Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
February 02, 2017

Crazy Ideas About The U.S. Attack In Yemen

The Fake Outrage About Trump piece included a part on a U.S. special force attack in Yemen that had happened just hours before:

The rural home of a tribal leader's family, friendly with some Yemeni al-Qaeda members, was raided by a special operations commando. A U.S. tiltrotor military aircraft was shot down during the raid. One soldier was killed and several were wounded. The U.S. commandos responded with their usual panic. They killed anyone in sight and bombed the shit out of any nearby structure. According to Yemeni sources between 30 and 57 Yemenis were killed including eight women and eight children (graphic pics). The U.S. military claimed, as it always does, that no civilians were hurt in the raid.

One of the killed kids was the 8 year old daughter of al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki.

That early description holds up well against recent reporting by NBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times. The incident happened as described.

But an open question is still why the raid happen. The military and the administration claim it was to get intelligence, laptops, hard-drives and the like. But that is not a good explanation for an elaborate raid that needed lots of resources and backup. We had noted that "Yemeni sources say that at least two men were abducted by the U.S. military." The U.S. Central Command claims that no prisoners were taken only intelligence material. But a few days ago it also claimed that no civilians were hurt which it now admits indeed happened. My gut tells me that we will hear more on this issue.

There are also some weir conspiracy theories around the raid.

Marcy Wheeler aka Emptywheel headlined: Trump Fulfills Another Campaign Promise: Kills 8-Year Old American Girl and asked "Was that the point?" 

That is a crazy and impossible theory. Trump had been in office for less than ten days. The "raid" included SEAL Team 6 forces, UAE special forces, attack helicopters, U.S. Marine MV-22 tiltrotor planes, various drones and intelligence assets, a ship off the coast that launched Harrier jets and who knows what else. An organization like the U.S. military can not possibly vet, arrange and coordinated such a collection of different units and assets without several weeks of intense preparations. It is impossible that Trump ordered this raid up within very few days and just to kill some girl. Also - the military hierarchy would have very likely rejected such an order.

One can file Marcy's piece next to the dissection about the Liberals On the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown. Note: A loudmouth ruling in the White House does not make the sky fall down.

Another crazy piece was published by Reuters today:

U.S. military officials told Reuters that Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.

As a result, three officials said, the attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda base defended by landmines, snipers, and a larger than expected contingent of heavily armed Islamist extremists.

On wonders who these three "U.S. military officials" are who try to back-stab Trump and his advisors. The raiders surely had prior and current intelligence, they surely had enough forces on the ground and in the air. Lots of backup actually did come in when needed.

The "three military officials" are also lying about the "reinforced al-Qaeda base". The pictures show a few normal houses in a small tribal village. All reports from Yemen speak of a few local families of which men were hired by the Saudis as anti-Houthi fighters. Such may at times align with local al-Qaeda groups who are also supported by the Saudis but that does not make them al-Qaeda terrorists.

The attack in Yemen must have been planned for month under the Obama administration for reason we likely do not yet know. It was then delayed and handed over "ready to go" to the Trump administration. That was my best guess days ago and it is also what the NYT now reports:

[O]ver dinner with his newly installed secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Trump was presented with the first of what will be many life-or-death decisions [... ] Vice President Mike Pence and Michael T. Flynn, the national security adviser, also attended the dinner.
...
Mr. Obama did not act because the Pentagon wanted to launch the attack on a moonless night and the next one would come after his term had ended.
...
[M]onths of detailed planning that went into the operation during the Obama administration [...] the Defense Department had conducted a legal review of the operation that Mr. Trump approved and that a Pentagon lawyer had signed off on it.

The "U.S. military officials" Reuters quotes must known this. Why do they try to plant their false story and thereby blame not only Trump but also Mattis, Dunford and Flynn - (former) generals who agreed on the mission? Is there some nonsense ongoing like an amateurish "military coup" attempt against Trump that Rosa Books fantasizes about?

The military attack in Yemen was a bad idea. Killing some local Yemenis who work for the U.S. "ally" Saudi Arabia for what? To be hated by their families, clansmen and tribal allies for the next decades?

Then there is the operational failure. According to the NYT and others the SEALs were detected early on, recognized they had been detected and still proceeded. The surprise effect was gone and they ran into an ambush. The operation should have been stopped as soon as they noticed that it was not going as planned. They screwed up just as their command screwed up -  up to the strategic level of Obama and Trump.

Just think about the background fight between the local "allies" in the war on Yemen. From my comment at Mary's site:

Take the bigger view. The Saudis want a united Yemen under their full control. The UAE (while said to be allied with Saudis) supports the southern separation movement in Yemen. Dubai Port (DPWorld) wants exclusive rights to Aden and the south Yemeni oil terminals. (These to avoid the strategic problems of the street of Hormuz passages.)

After UAE forces took Aden they were attacked by Saudi supported al-Qaeda (and ISIS) groups. The U.S. military supports the UAE in this family strife because it dislikes the Saudi support for al-Qaeda.

The U.S./UAE hit against that “al-Qaeda aligned” Saudi mercenary gang was as much against the Saudis themselves as it was against al-Qaeda.

Unless there is a really big secret about it yet to unveil, the raid was planned and done for little effect and more out of (Obama typical) pettiness than out of sound strategic necessity. That Trump agree to it was a stupid mistake he by now probably regrets.

That all can and should be criticized. But that does not require unfounded conspiracy theories about some spontaneous raid Trump ordered out of malice or incompetence.

There are plenty of reasons to attack him for what he does. Inventing "bad Trump" stories will only help him along.

Posted by b on February 2, 2017 at 20:08 UTC | Permalink

Comments
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Still very interesting how US forces intentionally killing people in countries we are not at war with isn't a front page scandal.

Posted by: IhaveLittleToAdd | Feb 2 2017 20:16 utc | 1

The raid appears to have been Trump's Bay of Pigs -- planned by the previous administration, dumped into Trump's lap, and now Trump takes the fall for it. Indeed, the buck does stop at Trump's desk because he could have canceled the raid, but didn't.

All that said, will Trump learn his lesson and change course? It remains to be seen.

Posted by: Dan Lynch | Feb 2 2017 20:20 utc | 2

Because no one really likes a Fascist?

Posted by: Why back-stab? | Feb 2 2017 20:24 utc | 3

Crimes against humanity

Posted by: c | Feb 2 2017 20:49 utc | 4

Unless there is a really big secret about it yet to unveil, the raid was planned and done for little effect and more out of (Obama typical) pettiness than out of sound strategic necessity. That Trump agree to it was a stupid mistake he by now probably regrets.

In answer to Sentence 1: yes, likely.
In answer to Sentence 2: yes, it was stupid of Trump to agree to it, but I'm not at all sanguine that he regrets it. Remains to be seen.

It's on Trump's lap now. I'm not seeing him showing signs of remorse or interest in changing the course of how these events have played out in the ME over the past 15 years. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised.

I agree with a comment up above that the bigger travesty is that this assassination of an 8 year old American citizen is not a yuuuuge front page scandal. Don't hold your breath waiting for Democratic party voters to get upset about it. I ain't seeing it from where I sit.

