In recent years, when Republicans have criticized President Obama’s approach to foreign policy, they invariably complain that his priorities are backwards. America’s allies, the argument goes, no longer count on us, while America’s adversaries no longer fear us.

In a foreign policy speech delivered in April, none other than Donald Trump, reading from his trusted teleprompter, argued, “[O]ur friends are beginning to think they can’t depend on us. We’ve had a president who dislikes our friends and bows to our enemies.”

The entire line of attack has long been deeply ironic. Under Obama’s presidency, the United States’ international reputation has improved considerably over the Bush/Cheney era, and our allies’ confidence in our leadership has grown. Now that Trump is poised to take power, however, anxiety and mistrust among American allies has reached levels unseen in generations. The Washington Post reported yesterday:
European leaders grappled with the jolting reality of President-elect Donald Trump’s skepticism of the European Union on Monday, saying they might have to stand without the United States at their side during the Trump presidency.

The possibility of an unprecedented breach in transatlantic relations came after Trump – who embraced anti-E.U. insurgents during his campaign and following his victory – said in weekend remarks that the 28-nation European Union was bound for a breakup and that he was indifferent to its fate. He also said NATO’s current configuration is “obsolete,” even as he professed commitment to Europe’s defense.
To put it mildly, the president-elect’s weekend comments have rattled much of the world. As we noted yesterday, Trump sat down with two European newspapers for an interview in which he dismissed NATO as “obsolete”; criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel for assisting Syrian refugees (whom Trump referred to as “illegals”); said the United States “should be ready to trust” Russian President Vladimir Putin; and endorsed the further unraveling of the European Union.

The Post added that Trump’s attitudes “have raised alarm bells across Europe,” as America’s traditional allies come to the “painful realization” that Europeans may no longer have “the full backing of their oldest, strongest partner.”

The article went on to note, “The full ramifications of a potential breakdown in transatlantic ties are so extensive, they are difficult to total…. For decades, European nations and the United States have worked tightly together on issues of war, peace and wealth.”

This has been the backbone of the world order for generations, and in the United States, there’s been a steady, bipartisan commitment to the Western alliance. American allies counted on this international partnership to endure.

And now countries around the globe are anxious, if not terrified, because Americans elected an erratic amateur who says he intends to shuffle the diplomatic deck, partnering not with U.S. allies, but with a U.S. adversary – Russia – which apparently played a role in putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Love of country? Certainly you refer to Russia or Iran or Pakistan. Certainly you do not seriously expect any here to think that you claim to be an American; are inferring love of America ... Or perhaps you are that arrogant. Well, you hold that thought ... but you, as all Leftist Progressive Democrats, are not an American. A citizen of the United States perhaps but American ... not possible.

You started this thread with a subject and a position you are obviously ill-prepared to defend (primarily because it's tripe and you have zero understanding of it). You have been presented here with numerous comments to the subject at hand that could be debated yet your longest rant so far in three pages is this one demeaning a poster while saying ZERO about the subject. I believe you have no clue how to support your position and more to the point had no intention of doing so in the first place. You are simply regurgitating the Party Line for the sake of doing so for your degenerate cause … which we are beginning the process of stamping out.

It is also notable that you have no one coming to your defense with the exception of one screwball Leftist who is more f**ked up than you. Where is your supporting cast of Leftist loons?

By the way ... f**k the protesters, 900,000 or 9 million ... the Dems who won't attend the inauguration ... Barack Hussein Obama, Hilary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and George Soros ... and all Democrats in general. You don't frighten we-the-people and in point of fact in case you hadn't noticed we are embracing this long overdue opportunity to piss on your ideological nonsense. So by all means, bring it. It means NOTHING … Friday Mr. Trump will be president of the United States of America and thus begins your (Leftists) worst nightmare, for many years to come.



CDM,

In the years that we have both been on opp... You have not changed a bit..

