Mueller Report

[Aimless]

Trump has done nothing to improve NATO, and has instead both undermined the US's standing and strengthened Russia. He has accomplished little of note wrt NK, other than to let the US get played. He has harmed US trade and, as a result, harmed US businesses and consumers. He's eroded the norms that help safeguard the republic against a corrupt executive, and sabotaged the alliances that help protect the US against its enemies. His presidency has not been a net positive from a principled conservative perspective—only from a nihilistic shitposting perspective.

[Lewkowski]

Trump has done nothing to improve NATO, and has instead both undermined the US's standing and strengthened Russia. He has accomplished little of note wrt NK, other than to let the US get played. He has harmed US trade and, as a result, harmed US businesses and consumers. He's eroded the norms that help safeguard the republic against a corrupt executive, and sabotaged the alliances that help protect the US against its enemies. His presidency has not been a net positive from a principled conservative perspective—only from a nihilistic shitposting perspective.

Trump put NATO on notice for not meeting the 2% military spending guidelines. In response, our NATO allies started increasing military spending.

As far as Russia is concerned, Trump signed CAATSA and the Trump Administration pushed sanctions on Russian Oligarch's as well.

As far as the rest of the nonsense he didn't fire the special consul, he didn't fire Rod Rosenstein. Corrupt executive? I'm sure there's corruption just like there was in the Obama, Clinton and Bush administrations but I've seen no indication it is any worse than usual.

Regarding allies, Japan seems to like us.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/bar...-asked-n972661

So does Israel

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/w...hts-trump.html

So does Italy

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/opini...ntl/index.html

Poland likes us too

https://www.apnews.com/64d0bb402f034cf8bc286a8996a7d8e3

Potentially naming a base "Fort Trump" lol

Heck even tiny Lithuania comments on Trumps leadership as something the world needs.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4120483/d...hip-lithuania/

I understand that the old alliances have benefited America, after all there was immense gratitude towards our country from saving Western Europe from the twin nightmares of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union but they have constantly bitched about how we do things and undermined our ability to lead the world. So yeah fuck them unless they want to play ball.

I'll take conservative governments over liberal governments any day of the week.

[GGT]

Getting back to Mueller's report about Russian Interference and AG Barr: if he didn't want to use "summaries" then why did he release his own "summary" (which turned out to be misleading), continue to mislead the senate under oath, then refuse to attend congressional hearings?

The AG is supposed to be the head lawyer for the country. But Barr apparently believes in a powerful Executive and the Unitary Executive Theory, which gives the president broad powers over any executive branch (like the DoJ or FBI). There's also that DoJ "guideline memo" which says a sitting president can't be indicted for a crime, or attempted crimes. If Barr includes criminal intent, then the president is above the law, untouchable.

Can't obstruct justice when you're in charge of the DoJ. Reminds me of Nixon saying, "If the president does it, it can't be illegal".

All this leaves the legislative branch rather impotent for its checks/balances and oversight mandates (and no longer a co-equal branch of gov't). The only way to clear this mess up might be official impeachment hearings. I wonder if that's what Trump's toadies want after all -- as a political strategy right before the 2020 elections?