RePost end of last bread

'Rhetorical policy': Bolton says Trump administration is bluffing on vow to denuclearize North Korea'

Former national security adviser John Bolton is questioning whether the Trump administration "really means it" when the president and other officials promise to denuclearize North Korea. Speaking with Axios in an interview published Sunday, Bolton accused President Trump of bluffing on the vow to rid the hermit nation of nuclear weapons, saying the White House "would be pursuing a different course" if the pledge were true. "The idea that we are somehow exerting maximum pressure on North Korea is just unfortunately not true," he said, calling the Trump administration's assertion that the country cannot have nukes a "rhetorical policy."

If North Korea follows through on its promised "Christmas gift" for the United States, which some believe is a sign that the country could resume long-distance missile tests, Bolton believes the White House should do something "that would be very unusual." According to him, administration officials should admit they were wrong and say, "We've tried. The policy's failed. We're going to go back now and make it clear that in a variety of steps, together with our allies, when we say it's unacceptable, we're going to demonstrate we will not accept it." "We're now nearly three years into the administration with no visible progress toward getting North Korea to make the strategic decision to stop pursuing deliverable nuclear weapons," Bolton said. "Time is on the side of the proliferator. The more time there is, the more time there is to develop, test, and refine both the nuclear component and the ballistic missile component of the program."

Trump has been working toward denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and promoting peace between North and South Korea since he took office. Over the summer, he made history as the only president to have crossed the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea. Around the same time, he left a summit with leader Kim Jong Un and declared, "There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea." However, evidence has arisen, indicating that Kim has actually expanded the country's nuclear arsenal since. Some have estimated that there are between 20-30 nuclear warheads in North Korea. The nation has also been frequently testing missiles over the past year, something Trump has said doesn't bother him. Bolton, however, criticized the president's indifference.

"When the president says, 'Well, I'm not worried about short-range missiles,' he's saying, 'I'm not worried about the potential risk to American troops deployed in the region or our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan,'" he said. North Korea has set an end-of-year deadline to conduct nuclear negotiations with the U.S. The president is expected to remain at his Mar-a-Lago club for at least two weeks after arriving there over the weekend, so it is unclear when or where the negotiations would take place.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/rhetorical-policy-bolton-says-trump-administration-is-bluffing-on-vow-to-denuclearize-north-korea

Hmmm, Got a feeling BIG Christmas gift might be disclosure from NK. Wonder if this is why Bolton sounds like he's hitting the panic button.

'John Dingell was not exactly a wallflower': Pence chief of staff defends Trump attacks on late congressman

Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, defended President Trump's recent attacks on former Rep. John Dingell by insisting the late congressman "was not exactly a wallflower" himself. Joining Fox News Sunday, Short was confronted about the president's rally last week, during which Trump suggested Dingell may be in hell "looking up" at his wife Debbie Dingell, who now holds the Michigan Democrat's congressional seat.

"How do you explain the president making a comment that hurt her so deeply — you talk about Christmas, this’ll be her first Christmas in 38 years without her husband — and why won’t he apologize?" Wallace asked. "Chris, I’m sorry that she’s hurting, and I’m sorry — and I certainly hope and wish her the best as she deals with the circumstances. I think that our administration respects the service of John Dingell," Short said. "We respect in uniform, we respect his service to our country in Congress, and we respect her service to our country following her husband in Congress." He continued, "I’m sorry that she’s in this circumstance today, but, you know, in light of where we were on Wednesday night, I think the president’s saying John Dingell was not exactly a wallflower. John Dingell called the president ‘imbecile’ in his closing months. John Dingell himself, as well, had a lot of critical comments about the president, yet he took time to call Debbie Dingell, to express his personal condolences on the passing. He lowered flags to half-mast."

On the day of his impeachment in the House, Trump railed against Dingell during a campaign rally that night, expressing his frustration with her vote in favor of impeaching him on two articles: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. "She calls me up," Trump said, recalling their conversation following John Dingell's February death. "'It's the nicest thing that's ever happened. Thank you so much. John would be so thrilled. He's looking down. He would be so thrilled.'" He added, "I said, 'That's OK, don't worry about it.' Maybe he's looking up; I don't know. Maybe, but let's assume he's looking down." The president's joke was met with backlash from those on both sides of the political aisle. Debbie Dingell herself responded to the attack, saying it "made my healing much harder." "I don’t want to get into this tit for tat. That’s going down to his level. He did lower the flags. And I was grateful, and I told him that. And I think we just all need to really look to what’s happening to the tone of rhetoric and the divisiveness in this country,” she said the morning after the rally. Prior to Short's defense, others pointed out that John Dingell had at one point told Trump to "go to hell," saying during the 2016 election, "On behalf of so many of my fellow veterans: Please take two running jumps and go to hell, Mr. Trump."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/john-dingell-was-not-exactly-a-wallflower-pence-chief-of-staff-defends-trump-attacks-on-late-congressman

Very interesting Fox Removed this post

March Short responds to a bruising editorial by Christianity Today calling for the President's removal. Chris also asks Marc Short why the president won't apologize to Rep. Debbie Dingell for attacks on her late husband. #FNS #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/TUozl9bJ0e

— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) December 22, 2019

'Double-edged sword cuts both ways': CNN analyst warns Pelosi withholding impeachment articles isn't 'sustainable'

CNN analyst David Gergen warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she's holding a "double-edged sword" by withholding the House-passed articles of impeachment from the Senate. Joining Sunday night's CNN Newsroom, Gergen — who was an adviser to former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton — was asked to respond to Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short's assessment that Pelosi "will yield" eventually and send the articles to the upper chamber.

Gergen said Short "has a point" and explained that Pelosi has found herself in a predicament. “Pelosi has been masterful in the past months dealing with the issues,” he said. “But now she has what we might call a double-edged sword. One edge of that sword: she’s arguing persuasively that the White House has shut down the possibility of getting documents and witnesses … And, therefore, the full facts haven’t come out, and Democrats are entitled to have the full facts if they’ll have a trial. That’s a legitimate argument.” He continued, “On the other hand, there’s the other side of the sword, Ana: the Democrats have been arguing all this time, ‘Hustle up, hustle up, we have to hurry.’ And now they have the impeachment done, they are saying, 'Slow down, we’re not sure we’re going to send the articles.’ I think you can maintain that for a short period of time. I do not think it’s a sustainable position over a long period of time."

Gergen added, “A double-edged sword cuts both ways." After the House voted to impeach President Trump on Wednesday, Pelosi indicated that she does not have a timeline in mind for sending the articles to the Senate, arguing that she wants to wait until Republican leaders agree to terms for a fair Senate trial. On Sunday, Short insisted that Pelosi's position is "untenable" and that the White House is "confident" she will hand the articles over soon.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/double-edged-sword-cuts-both-ways-cnn-analyst-warns-pelosi-withholding-impeachment-articles-isnt-sustainable

BackChannels ~ Conflict, Culture, Language, Psychology

This caught my eye for obvious reasons needs a closer look quite a bit to look through

https://conflict-backchannels.com/2016/12/13/samantha-power-on-syria-is-there-literally-nothing-that-can-shame-you/

Samantha Power on Syria – “Is There Literally Nothing that Can Shame You?

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FChannel4News%2Fvideos%2F10154342233306939%2F&show_text=0&width=400

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>>7594708

I have always viewed Bolton as a hateful warmonger..He must have done well with them through out the years.

>>7595146

A decorative “house of cards” sits in the Red Room, constructed from official White House playing decks.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/12/02/photos-the-2019-white-house-christmas-decorations/