"Officials" Attempt To Sabotage Further North Korea Talks
Several Congress people and some officials in the CIA and Trump administration try to throw a spanner into the negotiations with North Korea. They "leak" to NBC News about an intelligence assessment on North Korea's nuclear facilities. The result is a sensationalized piece that includes no surprising facts.
North Korea has increased nuclear production at secret sites, say U.S. officials
"Work is ongoing to deceive us on the number of facilities, the number of weapons, the number of missiles," said one U.S. official.
One of the NBC authors is Ken Dilanian who is well known for his tight cooperation with the CIA.
Its opening:
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months — and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The intelligence assessment, which has not previously been reported, seems to counter the sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump, who tweeted after his historic June 12 summit with Kim that "there was no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."
Analysts at the CIA and other intelligence agencies don't see it that way, according to more than a dozen American officials who are familiar with their assessments and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They see a regime positioning itself to extract every concession it can from the Trump administration — while clinging to nuclear weapons it believes are essential to survival.
The result of the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore was a "freeze for freeze" deal. North Korea stopped its nuclear and missile testing while the U.S. stopped the large maneuvers it regularity held with South Korea's army. Both sides agreed to further talks. North Korea made some aspirational statements about denuclearization which have the same time frame as similar aspirational statements made by the U.S. in Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). There is no time frame to reach a certain state. There is no commitment towards declaring nuclear sites nor is there a commitment to stop the production of nuclear stuff.
Trump declaration that there is "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea" is correct in the sense that there is certainly no North Korean intent to launch a nuclear attack.
Kim Jong Un will not only "try to hide" the North Korean nuclear facilities. He will surely keep them secret as long as he can. The security of his country depend on them.
That "more than a dozen American officials" talk with NBC on that issue shows that there is a concerted operation to sabotage a possible deal. Those opposed try to move the goalposts.
While the North Koreans have stopped missile and nuclear tests, "there's no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production," said one U.S. official briefed on the latest intelligence. "There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U.S."Four other officials familiar with the intelligence assessment also said North Korea intended to deceive the U.S.
Why is it "deceiving" when North Korea continues something that it did not promise to stop? Why is it "deceiving" when North Korea rejects to submit targeting coordinates of its nuclear facilities? There is no deceiving in either.
The intelligence assessment the "American officials" (the term includes Congress staffers) talk about says that North Korea has the well known Uranium enrichment site in Yongbyon, a second one at an unnamed place and possibly a third one. All of this was known to people who read the details about the issue. They are not new and were certainly known to the CIA boss Pompeo and Trump while the negotiations took place:
Ankit Panda @nktpnd - 12:00 UTC - 30 Jun 2018
These assessments have been around since at least May, I understand, so POTUS should have been briefed prior to the Singapore summit.
The "leak" to the NBC/CIA's Ken Dilanian lacks any surprising content. The only interesting point is that it happened at all. It demonstrates that are are serious forces who will try their best to sabotage the talks and a possible agreement.
To take the next steps towards a larger deal and towards peace on the Korean peninsula will require month of diligent and detailed talk and serious attention by senior administration officials. Until a special envoy is named to lead further talks Secretary of State Pompeo will continue the negotiations. He will visit Pyongyang next week to push the issue.
In my view the Korea talks are one of the few things the Trump administration is doing right. It is sad that many are out to destroy them.
Posted by b on June 30, 2018 at 18:45 UTC | Permalink
"In my view the Korea talks are one of the few things the Trump administration is doing right."
I surely hope you're right. But I doubt it strongly. I'm rather convinced that Tronald will turn aggressive again after the midterm elections.
Posted by: Pnyx | Jun 30 2018 19:21 utc | 2
Trump's apparent goal seems to be to move the world away from militarism toward mercantilism where the winner is the one who makes tne best deals. The USA is showing the way. That is not to please the neocons and the war lobbies who believe that the USA should change and dominate the world by military force.
He wants North Korea to become a client to do business exchanges and not threats exchanges. Trump wants exclusively unilateral deals. He obvious reject any 'group' deal. Is it the end of NAFTA, NATO and are we moving into a new era where 'regime change' and militarism is replaced by a business competitions?
