Did any of the little drones busily scribbling Psaki's disinformation-of-the-day for broadcast by their networks ask any logical followup questions?

Posted by: Caliman | Mar 1 2021 19:09 utc | 1

All of which raises the question: what did the MSM hate so much about Trump if the underlying fundamentals of imperial domestic and foreign policy were identical to Biden's? It can only be that his style undermined the credibility of the authoritarian state.

Posted by: Patroklos | Mar 1 2021 19:14 utc | 2

Indeed the Western mainstream news media around the planet, not just in the US, seems to be running interference for Sleepy Uncle Joe even as Internet rumours arise that the Democrats and VP Kamala Harris were upset that he had not consulted with them over his decision to attack a part of Syria.

The MSM are as much a rogue institution as are Wall Street, the proverbial 17 US intel agencies, the US State Department, Big Pharma and Big Tech. All with their own self-serving agendas pushing for ever greater control over what we see and hear, think and behave.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 1 2021 19:17 utc | 3

Psaki's lie was so outrageously blatant I burst out laughing when I heard it.

This how the Graun "covered" it:

"The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said on Monday: “We reserve the right to take any action at a time and manner of our choosing.” But she added the US 'has not typically sanctioned government leaders of countries where we have diplomatic relations'"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/01/khashoggi-fiancee-saudi-crown-prince-must-be-punished-without-delay

You'll notice they clipped the trailing "and even where we don't have diplomatic relations" to hide the lie.

Posted by: Observer | Mar 1 2021 19:19 utc | 4

Trump was bad because he exposed US Imperialism. What was needed was "imperialism with a smiling human face".

Trump Admin: We are taking the oil in Syria.

Biden Admin: We are guarding against ISIS in Syria.

One is an open brute, the other is hiding his hostility and hatred with lies. Take your pick.

Posted by: Passer by | Mar 1 2021 19:20 utc | 5

b - thanks... all of these usa state dept press secretaries - jen psaki, john kirby and etc. etc. - stretching the truth, short of outright lying is considered an asset... talking tough or assertively is also considered an asset.. that is why they get the gig! when you have the new york times telling lies on the front page, what is the big deal with usa press secretaries telling lies??? you think everyone who goes to church care? lol.

but if you are suggesting that the msm is all democrat support, all the time - that is a more interesting conjecture.... i am not sure about that.. it seems anything that is supportive of bullying other countries that the usa deems unfriendly to its own interests - will be referred to as rogue nations, terrorists and etc. etc... we have reached the point where the one doing the name calling has shown itself to be the one they accuse others of... the usa has sunk this low.. the media will just continue on like the emperor with no clothes... people will find other sources of news that reflect reality, as opposed to made in the usa supposition..

Posted by: james | Mar 1 2021 19:20 utc | 6

One wonders why the report laying the blame at the Dark Prince's feet was released at all if there was no point beyond stating the obvious. Perhaps it is to ask the House of Saud to rethink its royal succession plans to someone less odious.

I guess what I don't understand is pointing out the chronic hypocrisy of Swamp Creatures whose entire existence is the perpetuation of an Empire of profiteers from which they directly benefit. Those who expected anything different from a Biden Administration make magical thinking look like critical thinking.

Posted by: gottlieb | Mar 1 2021 19:33 utc | 7

HREF="https://youtu.be/ZCJWAQ7563I" > we lied

Posted by: Bernard F. | Mar 1 2021 19:35 utc | 8

Patroklos | Mar 1 2021 19:14 utc | 2

All of which raises the question: what did the MSM hate so much about Trump if the underlying fundamentals of imperial domestic and foreign policy were identical to Biden's? It can only be that his style undermined the credibility of the authoritarian style

If credibility was a concern, then why select a replacement that has dementia?

Posted by: ld | Mar 1 2021 19:37 utc | 9

Sorry,

As Mike Pompeo "We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" - Texas A M University April 2019"
https://youtu.be/ZCjWAq7563I

Any of them, well trained

Posted by: Bernard F. | Mar 1 2021 19:38 utc | 10

In the past year I've become familiar with the term, "what aboutism" used in derogatory manner. Lately it has occurred to me that the entire MSM narrative is a case of "what aboutism" played to obscure the Empire's crimes across the planet. First, it was the concentration camps in China to obscure the US gulags of 2 million people. Next it is the battle to control "misinformation", while never acknowledging the absurdity and criminal act of Russiagate. Today there is attempt to curb free speech in the US, claiming "dangerous" journalism.

I think these people are so unimaginative they use their own crimes as ammo against others in order to persecute them.

It's really become very transparent and particilarly stupid.

Posted by: Michael | Mar 1 2021 19:39 utc | 11

Of all characters in the vaudeville broadcasted on TV every day, I'd suggest Ms Psaki deserves the description of 'clown' most.

...or perhaps she shares the honor with Mrs Pelosi? Tsk. I'm on the fence on this one.

Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Mar 1 2021 20:00 utc | 12

"If any question why we died, tell them, because our fathers lied." Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Posted by: John Cleary | Mar 1 2021 20:06 utc | 13

Have trouble telling the Truth? Take Lie-a-Day tablets, geltabs, or liquid, which is endorsed by all members of the Outlaw US Empire's government and all US corporate media outlets. Available everywhere media and government officials are found.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 1 2021 20:14 utc | 14

@Patroklos
Why did they hate Trump? I think because he told the truth -- or at least some of the truth. At least that part of the truth that the neocons/deep state/blob/"the interagencies" are what is destroying that mythical creature that he wanted to make great again.
He didn't DO much in the first term but maybe he would have in his second. Or at least it was possible. Better not take the chance.
I think Trump did two things -- didn't leave any new wars behind him and exposed the reality. Both are inexcusable.

Posted by: Patrick Armstrong | Mar 1 2021 20:27 utc | 15

@ 13 John Cleary | Mar 1 2021 20:06 utc |

I totally agree. It appears to me that as part of empire's collapse, the media has created a post empirical world where figures of authority are no longer believed due to their historical affinity to make up reality as they see fit.

The disbelief in governments and empiricism is one of the fundamental signatures of a collapsing society. An indicator of this i can be observed in this "The Hill" article which summarizes a new poll that 41 percent of voters are not willing to get vaccinated. This is similar result to a poll of the Russian people which in the Soviet collapse the people quit believing in information from the state and apparently still do. The similarities are striking.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/541044-41-percent-say-they-are-not-willing-to-receive-coronavirus-vaccine

Posted by: Michael | Mar 1 2021 20:28 utc | 16

Frankly did anyone expect anything new from Biden? They were fools if they did.

