The Commentariat -- January 11, 2020
Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "Iran announced early Saturday that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming it on human error because of what it called the plane's sharp, unexpected turn toward a sensitive military base, according to a statement issued by the country's military. The announcement reversed Iran's claims that mechanical issues caused the crash of the aircraft, which killed all 176 people aboard. It had persistently denied that Iranian military defenses had downed the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800. International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied intelligence assessments have said that Iranian missiles brought down the plane, most likely by accident, amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. Suspicions that an Iranian missile had brought down the plane began immediately after Wednesday morning's crash -- just hours after Iran fired missiles at two bases in Iraq housing American forces." The Hill's story is here. The AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Isabelle Khurshudyan & Erin Cunningham of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he expects 'a full admission of guilt' and for Iran 'to bring those responsible to justice' after it admitted to mistakenly shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing all 176 on board.
** The One Who Got Away. John Hudson, et al., of the Washington Post: "On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials. The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration's killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The AP's story is here.
Jonathan Chait: "Deep inside a long, detailed Wall Street Journal report about President Trump's foreign policy advisers is an explosive nugget: 'Mr. Trump, after the strike, told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate, associates said.' This is a slightly stronger iteration of a fact the New York Times reported three days ago, to wit, 'pointed out to one person who spoke to him on the phone last week that he had been pressured to take a harder line on Iran by some Republican senators whose support he needs now more than ever amid an impeachment battle.' This would not mean Trump ordered the strike entirely, or even primarily, in order to placate Senate Republicans. But it does constitute an admission that domestic political considerations influenced his decision. That would, of course, constitute a grave dereliction of duty.... Of course, using his foreign policy authority for domestic political gain is the offense Trump is being impeached for." The Wall Street Journal report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It is entirely plausible that Trump assassinated a foreign guy to distract from being impeached for messing with a foreign guy. And you get bet he doesn't see anything wrong with it: you might call it a "perfect assassination." ~~~
~~~ Sam Brodey of the Daily Beast: "... as more details came out about the strike -- or, more importantly, did not come out -- mainstream Democratic Party figures were raising the suggestion that Trump brought the U.S. to the brink of war with a dangerous adversary with his own personal political considerations in mind.... Appearing on all five major Sunday shows the weekend before, [Mike] Pompeo only revealed that [Qassem] Soleimani was 'actively engaged and plotting against American interests.' On Thursday, Pompeo told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the threat posed by Soleimani was real but 'we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where.' But by Friday..., Pompeo claimed at a White House press briefing that the U.S. 'had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats from him included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.' Later that day, Trump himself divulged to Fox that Soleimani had supposedly targeted four U.S. embassies overseas, though he declined to name which ones."
~~~ Chris Hayes: Trump has long thought that starting a war with Iran was a good way to win re-election:
~~~ Trump Elaborates on Earlier Lies. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump said in an interview airing Friday that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani was plotting attacks against four embassies before the U.S. carried out last week's airstrike that killed the top commander. 'I can reveal that I believe it would have been four embassies,' Trump told Laura Ingraham during an interview on Fox News that will air in full Friday night. The president also said Soleimani was targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, repeating a claim he made on Thursday." ~~~
~~~ Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "But a senior administration official and a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity..., said they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot. Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies. The senior defense official did not directly contradict Trump but said there was concern that there might be an attempt to place a bomb at the Baghdad embassy, a heavily fortified structure in a secure area of the Iraqi capital.... Trump is 'totally obsessed with not letting something like Benghazi happen to him,' the official said, referring to the 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Libya that has achieved totemic status among Trump allies.... The embassy in Baghdad did not receive an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described, said a person familiar with the situation...."
Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration hit Iran with more sanctions Friday in the first concrete response to the attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq this week, which were in retaliation for the U.S. airstrike that killed the most powerful Iranian military commander. The sanctions targeted Iran's metal industries, and eight senior military and national security officials who U.S. officials said were involved in the ballistic missile attacks on two bases in Iraq that house U.S. military personnel." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Steve Mnuchin announced this at a joint presser with Mike Pompeo. Pompeo went on to take a few questions with reporters; either all Democrats & Republicans lied through their teeth about what intel they received at a classified briefing in which Pompeo participated -- or Pompeo lied this afternoon. You can't believe anything coming out of the mouths of any administration officials. ~~~
~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Several Democratic senators say the administration did not discuss an alleged threat that Iran was planning to 'blow up' a U.S. Embassy during a closed-door briefing this week." ~~~
~~~ Update. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "For six days after Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s death, the Trump administration assured us he was behind 'imminent' attacks but declined to offer details. Then Trump came out Thursday and just said it: The deceased Quds Force commander was going to 'blow up' a U.S. Embassy. There have to be real questions about the accuracy of that claim. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a package of new Iran sanctions Friday, but unanswered questions about the strike on Soleimani loomed over [the press conference].... NBC News's Peter Alexander asked [Pompeo] about the claims by the senators ... that the briefings included no such evidence about embassies..., and Pompeo initially seemed to directlytheir claims and confirm that the briefing included the embassies.... 'We told them about the imminent threat. All of the intelligence that we have briefed -- that you've heard today, I assure you, in an setting, we've provided in the classified setting as well.' [When] Alexander pressed him on it..., Pompeo became less explicit and reverted to talking more broadly...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Edward Wong & Megan Specia of the New York Times: "The State Department on Friday rebuffed the Iraqi government's request to begin discussions on pulling out troops, saying that any American officials going to Baghdad during a state of heightened tensions would not discuss a 'troop withdrawal,' as the Iraqi prime minister had requested. Instead, discussions would be about the 'appropriate force posture in the Middle East.' The statement from Washington was a direct rebuttal to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq, and was certain to add to the friction between the two nations. The prime minister said earlier on Friday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a delegation from the United States to discuss steps for the withdrawal of the approximately 5,200 American troops from his country, in the aftermath of a deadly American military strike ordered by President Trump that many Iraqis say violated their country's sovereignty." (Also linked yesterday.)
Adam Raymond of New York: "Republican Doug Collins, a congressman from Georgia, said Wednesday that Democrats' are in love with terrorists.' He also accused his Democratic colleagues of mourning slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani more than 'our Gold Star families who were the ones who suffered under Soleimani.' The comments were made to Fox News' Lou Dobbs.... In a tweet Friday, Collins apologized, saying he does not in fact think that Democrats are 'in love' with terrorists.... What makes the comments even more absurd, though, is that Trump's Republican allies are falsely accusing Democrats of doing things Trump has actually done. He has literally claimed that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un 'fell in love.' And as far as respect for Gold Star families goes, there's only one person in Washington who's engaged in a protracted, personal spat with one and he's sitting in the White House." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Trump Would Try to Privilege His Way out of Damning Testimony. Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Friday said he planned to invoke executive privilege in the event former national security adviser John Bolton was subpoenaed by lawmakers for the Senate impeachment trial.... 'Are you going to invoke executive privilege?' [Laura Ingraham] asked. 'Well I think you have to for the sake of the office,' Trump replied."
Michael Shepherd of the Bangor Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Friday that she is working with a 'fairly small group' of fellow Republican senators toward a goal of ensuring witnesses can be called in the chamber's impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump.... 'I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president's counsel if they choose to do so,' she said."
Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that she expects to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump over to the Senate next week to launch his long-awaited trial. The move comes more than three weeks after the House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump over his dealings with Ukraine and amid increasing pressure on the Speaker to drop her hold on the articles. 'I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democrats." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "The White House is considering dramatically expanding its much-litigated travel ban to additional countries amid a renewed election-year focus on immigration by ... Donald Trump, according to six people familiar with the deliberations. A document outlining the plans -- timed to coincide with the third anniversary of Trump's January 2017 executive order -- has been circulating the White House. But the countries that would be affected if it moves forward are blacked out, according to two of the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.... It's unclear exactly how many countries would be included in the expansion if it proceeds, but two of the people said that seven countries -- a majority of them Muslim -- would be added to the list.... The additional restrictions were proposed by Department of Homeland Security officials following a review of security protocols and 'identity management' for about 200 countries, according to the person."
Terry Gross of NPR interviews American Oligarchs author Andrea Bernstein on "how Trump and ... Jared Kushner have benefited from family connections and the influence of money in politics." The text includes highlights. Click on the podcast in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Thanks to Linda for the link.
** William Saletan of Slate: "From hawkishness to appeasement, the GOP has zigged, zagged, and zigged. Only one thing has remained constant: its partisan exploitation of the military and the flag. Republicans don't believe in standing up to enemies abroad. They believe in impugning the patriotism of Democrats. The 2016 Republican platform pledged to support the Kurdish people,' continue 'our partnership' with the Iraqi people, and press for change in North Korea, 'the Kim family's slave state.' It promised 'assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine' and sanctions on Russia 'until Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored.' Trump has proved that all these statements were lies."