Posted by: RUKidding | Feb 2 2017 20:58 utc | 5

I thought the original reason for the attack was to get an al Qaeda leader. This sounds like a bit of hindsight reason. They gathered intel (hard drives, etc) and now claim that was the real reason. They can say they hit what they were aiming at.

Posted by: Curtis | Feb 2 2017 21:05 utc | 6

The emptywheel story sounds like this story from Yahoo/FP Mag.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-lose-war-winning-192225227.html

It has the usual claim that Russia invaded the Donbass and "seized" Crimea. I wonder what emptywheel said about Obama taking out al-Awlaki's son. Even Obama acted upset over that. Taking out children isn't the true intention but what they're trying to say is if there is collateral damage that they can live with that.

This is really odd what is happening in the media these days. It's as if they've doubled down on pushing fake news in order to counter the alt media.

Posted by: Curtis | Feb 2 2017 21:10 utc | 7

One more point. The prior approval for such a big operation is a good point. Both administrations bear some guilt since the plans were made under the military planners under both administrations and the buck has to stop somewhere. It's like Operation Merlin. It happened under Bush but was a CIA plan before under Clinton.

Posted by: Curtis | Feb 2 2017 21:12 utc | 8

b - Trump is Putin's lapdog. Get used to it.

Posted by: Bardi | Feb 2 2017 21:19 utc | 9

@7 But Russia did just that. They deployed forces and then had a referendum. They in fact seized Crimea !

Posted by: bbbb | Feb 2 2017 21:30 utc | 10

Who cares -the operation was a complete disaster that killed a lot of innocents. Trump is now part of the club.

The next 4 years are going to be a horror-show

Posted by: aaaa | Feb 2 2017 21:32 utc | 11

The neo-liberal presstitude media likes to bash Trump for all sorts of nefarious reasons but that doesn't mean that Trump should be spared. The enemy of my enemy is not persé my friend. He could as well not have given his thumb down in the face of those Jihadis and stopped mingeling in Yemens affairs.

Trump issued a discriminatory decree ordering that the citizens of 7 countries that have been destroyed by the US can no longer enter the US while he doesn't order his military to stop bombing them. It's a racist decree, not on technical terms but racist nonetheless, that gives the impression that those people are untermenschen that are too invaluable to enter and can be bombed/eradicated at will.

Many writers and bloggers keep focussing on the moral verbiage of the neo-liberal presstitude media on Trump and for that reason go rather soft on him and his administrations' unfolding policies.

Posted by: xor | Feb 2 2017 21:33 utc | 12

thanks b... what i get from recent events, including 'supposed' leaked comments to the press about trumps abrupt hanging up on turnball, is that some 'force' is in a position to screw trump, and is working overtime on it... it would be bad enough if it was only circe at moa, but the reality seems to me a paid for and very organized, orchestrated attempt to tar and feather trump 24/7... i'm not saying he isn't capable of it himself, but i sense some underlying paid for dynamic that's ongoing here to sabotage him...

also of interest to me in your article is this vying for power and control between uae and sa.. i remain ignorant on the many dynamics going on in yemen, with the exception of the usa's crazy involvement and what seems like ongoing support for some tin pot type (election of 1) 'yemeni' political leader holed up in the capital of saudi arabia... the usa always seems to go out of it's way to appear like a first rate bully - jackass, so maybe trump can take some of the heat here and the one's trying to run him into the ground can smile temporarily..

Posted by: james | Feb 2 2017 21:34 utc | 13

ps - i generally like marcy's commentary and perspective at emptywheel. maybe she is losing her touch..

Posted by: james | Feb 2 2017 21:35 utc | 14

A minor military coup? This might be another of the beginning acts. Conspiracy, not sure about that? The majority of the population, are powerless to prevent any such occurrence, but there seems to be no shortage of hot-dogs willing to try. Time will tell the tale, just hope it doesn't include a mushroom cloud too.

Posted by: Eugene | Feb 2 2017 21:45 utc | 15

Trump okayed it, he's gotta own it. Them's the rules.

And Stevie absolutely loves that shit. Never forget that. Expect more of it.

Posted by: peter | Feb 2 2017 21:45 utc | 16

The attack on al-Qaeda in the Saudi controlled al Bayda Governorate that included UAE special forces could have included mercs from Erik Prince’s private army and certainly Western fighters under the command of an Australian reetired Col.:
http://wtkr.com/2017/02/01/inside-the-yemen-raid-women-al-qaeda-fighters-surprised-us-forces/amp/
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mercenaries-charge-uae-forces-fighting-yemen-764309832
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/world/middleeast/15prince.html

Further complicating this conflict is that Saudi Arabia supports of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and UAE has been supporting Khaled Bahah which explains why Saudi and UAE forces have attacked each other occasionally.
The UAE is also now allied with Egypt and General Haftar in attacking the Operation Dawn Islamist militias fighting for control of Tripoli. The previous Obama administration was apparently “Furious After Source Of "Mystery" Libya Bombing Raids Revealed”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-08-25/us-furious-after-source-mystery-libya-bombing-raids-revealed
https://warisboring.com/erik-princes-mercenaries-are-bombing-libya-88fcb8e55292#.2qjle1egk

Posted by: Krollchem | Feb 2 2017 21:56 utc | 17

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"What goes around, comes around"

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Old street sayings all, but applicable.

Posted by: ben | Feb 2 2017 21:57 utc | 18

The attack must have been planned in advance to go ahead as normally as usual on the presumption that Hillary Clinton would succeed O'Bomber to the Presidency while it was in progress. Once Trump was elected, then the attack must have been postponed to a time after Trump's inauguration so as to make Trump look bad in the eyes of the Houthis and their allies, the Yemeni public and the publics in the Middle East / North Africa region generally.

The end result of this and perhaps other similar attacks that the O'Bomber administration also planned and then stalled on (so that remnant staff from the previous government and in the CIA and other alphabet intel agencies can start them up again after January) is to divide Trump from potential allies in that region and to turn them against his government. Trump would have to do a great deal to convince Syria, Lebanon and any other potential allies (including Russia) he needs against ISIS that he is a genuine and trustworthy leader who keeps his promises.

The narrative that Trump is unstable, incompetent and malicious was established during the Presidential election campaign season and the corporate media establishment is hell-bent on driving it down everyone's throats. One sees this viewpoint expressed even among alternative news websites whose writers and readers otherwise talk sense (and here on the MoA comments forums as well). In such a milieu, keeping a level head when BS is hitting you from all directions becomes difficult. I personally think this is how TPTB are trying to take down alternative news media along with the corporate news media: hit them both with one stone.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 2 2017 21:59 utc | 19

bbbb @ 10:

Russian forces were in Crimea before the Crimeans held a referendum in March 2014, yes that's true. Russia already had a military base at Sevastopol in Crimea. One expects military forces to be stationed there. Under the lease that Russia had to use the naval facilities in Sevastopol, which the Ukrainian government had agreed to, the Russians were allowed to deploy up to 25,000 troops there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkiv_Pact

Curtis' statement @ 7 is correct, the Russians did not "seize" Crimea before the March 2014 referendum by force.