Is Trump a pacifist?
Posted by: Virgile | Jun 30 2018 19:28 utc | 3
This BS was published here in Hungary in an on-line journal. From the 40+ commenters all, without exception took it seriously, ie. they had completely misunderstood the situation.
Posted by: nyolci | Jun 30 2018 19:35 utc | 4
The subject of this Fake News item is one of Trump's pet projects.
Imo, he's already got the Trumpers trained to disregard the Fake News Media and wait until He, Himself, addresses the issue.
He'll let it fester for a day or two, pour cold water on it, and then use it to drive THE wedge further into the gap between the purveyors and their shrinking audience by mocking the people who allowed themselves to be suckered into believing it.
This little slice of timid, anonymous pathetica was probably intended to upset him; but he'll LOVE it.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 30 2018 19:50 utc | 5
USA foreign policy equates to placing a bag of burning shite on the doorstep and ringing the doorbell.
It is doing everything it can to foment war and chaos in an effort to disrupt and prevent the inevitable from occurring. China, BRICS, Belt Road, Silk Road will be the new economic superpower. The dollar will be devalued as it is displaced.
A peaceful whole Korea allied with China does not align with USA Full Spectrum Dominance.
The USA purposely induced the division of Korea in the first place.
Posted by: fastfreddy | Jun 30 2018 19:57 utc | 6
Seems clear doesn't it b that Big Lie Media continues to do what it does best--perpetuate Big Lies in the name of those who feed it. Clearly, any prospect of Peace breaking out anywhere must be fought against using everything in the tool box. Excellent point about the "whenever" goals of the NPT!
Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 30 2018 20:04 utc | 7
I posted several days ago on a different blog that what we have here is the equivalent of Israel, don't ask don't tell.
Posted by: Anti_republocrat | Jun 30 2018 20:39 utc | 8
Virgile @ 4 said:"are we moving into a new era where 'regime change' and militarism is replaced by a business competitions?"
IMO, this isn't a "new era". Regime change and militarism are about business competitions, and have been for a long time.
The U$A corporate empire doesn't like competition.
Posted by: ben | Jun 30 2018 20:46 utc | 9
Who imagines that the US will stick by its agreements? If they're not forced to, why bother? Domestic politics is more important.
Posted by: Laguerre | Jun 30 2018 21:40 utc | 10
The reality is that Trump is still running his campaign for reelection but this time not with promises but with policy statements and some deeds sonfar for benefit of his fellow oligarchy mostly.
Hence assessment of b that Trump doing good thing in Korea must be understood as doing good thing for his reelection, thing which he found easy as previous US policies were insane and ignored reality he acknowledged and called it success by toning down US belligerency IN A WAY LET THEM LIVE as long as they are nice to Trump because he correctly assessed that people want disengagement from US abroad interventions America first.
In itself this pragmstism is a fresh air in insane aggressive US foreign policies of Obama and the rest but of course it tell us how clueless he is about nature of US oligarchic interests I.e. maintaning phony tensions in Korea and Russia as a excuse for massive military funding and fraud as Kim "communist" dictator is the best whipping boy ever better than Assad, ayatollah or Putin.
Also his trade wars must be understood as electoral ploy as he believes correctly that people will support standing up or rather pasturing against foreign interests even allies but he understand that this is economy stupid and low pay but real jobs in abundance is what will get him reelected ... making America great again.. or other nonsense.
Here again he is clueless how trade works and why such globalist arrangement and that trade barriers predominantly cut profits of US based internationals selling in US while is definitely good for US workers, despite his attempt to economically compensate the lamented loss of profits with destroying regulations, labor protections and massive corporate tax he still face opposition for HIS efforts of returning jobs bringing comparable profits or better to US to get reelected,
Again he is clueless about the fact the it was not production costs, to high wages and costly regulations that drove US jobs abroad but political decision of deindustrialization of the west as a way to globalization as otherwise quite organized labor will oppose it hence the eradicated labor together with industries.