The problem of Trump, as Patrick Armstrong says, is that he revealed without thinking what previous US presidents kept secret, like the real hostility of the US to the EU, as a competitor.

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 20:40 utc | 17

Tragically Ironic

Dana Bash (nee Schwartz) presses for sanction of MbS as Palestinians can't get vaccines despite Israel remarkable vaccination drive.

<> <> <> <> <>

MbS got schooled in the 'Rules-based Order'

USA-Israel holds the possibility of sanctions against MbS as leverage that they can trigger at any time. MbS probably thought he bought his way out of jeopardy after Trump convinced him to buy hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons. Dumbass.

He's a hostage. They will bleed him/KSA dry.

Karma-flavored popcorn is the best.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 1 2021 21:04 utc | 18

With MBS safely off the hook can we expect SA and Israel to establish full diplomatic relations soon?

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:06 utc | 19

That's why i adore Jen.
Sheer absurdity, uttered with childlike spontaneity and wide-open eyes (NLP trainers will tell you about this) - what could be more beautiful?
Jen is beyond criticism. Because this is Jen.

Posted by: alaff | Mar 1 2021 21:14 utc | 20

@ dh - you will know it is true when you see some rabbi visiting mecca and some wahabbi visiting the wall in jerusalem! until then - expect typical political b.s...

Posted by: james | Mar 1 2021 21:16 utc | 21

"With MBS safely off the hook can we expect SA and Israel to establish full diplomatic relations soon?"

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:06 utc | 19

You haven't understood the issue. MbS is not an absolute ruler, whatever he imagines. There are many Saudis against.

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 21:17 utc | 22

Just another "We Lie, We Cheat..."

The Pentagon on Friday detailed the US firepower used to destroy a complex inside Syria that was allegedly used by an Iran-supported militia, as the White House defended the strike’s legality against a bipartisan backlash.

“Two F-15E Strike Eagles dropped seven precision guided munitions, totally destroying nine facilities and partially destroying two facilities, making them functionally destroyed,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference.

“The structures were located at the Abu Kemal terrorist entry control point, located near the Syria-Iraq border on the Syrian side. This location is known to facilitate Iranian-allied militia group activity.”

But, according to aviapro, and satellite picture, look like 5 of 7 (why 7 and not 2×4=8) missed the target.
https://avia-pro.fr/news/5-iz-7-sbroshennyh-ssha-aviabomb-promahnulis-po-iranskoy-voennoy-baze-v-sirii

Are Russia or Iran making décisive progress in Electronics SAM?

As Sun Tzu said "The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth"

Posted by: Bernard F. | Mar 1 2021 21:17 utc | 23

@22 For sure Saudi will be a much harder nut to crack but the Abraham Accord does seem to be having some success among the Gulf States.

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:24 utc | 24

Posted by: Bernard F. | Mar 1 2021 21:17 utc | 23

The US strike on Syria though actually on Iraqi government militias, was largely a failure, as directed on US allies.

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 21:29 utc | 25

james | Mar 1 2021 19:20 utc | 6

but if you are suggesting that the msm is all democrat support, all the time - that is a more interesting conjecture.... i am not sure about that.. it seems anything that is supportive of bullying other countries that the usa deems unfriendly to its own interests - will be referred to as rogue nations, terrorists and etc. etc... we have reached the point where the one doing the name calling has shown itself to be the one they accuse others of... the usa has sunk this low.. the media will just continue on like the emperor with no clothes... people will find other sources of news that reflect reality, as opposed to made in the usa supposition..

The msm is owned by the same ((people)) that own the US government, that own the Federal Reserve, that own the universities, that own the entertainment and publishing industries.

" people will find other sources of news that reflect reality," Yes, maybe, so long as they can, so long as doing so is not described as "Supporting Terrorism!"

One big problem is that a lot of USAmericans do not realize that they are being fed misinformation, so of course, they will not seek alternative sources. Why would they?

Posted by: foolisholdman | Mar 1 2021 21:38 utc | 26

Also, isn't MBS not the official leader of the Saudi Arabian government? Isn't there a still a King who's the leader, technically?

Posted by: Creek | Mar 1 2021 21:45 utc | 27

For sure Saudi will be a much harder nut to crack but the Abraham Accord does seem to be having some success among the Gulf States.

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:24 utc | 24

Just to repeat the obvious, which I've said many times, but it doesn't seem to have penetrated, the Gulf princes can decide what they want as they have only a minimal national population. Saudi has a large rebellious population (three brigades who surrendered to the Houthis without fighting). MbS cannot make peace with Israel, and he hasn't.

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 21:48 utc | 28

@28 Well if you are talking to me I can assure you the penetration was made a long time ago. I lived and worked in the region for 12 years. Kindly moderate your tone.

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:52 utc | 29

"Well if you are talking to me I can assure you the penetration was made a long time ago. I lived and worked in the region for 12 years."

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 21:52 utc | 29

You worked in Saudi or in the Gulf? Big difference. Saudi is not about to surrender on Palestinian issues, because too many provincial powers are saying no.

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 22:14 utc | 30

I worked mostly in Iraq and Kuwait but also in Saud. I just happen to think that Israel will keep pushing for some kind of peace agreement with Saudi Arabia. It will be a commercial deal at first and it may take years to be absorbed into the Saudi psyche but I was surprised how quickly Khalifa agreed.

Incidentally do you happen to know if any FANG brigades were sent to Yemen or was it just conscripts?

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 22:41 utc | 31

@31 SANG not FANG.

Posted by: dh | Mar 1 2021 22:44 utc | 32

As a person who often works in PR, let me offer one explanation. The Guardian may have used a WH issued a "transcript" with adjustments that the Guardian took verbatim, because why bother to actually transcribe what she actually said yourself? That takes time and effort, and besides they're on Team Biden anyway so why not take their word for it... Not saying this is what happened, but it's plausible.

Posted by: worldblee | Mar 1 2021 22:57 utc | 33

As per usual laguerre grabs the wrong end of the stick in asserting that there is still internal resistance to the MbS regime. Right now any resistance is futile.

