Putin owns Trump, and Trump owns us.

This can't last.

According to this report, not only is he skipping his first NATO meeting but he's going to Moscow instead.

45 does not seem to mind playing the country for fools. He does not hesitate to soften or downplay his close ties with Putin. This is so blatant I'm wondering what the Republicans are going to do to try and spin this.

Perhaps US companies can get some business manufacturing Russian flags?
This is a report from Reuters. copy/paste not capturing the URL.


U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to skip a meeting with NATO foreign ministers next month in order to stay home for a visit by China's president and will go to Russia later in April, U.S. officials said on Monday, disclosing an itinerary that allies may see as giving Moscow priority over them.

Tillerson intends to miss what would have been his first meeting of the 28 NATO allies on April 5-6 in Brussels so that he can attend President Donald Trump's expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, four current and former U.S. officials said.

Skipping the NATO meeting and visiting Moscow could risk feeding a perception that Trump may be putting U.S. dealings with big powers first, while leaving waiting those smaller nations that depend on Washington for security, two former U.S. officials said.

What he should be doing is derailing the gravy train. It's stupid to borrow money to throw away.

PkrBum wrote:What he should be doing is derailing the gravy train. It's stupid to borrow money to throw away.

You are wrong (again) in my opinion.

The "gravy train" in this context is foreign aid and bases.

The only thing Tillerson has time for is cementing the relationship between the US and Russia. I swear I have never seen anything like this. We are in for some extraordinary revelations in the next few weeks. It doesn't even look as if 45's administration is making the slightest effort to paper over or deflect attention from this latest move to cozy up to Putin.

What do all the so called flag waving patriots have to say about this guy they've put in the WH? I mean really, what has to happen before the scales fall from their eyes? Maybe Tillerson is going to beg Putin for a medal for 45?


Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, won the award three years ago after signing deals with the state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft, according to The Washington Post. A press release from the Kremlin at the time said it was awarded to Tillerson for his “big contribution to developing cooperation in the energy sector.”

The deal that Tillerson orchestrated, the Post reports, involved a drilling program in the Arctic but U.S. sanctions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea put the project on hold.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-did-russia-give-to-trumps-secretary-of-state-pick-rex-tillerson/

Saw a brief report tonight that Trump himself will attend the NATO meeting. That could mean so many things that I have to stop myself from speculating, but it seems to me it's all about appearances - the need for which has radically changed since the Comey hearing.

And speaking of Tillerson, Maddow reported tonight that the one reporter he allowed to travel with him had posted a conversation between the two of them (and I'm paraphrasing because I don't recall the exact wording):

Tillerson: I didn't want this job. I never asked for this job.

Reporter: Then why'd you take it?

Tillerson: My wife. My wife said I needed to do it.

Or some such. Could prolly find the exact quote but am too sleepy.

Anyway, I found that telling.

RealLindaL wrote:Saw a brief report tonight that Trump himself will attend the NATO meeting.  That could mean so many things that I have to stop myself from speculating, but it seems to me it's all about appearances - the need for which has radically changed since the Comey hearing.

This is "politics in a blender" to me. There are so many seemingly significant things going on at once any one of which could spell disaster or at the very least a bad turn of events.

Yes, as of this moment it looks as if 45 will be attending the NATO meeting. Let's hope he takes in some information about its history and purpose before he starts tweeting, oh wait.

US President Donald Trump will attend a NATO leaders' summit scheduled for May, the White House has confirmed.

"The President looks forward to meeting with his NATO counterparts to reaffirm our strong commitment to NATO, and to discuss issues critical to the alliance, especially allied responsibility-sharing and NATO's role in the fight against terrorism," a statement from the White House reads.
It added that, in addition to the Leaders Meeting, Trump will also host Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House next month, "where they will talk about how to strengthen the alliance to cope with challenges to national and international security," the statement adds.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/trump-nato-leaders-meeting/index.html

PkrBum wrote:What he should be doing is derailing the gravy train. It's stupid to borrow money to throw away.

I'll tell you what's fucking stupid, paying for security on Trump towers, paying for weekend trips to Florida, that is money that could be well used for something else. Now that is fucking stupid. Just like the 96 million Obama spent.

I can understand security costs for both but not the excessive trips. Getaways is what Camp David is for.

ppaca wrote:

PkrBum wrote:What he should be doing is derailing the gravy train. It's stupid to borrow money to throw away.

I'll tell you what's fucking stupid, paying for security on Trump towers, paying for weekend trips to Florida, that is money that could be well used for something else. Now that is fucking stupid. Just like the 96 million Obama spent.

I can understand security costs for both but not the excessive trips. Getaways is what Camp David is for.

Why go Camp David when the king owns a palace in Florida and we pay to send him there?