbelieved the CIA had some hand in Kennedy's assassination and the coverup. If it had, the CIA was again demonstrating that the presidency was subordinate to the CIA."

"In a very short time, two presidents, a Republican and a Democrat, ran afoul of the CIA. The result amounted to a constitutional crisis, a change in our actual form of government without benefit of a duly ratified constitutional amendment. The crisis is reminiscent of that period in Roman history when the Praetorian Guard could sell the office of Emperor to the highest bidder and then, after a time, assassinate him and have a new auction. To this day, the president has never again challenged the CIA, though the agency has made its share of egregious errors. With the selection of former CIA director George H.W. Bush, the presidency and the CIA effectively merged…"

These days, President Trump is in his own war against the CIA and other parts of the intelligence community (IC).

In his case, he has overtly criticized the IC and called them disseminators of fake news and lies. He claims he's putting an end to foreign wars of conquest. He's already canceled a major Globalist trade treaty, the TPP.

But the IC believes it owns the Presidency and sets his agenda.

This is not a recent assumption. It goes all the way back to the early days of the CIA; Eisenhower, Kennedy.

In 2016, the IC leadership decided Trump would be a threat to their power, so they leaked/invented information about the Russians influencing the election on behalf of Trump. This effort was aimed at corroding his right to claim that he was the legitimate president.

The war continues.

The IC doesn't want presidents with independent ideas.

They're the bosses, and they intend to keep it that way.

The snake slithers in the sun and the shade. It moves deftly and collects information and decides what to do with it. It compiles its own private list of enemies and allies. It senses its own power. Why should it honor its mandate? There is an Empire to be gained.