After the successful attack on amerika by Saudi 'dissidents' in 2001 amerika united with the Salman faction of the el Saud royal family, initially to equip & train the military to bring down what they were told were Sunni resistance cadres but which were in fact those Shia tribes who were the unfortunate owners of tribal lands rich in oil.

Back in the early noughties amerika had no idea at all of Saudi Arabia tribes & cultures so they got sucked into reinforcing the power of the el Sauds under the pretext of fighting terrorism. There were also a number of actions against more radical wahabist groups which were used to lure amerika into support of the el Saud faction but as these were really unpopular among the Saudi elites it was decided to use sophisticated intelligence gathering operations against them rather than the brutal kinetic conflicts used to subjegate or demolish 'that rabble', the Shia people.

The Salmans proved to be much smarter than the rotating circus of 4 & 5 star amerikan generals who rarely spent long enough in their positions to get a real grip on what was going on and the long term effect of amerikan assistance.
The 'generals' all careerists to a man were far more concerned with the next step on the ladder which was the sole reason they took the gig in 'Central Command' so they were easily gulled by Saudi insistence on achievable goals which were caught in the usual trap of intelligence focussed initiatives that is, do nothing which could compromise our sources.
So once the most public and easily squashed wahabbist resistance groups were wiped out, often with little consequence to the funders and leaders of that resistance, all that was left was a huge trove of information on all the other (not Salman) el Saud families.

That meant when the King moved his son into the Crown Prince position and put him in charge of the day to day running of the nation, by the time MbS rounded up all the uncles & cousins along with their facilitators they knew exactly what everyone had been up to enabling seizure of each branches source of power - economic & political.

That was a surprise for amerika as well as to the rest of the el Sauds. amerika had always used the fractious el Saud family feuds as a way of maintaining control, now that option was off the table they freaked out and since then amerikan intelligence (especially the CIA) have been briefing against the Salmans.

Dopey Joe who lets face it is no maestro at foreign affairs since his sole real interest in all those people 'out there' was to grab money for Bidens and not much else, made a big mob of outrageous undertakings to punish the Salmans in particular MbS during his "I'm not orangeutan" entry in the amerikan presidential beauty contest.
As far as dopey was aware amerika still had the ability to force the other family factions into standing up to the current 'ruling' faction. No one appears to have told him that this was no longer the case.

dopey can decide not to provide Saudi with further material (not that he has done anything like that) but that is now meaningless since so many other 'allies' are queueing up to provide something "twice as good at half the price".
We can see the result in the continual steps backwards the BidenCorp administration has been taking in its dealings with Saudi Arabia. Probably even his Saudi advisors who last advised in the late years of the Oblamblam administration were unaware of the sheer power of the Salmans which had been consolidated under the four years of orangeutan's patronage.

Under normal circumstances most of us would be pleased that a nation state had managed to free itself from the tyranny of imperial subjugation, however the evil nature of Salman family control precludes that.

There is a big lesson here for the empire but I doubt they will heed it, that is empowering the greediest, most unethical bunch that the empire can identify in a satrap nation, may make it easier to achieve short term goals such as stealing more wealth more quickly, but long term, putting sociopaths in charge without sufficient understanding of the forces at work within that nation's society guarantees that loss of imperial power is inevitable. Truly greedy types will always decide that the cost of amerika is too high.

Back when every struggle in a nation could be reduced to left Vs right, things were somewhat manageable, however that is no longer the case and issues are too complex for analysts to provide simple solutions.

Saudi Arabia is a mess which can only get worse and once it becomes apparent that amerika's only choice is continued support for the Salmans, the farce of pretending to be the super moral reluctant leader of 'the free world' will become impossible even among the flag waving amerikan fools who enable the empire.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Mar 1 2021 23:13 utc | 34

Great Smoothie rant relative to Psaki and those surrounding her:

"I am terrified of some 'human rights' lawyer or Ph.D in 'public policy' getting to the levers of a political power and trying to apply that precious little of value which was taught to him to the world which is so complex that it cannot afford anymore the class of "experts" who cannot predict their next own bowel movement, let alone the global transfiguration unfolding in a front of our own eyes. What we have today in the US is a class of people who, as Pepe correctly states, are spectacularly misguided oracles, who haven't got anything right in decades but who continue to push their own opinions and forecasts which are irredeemable both from academic-scientific and human points of view."

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 1 2021 23:21 utc | 35

As I reported on the open thread, Lavrov met with foreign media today for which there's now a transcript that answers my question as to the number of nations with media stationed in Russia, "There are 271 foreign media offices from 57 countries in Moscow and other cities." There's also the official version of what TASS reported:

"I would like to emphasise in particular that we do not close our doors to anyone and are always ready for discussions. That said, we cannot accept, let alone agree with, the current wave of so-called fakes, the attempts to use labels from the ideological clichés of the Cold War. Such attempts are turning the information field into an area of confrontation. I believe this does not help create the atmosphere that is required by our time. As the coronavirus pandemic has shown, our time demands an end to the attempts to create confrontation and hostility at every step. Even as regards the vaccines, sometimes there is a desire to turn this issue that is vital for all humanity, above all, for ensuring that all people have the right to live, into an object of geopolitical insinuations. This is sad. I think the overwhelming majority of journalists working in Russia (I am referring to foreign journalists) certainly value the reputation of their publications and their authority as professionals that work for these famous publications. We read much of what your media houses issue. I can see you are striving for profound analysis and want to get to the bottom line of everything. You can always rely on us to be your most sincere and active assistants in this respect."

That's just so un-Pompeo and un-Psaki-like!! I wonder if anyone has been a member of both the Kremlin and White House press pools during their career and honestly written about the differences?

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 2 2021 0:03 utc | 36

Patroklos @2: "All of which raises the question: what did the MSM hate so much about Trump if the underlying fundamentals of imperial domestic and foreign policy were identical to Biden's?"

Thought experiment: Try to imagine yourself as a not-too-bright executive who has clever idea to put a miniature traffic light on his desk to respond to underlings with a button-press. Of course, red light means "No!", green light means "Yes!", and yellow light is ambiguous and intended to keep your underlings confused, nervous, and off-guard.

You very carefully wire the device up according to the instructions, but when the time comes to use it with your underlings the wrong light illuminates with each button-press! You desperately stab at each button but no matter what you try the signal is just wrong. In an ignorant rage you conclude that Russian hackers have taken control of the device and you rip it off your desk and smash it on the floor.