Are you unaware that the United States Navy had its own plans to renovate a school in the Sevastopol naval base for the children of military personnel along lines similar to US schools? Now why would the US Navy already have detailed technical plans to reconstruct and refurbish the school? Care to take a few guesses?
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=2bb691b61c59be3a68180bd8c614a0cb&_cview=1%E2%80%9D

Posted by: Jen | Feb 2 2017 22:15 utc | 20

Did anybody see this from Greenwald's site regarding the crimes of Seal team 6?+
https://theintercept.com/search/?s=Seal%20team%206

Posted by: Mr Toad | Feb 2 2017 22:21 utc | 21

@20 There were also Ukrainian troops in Crimea and one even died for whatever reason as the Russian troops tossed them out.

Obviously Russia acted as a response to American meddling and the coup government being installed, but ultimately Russia reclaimed Crimea by a hostile act

Posted by: aaaa | Feb 2 2017 22:23 utc | 22

There are a lot of unanswered question. One could well ask a few more (all speculative):

1. If the raid was compromised (ie. not a surprise), why didn't the families get the women and children to someplace safe? Was the ambush from another force?

2. If the raid was compromised so badly, and the place was bombed to hell, how did they get disk drives and other intel?

3. Was the raid meant to be a failure? Was the ambush purposefully set-up to create a deep embarrassment for Trump via many killed and/or hostages taken?

4. Did the family of the US serviceman identify his remains? Is it possible that US bombed indiscriminately because it was better to kill everyone than allow a hostage to be taken alive?

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

Rationale:
It's clear that Trump was planning to make a big splash in his first days in office. A raid on al Queda, all queued up and ready to go, might've been very appealing as part of that. Someone could've taken advantage of Trump's big plans for his first days in office to embarrass him as part of the overall effort to discredit and compromise him. Additionally, one or more US servicemen held by al Queda might require Saudi participation to free him. Thus, the Saudis would have some leverage over Trump.

IMO the main opposition to Trump comes from Israeli, Saudis, and their neocon friends, all of whom want to prevail in Syria and continue to have the 'tail' of so-called ME "allies" wag the US 'dog'.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 2 2017 22:26 utc | 23

Jen@19:

Trump better be careful in this arena. His domestic efforts are well planned and executed and I support him 100%, but foreign affairs are not his specialty. He is listening to other people to form his opinions. Some group, not identified yet are driving his foreign adventures. Trashing Iran and China, cozying up to Russia and Israel is a new paradigm.

Sadly, establishing Iran as the boogeyman is the main project. I just don't understand the rationale other than to align with Israel's wishes and to try and drive a wedge into the Eurasian plan. We have been torturing Iran for a long time. They must be so pissed, now that Trump is showing them no love, in company with the Chinese.

Well, as an American, the first order of business is to fix our country. Hopefully Putin can talk some sense into Trump about world affairs, you know - bro down and have a heart to heart.

Posted by: Andy | Feb 2 2017 22:30 utc | 24

bbbb @ #9

" . . . . They deployed forces and then had a referendum. They in fact seized Crimea "

It was my understanding that the RF's agreement over the long term "rental" of the port at Sevastopol allowed the stationing of 25,000 military personnel for operations/security & the like. The garrison was below that figure & the arrival of the "Polite Green Men" brought the complement to it's maximum number & no more.

With Kiev in turmoil & the UN/NATO fingerprints all over the coup, the RF couldn't leave the safety & security of the Black Sea Fleet at the mercy of Ukrainian military detachments in Crimea, not knowing whether they would side with the new regime, desert, or go rouge. That they ended up laying down their arms (mostly) with only 1 life lost (from memory) & only minimal gunfire was quite an achievement to my mind.

Cheers,
Chris in Ch-Ch

Posted by: KiwiCris | Feb 2 2017 22:30 utc | 25

A few months ago Dutch secret service claimed that al-Zawahiri was in Yemen. That could be the target

Posted by: charly | Feb 2 2017 23:07 utc | 26


Thanks b for evenhanded. Neither Obomo and Trump any different they're murders. No excuses whatever reasons murdered innocents’ civilians.

Unlike many so-called leftist/moderate/independent, before Trump took office either remains silence or on the sidelines, continue blaming the Republicans. Now after Trump took office came out into the open and tearing Trump apart. People like Thom Hartman, Michael Moor etc.

I despised NeoLiberalism (Democrats especially) more than Trump's NeoCon and supporters. BTW fucking NeoLiberal are tearing UC Berkeley apart - University of California, president a NeoLiberal and former Obomo Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

b and MoAs please watch Jimmy Dore's video in YouTube and UK Column News - (2nd February 2017) (I ain't promoting Jimmy Dore nor UK Column News (watches both videos everyday).

Published on Feb 2, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEAilxj80UY

Published on Feb 2, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRXd8xA0hxM

2nd February 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDhdjd6ODHU

OJS -> The Original Jack Smith

Posted by: OJS | Feb 2 2017 23:24 utc | 27


In reply to Jen, post 20.

I fully agree that the suggestion that the Russian army "invaded" the Crimea is incorrect. It was already there by agreement. I've seen suggestions that the numbers of Russian troops went over the limit imposed by the agreement. I don't know if that's true but I don't think it matters, given that in the post-coup period the Ukraine was effectively in a state of lawlessness and that was dangerous. The main thing is that the Crimeans got what they wanted and they didn't get what they didn't want, which was Right Sector and Neo-Nazis treating them as they treated others in the rest of the Ukraine.

I'm not so sure about the tender for the school refurbishment. There was a discussion about this on this site some time ago and in that discussion I gave what I thought were several sound reasons for dismissing this as proof of US intention to use the naval base after the coup.

Did I get this wrong? You say:-

"Are you unaware that the United States Navy had its own plans to renovate a school in the Sevastopol naval base for the children of military personnel along lines similar to US schools? Now why would the US Navy already have detailed technical plans to reconstruct and refurbish the school?"

1. Are there any indications in the specifications that the school was to be made suitable for US children rather than for Crimean children?

2. In the specifications similar renovation work undertaken on schools elsewhere in Europe is mentioned. Are these other schools now used by US children or by local children?

My view is that there is no smoking gun here because the US navy would not have announced in advance that it intended to use the naval base, and putting out a tender showing conversion to US navy use would have done just that. I'd be quite happy to be proved wrong and wonder if you know further details that would deal with the above questions.

Posted by: EnglishOutsider | Feb 2 2017 23:27 utc | 28

Trump had his opportunity to break with the Outlaw US Empire's past murderous behavior and he blew it, becoming yet another garden variety War Criminal the Empire breeds so casually, while Justice demands their heads on a pike.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 2 2017 23:41 utc | 29

@Jen | Feb 2, 2017 5:15:04 PM | 20
@EnglishOutsider | Feb 2, 2017 6:27:24 PM | 28

Jen stand correct. Look at both dates - date of Median, Ukraine uprising. Euromaidan .... was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on the night of 21 November 2013 with public protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti..

Renovation of Sevastopol School #5, Ukraine
Solicitation Number: N33191-13-R-1240
Sep 05, 2013

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=2bb691b61c59be3a68180bd8c614a0cb&tab=core&_cview=1

Why Renovation of Sevastopol School #5, Ukraine when Russia Federation had long term leased to Sevastopol? Further, everyone know it belong to Russia, since the Catherine the great. Sevastopol is Russia only warm water port in the Black sea and Nikita Khrushchev a Ukrainian gave Ukraine not in line with Soviet Union constitution.