Trump will not get jobs back by giving profit incentives since it is not why they were outsourced since at time China ascend to WTO Chinese labor advantage over US was 16% noe it is at parity or even China is more expensive to produce hence Chinese job are being outsourced to south east Asia.
Narcissistic Trump is doing it for himself no deeper thought behind it and that is the only dimension of conflict he has with US ruling elite .
Posted by: Kalen | Jun 30 2018 21:44 utc | 11
Yes, by all means lets all pretend like the people sabotaging this aren't the people nominated by Trump. You can't say Trump gets a 100% grade for handling this when he picked the very people that will make sure this leads to war. The vast majority of what you write b I agree with. But you can lick Trumps ass with the best of them.
Posted by: BraveNewWorld | Jun 30 2018 22:00 utc | 12
BNW @13--
That's totally out-of-line, and you know it!! FOAD!!!!
Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 30 2018 22:09 utc | 13
#13, hopefully, will be banned.
It is a low character person who comes into someone's home and insults him in such a way.
b is a man of quality, a valued voice and human being.
I'm sad such a sack of excrement (BNW @13) has posted such a vile, cheap shot.
Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 30 2018 22:30 utc | 14
Korea was not an issue till Trump made it an issue with his threats. NK having nuclear weapons for defensive purposes or more accurately to deter US aggression, while not ideal did not scare many people as no country is suicidal unless backed into a corner such as when subject to a military invasion and where all is lost anyways. So Trump creates a crisis and then has talks that basically agree to talk more, and now he is a hero. LOL.
Meanwhile his people carefully condition his supporters to expect NK to not honor agreements they never made.
This is Psyops propaganda at its best.
The idea of Trump as Deep State victim is classic psyops propaganda IMO. Curiously its also being used in Russia where Putins pretends to be constrained by the neoliberal Atlantic Integrationists who are rabidly pro Israel while his government funds the pro Western anti-Putin media.
Meanwhile in Europe PCR reminds us "Udo Ulfkotte, an editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, who wrote in his best seller, Bought Journalism, that there was not a significant journalist in Europe who was not on the CIA’s payroll. The English language edition of Ulfkotte’s book has been suppressed and prevented from publication."
Good article on psyops here by the late Robert Parry
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/03/25/how-us-flooded-the-world-with-psyops/
Posted by: Pft | Jun 30 2018 22:43 utc | 15
there will be a lot more noise if Trump winds back the US/Russia tension when he meets with Putin. Leaks from US'officials and terrified noises coming from UK.
Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 30 2018 22:51 utc | 16
In my view the Korea talks are one of the few things the Trump administration is doing right. It is sad that many are out to destroy them.
Agree. Trump is not lovable. Trump is a cypher, a buffoon, a reality-show host.
Whatever Trump is or isn't, it can't be a bad thing to engage with Kim il Yong!
Guerrero @ 18 said:"Whatever Trump is or isn't, it can't be a bad thing to engage with Kim il Yong!"
Agreed. Anyone paying attention knows who and what DJT is, and that everything he does is for self-aggrandizement, still in all, theater is much preferable to warfare.
I'm sure the MIC folks don't agree.
Posted by: ben | Jun 30 2018 23:52 utc | 18
NBCnews strongly favors the Democratic Party.
IMO This story is meant more to discredit Trump in the run-up to 1) picking a new Supreme Court Justice, 2) the mid-term elections, 3) talks with Russia than it is to throw shade on the NK deal.
This "story" is consistent with the psy-op meme laid down in many other reports since the summit with NK: Trump's leniency on America's enemies (NK and Russia) and toughness with America's allies.
This report is basically bogus. It cites unnamed officials and it goes against common sense: As much as the Administration and others may not like the prospect of a Korean peace that they haven't dictated, NK is settled business for now because NK has China and Russia support. The party has moved on the Iran and divide-and-conquer of SCO.
The divisive bile we see from the Democrats likely comes directly from Hillary. The Democrats are still pretending to fulfill their role as the (current) Party of opposition but are led by the same group that have failed their "base" time and time again.
Is it a coincidence that the Democratic Party will now be revived via a fight over abortion? Liberal judges like Kennedy and Ginsburg could have retired when Obama was President. They didn't.