It doesn't matter that Trump is fully on the side of the imperial oligarchy. What matters is that his electoral win was the opposite of what they planned and expected. In fact, they gave Trump a place in the race precisely because they thought it was impossible that he could win, and they did this because numerous sensitive "regime-change operations" were in process, with decades of preparation behind each one, and they needed a very specific figurehead in the White House who was already up to speed on all of these SECRET schemes.

Could they have brought Trump up to speed on their SECRET plans? Probably, and he probably would have gone along with them wholeheartedly. That is not the point. The point is that Trump winning was one of their chief SECRET projects gone completely awry in a way that they could not even remotely comprehend. They still don't understand why their perfect plan to install Clinton failed so spectacularly. Rather than rework their plans they, as is so often the tendency among upper middle-class and up contemporary Americans, embraced hysterical denial because their understanding of the world couldn't be wrong. It could only have failed due to the interference of some mysterious third parties. Witches, demons, and Russians, oh my!

And so the portion of the US population with command authority (upper middle-class and up) spun themselves deeper into delusional Nowhere Land.

Posted by: William Gruff | Mar 2 2021 0:33 utc | 37

The Empire lies. Must be a slow news day. Also... Old man yells at cloud

Posted by: Jezabeel | Mar 2 2021 0:59 utc | 38

A lie begets a lie begets a lie...
Especially in the United States Of Amnesia.

When we were little our parents tried to warn us that telling porkies is a bad idea, because you'll get caught and then no-one will believe anything you say - like The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!"

Apologies for the off-topic, but last night 4 Corners broadcast a silly half-baked Mockumentary hit-piece on Xi Jinping called Chairman For LIFE. What made it silly was that it was reminiscent of the Monty Python sketch in which a bunch of whingeing Poms are sitting around whining about "What did the Romans ever do for us - apart from lifting us out of the Stone Age with roads, sewerage, cities and infrstucture?" as Xi and predecessors have done in China since 1949.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 2 2021 1:44 utc | 39

Posted by: james | Mar 1 2021 19:20 utc | 6 -- "....the usa has sunk this low...."

First, they become not agreement-capable, but they pretend it is Iran / Russia's fault. Then they become not shame-capable, lying baldfaced, but they pretend to be playing 4-D chess. Next, they run out of lies, and eat each other like the sharks that they are.

Posted by: Michael | Mar 1 2021 19:39 utc | 11 -- "It's really become very transparent and particilarly stupid."

Yes, the banality of evil is clearly visible now. Just like they used to scold Germans for going along to get along, so they now say they cannot help it, just following orders, pretending to not know that the pain they aid is plain.

Posted by: kiwiklown | Mar 2 2021 3:21 utc | 40

Let us cut to the chase. The only question is “When will it all fail? We now know the ‘Black Swan’, that is CV-19. It’s not an especially earth shaking event, relative to whatever other events possible... California slipping into the pacific, a nuclear plant going ballistic with a large local population, ..nothing dramatic as that. We didnt require much....the maggots of wall street and the ‘City’ have so weakened the western culture so as to make them ripe , stinking from their head downwards. The end is nigh ...but when cometh the first great dislocation? I’m thinking an initial drop of 25% , with another series of drops summed to 85% of the high.
The west had debt that cannot be paid back in full real value ....so they will try to pay it back in vastly cheapened inflation currency. This would not have worked in any case, but the cv was as good a black swan as needed. So, when does it finally crash?

Posted by: James joseph | Mar 2 2021 3:21 utc | 41

@ foolisholdman | Mar 1 2021 21:38 utc | 26... i have to believe that wisdom and knowledge will prevail over ignorance, in spite of confirmations in the opposite direction! ti really can't answer your question any better then this.. cheers..

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 3:22 utc | 42

@ kiwiklown | Mar 2 2021 3:21 utc | 40... that basically sums it up in a quick way without too many words!

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 3:24 utc | 43

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 1 2021 20:14 utc | 14 -- "Lie-a-Day tablets.... Available everywhere ( anglio-zio ) media and government officials are found."

Hoping you do not mind my minor contribution to your prescription. ;o)

The anglo-zio leadership will sink lower into depravity yet before they hit bottom.

You and I will not be around to see that momentous inflexion in human history, but don't I wish I could live to a 150 !!!

Posted by: kiwiklown | Mar 2 2021 3:44 utc | 44

yeah so what? if Trump was in charge, the last USA/Russia arm control pack will be long gone and Trump will be attacking Russia's NS2 while trying to antagonize China.
one sided arguments are propaganda.

Posted by: Hoyeru | Mar 2 2021 3:53 utc | 45

Posted by: James joseph | Mar 2 2021 3:21 utc | 41 -- ".... the maggots of wall street and the ‘City’ have so weakened the western culture so as to make them ripe , stinking from their head downwards...."

I like cutting to the chase, like you. I am 70, and so here's my 70 cents worth: The anglo-zio / wall street / city of london types can live longer as a parasite longer than you or I can live as normal deplorables.

An early sign that the depravity hits bottom is when you see the maggots reach out to future centres of wealth ( China, Russia, strategic chokepoints on the OBOR ), there to lay more eggs for their offsprings to again feed on the wealth of other peoples' labour for another few centuries.

Posted by: kiwiklown | Mar 2 2021 4:14 utc | 46

Hey Bruce! Yes, Hoarsewhisperer, I'm talking to you!

Now, if you're gonna take the piss out of us Pommies using our Pythons then it's only fair if you get it right!

It wasn't us whinging about the Romans that you quoted, it was the Judean People's Front! Popular Front. Popular People's Front. Whatever.

Now, I now you lot at the philosophy depaaartment at the University of Walamaloo have never forgiven us for Jardine and Bodyline, but in return you gave us Lillee and Thompson, so let's just call it quits eh, mate? Oh, and Benaud was the best-loved cricket commentator we pomms listened to in the 70's and 80's, so you can't say we don't respect your greats.

Sincere apologies to everyone else for the outrageous off-topic, but some things need to be answered. Especially when an Aussie gets the Pythons wrong. #WhosInChargeOfTheSheepdip

Posted by: Ash Naz | Mar 2 2021 4:22 utc | 47

What did the MSM hate so much about Trump if the underlying fundamentals of imperial domestic and foreign policy were identical to Biden's? his style undermined the credibility of the authoritarian state. by: Patroklos @ 2 <= no style had little to do with it, and Patroklos thinks its because Trump told some of the truth -- but I think LNG .. Trump was not interested in controlling the ownership, distribution, consumption and price of the world's oil..