This OPP thing is the habitat of right wing nuts, all who echo each others dearest lies... 90% of the members on OPP simply voice the unhappiness of their lives over and over. Blame it on the nigger in the white house..
Blame it on the commies of the left.. Now with trump loving the oil and the manliness of Putin, you all become Russia lovers while still calling the left commie.. LOL... what a bunch of fools.. Watch this video and then tell me how you think that Trump and the Russians carried that election. This is from just before the election of 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgzvHugIuzc

Yes, trump won the electorate in one of the closest races in generations.. 46 out of 54 elections, while at the same time losing the popular vote my the largest margin (near 3 million votes) ever by a winning candidate.. He won some states with fewer votes the Romney won while losing those states.. I see that you didn't tell illegal aliens in California so they could have some influence in the election. Poor soul.

Thanks to Gerrymandering and voter suppression, and blocking the filling of judges. The GOP has a daunting advantage. They may indeed have the power for generations.. They have accomplished "rule of the minority" in a nation that is a republic.. and a democracy..

But look at what you face now.. drain the swamp? trump stopped that idea weeks ago... Replace the ACA, congress is having fits with this.. The basic value in Obamas cabinet was education. the basic value of the incoming cabinet is billionaire bankers.. And these single minded predators are who you are putting your trust into.. keep your eyes open..

Hillary a criminal... You will go to your grave with this belief.. For now the incoming cabinet contains people who have been convicted of the crimes you think Hillary committed. But they are trump punks so they are good..

You as one of trumps chumps, need to remember that as an American, which you should be, keep close watch on you savoir and live what you think you are.. none of you are patriots, but you think that a return to 50 years ago will make you happy..

Our childhood was not only the good time we remember but also a time of stress and cold war tension... to dismiss the treatys with our allies and embrace Russia and Putin, the thug who runs Russia as trump seems to want to run the United States.. You think is a good idea..

"Voter suppression --- another favored GOP tactic" ... Is this different from me saying, for example, "illegal aliens and dead people voting --- another favored Democrat tactic?" Have I stated a fact? I can get as many people as you can to support my claim. Does that make it fact.

Once again you think that posting more hearsay, unsubstantiated (the absolute absence of hard evidence) sob stories written by Leftists is a response. Where is the hard, uncontested, factual evidence to be found? Where is the fact based cause-and-effect analysis? Why is the best you people can do ever is to point to isolated stories with the background conveniently cloaked, with the detail masked, eliminated or re-contexted and call that a case?

Lets look a the questions above from a different perspective. In the 2017 election a total of 137 million people voted. Of those votes approximately 65 million voted for Clinton, 63 million for Trump and 8 million for third party. In the 2012 election about 130 million people voted; 65 million for Obama (gee ain't that coincidence), 60 million for Romney and the rest third party. Just how effective is the GOP vote suppression mechanism? From where I sit it looks like they are either a) not very good at it or b) have it down to a science in that they can suppress to within a decimal point. Pretty good. Now, if someone would just explain to them to suppress so THEY get more votes than the other guy ...

And oddly, I have been unable to find any significant, documented whining and crying on the part of the Leftist Democrats and their media cronies when they win... Hmmmm ... A different standard for winning and losing? Naw, couldn't be ... Or maybe ... By the same token I can't find evidence of the Republicans claiming cheating or suppression or vote fixing when they lose ... So I guess it only happens to the Democrats. Or;

Are you implying that Hilary lost because the GOP successfully suppressed enough votes in enough swing states to effect the outcome electorally? Is that your point here? Anyway, back to the different perspective;

How many votes did Clinton lose to suppression? If it occurred in significant force it must be documented somewhere otherwise where do the (so called) journalists get their fodder? Hundreds of thousands of people could not be suppressed and not make a lot of noise about it. And, of the 65 million votes she did receive how many were from illegals, dead people and people who voted multiple times? I mean after all, lots of people claim this to be a problem too; a bigger problem than suppression. But again, where's the hard evidence? I can't find it. Can you?

Really. Why not skip the diversionary bullshit, the regurgitation of Collective Central talking points and address any one of the hard core subjects that I addressed in my rant? The ones of real import and substance with underlying, factual support? Because frankly, this low level crap is getting boring.

CDM

Those sob stories that bother so much are written laws in the respective states.. How many were prevented from voting? impassable to tell.. est in the 1000s..

It matters not that a number can not be stated.. The laws of suppression are republican laws, they are written in the states and had an effect..

They are not foolish rumors about graveyard registration or dup voting.. I could state that many of the people in the township I live in have homes in the twin cities.. Bet they all are registered in both locations and vote 2 times in every election..

