Trump is functionally retarded

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

Bollocks. You think the most powerful man on the planet is restricted to the 3 choices you pulled out of your arse?

Like I said, a decent leader, a decent human being, would find a way that did not involve leaving his allies to be slaughtered and his country's reputation further diminished. Even his own party knows that.

[Al Swearegen]

Name it.
Diplomacy was not working and the threat of sanctions didn't. That left three options.
The Turkish are allies through NATO.

[Grey Area]

Worst LAN party ever.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

Trump could simply have told the Turks to kiss his big fat orange butt. The Kurds were his fierce allies.

Now Erodogan is forbidding Trump from talking to the Kurds. Erodogan thinks Trump is his bitch now.

[odeon]

In addition to being Putin's bitch. They seem to take turns.

[Al Swearegen]

Trump could simply have told the Turks to kiss his big fat orange butt. The Kurds were his fierce allies.

Now Erodogan is forbidding Trump from talking to the Kurds. Erodogan thinks Trump is his bitch now.

Who gives a fuck what Erodogan thinks?

Here is the play by play for you.
Trump says "Kiss my orange butt"
They invade as they were always going to do.
Turkey "generally" try to avoid the limited troops but have orders that they are allowed to defend themselves and if US troops get themselves in the way its their fault.
In being in that area and trying to back up the Turks, US take casualties.
Trump reinforces troops and sends in air support.
They are at war. Unsanctioned war.
Russia comes to back up Turkey
In Europe there is outrage that US attacked a NATO partner and ally. Animus against Trump doesn't factor Turkey's actions because the Kurds are not NATO allies.
NATO disbanded as US withdraws.
The border becomes irrelevabt as the war spills over Syrian borders into Turkey.
Trumps allies and supporters reject his getting into another expensive war. Neo-cons love it secretly but hate Trump so condemn him whilst saying the war must go on. He is booted out of the office and the World gets Mike Pence as President.
Come election time Democrats sweep in.
Recession hits.
Democrats in rebuke of Trump's War, withdraw from the region and tip their hat back at European ex-NATO allies.
Al Bagdadi makes strategic alliances and in the Chaos and anti-American sentiment ISIS makes a comeback.

Meanwhile at I2 Odeon and MOSW both condemn Trump fighting for the Kurds and support Democrats for leaving the area.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

If Trump had a brain and some balls he could have taken note of the build-up of Turkish troops, and made a very public announcement that his troops would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kurds. And that any attack on the Kurds that impacted his troops would be treated as a deliberate act of war against the United States.

Turkey would then need to choose whether to go to start a war with a NATO ally, who also happens to be a superpower. The US would not be breaking the NATO treaty, it would be Turkey.

I would hate to see Istanbul get carpet bombed. One of the great cities of history, with many irreplaceable buildings.

But yeah, ask yourself, would you personally stand shoulder to shoulder with a brave ally that you had been fighting alongside for years? Or would you leave them to be slaughtered now that you had largely defeated your common enemy? I am confident that you aren't the kind of guy who would do the latter (and it pains me to admit that because I think you're a prick). But Trump? What sort of character does that display?

[Al Swearegen]

If Trump had a brain and some balls he could have taken note of the build-up of Turkish troops, and made a very public announcement that his troops would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kurds. And that any attack on the Kurds that impacted his troops would be treated as a deliberate act of war against the United States.

Turkey would then need to choose whether to go to start a war with a NATO ally, who also happens to be a superpower. The US would not be breaking the NATO treaty, it would be Turkey.

I would hate to see Istanbul get carpet bombed. One of the great cities of history, with many irreplaceable buildings.

But yeah, ask yourself, would you personally stand shoulder to shoulder with a brave ally that you had been fighting alongside for years? Or would you leave them to be slaughtered now that you had largely defeated your common enemy? I am confident that you aren't the kind of guy who would do the latter (and it pains me to admit that because I think you're a prick). But Trump? What sort of character does that display?

I am a prick, that is hardly a groundshaking assertion

Turkey was not happy and they were coming over regardless. So your solution is to put more US soldiers at the border for.....forever I guess.

And so.....when Turkey does come across the border....

They invade as they were always going to do.
Turkey "generally" try to avoid the limited troops but have orders that they are allowed to defend themselves and if US troops get themselves in the way its their fault.
In being in that area and trying to back up the Turks, US take casualties.
Trump reinforces troops and sends in air support.
They are at war. Unsanctioned war.
Russia comes to back up Turkey
In Europe there is outrage that US attacked a NATO partner and ally. Animus against Trump doesn't factor Turkey's actions because the Kurds are not NATO allies.
NATO disbanded as US withdraws.
The border becomes irrelevabt as the war spills over Syrian borders into Turkey.
Trumps allies and supporters reject his getting into another expensive war. Neo-cons love it secretly but hate Trump so condemn him whilst saying the war must go on. He is booted out of the office and the World gets Mike Pence as President.
Come election time Democrats sweep in.
Recession hits.
Democrats in rebuke of Trump's War, withdraw from the region and tip their hat back at European ex-NATO allies.
Al Bagdadi makes strategic alliances and in the Chaos and anti-American sentiment ISIS makes a comeback.