The MSM are as much a rogue institution as are Wall Street, the proverbial 17 US intel agencies, the US State Department, Big Pharma and Big Tech. All with their own self-serving agendas pushing for ever greater control over what we see and hear, think and behave. Posted by: Jen @ 3 <- yes, but recognize please and make serious note of the fact that basic benefit of government action always endows privately owned corporations or groups of private corporations (the State depart is government because it controls the military, US intel agencies spy on the nation state governed and they needed the excuse of government to do their thing. the intels are integrated quasi-state intermediaries who collect the nation state tax revenues and distribute them to the private Oligarchs and their corporate monsters. .

Trump was bad because he exposed US Imperialism.
Trump Admin: We are taking the oil in Syria versus
Biden Admin: We are guarding against ISIS in Syria.
by: Passer by @ 5 <= Biden is big in LNG Trump d\n care about LNG, Trump c\n benefit from being a part in the energy monopoly.

Swamp Creatures exist to perpetuate an Empire of profiteers from which they directly benefit. by gottlieb @7 <- they call that corruption. ?

foolish holdman @ 26 usa deems unfriendly to its own interests <==Oligarch interest comes first.

MSM false or misleading narrative and government doing private-party favors[bomb or sanction this competitor or that competitor], provide cover for private Empire's use of the nation state to commit public crimes: by Michael @ 11.

Michael @ 16 confirms this loss of ability to govern is the result of a global Oligarch and MSM effort which I think it is the 2nd stage in regime change technology.

I agree with Debsisdead @ 34 Saudi Arabia is a mess.. but it is going to move east.. to the Roads initiative.

Obviously the next revolution will be to throw the monopoly powered private corporations out of the nation state system..and to make illegal the use of the nation state system worldwide. Americans have already come to understand the Oligarchs are using the nation state to accomplish their private ends. The rest of the world is trying to understand their problems are not generated by the nation state, but by the private estates that are using the nation state to take away everyone's money and democracy.

Posted by: snake | Mar 2 2021 4:30 utc | 48

"How deep will they nest those?" you asked above. My take is they'll create an entirely new reality that will be protected by any means against inquiry. Material proofs will be destroyed. Witnesses will be canceled or imprisoned for telling the truth. History will be completely rewritten or completely made up. And so on... No end in sight.

The soviet joke "He is lying like an eyewitness" will become a US joke. Jail times will be served for the new anti-soviet activity of telling the truth. Reality can't be a thing. Remember the social construct thing!

Posted by: DidierF | Mar 2 2021 4:57 utc | 49

Posted by: Ash Naz | Mar 2 2021 4:22 utc | 47

Thanks for the corrections! Ya can't have too much Truth, can ya?
...
To me the most obvious, and promising, sign of Western Decline is the shutting down of publicly visible & accessible forums. In the early Noughties the Guardian's CommentIsFree page was just one of many similar delightfully comforting destinations.

It was nice to know that one wasn't the only person who thought that PTB weren't as smart as they'd like to be. That might have been OK except for the rather obvious fact that circa 75% of contributors were in Furious Agreement. I used to do a quick count of the pro & anti comments and it was consistent - most thoughtful people not only don't believe bullshit, they also question the 'necessity' for it.
Can't afford to have that kind of Natural Unity seeping out, can we?
Once Info Management becomes this desperate, it's too late.
Say Goodnight, Dick.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 2 2021 5:07 utc | 50

Biden-Blinken are sending a warning to saudi arabia: you sign the peace deal with Israel and all your crimes are forgotten.
Or you don't then we will harass you until you do
It is a simple as that...

Posted by: Vi | Mar 2 2021 5:26 utc | 51

The quote about not typically sanctioning leaders comes from a press briefing at some other time in the day. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/

Posted by: eee | Mar 2 2021 5:51 utc | 52

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 1 2021 21:29 utc | 25

The US strike on Syria though actually on Iraqi government militias, was largely a failure, as directed on US allies.

Posted by: robin | Mar 2 2021 7:03 utc | 53

eee #52

You're right - they're different quotes. In fact they're from different days. The press briefing without "typically" is from after midday yesterday, 1 March. The CNN interview with "typically" is from the morning before (on 28 February) http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2102/28/sotu.01.html . So Psaki tried to row back from her unequivocal comment on CNN but she was still lying (for a second time) since there's nothing unusual about US sanctions against heads of state.

Posted by: Brendan | Mar 2 2021 7:44 utc | 54

Psaki regularly leaves the impression of not being up to her task. She looks cute, though.

Posted by: m | Mar 2 2021 11:27 utc | 55

"How deep will they nest those?" you asked above. My take is they'll create an entirely new reality that will be protected by any means against inquiry. Material proofs will be destroyed. Witnesses will be canceled or imprisoned for telling the truth. History will be completely rewritten or completely made up. And so on... No end in sight.

The soviet joke "He is lying like an eyewitness" will become a US joke. Jail times will be served for the new anti-soviet activity of telling the truth. Reality can't be a thing. Remember the social construct thing!

Posted by: DidierF | Mar 2 2021 4:57 utc | 49

Thanks for your comment. This "making your own reality" business turns out to be a lot of work, doesn't it? Maybe we would be better off to just relax and go along with the default reality.

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 2 2021 11:50 utc | 56

So we have a woke president lying, followed by his woke PR, and then to put a cherry on top the grand dame of woke publishing The Guardian also telling lies. Trump certainly had issues, but I suspect his reign will in the future be looked upon as the good old days, even by many progressives when they finally figure out that woke is just another elite control mechanism.

Posted by: Gravel rash | Mar 2 2021 12:22 utc | 57

Foot-in-mouth Jen Psaki is the perfect spokesperson for gaffe machine Joe Biden

Commentary so cutting that you can almost hear the screams ... of delight.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 2 2021 12:53 utc | 58

Psaki regularly leaves the impression of not being up to her task. She looks cute, though.
Posted by: m | Mar 2 2021 11:27 utc | 55

Yes, if you consult the Caitlin Johnstone link above, you will find that Jan's clown makeup, big blue beads, and little-girl ringmaster's jacket are not only stunning, but entirely in keeping with her role. But how can her hands be older than her face?

