Op Ed by Will Hurd, Republican, On Trump

[rogue06]

Quick, name the last Republican president people thought was smart....

Including Eisenhower, all Republican presidents have been portrayed from kind of slow to outright stupid -- except Nixon.

[oxmixmudd]

A pretty big difference!

One thing people might not be considering is that Trump is smarter than they think and is just playing friendly in public and to Putin's face to placate him, while having our spies work behind the scenes. What good does it do to just call Putin a liar to his face? It benefits us to keep diplomatic relations and dialogs going with Russia. Obama and Hillary did it. Bush 1 & 2 did it, every president does it.

I think it a bit foolish to ignore the assessment of a former CIA operative who has observed people that are being manipulated by the Russian government. It does appear that most of you posting along these lines are in a similar mindset to the YEC where all facts contrary to what you want to think are true are necessarily part of a vast and evil conspiracy to hide the truth. Or perhaps so hopelessly biased as,to be safely ignored.

This fellow is conservative, a republican, and a former operative very familiar with these sorts of things. Further, as a republican in the house he has little reason to want to say something like this and many reasons to keep silent. Which implies isn't just some mild hunch. He must be nearly certain this is what is going on.

Jim

[Starlight]

Including Eisenhower, all Republican presidents have been portrayed from kind of slow to outright stupid -- except Nixon.

Perhaps Republicans could nominate/elect more intelligent and less criminal people in future? Or would that be asking too much?

[Terraceth]

I'm not sure a former CIA operative has any grounds to complain about someone else doing this.

[Tassman]

Breaking News! Trump has split personalities! We must impeach him them!

[NorrinRadd]

Zem. Get it right, you non-conformist.

No one impeaches ZEM!

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[NorrinRadd]

I think it a bit foolish to ignore the assessment of a former CIA operative who has observed people that are being manipulated by the Russian government. It does appear that most of you posting along these lines are in a similar mindset to the YEC where all facts contrary to what you want to think are true are necessarily part of a vast and evil conspiracy to hide the truth. Or perhaps so hopelessly biased as,to be safely ignored.

This fellow is conservative, a republican, and a former operative very familiar with these sorts of things. Further, as a republican in the house he has little reason to want to say something like this and many reasons to keep silent. Which implies isn't just some mild hunch. He must be nearly certain this is what is going on.

Jim

I'm skeptical of everyone involved.

I don't know why this ex-spook thinks Russia is a greater "geopolitical threat" (or whatever) than China.

I don't know why this ex-spook should be believed above the sundry other ex-spooks who think Trump is doing ok w.r.t. Russia.

I can see why Trump would hesitate to give a full-throated endorsement to America's collective intel agencies. They've screwed the pooch in the past, and besides that, he probably believes (not unreasonably, IMO) that segments of them would like to undermine him.

Putin surely is evil and is not to be trusted. But making deals of convenience with untrustworthy, bad people is commonplace.

I think Trump was flat-out lying when he "explained" his "miscommunication." Doing so was a (supposedly) necessary step to patch things up with his intel agencies.

[Charles]

The difference, of course, is that Obama's foreign policy was just as spineless and subservient as his public front. Trump plays soft in public but is tough as nails in private. But then there are idiots like you who think Trump should have damaged our relations with Russia by publicly humiliating Putin.

So he saved those relations with Russia by publicly humiliating himself, his intelligence services and his nation. When looking at those consequences one would think that perhaps, after all, he should have done what people you describe as idiots would have adviced him to do. When some Republicans, journalists on Fox News and so on start to really question him it is not going to help much to be "tough as nails in private" which I certainly doubt he is.

[Tassman]

First the White House and sycophantic MSM denied it was taking place only showing images from behind where it was hard to see the bowing but images from the foreign press started circulating showing the deep bows.

Then we were told he was only bending down to eye level of those foreign leaders but not only the pictures revealed that was false but some of them like the Saudi king was nearly as tall as he was. Moreover, the only leader he didn't bow before was Queen Elizabeth -- the shortest of those he met.

Only then did we get told that it was okay to bow like he did.

Obama was obeying correct etiquette with the Japanese emperor, as opposed to Trump walking all over the 92 y.o. UK monarch at Windsor Castle in typical boorish fashion. I.e. Obama was exhibiting courtesy, which is an unknown quality in Trumpland.

[rogue06]

Perhaps Republicans could nominate/elect more intelligent and less criminal people in future? Or would that be asking too much?

Or liberals could come up with another mantra. It's the same with Supreme Court picks. They literally have a fill in the blank complaint regardless of who gets nominated

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ABC's Nightline was attacking the "controversial" nominee even before one was announced

They say the same thing about every single one like they were clones ever since Bork. And while someone so ignorant as to think Joseph Stalin was a right winger might think they are the same anyone with even an ounce of discernment can see there is a huge difference between a Kennedy, a Roberts and a Gorsuch.

[rogue06]

Obama was obeying correct etiquette with the Japanese emperor, as opposed to Trump walking all over the 92 y.o. UK monarch at Windsor Castle in typical boorish fashion. I.e. Obama was exhibiting courtesy, which is an unknown quality in Trumpland.

Which was why the Japanese media was mentioning that their emperor was actually embarrassed for Obama wrt his subservient behavior.

[JimL]

I'm not sure a former CIA operative has any grounds to complain about someone else doing this.

The former CIA operative is not complaining about Russia's meddling, he's complaining about the President of the U.S.'s complicity. Of course he has grounds, he's an American!

[Mountain Man]

So he saved those relations with Russia by publicly humiliating himself, his intelligence services and his nation. When looking at those consequences one would think that perhaps, after all, he should have done what people you describe as idiots would have adviced him to do. When some Republicans, journalists on Fox News and so on start to really question him it is not going to help much to be "tough as nails in private" which I certainly doubt he is.

Sure, that's one way to spin. It's not an especially accurate or informed way, but it is one way.

[JimL]

Which was why the Japanese media was mentioning that their emperor was actually embarrassed for Obama wrt his subservient behavior.

It was not subservient behavior rogue, it's a customary sign of respect which many presidents in the past, Nixon, Eisenhower, Clinton, George Bush, all understood and did. The problem is that you are under the spell of Fox News et el and simply, thoughtlessly, believe and parrot whatever they tell you to believe and parrot.

[rogue06]

It was not subservient behavior rogue, it's a customary sign of respect which many presidents in the past, Nixon, Eisenhower, Clinton, George Bush, all understood and did. The problem is that you are under the spell of Fox News et el and simply, thoughtlessly, believe and parrot whatever they tell you to believe and parrot.

The deep bow from the waist is only for servants.

Here is an illustration showing the three types of bows

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The first is typical among equals. Here is someone and his superior (on the right if you can't tell) bowing to each other

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But Obama went even deeper than the servant's bow, between 50 and 60 degrees

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