Presidential Race
Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "Marianne Williamson, the self-help author and spiritual adviser whose long-shot presidential campaign called for reparations and a Department of Peace, announced on Friday that she would drop out of the race." Mrs. McC: I'm having such a sad over this I might have to buy a self-help book to "realign my psychic forces." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Bridget Read of New York: "Marianne Williamson -- self-described 'bitch for God,' defender of yoga girls, vanquisher of dark psychic forces -- has finally dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential-primary race.... 'To the remaining Democratic candidates,' she said, 'I wish you all my best on the road ahead. It was an honor being among you. Whichever one of you wins the nomination, I will be there with all my energy and in full support.' And as always, she believes 'love will prevail.' Trust Williamson to drop out on the day of a lunar eclipse, as she ascends to a higher plane of celestial being." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ian Duncan, et al., of the Washington Post: "Instant messages and other internal Boeing documents revealed Thursday show company employees discussing efforts to manipulate U.S. and international safety regulators.... In 2017, a Boeing employee wrote: 'this airplane is designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys.' The documents were released by Boeing to congressional investigators probing how the company's 737 Max jets were certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as safe before two crashes that killed 346 people. The communications 'paint a deeply disturbing picture of the lengths Boeing was apparently willing to go to in order to evade scrutiny from regulators, flight crews, and the flying public, even as its own employees were sounding alarms internally,' said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee. At issue in some of the messages was whether simulator training should be required for pilots flying the Max. Boeing went to great lengths to prevent such a requirement, in part because it would be costly for its customers, company documents show." ~~~
~~~ Platinum Parachute. David Gelles of the New York Times: "The very culture at Boeing appears to be broken, with some senior employees having little regard for regulators, customers and even co-workers. Perhaps most tellingly, the documents show Boeing employees repeatedly questioning the competence of their own colleagues, and the quality of the company's engineering. 'This is a joke,' a Boeing employee, referring to the 737 Max, said to a colleague in 2016. 'This airplane is ridiculous.' Another employee wrote: 'I honestly don't trust many people at Boeing.'... Ahead of a 2016 meeting to discuss training requirements for the plane, a Boeing employee described regulators as 'dogs watching TV.' Another time, a Boeing employee wrote: 'There is no confidence that the F.A.A. is understanding what they are accepting (or rejecting).' Airlines, which pay about $100 million apiece for the Max, were derided as incompetent, their questions unreasonable."
~~~ David Gelles: "Dennis A. Muilenburg, who was ousted as Boeing's chief executive last month as the company contended with the biggest crisis in its history, will depart with more than $60 million, the company said Friday. Mr. Muilenburg will not receive any additional severance or separation payments in connection with his departure, and Boeing said he had forfeited stock units worth some $14.6 million. But the value of the other stock and pension awards he is contractually entitled to receive is worth $62.2 million, the company said. Mr. Muilenburg also has stock options that could be worth many millions more."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Australia. Nick Perry of the AP: "Two wildfires merged to form a massive inferno in southeast Australia on Saturday.... Authorities were assessing the damage after firefighters battled flames fanned by strong winds through the night and lightning strikes sparked new blazes in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's most populous states. Conditions were milder Saturday and forecast to remain relatively benign for the next week.... With no heavy rain expected, the 640,000-hectare ( 1.58 million-acre) blaze that formed overnight when two fires joined in the Snowy Mountains region near Tumbarumba close to the Victorian border is expected to burn for weeks, officials said."
Oman. Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, who over nearly five decades in power transformed his Persian Gulf kingdom from an isolated enclave into a developed nation known for brokering quiet talks between global foes, has died, the Omani government announced on Saturday. He was 79." The AP story is here.
News Lede
AP: "A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island's southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools.... It was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 temblor less than two minutes later. No injuries or deaths were reported, officials said. Saturday's quake occurred four days after a 6.4 magnitude quake in the same area and amid a spate of more than 1,200 mostly small quakes over the past 15 days, all at shallow depths."
