Politics

[Wheels]

Hersh made his name with regard to his reporting on the Mai Lai massacre. He later burnished it somewhat with his reporting on Abu Graib. Though the later slipped into what is now generally accepted as exaggeration over time.

His Wikipedia biography is pretty exhaustive with some troubling cites..

For instance, he is also the same journalist who has claimed ......

The US account of killing Osama Bin Laden was "one big lie, not one word of it is true." That Bin Laden had actually been a prisoner of the Pakistanis since 2006.

That the Syrians never used Sarin against rebels and that Trump used the made up story as an excuse to strike Syria with cruise missiles.

In 2009 he alleged that the Bush administration authorized the (JSOC) to locate and kill targets in a program which reported only to Vice President Cheney and was outside the military chain of command. He called it an "executive assassination ring."

In 2011 he accused General Stanley McChrystal and Admiral William McCraven of being "members or at least supporters of the Knights of Malta" and that JSOC was awash in members of Opus Dei.

Finally, virtually all his reporting is with the use of anonymous sources which is why many traditional news organizations won't touch him.

And his recent Nordstream "revelations" are receiving ever increasing criticism from other investigative journalists.

This article may be true. It certainly handily fits what the narrative of those who oppose supporting Ukraine against Russia. I personally would await some sort of sourced confirmation.

I have never been a big Hersh fan myself. Definitely not a fan of his politics. That being said, other reporters have reported on Ukraine having fired senior officials for bribery or misuse of public funds. Victory Nuland even testified to DOS pushing to have people fired as I recall.

Yes Hersh uses anonymous sources, but so does virtually every breaking or investigative news story that comes out these days. Anonymous sources is how DOS, FBI, DOJ, CIA etc. passes their talking points to the media as well.

Is the Hersh story completely true, not true at all, or somewhere in-between. Who knows. It will probably take time and a few hundred billion more in US taxpayer dollars to find out.

 

[Wheels]

If there was the least bit of truth in Herch‘s reporting, on this story alone, the MSM would be falling over each other trying to sign him up. You gotta be a platinum-plated, prime-grade, gnawing-the-carpet, kinda crazy for CNN to ignore you with stories like this one.

The way the MSM media fell all over the Hunter laptop?

The way CNN ignored the Hunter laptop?

 

[Red Leg]

I have never been a big Hersh fan myself. Definitely not a fan of his politics. That being said, other reporters have reported on Ukraine having fired senior officials for bribery or misuse of public funds. Victory Nuland even testified to DOS pushing to have people fired as I recall.

Yes Hersh uses anonymous sources, but so does virtually every breaking or investigative news story that comes out these days. Anonymous sources is how DOS, FBI, DOJ, CIA etc. passes their talking points to the media as well.

Is the Hersh story completely true, not true at all, or somewhere in-between. Who knows. It will probably take time and a few hundred billion more in US taxpayer dollars to find out.

I am in no way saying the Ukrainian government is clean (indeed, there is clear evidence they have struggled with corruption since their independence.) With Russia as their political and cultural model for so long, it would be a wonder if they did not. However, Ukraine does seem genuinely eager to enter the European Union and NATO. Like her East European counterparts did, Ukraine will have to make continued progress in cleaning up its political culture to gain admittance to that club.

However my support of Ukraine in the current conflict has very little to do with Ukraine's aspirations. While I am certain we are on the morally correct side, my assessment of national interests has nothing to do with altruism and everything to do with our critical interests in halting Russian expansion now, well into the future, and to do it east of the Dnieper. I think we will have enough on our hands over the next couple of decades managing China. Currently, their alliance with Russia is, no doubt surprisingly to Xi Jinping, a net deficit rather than an asset. I think it is in our critical national interests to keep it that way.

Thus far, the addition of Finland and the likely addition of Sweden to NATO are the single greatest achievements of that effort. The Baltic will become a NATO lake greatly limiting the options and potential power of Russia's Northern fleet.

Thus far, and purely in my view, the American tax payer seems to be making a pretty good bet with his dollars compared to an alternative future dominated by a militarily resurgent Russia on the Continent and China everywhere else.

The timing and form of an eventual peace negotiation is still very much in question. This war will end when either Zelensky and his government (an important nuance) or Putin determine the cost is no longer worth the effort. A Ukrainian spring counter offensive could fail miserably or the Russian field army could collapse and everything in between. Both sides seem determined to roll that set of dice. I obviously believe strongly that it is in our "America first" national interests to do everything in our power to aid Ukraine.

 

[Doug3006]

The way the MSM media fell all over the Hunter laptop?

The way CNN ignored the Hunter laptop?

Not Fox.

 

[Wheels]

Not Fox.

True.

My comment about CNN was a follow up to your post.

... You gotta be a platinum-plated, prime-grade, gnawing-the-carpet, kinda crazy for CNN to ignore you with stories like this one.

 

[Wheels]

 

[Scott CWO]

Wishful thinking? Analysis by Jon Sweet on Ukraine‘ ability to crush the Russians

This is the beginning of the end of Putin in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Generals are trying to manage a stalled, if not, failed winter offensive.

www.foxnews.com

Sounds awfully optimistic to me. I don’t think it will be easy. I hope I am wrong.

 

[Red Leg]

Sounds awfully optimistic to me. I don’t think it will be easy. I hope I am wrong.