Democratic Party partisans will say that these judges expected Hillary to win. That is bull excrement.
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jul 1 2018 0:01 utc | 19
Thanks for the posting b but I disagree with your characterization of Trump doing something "good"
I argue against the "good" characterization because his intent is anything but that. It may be a bit weak to extend the good cop/bad cop story here but Trump does really only represent another version of the cop and some would say he is the bad version.
Virgile in comment #4 nailed the Trump version with
"
Trump's apparent goal seems to be to move the world away from militarism toward mercantilism where the winner is the one who makes the best deals.
"
Trump is attempting to make deals standing atop the vacuous edifice of empire and his bullying is just making that form of human interaction show itself as the vile type its exclusiveness projects.
The good thing that I see coming from Trump is a clearer view of all the hurt/sick and anti-humanistic folks in our midst. Lets bring them out from under their rocks so that we as a society can understand and deal with their hurt and the projection of that hurt onto others.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 1 2018 0:19 utc | 20
@ karlof1 | 14; Red Ryder | 15
B., of course, may choose to remove #13's cheap shot.
But it may be a useful example of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" for those unfamiliar with it, or who doubt its existence.
To paraphrase SCOTUS Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 remark about "obscenity": "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it..."
I've seen it in acquaintances who range from button-down progressive-liberal moderates, i.e. conventional lesser-evilists who reflexively support Democratic Party politicians, to self-described "leftists" who supposedly understand that the US political system, and class, was both inherently corrupt and fraudulent long before Trump became a member of it.
The fact that, for better or worse, Donald Trump is the elected occupant of the Oval Office Throne seems to gnaw at them; it's like a painful thorn embedded deep in their archaeocortex, aka "lizard brain".
They apparently seethe with self-righteous angst when they contemplate this reality, and vent harshly against anyone who either outright supports Trump, or even expresses thoughtful, dispassionate approval for anything related to the Great Orange Satan and all his works.
I've seen previously good-natured, open-minded, tolerant people with TDS practically arching their backs, spitting, and generally turning nastily confrontational in the presence of someone who says something even vaguely positive about Trump or his actions-- or even discloses that they voted for Trump.
Disclaimer: I didn't vote for Trump, and always found him personally grotesque and repellent. But that's not enough for the TDS-inflamed; they feel compelled to bitterly denounce both Trump and anyone who doesn't share their virulent antipathy towards him, and clamor for his removal from office ASAP, and by any means necessary.
Posted by: Ort | Jul 1 2018 0:34 utc | 21
- Tim Shorrock (from the Nation Magazine):
"Trump Meets Kim, Averting Threat of Nuclear War—and US Pundits Are Furious"
https://www.thenation.com/article/trump-meets-kim-averting-threat-nuclear-war-us-pundits-furious/
"Averting the threat of nuclear war" ?? Sheer nonsense. There never was a threat of such a war.
Posted by: Willy2 | Jul 1 2018 1:00 utc | 22
- The REAL News Network (RNN) also had a video in which they discussed the same topic. "Liberals" are in panic over the (possible) upcoming peace with North Korea.
In that video they brought a news clip in which Rachel Maddow reported that there was a "National Security Risk" in North Korea. Because Russia shares a 13 mile border with North Korea. Maddow suggested that Russia was aggresively pushing back on the US. Watch the video at:
https://therealnews.com/stories/paul-jay-on-trumps-iran-war-agenda-and-liberals-korea-peace-panic
Maddows' scare mongering is shown at about 14 minutes and 30 seconds into the video. Rachel Maddow has been scare mongering about Russia and Russiagate since mid 2016. If I was paid $ 7 million a year then I also would have no problem scaremongering against Russia.
Posted by: Willy2 | Jul 1 2018 1:22 utc | 23
- Gareth Porter:
"An Elite Coalition Emerges Against a Trump-Kim Agreement"
https://libertarianinstitute.org/an-elite-coalition-emerges-against-a-trump-kim-agreement/
Posted by: Willy2 | Jul 1 2018 1:25 utc | 24
Virgile @4 apparently sincerely asks, "Is Trump a pacifist?"