That has the same substance as the statement you made..

Enjoy you orange man inauguration..

You do not bother telling the truth. It must be a LIBERAL thing! Lies deceit, crime, anything that is rotten. Telling the truth is what you should make "effort" on...that and an attempt on learning how to spell. Spell check? I see, you are so DEPENDENT on your Black Leader, Government, Fake News, that you cannot even function in a normal way, you even have to DEPEND on spell check, and are not intellectual to comprehend when that makes an error! True communist at your finest! Everyone and everything HAS to do for you, you are not capable of doing anything for yourself. NO wonder why you cower in fear now that we have a real President, one that wants people to work and not be on welfare! You are programmed to have everyone else do something for you, what we commonly call, a welfare hood rat!

You should not "fret" about accommodating others, you should concentrate on doing that for yourself. Try actually having an honest, real life, one without the need of having everyone else give handouts to you. Perhaps finding a real job, paying your own way in life. I bet if you get off welfare, you may actually gain some moral fiber in your life. As it is now, you have NONE!

CDM

Those sob stories that bother so much are written laws in the respective states.. How many were prevented from voting? impassable to tell.. est in the 1000s..

It matters not that a number can not be stated.. The laws of suppression are republican laws, they are written in the states and had an effect..

They are not foolish rumors about graveyard registration or dup voting.. I could state that many of the people in the township I live in have homes in the twin cities.. Bet they all are registered in both locations and vote 2 times in every election..

That has the same substance as the statement you made..

Enjoy you orange man inauguration..

This response makes it abundantly clear that you obviously don't have a clue what I was saying. I don't believe you are a stupid person. I believe you, like almost all Leftist Collectivists choose to be what you are; a Leftist dupe, because being a Leftist Dupe is very easy. You simply don't think ... you don't have to since it's done for you. You just react. You guys are Progressive Democrat pinatas; paper mache jackasses filled with Collectivist Central bullshit and hung for some unsuspecting normal person to hit with a stick to be showered with the bullshit. You will never understand the concept of America. You are taking up space and using air that would be better used by a patriot ... but hey, ain't that the beauty of America, even a full of shit jackass has the right to exist.

And thank you for the thoughtfulness, I did enjoy the inauguration very much. I enjoyed seeing the people sitting on the podium being skinned alive by the new President of the United States of America for current and past transgressions. I particularly enjoyed watching Mrs. Obama's head on the verge of exploding. I enjoyed watching the Obama's skulk away as private citizens. And what can I say about the looks on Bill and Hilary's faces? Priceless! I enjoyed the fact that 56 Democrats did not show up for the ceremony showing the country and the world their true nature; their pure intolerance; their hatred for this country and everything it stands for and most significantly that they don't have a clue what has happened to them or what's about to happen. They are disconnected from the American reality. I enjoyed too the Battle Hymen of the Republic; e.g. smash the living shit out of any thing and any one who attempts to damage our nation ... But mostly I enjoyed;

That I could be alive to witness the beginning of the possible end of the Leftist nightmare in America for possibly a generation or more to come after 100 years of their tyranny. That because of a demographic shift you commies didn't anticipate we may be on the verge of stomping the guts out of Leftism because the new, largest generation, Millennials, are not communistic. Because the Leftist indoctrination did not take ... by the way, in case you missed it, we will be taking our schools, the ones Jimmy The Commie Carter gave away, back under our control... and our children will once again be taught what it means to be an American (helllllooooooo teachers unions, get ready for the worst days of your pathetic lives)...

So sit back and enjoy the next 30 or so years ... or not. Who gives a shit?

LOL,,

I am on welfare???? If SS, my pension and dipping into my investment account puts me on welfare.. so be it.. Nuts I forgot to mention my wheat farm income, but why be particular..

No point in my trying to trade insults.. You are much better at that..

But as you are a right wing conservative.. tonight when you go to bed. Lay your head on the pillow and remember, everything that you think is true is a lie.. nothing in you comprehension is as you think it is..

The money will soon be with all those billionaires who make up the cabinet.. The Russian oil will soon change the shape of world direction.. and if you are still of an age to work, you can grab one of those stipends the republicans plan to replace your paycheck with..