Further: .. With over 75 percent of the votes already counted, preliminary result show that 95.7 percent of voters said 'yes' to the reunion of the republic with Russia as a constituent unit of the Russian Federation. Only 3.2 percent of the ballots were cast for staying with Ukraine as an Autonomous Republic with broader rights. The remaining 1.1 percent of the ballots were declared invalid.

The overall voter turnout in the referendum on the status of Crimea is 81,37%, according to the head of the Crimean parliament’s commission on the referendum, Mikhail Malyshev...

Posted by: OJS | Feb 3 2017 0:03 utc | 30

b, 'Also - the military hierarchy would have very likely rejected such an order.'

such faith in the military ... they all saluted sharply and went along, didn't they?

it was yet another hare-brained operation by american terrorists ... the sfoc ... gone awry.

what was the plan to begin with? ... you're as likely to be right as anyone else with your uae vs ksa speculation.

then again the military may have been set up by the cia ... and then the cia's motivations cover the gamut of human depravity.

trump was - and his military 'brain trust' were - played. made murderers of by the cia. they're all made-men in the cia's assassination 'game' now. terror über alles. it 'justifies' everything.

if trump doesn't realize the absolute necessity of killing the cia now ... he never will. i imagine he never will. it will be up to the historians writing about his own assassination at the hands of the cia to remark upon it. that will be the only thing he will have in common with the j&r fk's.

meanwhile the little children - some few americans - continue to bleed to death at the hands of the vilest of the vile organizations ever brought into being by human kind. the cia and their uniformed terrorist arm, the sofc.

and the 'opposition' looks the other way, at the last of obama's assassinations, set-up to be carried out by his 'successor' ...


"We've got to make sure that during this transition period that there is a seamless passing of the baton, that there's continuity," Obama said

operation completed. well-done.

Posted by: jfl | Feb 3 2017 0:12 utc | 31

@29 karlof

agree completely on tee-rump. he need not have done anything but reject it out of hand ... there was no downside to not doing it. he's their stooge now. blood on his hands.

@21 mr toad

i hadn't seen that ... clicked on the top three. all by someone named matthew cole. i haven't been to the intercept itself as a matter of course since they announced they were tracking their readership. not out of any real fear, but out of revulsion. greenwald is just like trump ... he should just have said no. always liked the smell of money though, hasn't he?

Posted by: jfl | Feb 3 2017 0:24 utc | 32

@b

As a regular reader of both Marcy's site (for years) and yours (daily for at least a year), I think you are too quick to place her in the 'fever swamp' of liberals. As usual she offered the known theories out there, with the links to them, and asked the question of the family killings based on what Trump's known and in fact checkable print sources have appeared. If you want to shield the Trump from speculation of his own words, you would be better served pointing out that it has been the result for years of American bombing civilians by 'mistake' when it deigns to acknowledge the facts at all. The US, with all of our technological supreme 'precision' strike weapons, have managed not to see, much less hit AQ and ISIS targets in Syria for almost 6 years, the two or three times lately we were finally shamed into it.

If the plan had been in the works for the length of time you speculate it still doesn't give Trump a pass. He, Bannon, Pence, Mattis, Flynn and the rest were in the room when the decision was made, even if it were planning was approved by the previous administration. That group made the decision based on the same presentation they would have given Obama on 'go' night. So this is his baby. Targeted or not.

The abilities of the Seals and the special forces in general may or may not have been part of the general mess this became. Same for the intelligence they relied upon. They are the latest 'hammer' in our foreign policy decision making, and all situations become a 'nail' when using their outlook. As an aside on that point, their first mistake was agreeing to set foot in the over-priced, unreliable, worthless Osprey. It has cost billions more than projected, and like all such boondoggles, eventually someone with a stake in it wanted to prove its worth (and some people's reputations).

Either way, Trump and his bunch made this call, so they own it.

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 0:28 utc | 33

@6

No doubt we were trying to kill AQ #2 for the 45th time...

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 0:32 utc | 34

@10

Stop. Just stop with that crap about Russians invading Crimea. They had troops stationed there legally for years, since the 'creation' of Ukraine by Khrushchev. Crimea as well as the population of Lugansk and Donesk refused to recognize the US backed, illegal coup against the elected government of Ukraine. At which point, they were all told, if you don't like it, you can leave. Or you can die. Crimea said, fine we are leaving and taking Crimea with us back to rejoin Russia. And did. And the Russian military is still legally there. As for Lugansk and Donesk, they said they weren't going anywhere, and no, you neo-nazi pukes aren't our boss.

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 0:42 utc | 35

@13

The tin-pot bully is the guy the US and the Saudis installed, with the promise of elections in 2 years. 2 years came and went and no elections, and the Houthis ran his ass back to Ridyah...

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 0:45 utc | 36

@22
By hostile act, you meant the overthrow of the Ukrainian government with the backing of the US?

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 0:50 utc | 37

@35-37 et.al are you kidding? Crimea was Ukraine. The Russian military base was a small area on the landmass.

Putin has already explained every thing, but some of you try to spin it as some morally justifed thing.
Putin did what he had to do. There was no way that he could accept a potential lock-out from the island, followed by a NATO installation.

Posted by: aaaa | Feb 3 2017 1:00 utc | 38

I read somewhere that someone in the military sabotaged the operation by leaking it to AQ to make Trump look bad. I will look for the link

Posted by: mischi | Feb 3 2017 1:02 utc | 39

Oh my...
TRUMP:
“The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal."
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.769418

Posted by: aaaa | Feb 3 2017 1:02 utc | 40

@39 the antiwar write-up indicated that locals anticipated a raid due to higher patrols of aerial vehicles. Ultimately it was a bad decision that Trump will spin as a positive after his statements about killing family members of terrorsts, etc

Posted by: aaaa | Feb 3 2017 1:13 utc | 42

FWIW, the Angry Arab reckons that it was the UAE that warned Al Qaeda in Yemen that they were about to be visited by U.S. Special Forces. Me, I can't exclude the possibility that it was the CIA thattold Al Qaeda.

Posted by: Ghostship | Feb 3 2017 1:14 utc | 43

At 38

Yes, Putin did what he had to do to protect his warm water port. And the people of Crimea did what they had to do. Resist the coup installed government. And then asked for Russian help. The neo-con wet dream of blocking the Russian fleet, and having the final land needed for on-the- border missle installations surrounding Russia was thwarted by US big-footing, US backing of neo-nazis, and in general being the biggest asshole on the block for no rational reason other than unbridled power and keeping a boot on Russia's neck.

Posted by: Tom in AZ | Feb 3 2017 1:16 utc | 44

Ghostship@43

Mossad ==> Saudis ==> al Queda???

Then Netanyahu announces new settlements (no objection from KSA)

Now Trump says: no new settlements (as per aaaa @42)

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 1:26 utc | 45

@21 mr toad

began but left off with the seals ... jsoc, apparently not sfoc as i've been writing. i just don't have the stomach or the interest to read about the depravity of the 'headchoppers', american or otherwise.

Posted by: jfl | Feb 3 2017 1:41 utc | 46

@39 mischi

look first, post later.