Last year, the US passed the largest military budget in world history. Last week, they broke even that record. The Obama Administration dropped so many bombs in 2015, that they actually ran out! Obama dropped twice as many bombs as Bush II.
Since Trump, we are dropping more than twice as many as Obama's peak. One bomb every 12 minutes... all in sovereign countries which the US has not declared war against.
Since Trump, NATO spending has greatly increased. NATO has run its largest every "military drills" along Russia's borders. But even that is not enough, as Trump has called for NATO to add 30 new battalions, 30 new warships and 30 new air squadrons.
As much as the MSM tries to present this "Trump is an outsider" meme, and no matter how clever is the Q/QAnnon psyop in keeping hope alive for Trump fans, when one looks at what is really happening, the only change in Empire's war making under Trump is that "the gloves have been taken off" and the carnage is escalating.
The Koreans are demanding peace. Perhaps they'll get some major de-militariziation.
Despite increased sanctions against Russia, providing heavy weapons to the Uki-Nazis and drastically increasing US/NATO "boots on the ground" in Syria, we are not in a major hot war with Russia. Maybe there's some reason for hope there.
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 1 2018 3:31 utc | 25
The "leak" was based on this assessment of the latest aerial photography at North Korea: Liaison Offices—The First Time. While it is based on interpretation by US-friendly people, it isn't proof of deception, although that interpretation could well be put on it by CIA or the Trump administration. My fear is that this is enough for the US to launch a first strike, which Global Times has said China will prevent
Oh, and as threats against the elected government of Venezuela ramp up, with Trump and members of his Administration even suggesting a military "intervention," Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia just became a member of NATO!
That's two new NATO member since Trump moved into the White House.
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 1 2018 3:38 utc | 27
If I have to read one more line about a source "familiar with.." but not actually named or even placed more exactly in context - well, I just don't know.
But at least I only read these things in articles posted by people like b, who truly are sources familiar with the subject matter.
~~
So with all the CIA assets coming forth with op-eds, and with no attribution anymore beyond the aggrandizement of the intelligence services, I guess this means that everything we're reading in the msm is purely the daily printout from the CIA?
This is useful. Just as we see in the Middle East the deeply haunted fears of Israel in its hollow aggression, so we can now read the fears of the CIA in its hollow narrative.
I confess that I rejoice to see these fears so nakedly and - even after all these decades of practice - so artlessly displayed.
Posted by: Grieved | Jul 1 2018 3:52 utc | 28
After Operation Mockingbird came to light, there was no sensible viewpoint which would indicate that the CIA would truly discontinue its endeavor to infiltrate, control and direct all media. Further, media consolidation served to facilitate this control.
Posted by: Fastfreddy | Jul 1 2018 4:18 utc | 29
thanks for that, Willy2 #25
Porter often has good insights & reporting - the Elites are afraid that the US won't be able to dominate and hence exploit that part of the world like they have since WWII. Such are the media Elites which are the propaganda wing of the ruling class and which daily represent the military-industrial complex, which has sucked hundred of billions in profits just maintaining this de facto state of war between the Koreas since 1953.
here's some excerpts
https://libertarianinstitute.org/an-elite-coalition-emerges-against-a-trump-kim-agreement/
...But media coverage of the Singapore summit shows that something much bigger and more sinister is now in play: a consensus among foreign policy and national security elites and their media allies that Trump’s pursuit of an agreement with Kim on denuclearization threatens to undo seventy years of U.S. military dominance in Northeast Asia....
....Those criticisms of the joint statement conveniently ignored the fact that Kim had already made the most significant concession he could have made in advance of detailed negotiations between the two states when he committed North Korea to ending the testing of both nuclear weapons and long-range missilesin April following meetings with then CIA Director Mike Pompeo earlier in the month. That commitment by Kim meant that North Korea was entering negotiations with the United States before it had achieved a credible threat to hit the United States with an ICBM armed with a nuclear weapon.....
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 1 2018 5:14 utc | 30
It is no surprise that the 'Globalist' "Officials" would 'Attempt To Sabotage Further North Korea Talks'. What is surprising is that their efforts are so meek.