Meanwhile at I2 Odeon and MOSW both condemn Trump fighting for the Kurds and support Democrats for leaving the area.

I do not think you addressed anything.

[odeon]

You're such an imbecile, Al. But then I knew that and shouldn't have bothered to read your post in the first place. I blame having been away from here.

Erdogan and Turkey would not have crossed the border if Trump hadn't OK'd it. You know this. It doesn't matter that there were so few of them, he wouldn't have dared. You're being dishonest but then, it's what you do.

The world of the orange idiot is so weird, though, that nobody's bothering to think about this now. It's the new normal for the US. Who cares about the Kurds now?

[odeon]

Wondering how the Republicans will respond. Denial is king, I know, but how far can they take it?

In any sane world there would be no need for impeachment hearings.

[rock hound]

Trump and his enablers are the cancer eating away at our democracy.  He exposes the racist, sexist, fascist side of our right wing conservatives.  The jerk vigilante, magatard, gunaholics, eugenicists, anti-semites, fundie extremists, anti-immigrants (My ancestors were among them) to the max.  There's a reason I refer to him as trumpolini, bombastic, vain, and encouraging extreme violence against dissidents.  He and his followers make me sick.  Like his followers here on I2. 

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

Trump is the symptom of the cancer that is eating away at your democracy. And our democracy. And many other democracies.

The cancer is neoliberalism. If you haven't already done so, look for "Requiem for the American Dream" on YouTube.

Right wing populism is the secondary cancer, driven by the inequality and hopelessness created by neoliberalism, and enabled by the idiots who fall for it.

The so-called left is also a cancer, a political movement that long ago abandoned the working class and embraced neoliberalism. Identity politics isn't the problem with the left, it's representative of the fact that they have nothing else left to stand for (apart from not being as bad as Trump and other prominent Republicans).

[rock hound]

I'm a bit of a centrist and social democrat.  I am repulsed by the extremists on either side.  I am also an atheist with buddhist leanings.  Though saying that could open up a considering the way some countries use Buddhism.  Like Myanmar and it's own version of ethnic cleansing.  Neoliberalism and neoconservatism are opposite sides of the same counterfeit coin.  I despise both.

[DirtDawg]

Trump is the symptom of the cancer that is eating away at your democracy. And our democracy. And many other democracies.

The cancer is neoliberalism. If you haven't already done so, look for "Requiem for the American Dream" on YouTube.

Right wing populism is the secondary cancer, driven by the inequality and hopelessness created by neoliberalism, and enabled by the idiots who fall for it.

The so-called left is also a cancer, a political movement that long ago abandoned the working class and embraced neoliberalism. Identity politics isn't the problem with the left, it's representative of the fact that they have nothing else left to stand for (apart from not being as bad as Trump and other prominent Republicans).

What we centrists must do is find a way to balance the two sides.
We never want to have one side win "everything,"  but a common sense balance of each side winning all the "big" issues at the end of the day.

I know I seem to lean right, but not so much as to believe any of the moronic crap you directed me to a few weeks back. I do believe that each should care for their own and take care of their neighbors. Be prepared to protect your own interests, not call 911 and wait for Johnny Law to show up after all is done smoldering and take names which will only go into a file to be forgotten.

We NEED a balance of efforts to surface from the mix. All I see these days is more bubbles popping up in the mix of politics, finger pointing, accusations and no solutions.

I was raised that when you go to your boss with a problem, you should bring a solution to the problem. Do not just assess blame and try to beat out your opponents. Bring a solution!

I do not see that happening, these days.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I'm a bit of a centrist and social democrat.  I am repulsed by the extremists on either side.  I am also an atheist with buddhist leanings.  Though saying that could open up a considering the way some countries use Buddhism.  Like Myanmar and it's own version of ethnic cleansing.  Neoliberalism and neoconservatism are opposite sides of the same counterfeit coin.  I despise both.

Neoliberalism has nothing to do with what Americans refer to as "Liberals", and is not the opposite of neoconservatism.

Neoliberalism is where everyone and everything serves the market.

I support social democracy as well. We used to have that here in Australia to a large extent, but we have drifted away from it thanks to neoliberalism.

All that said, the political centre is where all the real extremists are these days.