Posted by: jfl | Feb 3 2017 1:43 utc | 47

Tom in AZ @ 35 & 44: Thanks for the reality check..

At this point in time, the left-right debate in politics is moot.

The debate should be...Pro-Empire, Anti-Empire, and thatdebate should transcend Dem, Repub, right, left, liberal or conservative.

Posted by: ben | Feb 3 2017 1:55 utc | 48

Tom in AZ @44--

Often, tact doesn't allow for the proper verbiage to be used, and a spade must be called a spade. I concur 100%.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 3 2017 1:59 utc | 49

Bad news at the UN. The first speech given by Trump's rep might as well have been given by Samantha Powers. WTF? who wrote the speech? was it vetted at the White House?
all anti-Russian crap
hope and change?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZwiz7VGmE

Posted by: Perimetr | Feb 3 2017 2:09 utc | 50

@ Perimeter

She also said they want better relations with Russia, but clearly was misinformed as to the unlawful belligerents in the conflicts she was referring to. IMHO, she looked really out of her league. Perhaps she is just a well meaning dimwit, who somewhere along the line became convinced that the enemy is Russia. What difference does a UN ambassador make in Trump's administration, anyway? Give the good-looking dame some desk job to make it look like we're not misogynists, more likely.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Feb 3 2017 2:17 utc | 51

perimetr @ 50: Thanks for that link..more later...

Posted by: ben | Feb 3 2017 2:17 utc | 52

This was planned & initiated under Obama, under Obama operational directives.

The Intelligence collection & analysis & operational planning & proposal is at the Theater level, ie Saudi-UAE-US coalition, not at Administration Executive level.

The above would have been refreshed prior to being proposed/offered to NSC for approval.

Flynn had worked with McChrystal to transform the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) into the 'Terrorist Hunters' and would be only to happy to slaughter Islamist Terrorists in the dead of night under his watch, same for Mattis, etc. Can't see any appointments offering 'pushback' ... Civilian casualties, nah, that's just collateral, no-one has paid any genuine concern to Geneva Conventions or the Laws of War for over 16 years, and that's being generous. All concerned have been long conditioned to merely pay, 'lip-service'.

Yet, Trump & NSC approved Operation. They own it & are politically responsible for consequences.

However, if the OP was compromised by poor follow-on planning or Intel collection/Analysis, or even command decisions in lead-up to and during Operation, or OPSEC was compromised prior to or at Op commencement, or the Op was itself compromised by 'active' security leaks ... then there are three possibilities:

1. Operational level and/or tactical Command failure, or

2. Purposeful security compromise of a long planned, yet suspended, then re-activated Op, and

3. Situation Normal All F*cked Up (SNAFU).

In case 1 identify the F*ck-up/s and cashier 'em. Mattis, remarkably & unusually, has had no problem re such with Field grade officers in the past.

In case 2, Cui Bono ? Which parties and agencies interests/objectives are served by the political fallout for the Trump-faction?

In case 3, just another day in the long running Global War on Terra :(

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 2:26 utc | 53

The GWHOAX paying homage to Terrorism Inc,

" Nobody feels stronger about the CIA and the intelligence community than Donald Trump. Nobody.I am so behind you. You’re going to get so much backing, you’re going to ask ‘Please Mr. President, don’t give us so much backing’. We’re gonna do great things. We have not used the real abilities we have, we’ve been restrained. We have to get rid of ISIS. Radical Islamic terrorism has to be eradicated off the face of the earth. It is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven’t seen. You’re going to do a phenomenal job, but you’re going to end it. This is going to be one of the most important groups towards making us safe, toward making us winners again, toward ending all of the problems, the havoc and fear that this sick group of people has caused. I am with you a thousand percent! I love you, I respect you, and you will be leading the charge.”

'Is Trump naïve, uninformed, or playing some Orwellian game?'

A no brainer !

I also dont buy that B.S. of 'CIA orchestrated smear campaign on Trump'. its all part of the dog and pony show to fool the sheeples .
'Hey the deep state is scared of Trump, they wanna get rid of him' !
hehehhehe

Trump IS a 'deep state' appointee, period.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-cia-trump-and-his-war-on-terrorism/5571722

Posted by: denk | Feb 3 2017 2:35 utc | 54

Same 'ol; same 'ol on Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZwiz7VGmE

And same on Iran

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-idUSKBN15H253?il=0

Trump=Obama=Bush

Posted by: Circe | Feb 3 2017 2:39 utc | 55

@10/11 bbbb, or aaaa? which one do you want to call yourself, or is responding to jen's @20 or tom az @35 just a slip of the tongue? either way aaaa, or bbbb - you posts are laughable.. no one ought to bother replying to you..

@19 jen.. basically how i see it too..

@36 tom az.. yes - i was aware of that.. same deal with barzani in klepto-iraqi-kurdistan.. @44 - i see it exactly the same as you here as well..

Posted by: james | Feb 3 2017 2:43 utc | 56

@ Posted by: denk | Feb 2, 2017 9:35:16 PM | 54

How long have you, -------, been hijacking the early MOA 'denk' ID for now ? If that post was written by the original 'denk', then I'm 'Rumpelstiltskin'. Pfft!

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 2:47 utc | 57

@51

So does that mean Trump's gonna fire her tomorrow because she went rogue at the U.N. and changed the script?

I think not. She's on message. Trump is more of the same with the twist of trying to play Putin. Nothing has changed except that we now have the aging nutty uncle who rants and throws hissy fits and wants to ensure White judeo-christian power instead of the no-drama-bama.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 3 2017 2:57 utc | 58

Mr Toad@21 - Re: Crimes of Seal Team Six. It is imperative to read that entire article to realize 1) the garbage that passes as intelligence used by the U.S. military - progressively worse and worse over the last 40 years, and 2) the garbage that passes as leadership in JSOC, specifically for SEAL and Delta direct action teams. Leadership that has corroded beyond the point of incompetence, criminality and even treason ever since JSOC's inception. JSOC should never have been created and its current command should be stripped of their commissions and banned from any military, government or defense-contractor related position for life. The JSOC mafia does not support and defend the U.S. Constitution, it supports and defends itself and is the enemy of the U.S. Constitution.

The Yemeni raid was not botched and not an exception, not even close. Its just JSOC bureaucrats doing what they do - beg for (or gin up) work to remain relevant and preserve their funding and future promotions for their command staff. SEAL and Delta enlisted operators themselves are not the problem - they should never be given these useless missions by psychopathic commanders that watch too many bad Hollywood movies and play too many video games.

You don't give a chimp a live hand grenade and then blame the hand grenade when things to south.

Posted by: PavewayIV | Feb 3 2017 2:57 utc | 59

Outraged 57

This the original, no fake.

whats your objection ?

Posted by: denk | Feb 3 2017 3:01 utc | 60

Outraged @53

#1 very unlikely.

#2 Occam's razor - see my comments above

#3 Sure shit happens but an ambush does not qualify

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:04 utc | 61

The evidence is mounting. More bricks, in the wall of proof, that the Empire has some new supporters. If people here are reading the links provided, that's undeniable.

Com'on folks, could we please drop the tribal alliances, and admit to reality?

There are some really talented posters here that have been fooled, or their just paid to be here.