And where is their outrage at the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, or the situation in Daraa, Syria.
Are the 'Globalists' beginning to lose their grip.
Posted by: dh-mtl | Jul 1 2018 11:22 utc | 31
From the NBC quote:
"They see a regime positioning itself to extract every concession it can from the Trump administration — while clinging to nuclear weapons it believes are essential to survival."
Both of the above strategies are would be recommended for any state dealing with the U.S.
Posted by: Bart Hansen | Jul 1 2018 11:36 utc | 32
A picture (of John Bolton) speaks a thousand words.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DcyY1cDVAAAdkGn.jpg
Posted by: Yonatan | Jul 1 2018 11:51 utc | 33
Sign a vaguely-worded document that commits both sides to... not much... and then accuse the other side not carrying out a commitment that is defined nowhere in that document.
Pretty standard fare for US "diplomacy", isn't it?
So US officials insist that "there's no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production," and that this is "absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U.S."?
Surely the first question a reporter (you know, a real reporter, not a stenographer) would ask those officials is to be shown the document wherein North Korea agrees to "decrease stockpiles" and "stop production".
And if they can't be shown those line items then the next thing the reporter should do is call bulls**t on those officials.
If they were real reporters, of course.
Posted by: Yeah, Right | Jul 1 2018 12:21 utc | 34
"In my view the Korea talks are one of the few things the Trump administration is doing right. It is sad that many are out to destroy them."
Maybe more "right" things are seeping through, between the lines and lies as it were.
At the risk of incurring some readers' wrath, derision and indignation, let me attmept to add a bit of calm context to the Trump phenomenon, which includes his verbal tweeting jousts with Kim and then subsequently a veritable embrace of Kim, but one of indeterminate sincerity.
Trump is still only a year and a half into his presidency, a presidency that has from the very first day elicited far more modernesque berserk animosity, more old fashioned hatred, more political opposition, and more media dishonesty - very very fake news - than any previous presidency of my memory or knowledge.
As I have pointed out previously Trump came to power via nationalistic rhetoric, and possibly sentiments, and against the efforts of both the Republican and Democratic establishments. Jim Stone Freelance is among those who have opined that Trump actually received more than two thirds of the legitimate votes in the election, and that an attempt to steal the election for a publicly unpopular Clinton was averted by way of the massive popular support Trump actually received, as well as, presumably, by supportive machinations by elements of military intelligence.
Be that as it may, the formal victory by Trump was inspiration for a continuing vast outpouring of invective towards and attempts to undermine Trump, with for example, the American public being presented with a non-stop year-long bizarre attempt to portray the Trump victory as some kind of Putin coup, via 'investigations' by former FBI head Mueller, a corrupt deep state operative if ever there was one.
Now I should at this point note that it is easy to compile a long list of Trump's personal and political shortcomings, including war crimes. But it is noteworthy I think that whereas Bush the latter and Clinton the former and latter, and Obama, were all certifiable war criminals and also worthy of a long list of certifiable and circumstantially convincing 'other crimes and despicable characteristics', it would seem that they lacked the royal psychological jelly of some kind to induce widespread foaming at the mouth opposition.
Those who assert that Trump is merely another plutocrat, a clever psyop, merely serving himself or Israel, are of course right to a point. But by ignoring or downplaying the extent to which Trump is politically anomalous, a wild card in terms of actual allegiances and intentions, I think they are missing something important. Trump represents a metaphor of sorts for the power of the unexpected, the quirky, the monkey wrench thrown into the 'magnificant' machine.
While telling many many lies, Trump has also blurted out uncustomary truths. And within a cultural context where for control purposes staying on message with wall to wall, 24/7 bs, is job 1, mandatory, for Trump to, for example, point out the obvious about the S. Korean/US military annual military 'exercises' - that they are "provocative" - well that word alone, that little injection of realism, was enough to induce howls of indignation from 'elite' 'expert' 'unnamed officials', who inhabit a world of determined team-playing make-believe and propaganda.
Do you recall when someone asked Trump about some bad guy out there, (implied was 'we of course are the good guys') and Trump replied in effect, yah well we do bad stuff too.