Posted by: groucho | Mar 2 2021 14:13 utc | 59

As per usual laguerre grabs the wrong end of the stick in asserting that there is still internal resistance to the MbS regime.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Mar 1 2021 23:13 utc | 34

Oh really? Laguerre was only answering a confident but ignorant point earlier that MbS was about to sign with Netanyahu. He is not, and won't. The story of Netanyahu flying to Saudi to sign, because Trump (or Kushner) told him MbS was ready is very telling. Trump, Kushner, to a degree Netanyahu, and definitely Debsisdead, make the mistake of thinking MbS is an autocrat, free to sign what he wants. He isn't, but it can seem that way from far away Kiwiland when you energetically hoover up masses of internet resources. The secret about Saudi that none of the brilliantly clever commenters on here understand is how well the Saudis manage to control news leaving the country. You never read about what goes on in Saudi, except what emerges from the government, never hear about the revolts and dissatisfactions which are hushed up, and paid off with oil money (unless you're a Shi'a of course, in which case you just get your head chopped off)

Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 2 2021 14:25 utc | 60

@60 Glad you mentioned the Shia. They are the House of Saud's biggest fear. Excuse my ignorance but the Saudis are terrified of Iran with it's thousands of missiles and highly committed troops. They expect US/Israel to protect them. That is why they already have a de facto peace agreement.

Posted by: dh | Mar 2 2021 15:35 utc | 61

Any reasonably well socialized person can and does hold any number of contradictory/mutually exclusive beliefs. They will not be shaken in their beliefs and will not experience cognitive dissonance. Holding up evidence they have uttered falsehood after falsehood has no weight. Logic is for losers.

Psaki is a loyal apparatchik. She sure was not chosen for her intellect. Or her wit. Or her looks. The routine she is performing now is same as her performance during Obama years. She is a known quantity.

In an Orwellian frame what she dispenses is prolefeed. Accuracy is not a criteria. What has interest is that the proles pay no attention at all to any of this. The deplorables don’t care. Psaki’s pronouncements are aimed at the NYT and NPR crowd. What would have been the Outer Party in 1984. Those loyalists are left knowing absolutely nothing that is true. They can Newspeak to their hearts content and are completely ignorant and innocent. Then when the Inner Party needs someone who knows something, someone with any understanding of the world, there are none. Looking at all the senior advisors to Biden they have to be the stupidest bunch ever to serve the head of a major state.

Posted by: oldhippie | Mar 2 2021 16:27 utc | 62

This is back to the usual excellent high standards of writing and content that I love from B.

Well done!

Relieved that you stopped writing about the pandemic and giving your views as a non medic..

Posted by: Justin | Mar 2 2021 16:52 utc | 63

@ 60 laguerre... thanks.. i think that is true what you say about info inside KSA not getting out... we don't have a clue what is going on inside the country and they keep it that way..how we found out about all the princes rounded up and put in the hotel was one of the few exceptions.. the place is fucked up...

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 17:04 utc | 64

... when does it finally crash?

Posted by: James joseph | Mar 2 2021 3:21 utc | 41

The similarities with Russia's recovery are worth remembering as the US goes through its own decline and fall period. Not that it will be an identical period since what is causing that precipitous levelling isn't a drunken president at the helm whose own decline affects the appearance of power to the general public, but rather a man in the twilight of his years evidently needing his wife's support as he makes his way to the podium of power, and thus revealing to all that there are powers behind the throne. It is in those powers that the similarities become apparent -- those who are powerful are also rich. Oligarchs.

So, it is just a matter of time before those men with those riches begin to shrink, as must have happened with Russia's own declining prosperity, set in motion by the Chicago boys, but an ironic prototype of US fragility that surely legitimate historians can use as the example going forward.

I think that's why the Russians and the Chinese can be patient. They have legitimate historians.

Posted by: juliania | Mar 2 2021 17:22 utc | 65

Laguerre | Mar 2 2021 14:25 utc | 60 and james | Mar 2 2021 17:04 utc | 64

There is no real reason that the Saudis are "top dogs", except that they were more brutal than others.
Ibn Saud himself used the Whabbists to conquer the principal towns, Riyadh etc. In fact, to beat the (religious) opposition the Whabbists killed all their own women, so that they would HAVE TO kill the opposition (the false prophets' followers) at Daa'rayah (Just outside Riyadh, spelling very approximative with an aspirant h in the middle).

However the Sauds were only one of the twelve tribes. If one of the other tribes had been there and done that first then they would have taken the reins and the power. (ie the Rashids or similar).

Ibn Saud then had an uneasy alliance with the religious authorities, and although nominally the King, he made sure that they agreed with his edicts. That leaves/left the other eleven tribes as jealous rivals. Which they may still be. Kept in place by shortening and other croppings. It is a long time since I was there.

The Princes have the money, but not necessarily the power. The King got all the revenue and then handed some down to the principal princes and their families, who also handed it down further. This was the way, as if it wasn't done the usual remedy was a cut throat. It actually worked quite well, but the poorest of the poor were divorced or widowed women who had no tribal backing. They had nobody to give them money.

Along comes MbS. Who shook down, literally, some of his family that had; a) made too much money outside the King's largess, and b) acquired some real power. This seems to have "calmed" the immediate family. I am not sure what the other tribes think about it nowadays.

***
We actually met Prince Yamani (who recently died) who was then the Saudi oil Minister.
One day in the Souk my wife noticed a woman begging with three children, heads covered, lying with their faces downwards. All had feet turned "wrongly". She was NOT a Saudi. The next day there were only two, but we happened to meet Yamani socially (we were the most unimportant visitors). My wife mentioned it to him and the next day the women and the children were looked after, in a hospital, as she had broken their legs to make them more "appealing" for begging. Begging was forbidden in Saudi, otherwise many of the Hajis would have stayed on after their pilgrimage.

Yamani was a nice guy.
There is also a vast difference between the present polluted princes and the Bedouin.
....and it was a long time ago but attitudes don't change even if situations do.

Posted by: Stonebird | Mar 2 2021 18:47 utc | 66

"b" - the thread's out of date now and I didn't go back to it as soon as I should have done. So may I thank "Jen" @ 198 here -

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/02/after-us-attack-in-syrian-iran-demonstrates-its-escalation-dominance-/comments/page/2/#comments

- who gave me backgound to the BBC piece on Le Mesurier that I linked to in that thread.

