un-fucking-believable that walking catastrophe of an ex-President isn’t in jail yet. how protected the corrupt are in the world when it comes to the “elite”
He has sold secrets. For sure!
I’ve seen a couple of people pick up on it, but not as much as Id expected, but its worth pointing out that the last several years has been unusually disruptive to US intelligence gathering efforts. There was a report of a CIA cable sent to all offices about 12 months ago warning of threats to human sources, which by itself wasnt unusual, but the hairs on fire “our sources keep dying” tone and content of it was reported as being unusual. Couple this with the reporting that MBS credits information coming directly from Kushner that fueled his infamous Ritz Cartlon round up back in 2018 and its really difficult to not think there are dots to be connected.
I dont know if people are just missing it, or whether even for the most anti trump people its considered too explosive to even speculate about.
Say what now? What was this? Can’t remember
Edit: Ohh, poor Kashoggi
People forget that MBS isn’t technically the ruler of Saudi, nor was he even the presumed heir until fairly recently (at some point during the Trump presidency). Shortly after his official elevation to crown prince he had a large group of supposed political enemies rounded up and held in prison (amusingly in the Ritz Carlton). It was roundly reported that these people were tortured into supporting his ascension, and at least one of the detainees died from his injuries.
Sometime later, MBS was reported to have bragged to people that he has the inside scoop on US intelligence from Kushner and it was he who gave him the information he needed to initiate that incident. Importantly, it happened mere days after Kushner had been there for a 1-1 visit. Kushner denied it on the record, but as with his FiL, I think he is too stupid and vapid to know if he had done it accidentally. Regardless, without much interrogation of the leak the story just kind of disappeared. Which absolutely amazed me, especially given the reporting that Kushner had been denied a security clearance and Trump over ruled it and gave him one anyway.
This is from 2019, but the reporting on Kushner specifically was contperaneous
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-clearances/whistleblower-says-ivanka-jared-got-security-clearance-over-experts-advice-idUSKCN1RD2HU
I think it’s pretty plain to see now, there’s some major power plays happening from the middle east. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that Saudi’s are heavily involved in the Russian invasion of UKR. I cannot find the report that stated that the Middle East is buying up all of Russia’s surplus oil on the cheap and this allows them to sell all of their domestic product at inflated prices making some huge $$$ in the process.
it’s all dirty games, money laundering. buying up PL teams, starting their own golf league and opening these Las Vegas style resorts in the desert… these are HUGE moves to shift world power back to the middle east.
We orientate so much of our middle east policy towards maintaining a supposedly mutually beneficial alliance with the saudis, despite there being zero ideological alignment. They have literally one role in that, and that is to maintain adequate supple of their oil. This year they have rejected the US’ please to increase production multiple times, which prompts the question of what the fuck are we doing having anything to do with them? Its gross that we do in the first place, but the self interest is understandable, but Saudis wont even deliver on that then why are we aligned with them?
I think it’s pretty clear that they understand an entire middle east policy cannot be realigned on the scale of a single presidency and so are willing to destroy relations with the US if they can usher in a return of Trump, who will then again give them everything they need. The prospect of that happening also dminishes the blow back theyd face from taking moves viewed as bolstering Russia’s military advances, such as creating a situation in which the demand for Russian fuel remains high.
they have literally zero incentive to boost production on a finite supply of resources.
why should they sell more oil at $75 a barrel when they can produce less for $100.
this is the way of the world now.
If you think just commercially, sure. But this is about geopolitics. Their needs are at the center of our policy in their region and we do a million things to please them. They have literally one job in maintaining that relationship and that is maintaining adequate global oil supply. Increasing production would drop the price, but in any real alliance that would be secondary. They are obviously no longer concerned about the impact of them not holding up their end of the deal, and it’s worth questioning why.
Do they think ideas in Washington are too ossified for the US to respond appropriately by casting them aside? Probably.