I think it could be a very difficult offensive or a complete Russian collapse and almost anywhere in between. Like the Federal Army at Gettysburg, interior lines are the greatest advantage that Ukraine has. In the defense, it allows them to quickly move reinforcements from one threatened area to another. On the offensive, it will allow them to mass combat power quickly at the chosen breakthrough point(s). Russian forces will have to move reinforcements at least twice as far to match them, and do so with hugely contracted logistics capability. Ukraine's greatest weakness is the painfully slow delivery of Western Armor. It will be the end of summer, maybe later before all the promised Leopards are in country and could be organized into mechanized brigades. It is doubtful that Ukraine can wait that long. Therefore, they are certainly conducting some pretty precise risk analysis to determine when their forces are good enough.

Meanwhile on the economic front - Until recently, we had been assured by many in the MSM, Tucker Carlson and their fellow sympathetic "experts" for most of a year that the Russian economy was resilient and that sanctions were hurting the West far more than Russia. Even Douglas McGregor waxed on about it. Last June CBS reported that "Russia's ruble is the strongest currency in the world this year!"

Russia's ruble is the strongest currency in the world this year

After its value plunged to less than a U.S. penny, the ruble is now trading 40% higher than before Russia attacked Ukraine. Why?

www.cbsnews.com

So how are things going not quite a year later? This was yesterday at the conclusion of trading.

Or as Jason Jay Smart noted this morning.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1647144312692523010

The decline has been precipitous for the last six-months. Russia's economic legerdemain over the last year will eventually come home to roast. Perhaps suddenly. That too could have a significant effect on the battlefield. I wonder if Tucker will offer an update?

 

[BSO Dave]

I agree with your assessment of Mr. Musk. Plenty to admire, but also a lot of evidence that he’s still too liberal. Funny thing though, your points regarding his socially liberal bent, confused 2nd Amendment beliefs and voting record apply equally to a certain DJT prior to 2016.

I don't disagree... They are oddly parallel in many regards. It just doesn't seem likely given their very different personalitites.. Since 1987 Trump has been a registered democrat, independent, no party affiliation, and then republican. The MSM has done their best to omit that history since he announced his cadidacy in 2015, and frame him as a far-right republican whish is ridiculous.. Trump is a populist, and he ran on a populist platform which is really how most hard-working, ordinary Americans identify. Populism with a strong affirmation to an America-First, anti-establishment ideology is what propelled Trump above all the other career politicians he destroyed in the nomination process..

Trump's politcal views have evoloved over the course of the world's changing circumstances, just as I belevie Musk's have.. I beleive this to be an admirable quality assuming it comes from a self-reflective, analytical process and not a political flip-flop.. I still think Musk needs time to become more informed and empathetic overall with the core values of the average working American...Trump got this and tapped into it.. If Musk does, his fame and solcial media influence could become a very powerful tool against a great deal of the left's insane ideologies regardess of any future politcal aspirations he may or may not have.. Musk has not completed that journey yet in my assessment.

 

[Red Leg]

I think it could be a very difficult offensive or a complete Russian collapse and almost anywhere in between. Like the Federal Army at Gettysburg, interior lines are the greatest advantage that Ukraine has. In the defense, it allows them to quickly move reinforcements from one threatened area to another. On the offensive, it will allow them to mass combat power quickly at the chosen breakthrough point(s). Russian forces will have to move reinforcements at least twice as far to match them, and do so with hugely contracted logistics capability. Ukraine's greatest weakness is the painfully slow delivery of Western Armor. It will be the end of summer, maybe later before all the promised Leopards are in country and could be organized into mechanized brigades. It is doubtful that Ukraine can wait that long. Therefore, they are certainly conducting some pretty precise risk analysis to determine when their forces are good enough.

Meanwhile on the economic front - Until recently, we had been assured by many in the MSM, Tucker Carlson and their fellow sympathetic "experts" for most of a year that the Russian economy was resilient and that sanctions were hurting the West far more than Russia. Even Douglas McGregor waxed on about it. Last June CBS reported that "Russia's ruble is the strongest currency in the world this year!"

Russia's ruble is the strongest currency in the world this year

After its value plunged to less than a U.S. penny, the ruble is now trading 40% higher than before Russia attacked Ukraine. Why?

www.cbsnews.com

So how are things going not quite a year later? This was yesterday at the conclusion of trading.

View attachment 528497

Or as Jason Jay Smart noted this morning.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1647144312692523010

The decline has been precipitous for the last six-months. Russia's economic legerdemain over the last year will eventually come home to roast. Perhaps suddenly. That too could have a significant effect on the battlefield. I wonder if Tucker will offer an update?

Sigh - "Roast" - I really do know how to spell roost.

 

[cpr0312]

 

[Red Leg]

I agree with your assessment of Mr. Musk. Plenty to admire, but also a lot of evidence that he’s still too liberal. Funny thing though, your points regarding his socially liberal bent, confused 2nd Amendment beliefs and voting record apply equally to a certain DJT prior to 2016.

Some would say Trump's 2d amendment "confusion" continued after 2016. Interesting ad that popped following his NRA appearance.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1646996793337446400

 

[Ray B]

I know that Budweiser was making a reflection of Audrey Hepburn when the photoshoot of that thing was done- but it's painful to see the photographs side by side. A more appropriate comparison would be the thing and Dr Frankenstein's fellow.

 

[Wheels]

Sigh - "Roast" - I really do know how to spell roost.

I just blame misspellings on "predictive". I don't want everyone to realize I am more illiterate than I seem.

 

[nztimb]

 

[Wheels]

 

[cpr0312]

 

[WAB]

Sigh - "Roast" - I really do know how to spell roost.

LOL, we got it. You’re in good company!

 

[Ray B]

It's amazing to me how the computers try to out guess what we are typing, particularly when the word that we type is spelled correctly and is a perfectly legal word.

 

[Tbitty]

View attachment 528620

Upside down and a disaster. ... completely accurate of this administration