Another of your commenters referred to that BBC article as hagiography. I wish the BBC would choose more saintlier saints.

Posted by: English Outsider | Mar 2 2021 18:49 utc | 67

@ 66 stonebird... the fact that KSA has tried to export its fanaticism whabbism and etc via the funding for the madrassas in many muslim countries beginning with pakistan, and etc. etc. myanmar see the mileage gotten off the rohinga muslins and on and on - this is what the usa is quite happy to continue on with... a bunch of complete nutjobs exporting their insane ideology to various countries and places around the globe seems perfect for continuing on with terrorism.. in fact - the usa never seems to miss a chance to support fanaticism or terrorism, but will never label it as such, unless it is being directed in opposition to them... it is a funny thing most of those on the planes in 9-11 were saudis and most of these whackjob isis members have a direct connection back to KSA... in spite of all this or the most obvious execution of kashoggi - the usa and israel never miss a chance to tell us what good friends they are with these barbarians... so, i don't hold out much faith in resolving these issues thru politics, in particular the usa style of politics we are so used to... nothing will change here... biden conforms with all the past leaders of the usa of only having a backbone when it comes to looking after wall st and the military industrial complex - all appearances to the contrary are a pile of shite!

thanks for sharing your personal story... i was recently stiffed for some money on a gig i had done - was a fair amount difference in what i got paid and what i was supposed to be paid.... i told my brother the guy was a nice guy and i didn't understand why it had happened.. he explained to me there is a difference between being nice and being good.... i mention this in relation to your comments towards the bottom! cheers..

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 19:40 utc | 68

Grouchy @ 59:

How can The Psakipath's hands be older than her face? That's easy to answer: cosmetic surgeons and heavy make-up work on the face, not on the hands.

Although not so long ago, when The Psakipath was US State Dept spokesperson to the press when O'Bomber was then POTUS, The Psakipath left the position to have a baby. So she may not be all that old. Marie Harf replaced Jen as US State Dept PR person.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 2 2021 19:55 utc | 69

English Outsider @ 67:

My pleasure!

I made another mistake in that comment ... I should have said James Le Mesurier, not John Le Mesurier.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 2 2021 20:00 utc | 70

@ jen - re the hands.. since a kid, my hands have looked like the hands of an old person... i haven't considered cosmetic surgery! life has eventually caught up with me!

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 20:13 utc | 71

@ Ash Naz 47

Apologies for off-topic, but the odd way Brits continue to ridicule Australians makes one wonder if the Brits still think it's the 1960s. We used to think we were looked down on because we were colonial riffraff. But it seems clear to me that it's really English middle-class self-loathing projected onto their own image of a bizzaro-antipodean Britain via a kind of cathexis. This image, as you'd expect, is a cartoonish imaginary, but, hell, it makes them feel better about their washed-up staggering decline, their cold dreary island, their parochial fear about Europe, about being short-changed and screwed-over by the USA since 1917, total loss of empire, their incompetent descent into domestic poverty, etc etc. We of course still allow this doddering dotard to bully us by irritating our self-doubts; that one is on us I guess, but that's just our growing pains. You may have given us Python, but you fail to turn that absurdist irony back onto your own stuffed shirt as Palin, et al. had intended. Instead you trot out tired clichés about cricket (yawn) as if any of us give a shit. And isn't it just typical to adopt that Oxbridge sneer by insinuating that our universities are red-brick outback jokes masquerading as serious intellectual institutions. But if one looks through the lists of chairs in the UK you find the place is full of Australians. Well how about that. And philosophy? Jesus, Anglo-empiricism is about the only contribution from the UK in 500 years to that conversation (suitable for ages 5-14). The rest is made up of lipless trenchant conservative resistance to continental philosophy which even American intellectuals rightly acknowledged 50 years ago was the adult version.

One day soon the UK will completely fold in on itself and the only sound you'll hear is the lid closing on the dustbin of history. Then they'll show up here as they always do waving their sense of entitlement. But not this time.

Posted by: Patroklos | Mar 2 2021 21:15 utc | 72

The US MSM remains THE most dangerous propaganda channels in the world, surpassing even the BBC.

Posted by: Smith | Mar 2 2021 21:49 utc | 73

james @ 68 noted;
.. "the fact that KSA has tried to export its fanaticism whabbism and etc via the funding for the madrassas in many muslim countries beginning with pakistan, and etc. etc. myanmar see the mileage gotten off the rohinga muslins and on and on - this is what the usa is quite happy to continue on with... a bunch of complete nutjobs exporting their insane ideology to various countries and places around the globe seems perfect for continuing on with terrorism.. in fact - the usa never seems to miss a chance to support fanaticism or terrorism, but will never label it as such, unless it is being directed in opposition to them... it is a funny thing most of those on the planes in 9-11 were saudis and most of these whackjob isis members have a direct connection back to KSA... in spite of all this or the most obvious execution of kashoggi - the usa and israel never miss a chance to tell us what good friends they are with these barbarians... so, i don't hold out much faith in resolving these issues thru politics, in particular the usa style of politics we are so used to... nothing will change here... biden conforms with all the past leaders of the usa of only having a backbone when it comes to looking after wall st and the military industrial complex - all appearances to the contrary are a pile of shite!"

Excellent summation on the KSA and the U$A's relationship with it...
"

Posted by: vetinLA | Mar 2 2021 22:25 utc | 74

Patroklos @ 72, Ash Naz @ 47:

I remember reading about how in the late 1970s, Australian bands like The Birthday Party, SPK and Severed Heads who couldn't get local gigs (because their music was way too extreme for audiences at the time) and others used to journey to the UK thinking audiences there were more tolerant and had exposure to a greater variety of underground music - to discover that the British rock / pop music scene (and recall this was the period of punk in its heyday) was just as bad as it was in Australia at the time, and British audiences and even clubs just as unreceptive if not more so. (Well I guess the clubs would be unreceptive if you had flamethrowers as part of your act as SPK in those days did.)

