Amb. Fried knows a TACO when he sees one. Mr. Ford recognizes the cowardice in Trump. Tim Weiner understands that the national security professionals have been cast out, fired, leaving Trump with a "team" of incompetents--Gabbard, Ratcliffe, Patel. not to mention Marco Rubio, cowed into uselessness by Trump. Then there are advisors, headed by JD Vance, Stephen Miller (he scares me) and his immigration freak show, Hegseth, a couple of ladies, Bondi and Noem, and the scads of second stringers, all ready to do as Trump asks. Where among this crowd will Trump find the backbone he appears not to have when the time comes to face down Putin?
Intelligence Community journalist Tim Weiner was on fascism expert Ruth Ben-Ghait's Zoom meeting today. He talked about that Trump wants to be Putin so he is not going to do anything like what Fried is suggesting he needs to do here. I think it is a waste of time trying to get Trump to do anything. He pointed out that Trump went to the Putin meeting with zero intelligence because he thinks of the IC at the deep state, and also the people in the know about Ukraine and Russia have been sidelined, or fired. I was not sure.
Tim likened our current situation to a castle that is a fortress and the IC provides that fortress. Instead, if you drain the moat, let down the drawbridges and get rid of the guards on the tower you are totally open to invasion. He is pointing out the hybrid war Russia and China have been waging on the US and Europe. Says both countries have all of the data on everyone in the US intelligence community, and in government. Points out that this administration in classic totalitarian fashion has no intelligent people working for it, just loyalists.
Jeff, wondering if you have read Weiner's book "The Mission" and if so, what do you think? I am assuming you guys know each other.
So, it seems to me that Trump will not be staring Putin down, but the EU needs to learn to do that.I'm sure Zelensky wishes they would stop deferring to Trump and trying to drag the US through Trump into helping Ukraine. Trump does not want to help Ukraine he wants to help Russia, so the best case scenario is to let Trump go golf and leave him out of it when it comes to defending Ukraine and EU needs to take care of it himself.
Amb. Fried knows a TACO when he sees one. Mr. Ford recognizes the cowardice in Trump. Tim Weiner understands that the national security professionals have been cast out, fired, leaving Trump with a "team" of incompetents--Gabbard, Ratcliffe, Patel. not to mention Marco Rubio, cowed into uselessness by Trump. Then there are advisors, headed by JD Vance, Stephen Miller (he scares me) and his immigration freak show, Hegseth, a couple of ladies, Bondi and Noem, and the scads of second stringers, all ready to do as Trump asks. Where among this crowd will Trump find the backbone he appears not to have when the time comes to face down Putin?
Intelligence Community journalist Tim Weiner was on fascism expert Ruth Ben-Ghait's Zoom meeting today. He talked about that Trump wants to be Putin so he is not going to do anything like what Fried is suggesting he needs to do here. I think it is a waste of time trying to get Trump to do anything. He pointed out that Trump went to the Putin meeting with zero intelligence because he thinks of the IC at the deep state, and also the people in the know about Ukraine and Russia have been sidelined, or fired. I was not sure.
Tim likened our current situation to a castle that is a fortress and the IC provides that fortress. Instead, if you drain the moat, let down the drawbridges and get rid of the guards on the tower you are totally open to invasion. He is pointing out the hybrid war Russia and China have been waging on the US and Europe. Says both countries have all of the data on everyone in the US intelligence community, and in government. Points out that this administration in classic totalitarian fashion has no intelligent people working for it, just loyalists.
Jeff, wondering if you have read Weiner's book "The Mission" and if so, what do you think? I am assuming you guys know each other.
So, it seems to me that Trump will not be staring Putin down, but the EU needs to learn to do that.I'm sure Zelensky wishes they would stop deferring to Trump and trying to drag the US through Trump into helping Ukraine. Trump does not want to help Ukraine he wants to help Russia, so the best case scenario is to let Trump go golf and leave him out of it when it comes to defending Ukraine and EU needs to take care of it himself.
Unfortunately, you can't expect a coward to "stare down" Putin. The man from Orange gets tough with people only on TV not in real life.
Refreshing frankness from Ambassador Fried.