Trump then is for all his many faults, at least a temporary break from scripted business as usual, and there are many, not just a few, aspects of his tenure that pose challenges to the madness which we are all embedded in.
Yesterday I had occasion to be briefly in the company of a little 4 year old who is among those very large and growing number of youngsters, young boys especially, who are deemed autistic. Trump has asked so what's with all this autism, and what about all these vaccines. The suggestion that Trump might ask Robert Kennedy Junior to investigate the matter was enough to launch much indignant angst in mass media.
I mention this to underline that Trump represents an actual (yes deeply flawed, problematic, uncertain in outcome) opportunity whcih includes potentially beneficent aspects. Trump's soon to come meeting with Putin, arguably one of the most astonishingly successful political figures of our times, is imo deeply worrying for the real bad guys. Trump and Putin between them might just decide, or just blurt out, something significantly real.
There is the well known metaphor of cutting through the Gordian Knot. In our day, the truth wielded well is the sword, the believed or obeyed bs is the deadly knot. Donald Trump, may on his occasional good days only wield a mostly tweeting jackknife of sorts, but well honed, it could loosen the death grip temporarily, and provide a kind of wedge, an opening, for subsequent and broader and deeper sanity....
Posted by: Robert Snefjella | Jul 1 2018 13:07 utc | 35
If Obama had made peace-moves to Kim Jong-Un and gone there, been photo-bombed w. sweet kiddies lovingly chanting w. shy smiles and wafted sprinkly flowers .. Obiman’s mouthings of re-uniting one-people in their-hearts-and-minds but on the ground as well, families R-Us, no question, *my stance*, they have to re-unite and we will yes we can kumbaya ..
He would have received a SECOND Nobel peace prize. (I’m not joking.)
He might have made reference to the re-unification of Germany and Vietnam to consolidate. (Not the same conditions of course.)
All would have cheered in devoted unison, Mutti Merkel on front stage. On the ground, possibly nothing much would have changed, though many ‘family meets’ would have been filmed, the border would have been simplified, more ease of labor crossing, and the meet-place would have been dolled up to look less horrifically militaristic. Some US biz would be sayin’ a great oppo for us and freedom, we can sell trinkets, birthday cards, hamburgers, the N Koreans are cool, whatever. (China would not have objected.)
My point: US foreign policy, its lies, obfuscations, are the result of of internal and partisan quarrels; these spill over into foreign policy that make no sense, they are straw-man issues, partisan bat-sticks, divorced from any kind of reality, and will utlimately bring down the US ‘Empire.’
The fight is an interior one for some level of ‘control and rapine.’ It pretends to be ‘ideological’ (anything goes, identity politics, babies, abortion, taxes, erosion, wars, hate of terrorists, whatever, no matter) when it is really about internal profiteering and subjugation.
Posted by: Noirette | Jul 1 2018 14:26 utc | 36
Noirette @37: really about internal profiteering and subjugation.
The profiteering and subjection is global.
Otherwise, great comment!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jul 1 2018 14:40 utc | 37
Trump met a unified front consisting of Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, and Japan all telling him to do the same thing , leaving him with no option. He was fortunate his handlers had prepared some positive photo ops and public relations to go with the fait accompli.
Those responsible for planting this story know as much. They just don't care. For them office politics is the entire universe. If their nonsense eventuates in real conflict in the real world they just don't care. Another situation to spin'.
CIA is executive branch. Trump has the authority to fire them all or prosecute them all. That he does not shows that he has much less power than the organizational chart would indicate. Also that he is just bumbling along. Sometimes his bumbling catches everyone offguard and even makes him look good. Putin and Xi and any others playing the long game will do all they can to make him look good and hold the planet back from the precipice. That there is any method in Trump's madness still requires demonstration.
Posted by: oldhippie | Jul 1 2018 15:21 utc | 38
follow-up @38
TPTB have to control their domestic population before GLOBAL profiteering and subjugation.