'A guitar hero when there were none': the fragile life of Rowland S Howard

... By 1980, [The Boys Next Door] had become the Birthday Party and together moved to London. They arrived bitterly disappointed. “Rowland took London personally,” Cave said in the 2011 documentary, Autoluminescent. “Like someone had built it to make him unhappy.” The band felt disconnected and were surrounded by bands they felt were banal and insipid. “We went from being big fish in a small pond to frogspawn in an ocean,” Howard said ...

The Birthday Party almost single-handedly founded the Gothic music scene in the early 1980s, for better and for worse, and when you consider how far and wide and deeply Gothic music and subculture influences have penetrated mainstream Western culture, to say Nick Cave & Company were extremely influential is quite the understatement.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 2 2021 22:45 utc | 75

@ vetinLA | Mar 2 2021 22:25 utc | 74.. thanks... if i thought ranting was going to change anything, i would take up a career in it, but truth is, i am not very good at it! i definitely would not get the gig at any establishment paper! moa is as close as it gets!

Posted by: james | Mar 2 2021 23:11 utc | 76

M #55

She looks Cute!

I guess a sheep's daggy arse looks cute to a blowfly.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 3 2021 1:26 utc | 77

"Do not expect such outcries with anything that is coming from the Biden administration. While it is running the same imperial policies as the Trump administration, the media will defend those for Biden just as they condemned them when Trump was reigning"

I find this point most interesting. You did give balance in that saying the imperial policies are the same but others might not readily pick up your little bits of perception which I am grateful for. I just want to say there are many instances in history of dual party- faction nations complete with the same moral depravity where the outcome is one of coming dictatorship and rising or kings. For either party they will suffer more unless peace is achieved internally first, lest the American public are fixated on foreign adventures that they let their own homes burn.

Posted by: Jason | Mar 3 2021 2:07 utc | 78

Jen Psaki is only 42 years old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jen_Psaki

Posted by: Victor | Mar 3 2021 2:29 utc | 79

oldhippie @62
..."the stupidest bunch ever to serve the head of a major state."

But these stupidest people possibly have smart advisers; some who do not want to be known as string pullers - (hmmm, just what ever happened to Perle and Wolfowitz?)

Posted by: bystander04 | Mar 3 2021 4:14 utc | 80

Posted by: bystander04 | Mar 3 2021 4:14 utc | 80

And let's not forget Richard Armitage, Deputy head of State Dept in the Bush II era. He's the Asshole rumoured to have outed CIA's Valerie Plame over the idiotic Niger Uranium bs, which her CIA husband, Joe Wilson blew out of the water. He seems to have flown under the radar and doesn't appear in any of the lists of prominent US Neocons. He was interviewed, along with Perle & Paul (holey socks) Wolfowitz and a couple of others, in a 4 Corners episode about War Hawks around the time of the Iraq Fake War. In 2016 he said he would not vote for Trump because Clinton was 'better' (nudge-nudge, wink-wink).

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 3 2021 5:10 utc | 81

Biden Admin is nattering about "managing" US of Amnesia's "Russia & China problem."
How droll...
I must admit Armageddon a bit sick of the Yankee bluster and mendacity.
We Could Be Heroes (just for one day)?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 3 2021 8:24 utc | 82

bystander @ 80

Perle and Wolfowitz count as smart? More like know nothing ideologues. Backstairs schemers.

Psaki’s problem is being spokesperson for a group that is just as dim as she is. There is no one in charge.

Posted by: oldhippie | Mar 3 2021 9:43 utc | 83

@Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 3 2021 8:24 utc | 82

We Could Be Heroes (just for one day)?

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 3 2021 11:22 utc | 84

@2 Patroklos
"All of which raises the question: what did the MSM hate so much about Trump..."

Thank you, thank you for not writing "begs the question"!

Posted by: Gene Poole | Mar 3 2021 11:43 utc | 85

Apparently, the Saudis intimated to Team Biden "We won't let you virtue-signal by sanctioning our guy; don't expect us to just take it on the chin." In contrast, Lavrov can be counted on to meekly express "disappointment", and muddle on. Which one is more effective?

Then again, it may be as simple as the Clown Prince paying off Hunter to make all of this go away. Hey, whatever works. :-)

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Mar 3 2021 13:47 utc | 86

@Patroklos | Mar 1 2021 19:14 utc | 2

Donnie wanted to rail against the Fake-News media. It was his whole political spiel--a show-wrestling MC knows what a heel is after all. He didn't even have to invent it, Sarah Palin (another Steve Bannon production) was there before him. It's not like the Deplorables can remember anything Trump actually did for them (yes, I've asked directly). Then, on other days of the week, Trump used MSM magic 100% to demonize Hong Kong, or Qatar when it suited his Prodigal Son Jared, etc etc.

Another way of looking at it I guess is that Trump proved to be a flaming incompetent when even at the end of his term, Imperial media still broadcast Obama's lies instead of Trump's own. Then again, who knows what Trump's message was--ending the wars or destroying Iran, America First or Israel ueber Alles? Some irony that on 6 Jan people died for the "Trump agenda", which never existed--just an endless stream of grift and drama.

Arguably, Biden has it easier since he only aims to be, and serve, the Establishment. Given his age, it's probably the wiser choice.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Mar 3 2021 14:08 utc | 87

I don’t know why everyone is acting surprised. Everybody lies. The orange one lied on the record, at least 16 times a days. When one lies, one undermines trust in society.
Each lies has a name too.

There are lies, and then, there are lies.
There are small lies, and there are big lies.
There are white lies, and there are black lies. Even blue, red, and gray, too.
There are gaff lies.
There are lies of omission.
There are lies of commission.
There are bald-face lies, and there are in your face lies.
There are Taqqieh lies (concept of, if your life is in danger you must — lie)
There are bluff lies, and there are BS lies.
There are exaggeration lies.
There are fib lies.
And my most favorite — honest and noble lie.

Did I miss some? Weasel words? Pinocchios?

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Mar 3 2021 17:34 utc | 88

Has Mr. Biden come good on ANY campaign promise? So far, no 2k relief cheque, no healthcare, and back to bombing - the continuance of endless wars. Have I missed something? Has he done ANYTHING he said he'd do?

Posted by: rgl | Mar 4 2021 16:04 utc | 89

@rgl | Mar 4 2021 16:04 utc | 89

"Has Mr. Biden come good on ANY campaign promise?"
"Nothing will fundamentally change"--proudly proclaimed to his donors. Americans are getting what they wanted and deserve, good and hard.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Mar 4 2021 19:47 utc | 90