Do they think that a couple of years of us being angry at them is worth it given the chance of a much more friendly figure getting back into office, one who will give them what they want without the need for them to pay America back. they just need to pay him back? Probably
Do they think fucking with us creates an environment that is more likely to put Trump, or someone like him, in office? 100%
Barr has gone on Fox today and ripped apart all of Trump’s defenses for the Mar a Lago search. This is a guy who was Trump’s water carrier who actively participated in his many acts of obstruction of justice and attempts to steal an election, right up until he didnt want to. And yet the response from MAGA world is now to pretend none of that happened and recast him as the guy who helped Biden steal an election by sitting on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
There is no bottom for these people. Take away one defense they use for their guy and they jump straight back into the crazy to create a new one out of thin air
again, creating chaos while Biden is in office only strengthens their position. they have ZERO incentive to boost production
Not for Money
Not for Power
Not for longevity of their finite resources…
the quicker we get free of the grip of oil dependency, the better we’ll be
god fucking forbid that the west be progressive in thinking and start building for the future. Nope, give us our 8000lb grocery getter / soccer mom SUV because he feels “safer” in that or an F350 and not one of those “foreign jobbies”.
I fucking hate this place sometimes, for all it’s natural beauty of where we live… people are so fucking primitive in their thinking.
US/Western policy regarding the Middle East has gone from bad to worse since the collapse of the USSR/Communist Block. Previously, these regimes could be controlled or dictated. In the last two decades, the Saudi-Emirate axis has created its sphere of influence in Djibouti (military base), Sudan (propping up a military regime), Egypt (see Sudan), Yemen ( 
), Libya (propping up a warlord ravaging the country), and Pakistan (propping up whomever ISI recommends). I have heard that they now have considerable influence in Kosovo too.
You see the extent of their influence in the campaign against Qatar WC. While Qatar has abused hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers, millions in Saudi Arabia and UAE suffer the same abuse for decades. Yet, there wasn’t even any mention of the abuse of those workers. Bahrain, a lackey of the axis, has been grossly violating human rights including jailing a 13-year-old since the Arab Spring. Forget about condemnations, you don’t even hear about these atrocities in the mainstream media.
Things will only get worse as the US/West continues to value the axis as the supplier of oil and buyer of weapons.
Rant over 
How is he allowed to spew his bile when there is an ongoing investigation? Is it because he hasn’t been charged yet?
Even if he is found guilty, this is not going to end well. He has convinced too many people that he is in the right. I don’t think the convictions of the Jan 6 mob has had any dampening effect on the MAGA supporters.
Yes, the more you condemn and clamp down, the more they act like martyrs. It’s tricky, but you can’t let their crimes go unpunished.
I’ve been too-ing and frow-ing about this lately. How many people has be actually got convinced? I don’t think it is half the electorate. Is it even a majority within the Republican half or is it just the visual minority?
I was across in New Jersey last month and there was no talk amongst the people I socialised with (admittedly a singular observation and narrow demographic) about any immanent or medium term threat - life was just moving along for all. Most see it through the lens of “the US has been around for a while now and this isn’t going to break it” and “we’ve been trough worse to get here and to set up our successful life”. Though not happy with the noises coming from the politicians, it is largely seen as a passing moment and overall still better than anywhere else in the world. The demographic was mainly made up of the middle income bracket, i.e. (probably) no 7 figure salaries but mostly comfortable and integrated well socially.
My hope is that a new cadre of Republican will (eventually) emerge that will align against the current brand and that this period will be seen as a anathema.
Too naïve, too hopeful, deluded? All? Possibly.
p.s. I hope this isn’t the last generation that dies…
Mate New Jersey is east coast, that’s bound to be staunchly democratic. I went to college in Long Island NY and used to live in NJ when I used to work in NYC. They will always vote Democrats. Not a cross sectional view of the country as a whole.
The problem isn’t the majority. It’s the militant minority that has been emboldened to do something stupid.
Trump must be livid over Obama winning an Emmy, at least he would be if he knew what it meant.
After years complaining that the Apprentice never won an Emmy and now Obama picks one up.
Odds on him developing his own TV awards programme?
Pretty high I’d say.
Yes, complacency often enables the rise of demagogues.