Obama fooled many of us, it's becoming apparent, so has Mr. Trump.

A word of thanks to b, and ALL who post here, not only for the information provided, but for the discussion therapy.

Posted by: ben | Feb 3 2017 3:05 utc | 62

Sorry, that would be....they're paid to be here..

Posted by: ben | Feb 3 2017 3:06 utc | 63

contortionist
[kuh n-tawr-shuh-nist]

: one who contorts; specifically : an acrobat able to twist the body into unusual postures

: a person who practices contortion :
: a verbal contortionist.

Watching the odd position that Trump apologists are tying themselves into to excuse his crimes is entertaining no doubt about it. Especially when watching the knots that former members of the left who have joined team trump are getting themselves into. This is likely to pall rapidly since observing members of the mainstream republican and democrat football teams has been a longstanding practise at this site and I doubt there are any members of the new team who have the wit to bring anything fresh in the way of distraction obsfucation or plain old deceit to the table as they imitate that which they once passionately opposed.

I do hope we get another manufactured spat between b and RT News. The last plagiarism one brought allsorts out of the wood work and the need for b to develop a manufactured means to claim his info isn't being spoonfed by Russian content manufacturers will be constant after Trump hits his stride.

Posted by: zzzz...WTF! | Feb 3 2017 3:07 utc | 64

Trump is known for, and has admitted to, hiring a bunch of people with varying views. He lets people express themselves and then decides from the different points of view. It's actually quite an intelligent thing to do. However, he hasn't got them to present a united front yet and probably never will. Regarding Crimea, Trump himself has said that it was justified on Russia's part.

If we keep trying to interpret Trump's actions as though he were a regular guy, we will go crazy because so many different messages are coming out from reps of the administration.

Posted by: mischi | Feb 3 2017 3:26 utc | 65

I've read that Trump approved the attack within hours of being sworn in. A couple days later after Trump took office Netanyahu announced new settlements.

Initially, Trump didn't oppose the new settlements. Now he does.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:27 utc | 66

@ Posted by: denk | Feb 2, 2017 10:01:48 PM | 60

It's cool :) No objection, none kameraden. Just seemed very similar to a, certain, former poster. Your reply says it all ;))
Sincere apologies. Signing off as 'Rumpelstiltskin' ;) Peace.Salaam.Shalom.

@ Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 2, 2017 10:04:31 PM | 61

If Command screwed up with compromised surveillance prior to the raid, thereby alerting the target, then 1 or 3(including set-piece ambush) are also valid, possibilities.

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 3:29 utc | 67

Mischi @65

It's actually simpler than that. Giving an accurate assessment of the current status of US-Russian relations (as left by Obama!) and/or stating the fact that Russia - with the second largest strategic nuclear capability - represents a 'threat' doesn't mean that Trump or Trump appointees don't want better relations with Russia.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:35 utc | 68

@ Posted by: mischi | Feb 2, 2017 10:26:43 PM | 65

... we will go crazy because so many different messages are coming out from reps of the administration.

Quite true. Early days yet, many conflicting signals/voices ... again, by day 90-100, latest, should have a clearer take ... the MSM is of little assistance given the sustained 'narrative' ...

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 3:42 utc | 69

@66 Jackrabbit

"Initially, Trump didn't oppose the new settlements. Now he does."

Does he? You have a link to a source? The Israeli extreme tight is overjoyed with Trump's victory so somehow I doubt Trump is a friend of the Palestinians.

Posted by: Temporarily Sane | Feb 3 2017 3:45 utc | 70

Outraged @67

If the target expected an attack, why didn't they prepare a safe place for their families or move them away? Any thoughts on the possibility of a third party ambush?

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:46 utc | 71

Temporarily Sane @70

See aaaa @42 and my comment @45.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:49 utc | 72

STFU rufus (@64)

You were banned months ago. Get over it.

And I labeled YOU a 'contortionist' about a year ago for good reason.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 3:54 utc | 73

@29 karlof1

"Trump had his opportunity to break with the Outlaw US Empire's past murderous behavior and he blew it, becoming yet another garden variety War Criminal the Empire breeds so casually, while Justice demands their heads on a pike."

Yup, Trump is a fraud and a liar like all the rest. I wonder how long his acolytes will make excuses for him? That nice man Bolton today put Iran "on notice" for testing a ballistic missile, as is its right.

I hope Putin stands his ground and doesn't sell out Syria and Iran or let the Trump people break his alliance with the Chinese.

Steve K. Bannon (the bitter man who feeds Trump his words and gives him helpful "suggestions" every now and then)is the guy to watch in the Chump WHite House.

Posted by: Temporarily Sane | Feb 3 2017 3:58 utc | 74

@ Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 2, 2017 10:46:06 PM | 71

These types of raids are critically dependent on, surprise. If only 15-30 min advance warning re compromised surveillance then more than enough time to enact a prepared response or even an adhoc one if competent, and given the descriptions of the resistance encountered, they were, competent. Move families where, somewhere else in Yemen, safe where ? Were these not their homes ?

It is very easy to underestimate the actual extreme lethality, often indiscriminate(intentionally(?)), of strike aircraft(Harriers), Attack Helicopters, Predator/Reaper drones, on-call AC-130 Spooky/Spectre (?) ...

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 4:05 utc | 75

@Outraged

It just seems too damned convenient. One of the first, if not THE first raid ordered by Trump goes terribly wrong and the press initially fails to report that planning was done by the Obama Administration. Has the hallmarks of a set-up.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 4:09 utc | 76

@73

That's rufus? I'm so glad he's back! Now you can't accuse me of being rufus when you have trouble getting around inconvenient facts; cause that's your m.o.

Posted by: Circe | Feb 3 2017 4:14 utc | 77

From P C Roberts:
Cal Berkeley Fascists Violently Protest Free Speech

"150 masked “protesters” at Cal Berkeley, precisely 0.0039 percent of the 38,000 student body was all it took to shut down free speech at the University of California, Berkeley. The protesters are so confused that they see the shutdown as a victory for free speech.
Something is wrong here. The 150 violent protesters are masked, so we don’t know if they are students or a Deep State operation against President Trump. The protesters are behaving as fascists by shutting down free speech. By associating the exercise of free speech with fascism, the protesters appear to be too stupid to be Cal Berkeley students. When I was a graduate student at Cal Berkeley, there were high admission standards. Perhaps those standards have been declared to be racist and were thrown out with the bath water.
What is most odd about the protests is that the protesters are protesting a government whose goals are to reduce tensions that could lead to war with Russia and to bring back jobs for the working class. Normally, these are things that people protest in favor of, not against.
How do we explain that the liberal / progressive / left has abandoned its traditional agendas and aligned instead with the ruling One Percent and the arms merchants? These protests make no sense on their face. For 15 years indiscriminate slaughter of Muslins have been tolerated. Now suddenly a ban on Muslim immigrants brings violent protests into the streets.
I conclude that The Saker is correct that these protests are orchestrated by the One Percent and the Deep State. Even Al Jazeera is caught up in the disinformation. Reporter Rob Reynolds described the protests as a liberal push-back against a right-wing president. In my day, the right-wing wanted to nuke the Russians. Now it is right-wing to desire to be at peace with Russia. Of course, youth are devoid of historical perspective, but this level of confusion seems too extreme to flow from sincerity.
Fifty-six years ago President Eisenhower warned us about the military-industrial complex. We paid no attention. Consequently, today they have us, along with the liberal/progressive/left, in their clutches. I wonder if even Donald Trump can rescue us."