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jul 1 2018 16:17 utc | 39
Oldhippie@38 -
I agree with most of what you say, but one facet of the organizational chart is not mentioned, that being what is usually referred to as “the endless supply of lone gunmen” at the disposal of the CIA. I think DT is (or was made) well aware of this, and is a factor in his not being able to ‘fire at will’ .
At first I read “CIA is executive branch” as “CIA is THE executive branch,” which it very well may have become.
Posted by: NotBob | Jul 1 2018 17:11 utc | 41
SST's not-so-humble Colonel Pat Lang has a potentially sobering angle on this so-called leak.
...
Well, pilgrims, unauthorized disclosure of classified information of any kind and especially the results of satellite photography is a federal felony subject on conviction to sentencing to mandatory prison terms. You can be sure that these Deep State operatives within the Intelligence Community received NO permission to disclose this information to Gizmodo and the numerous other media outlets for whom they spied.
The Deep State continues to wage war against President Trump. There should be a massive manhunt to find these violators of the Espionage and Illegal Disclosure laws and imprison them "pour encourager les autres." pl
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jul 1 2018 17:38 utc | 42
@ Robert Snefjella | 35
___________________________________
Thanks for this lucid assessment.
Posted by: Ort | Jul 1 2018 17:53 utc | 43
Reading sites directly linked to Korea like Yonhap News one can see that relations are quickly being reset to the Clinton Era rapprochement before is was scuttled by Bush Jr. The origins of the false nuclear report was done by a private firm funded by a war party foundation, not by the intelligence community. The Satellite photos released are from a private firm and of low resolution. Clearly the report states that the majority of the building was done pre-summit and they cannot ascertain that Yongbyon is even running.
The Brokers of Bullshit are using a private website funded by a War Party Foundation that gives no conclusions on the state of their nuclear program other than they build some buildings pre-summit and did the final touches post summit.
The Koreans are serious and working hard towards unification. One less simmering conflict to pour blood and treasure into is scares some. Bring it on.
Posted by: dltravers | Jul 1 2018 20:59 utc | 45
Bolton knows how this game is played:
How Cheney and His Allies Created the North Korea Nuclear Missile Crisis
12-29-17
by Gareth Porter
. . .
Curbing North Korean Arms or Missile Defense?
Posted by: pogohere | Jul 2 2018 1:44 utc | 46
NotBob @41. Do you remember hearing (or maybe saying) the same things about Obama?
Shortly after the Obamas moved into the White House, at the first State Dinner, there was the news story about two "party crashers" who snuck past SS. There are even photos of them "with hands upon" the President.
Some were sure that was a message from the SS that they could "make a mistake" and "the wrong people" would get their hands on Obama if he was not compliant.
Then there was the convicted murderer who was let into an elevator with Obama, while he was carrying a handgun! And the "nut" who ran past all White Houses ecurity and was headed to the President's living quarters when an off duty guard who wasn't supposed to be there tackled the guy.
etc. etc.
So, just as Democratic partisans and hopey-changey types excused every horrible thing done during Obama's Administration because he feared for himself and his family, now we hear the exact same words being said by Trump Fans.
The late and very great comedian quite clearly shortly after Billy Clinton moved into the White House: Bill Hicks described your proposition
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 2 2018 1:55 utc | 47
Posted by: pogohere | Jul 1, 2018 9:44:21 PM | 46
Excellent roundup of the M-IC & Swamp's unhinged NK cupidity.
Here's a speech delivered by Desaix Anderson, the Executive Director of KEDO (Koren Peninsular Energy Development Organisation) expressing his alarm and frustration over the sabotage of the Nuclear deal in the early Noughties.
It includes background, timelines etc.
http://oldsite.nautilus.org/fora/security/0325A_Anderson.html
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jul 2 2018 9:11 utc | 48
Someone responsible should look into *what happened*
to the USA 8th Army in North Korea 25 Nov-2 Dec 1950.
The comments to this entry are closed.
b said:"In my view the Korea talks are one of the few things the Trump administration is doing right. It is sad that many are out to destroy them."
I agree b, just because it comes from the Trump regime doesn't make it a bad development.
Better relations with old adversaries is always good news.
Posted by: ben | Jun 30 2018 19:07 utc | 1