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Fresh air interview The Trumps & Kushners, 'American Oligarchs' is worth the listen. Author Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the podcast 'Trump, Inc.' and the author of the new book 'American Oligarchs' talks with Terry Gross about the family histories of both the Trumps and the Kushners, and their "marriage of money and power."
https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2020/01/08/794590353/fresh-air-for-jan-8-2020-the-trumps-kushners-american-oligarchs?showDate=2020-01-08
So, let’s see. Last week, after the killing of Soleimani, it was because something, something, something bad guy. Then it was for Iraqi freedom something, something. No mention of any embassy attacks. Then, Bam! OMG, embassy attack. Holy shit! The Dear Leader saved us all from another horrible Benghazi, Benghazi, BENGHAZI! Whadaguy.
But wait (just like those 3am infomercials for military style sunglasses that let you see perfectly in a dust storm) it’s not just one embassy. It was FOUR EMBASSIES. Call this number right now and we’ll tell you all about it! Act now before it’s SEVEN embassies and three cruise ships full of Evangelicals on the way to the Holy Land to have their pictures taken in Jesus’ kitchen. The evil bastards!
So what’s next? A plot to take over Ohio, institute Sharia Law, ban football, and blow up Cleveland? Maybe they can work in some underage sexual slavery in pizza shop cellars run by the Clintons and Obama for Jeffrey Epstein who was a personal friend of Soleimani.
The lies are thicker and stupider than MAGA hatted stooges at a Trump Bund rally.
How utterly refreshing that Iran has been open and honest about its part in the tragedy of losing 176 souls. What a role model for the moron who lives for free at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, WDC--
Here is a really good discussion re: U.S. troop presence in Iraq: Nick Schifrin (PBS News) talks to Thabit Abdullah ( professor of Middle East History) and Ret. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/will-fallout-from-soleimani-killing-drive-u-s-troops-from-iraq
Memory fails, so apologies if I already linked this heart-breaking account some time ago, but since the 737 MAX fiasco is back in the news, here it is (again?), because it's the best thing I've read on the troubles at Boeing, reflective I (and Stan Sorscher--a prominent voice in the article-- who knows far more about such things than I) believe of a much larger American problem: reducing all value to a dollar sign.
As Stan has said to me, a problem with that approach is that those who understand finance and whose only interest is in pursuing the almighty dollar is that one can make a lot of money by going broke...
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/18/the-case-against-boeing
From the Harris Wapo article above: "The embassy in Baghdad did not receive an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described, said a person familiar with the situation....”
Stands to reason that if Pompeo knew that they were going to kill Soleimani and thwart the deed, then there was no reason to bother his security people, or the massive military reaction forces.
OK, that's satire. Had there been an attack in imminence, all the redflashers and sirens would have been going, and the State Department Security folks would be writing an after action report, the State Department Iran folks would be writing demarches to regional countries pouring opprobrium all over Iran.
No sign of that.
Mike Pompeo is a really bad liar. Hence he believes you are really stupid, don't care, or are OK with lying.
Pompeo knows that his entire organization can tell his words are demonstrably false. He lost the benefit of doubt of many of them last summer. I'm sure he lost all the rest this week.
Fortunately, he never has to look his people in the eyes. He has a private elevator from office to limo, that limo has blackout windows. Every little bit helps.
@Patrick: And let's not forget that other widdle thing that helps Mike spin––that big Bible that's always open on his desk to something Jesus said to spur the spin.
"Thou shalt always get out of lies by telling another great one. So saith the Lord." And next to that one is another:
"Always smile when thou lies; it maketh those that listen stupid enough to believe you."
DOOR SHUT––NO GIRLS ALLOWED
The Justice Dept. has thrown a roadblock into efforts to revive the ERA, finding that expired deadline set by Congress on ratification of the measure means that it's too late for additional states to ratify it now.
Virginia was poised to become the decisive 38th state to approve the ERA nearly four decades after Congress sent it to the states in 1972, attaching a 1979 ratification deadline to it. That deadline was later extended to 1982; during that time only 35 states ratified it––three short of the 38 needed.
So now it lays dead––cold case that will be ignored because there is so much else on our plate. I remember how Phyllis Shoo–fly-pie fought so hard against it––"women need to be protected", she said; what she really meant was "liberal women needed to shut up, and keep cleaning that kitchen stove."
The changing explanations about why Trump had to assassinate Suleimani looks just like all the other after action revisionist bullshit we have seen again and again from the Trump administration. Trump makes some arbitrary decision and then everyone around him starts to back log evidence to try to justify it. Trump starts at the final decision and then his people try to create a quasilegal justification afterwards. It is why so many of his policies have been thrown out of court for being unlawful. The latest being no exception.