Nuff said ...

Posted by: dumb maybe dumber | Feb 3 2017 4:15 utc | 78

@ Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 2, 2017 11:09:10 PM | 76

6 maybe 12 months from now, most of the ugly details will come out, maybe sooner given the MSM's 'hunger'. Hardly a fortnight into a new administration, without all appointments set/active, dependent on what their, 'fed', feeling their way ...

All the same, Trump-faction owns it, they could have chosen to ... wait ... delay or outright cancel the Op ... they didn't. Whether they 'may' have been set-up/lured or not, it was their call, 100%.

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 4:22 utc | 79

Circe @77

I never accused you of being rufus.

I simply pointed out that you arrived about the same time that rufus was banned.

Almost as though you replaced him. (readers will have to decide that for themselves)

And rufus isn't 'back'. He might get a one-off comment from time to time but he's been banned.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 4:29 utc | 80

Outraged @79

I wonder if they didn't take extra precautions because it was Trump's first AND it was an Op set up by the Obama Admin.

Those extra precautions might've compromised the mission OR (if there was subterfuge) might've been why more US servicemen weren't killed, or taken hostage. (I just can't let go of the notion that as hostages KSA would have leverage over Trump).

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 4:42 utc | 81

Interesting comment about what UAE and Saudis want. Some time ago I saw a story or a comment about root causes of the Saudi war on Yemen and the person said the Saudis want Aden to build their own Dubai, partly because of marine traffic and straits but also just a competition with the Emiratis. I need to learn more about the "inter-family" war between the Saudis and the Emiratis.

Posted by: Joanne Leon | Feb 3 2017 4:48 utc | 82

Will we see attacks in the US as a result of this raid?

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 5:02 utc | 83

@dumb maybe dumber | Feb 2, 2017 11:15:26 PM | 78

For 15 years indiscriminate slaughter of Muslins have been tolerated. Now suddenly a ban on Muslim immigrants brings violent protests into the streets.

Kellyanne Conway says: "Obama temporarily put the brakes on the Iraqi refugee program by adding lots of red tape to the process. To her point, Obama did ID 4 countries as areas of concern for terrorism, but Trump plopped on 3 new ones with his Exec order....",

What the difference one, two, three or seven countries. NeoLiberals are equally if not more evils than NeoCon - let them destroy themselves NeoLiberal (Democrats) and NeoCon (Republican).

Posted by: OJS | Feb 3 2017 5:12 utc | 84

@ Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 2, 2017 11:42:09 PM | 81

... as hostages KSA would have leverage over Trump

Respectfully, speculative(?), unrealistic (?). IF KSA even vaguely obliquely intimated they had SF hostages ... well, that would be the end of Al-Saud ... lobbyists/bribes, oil corpses or not. Hellfire & brimstone would be threatened and even if immediately released and apologetic ...

Then again, FFS, maybe not ... the Israelis got clean away with USS Liberty ... Petraeus with Abu Ghraib torture/disappearing, fuck the ICRC, Shia-on-Sunni torture, his Sunni Awakening crap ... then there's the Saudi intimate entanglement with 9/11, and all sorts of Al-Qaeda/ISIS shit ever since ... and so much more ... depressing ... :((

Out!

Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 5:16 utc | 85

Outraged @85

I'm not suggesting that KSA would have the hostages or control them, just that KSA has links to al Queda and those links would be important for a safe return.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3 2017 5:26 utc | 86

b is for Breitbart.

It an alt right crowd elbowed to the bar now.

Posted by: chipnik | Feb 3 2017 5:39 utc | 87

Looks Like Donald Trump is Jewish

http://mileswmathis.com/trump.pdf

I've highlighted 2 paragraphs below, the second being by far the more important.

So let's return to Friedrich Drumpf, Donald's great-grandfather. Two of his sisters are listed as Elisabetha Freund and Syblia Schuster. Oi-vay! Those are both Jewish surnames. We just saw the name Schuster in my paper on Engels published two days ago. I reminded you there that Max Schuster, founder of Simon&Schuster, is now admitted to be Jewish. The Schuster in the Socialism project with Engels was also shown to be almost certainly Jewish. As for Freund, see Michael Freund, Moshe Aryeh Freund, Wilhelm Freund, Yoav Freund, Leopold Freund, and too many others to mention. So at least two of Trump's great-aunts married Jewish men. This reminds us that his daughter Ivanka married a Jewish man, Jared Kushner. We are told this is an anomaly, but it isn't. What is an anomaly is that Kushner admits he is Jewish.

Some will say, “I don't care if Trump is Jewish or gay. I plan to vote for Bernie, so I don't care.” But these people are missing my point. I have nothing against gays or most Jews. What I don't like is the lying and the faking. I don't like these asinine projects being run against me all the time. I don't like my intelligence insulted day by day. I don't like this manufactured world, sold as real. And you shouldn't, either. Bernie isn't as ridiculous as Trump, but he is just as fake. He is an actor on the stage they have prepared. The entire election is a big stage play, as fake as a Shakespeare production, but not as well written or acted. The office of the President is now fake, played by a bad actor or the idiot son of some billionaire. He does nothing but read from Teleprompters, scripted by guys behind the curtains. Trump is sold to you as some sort of financial genius, but like George Bush before him (the great decider) he couldn't decide what to order for lunch without a cue from a Teleprompter or one of his other gadgets. If you can't see through all these people, you really need to check your prescriptions and dosages.

Posted by: C I eh? | Feb 3 2017 5:41 utc | 88

''So let's return to Friedrich Drumpf, Donald's great-grandfather. Two of his sisters are listed as
Elisabetha Freund and Syblia Schuster. Oi-vay! Those are both Jewish surnames. ''

BULLCRAP. Freund and Schuster are German surnames.

The only uniquely jewish surname I know of is Cohen and Levin.

Posted by: Nick | Feb 3 2017 8:12 utc | 89

What is clear is that the USA has no right to be sticking its nose into Yemen, Syria. Ukraine and where ever else it has decided is a country of interest.. Hopefully Trump recognises this and pulls his military back. These days it is hard to figure what the fuck s going on with the USA power structure.

Posted by: ike | Feb 3 2017 8:28 utc | 90

Chipinik, that's what happens when too many hang out at P.Lang's bar.

Posted by: Mina | Feb 3 2017 8:32 utc | 91

Apparently President Trump is gunning for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Posted by: ALberto | Feb 3 2017 9:08 utc | 92

UGH! Can't sleep, fighting an injury, so, WTF, may as well post until the pill works.

Do posters here really believe American rulers will hand the keys to the car to some one who hasn't been apprised on where the car is headed? If you do, I think you may be a bit naive. Big Corporate money has captured the American Govt., and will now set itself to work to make gains to economically enslave the peons here. Not to worry though, they're coming for the rest of you too. They have only to find a way to suppress Russia, China and Iran, and they're moving on them now. The Empire will brook no competitors, capitulate or be destroyed. It's now, and has been a "Global Corporate Empire", and I don't see who or what, can stop it from metastasizing, like the cancer it is.

Anyone, who attempts to stand in their way, will go the way of others, who have tried to oppose them.

Posted by: ben | Feb 3 2017 9:34 utc | 93

jfl says:

and the 'opposition' looks the other way

hasn't the 'opposition' always looked the other way? i mean, haven't most Americans borne incurious witness to the annihilation by atomic bomb of a quarter million innocent Japanese civilians? haven't most Americans watched in stupor as they blew the brains out of a much loved president? haven't most Americans sat plump in front of their teevees and watched the jungles of Vietnam erupt in a panoply of napalm hellfire? haven't most Americans glued to the set watched in awe as they dustified two skyscrapers in lower Manhattan? haven't most Americans sat dumbfoundingly agog at the illegal invasions of one Muslim country after another? and all the torture and atrocities subsumed therewithin?

aren't most Americans fully prepared to do it all again?

it's hardly surprising that 70 years of genocidal polity has bred a 'left' which is for the most part comprised of pro-war liberals.

Posted by: john | Feb 3 2017 10:10 utc | 94

In 2015 a story began circulating concerning a terrorist attack on a mosque in Yemen. According to a report from the Times of Israel, complete with a link to extraordinarily dramatic video footage of the attack, Shia worshippers were shouting death to Israel at the precise moment a bomb was detonated. Please see it for yourself.

Yemen worshipers were cursing Jews when mosque blown up
http://www.timesofisrael.com/yemen-worshipers-were-cursing-jews-when-mosque-blown-up/

If at this point you don't understand the pattern established for all reportage about an otherwise utterly pointless war in Yemen, please do as Miles Mathis suggests in the quote from above and check your prescriptions and dosages.

Everything reported from Yemen is perfectly fantastic nonsense, which is in no way different from anything else you see on teevee or read in a newspaper. The alternative media now almost exclusively functions to amplify completely lame plotlines and prepares us for the awaiting or final solutions.

What should concern us now is why the Trump administration's storytellers have decided to go with this transparent fiction from basically day one; and all made concurrently with a trip by one Tulsi Gabbard to a road that ends somewhere in Damascus.

I am so fond of this next tidbit because it tells you everything you need to know about what the deep state actually thinks of people like me and you. In an infamous 2001 episode of The Simpsons, Donald Trump becomes President and quite predictably, chaos ensues. After the appointed term is completed you'll never guess who comes to America's rescue. If you don't already know it is none other than America's lil' darlin' Lisa Simpson, who promises to fix everything by -- you'll never guess -- raising your taxes!

The invented persona of America's saviour to be, Ms. Tulsi Gabbard, has already been introduced in a wide range of sources. Raised in the Cult of Hare Krishna (no I'm not kidding) and led by a comparatively mild mannered version of the CIA's very own Jim Jones, someone called Chris Butler.

Tulsi Gabbard is indeed a perfect reincarnation of Lisa Simpson. Hank Azaria must be so proud. Very soon President Gabbard, with a name that could only have been invented in the same factory which invented Barack Obama will be taking the reins and raising your taxes, undoubtedly to bail out those too big to fail banks who instead of seeing the error of their ways since 2008 have intensified their pilfering and will need Ms. Gabbard and her righteous persona to gang rape you in a way you were quite unprepared for when Hopey-Changey guy first took his place.

Bless all those of you who continue to play along with the hope or perhaps expectation you can escape the worst if you just STFU. For anyone wondering, the points in common between Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Trump represent the provisional consensus for what the Zionist Gangster Oligarchy has conceived for the immediate future and also for what the Russians were offered when the agreement covering their initial intervention in Syria was reached. Iranian influence and direct confrontation with Israel must be lessened, which indeed some within Iran will favour, suggesting Hassan Rouhani and his main backer Hashem Rafsanjani are in on the deal.

Ultimately Russia and the Transnational Zionist Gangster Elite which controls it will take up their new role as protector of common sense, decency and also of Israel. It is yet to be determined if this retro new order will resemble the Cold War or something less confrontational. I suppose it depends on if America can learn to make something other than weapons and retreive at least some of it's industrial base from China. Russia can clearly not play the role of equal partner with the Anglo-Americans in the region without significant support from Iran and also from China. All of this strongly suggests that Globalists everywhere have finally united with a perfect understanding that it is We the People who are their one and only true enemy.

Posted by: C I eh? | Feb 3 2017 10:15 utc | 95

ben says:

They have only to find a way to suppress Russia, China and Iran

the rub is that Russia, and i daresay China as well, are unconquerable.

Posted by: john | Feb 3 2017 10:17 utc | 96

I wonder if it isn't tied to his travel ban that effected so many of the deep state's hired "moderate" terrorists. Remember, the military deliberately sunk the peace deal Obama had in place by attacking Syrian troops and then getting their "moderates" to attack a UN aid convoy outside Aleppo. I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility that someone made the call to "go" on a plan in Yemen on Sat. night (after Friday's signing of the travel ban) to embarrass Trump and put pressure on him to get his mind right. Read my article on the subject. "Surpassing ObamaGod: President Trump Killed an 8-year-old Girl in Yemen, Nawar al-Awlaki, an American Citizen.. Or Did He?"

https://willyloman.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/surpassing-obamagod-president-trump-killed-an-8-year-old-girl-in-yemen-nawar-al-awlaki-an-american-citizen-or-did-he/

Posted by: willyloman | Feb 3 2017 10:28 utc | 97

jfl says:

greenwald is just like trump ... he should just have said no. always liked the smell of money though, hasn't he?

yes indeed. in 2001, after the September 11 attacks, Greenwald spoke glowingly of Bush's performance, and in 2003 he supported the invasion of Iraq. in 2007 he joined the corporate tabloid Salon and in 2012 he signed on with the corporate behemoth Guardian. now, of course, he works directly for a neo-fascist oligarch at the Intercept.

all in all i'd say it's been a pretty congruous effort on Glenn's part.

Posted by: john | Feb 3 2017 10:44 utc | 98

If you think this is bad, wait until you hear Trump's pick for UN representative, Nicki Haley. She channels Samantha Power in her first UN speech, which looks to have been part of a US/UK synchronized attack on Russia.

Posted by: Yonatan | Feb 3 2017 12:30 utc | 99

aaaa @38.

You seem to be unaware of the Kherson pogrom. On the day the US-controlled snipers were killing people on both sides in Kiev, people from Crimea were returning home from the Maidan. Near Kherson, their convoy of several coaches was stopped by a large group of Ukro-Nazis. The driver of the first coach was killed by a shotgun blast through the windscreen. All of the Crimeans on board were dragged out and beaten with clubs. Some of the coaches were torched.

Given this, there is no surprise that the Crimeans wanted out of Ukraine. Russia had some intelligence people on the ground in Crimea. Once they were sure the majority of Crimeans were for the referendum, Russia provided minimal low level to allow it to go ahead.

The Crimean Parliament building was protected by local part-time militia (sort of US national Guard) to ensure legal processes could be carried out. BTW, the Crimeans also asked for independence shortly after the independence of Ukraine but the Ukraine government rejected it.

Posted by: Yonatan | Feb 3 2017 13:17 utc | 100

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