Wipe out ISIS - Iraq is close to removing ISIS from Mosul. There is little doubt that ISIS is on the ropes and much of it is due to actions started long before Trump was elected. If ISIS is defeated in the next few months, credit to Trump or Obama?

 

Both

The President vs Britain Intelligence is interesting.

 

Spicer quoted Fox News who accused British intelligence of helping President Obama spy on the President when he was a candidate.

 

British intelligence said that the administration called and apologized for the false accusation.

 

Spicer says there was no apology.

 

Who did POTUS blame? Fox News - says Spicer got it from a Fox News report. Says if Britian is mad they should call Fox.

 

Per NYT FNC's analyst who made the claim that British intelligence helped President Obama spy got his info from state-sponsored Russian TV.

Regarding earlier tweet about watching/reading multiple sources it's absolutely correct. You'd better do some Twitter search or hit your google key to confirm what you're reading. It can range from flat out lie to sort of true to absolutely true. You just never know.

 

The good news is that you no longer have to watch Fox News to see what they're saying. Just wait for President Trump's 6:00 am tweets. You'll then know what FNC said.

Something that has been made clear over and over through the years on here.

 

If a conservative links to a news story or opinion piece from FOX they are linking a biased story.

If a conservative links to a news story or opinion piece from CNN, MSNBC they are hypocrites.

 

No win scenario.

 

Exactly.

 

Except now when a liberal links CNN it is fake news and conservatives rant about how horrible CNN is over and over and over and over. How CNN has an agenda. How they can't believe how bad CNN is. How they can't believe they are allowed to be a part of the media. Enjoy them being excluded from the White House Press Corps.

 

Then they post a link from CNN.

 

 

Hell nah, go on somewhere with that. :lol2: :lol2:

 

It's like seeing a bunch of people who complain about Duke flopping all over the place but then saying that when high school kids do the exact same thing then the correct call is a charge.

 

 

Wait.......

Germany's Merkel was spied on by US under Obama. For those who don't think it's done or can't be done and wasn't done to Trump. Well I feel for you when its shearing time.

Here is how it's done.

 

Posing as Diplomats

 

A "top secret" classified NSA document from the year 2010 shows that a unit known as the "Special Collection Service" (SCS) is operational in Berlin, among other locations. It is an elite corps run in concert by the US intelligence agencies NSA and CIA.

 

The secret list reveals that its agents are active worldwide in around 80 locations, 19 of which are in Europe -- cities such as Paris, Madrid, Rome, Prague and Geneva. The SCS maintains two bases in Germany, one in Berlin and another in Frankfurt. That alone is unusual. But in addition, both German bases are equipped at the highest level and staffed with active personnel.

 

The SCS teams predominantly work undercover in shielded areas of the American Embassy and Consulate, where they are officially accredited as diplomats and as such enjoy special privileges. Under diplomatic protection, they are able to look and listen unhindered. They just can't get caught.

 

Wiretapping from an embassy is illegal in nearly every country. But that is precisely the task of the SCS, as is evidenced by another secret document. According to the document, the SCS operates its own sophisticated listening devices with which they can intercept virtually every popular method of communication: cellular signals, wireless networks and satellite communication.

 

The necessary equipment is usually installed on the upper floors of the embassy buildings or on rooftops where the technology is covered with screens or Potemkin-like structures that protect it from prying eyes.

 

That is apparently the case in Berlin, as well. SPIEGEL asked British investigative journalist Duncan Campbell to appraise the setup at the embassy. In 1976, Campbell uncovered the existence of the British intelligence service GCHQ. In his so-called "Echelon Report" in 1999, he described for the European Parliament the existence of the global surveillance network of the same name.

 

Campbell refers to window-like indentations on the roof of the US Embassy. They are not glazed but rather veneered with "dielectric" material and are painted to blend into the surrounding masonry. This material is permeable even by weak radio signals. The interception technology is located behind these radio-transparent screens, says Campbell. The offices of SCS agents would most likely be located in the same windowless attic.

Cover Story: How NSA Spied on Merkel Cell Phone from Berlin Embassy - SPIEGEL ONLINE

A question I have for everyone. At what point does Trump get credit for things happening? Does he get credit for everything happening from inauguration day on? Is it different for different items? Of course, if that is true then it is easy to put blame and credit where it suits your purpose. Here are a few items to consider:

 

Unemployment/Workforce - When does credit for these numbers move from Obama to Trump?

 

Wipe out ISIS - Iraq is close to removing ISIS from Mosul. There is little doubt that ISIS is on the ropes and much of it is due to actions started long before Trump was elected. If ISIS is defeated in the next few months, credit to Trump or Obama?

 

What are other issues where we need to draw a line of credit?

 

If we go by the past administration, everything good he gets credit for from inauguration day, everything bad he blames on Obama for 8 years.

Time is short everyone.

 

And what is going on with our stance on North Korea?

 

A declaration by Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson that the United States would consider pre-emptive military action against North Korea raises a question that has dogged American military planners for 20 years: How could this be made to work?

 

Three Unappealing Choices

 

A pre-emptive attack can generally mean one of three things. Mr. Tillerson, in keeping with past American statements, did not clarify which of those options were on the table but ruled none of them out.

 

Here is a brief guide to each:

 

 

1. A Single Strike to Halt a Missile Launch

 

How it would work: Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in September at the Council on Foreign Relations that such an attack would be more “self-defense” than pre-emption.

 

If North Korea appears poised to launch a nuclear-armed missile, he said, American strikes could “take out launch capabilities on the launchpad or take them out once they’re launched.”

 

The challenge: It may not be so easy as hitting launchpads out in the open. In wartime, North Korea would probably use mobile launchers, hidden around the country in locations such as tunnels. Striking every launcher before it could be used would be difficult.

 

The risk: This would almost certainly be too late to prevent all nuclear missiles from getting off the ground and, given that missile defense is no guarantee, through to their targets.

 

 

2. A Set of Strikes to Devastate the Arsenal

 

How it would work: Striking nuclear and missile facilities would delay the programs and pressure Pyongyang to surrender them. Cyberattacks, launched alongside or instead of physical attacks, could sabotage the programs and disrupt the military command.

 

The challenge: Because North Korea’s program is indigenous rather than imported from abroad, the country has the know-how to replace destroyed facilities, making setbacks temporary. It would be difficult to strike existing missiles hidden around the country, most likely leaving much of the threat in place.

 

The risk: Even a limited attack would probably prompt retaliation. An attack broad enough to seriously degrade the program could provoke North Korean fears of an invasion or an assassination attempt, potentially leading to all-out war.

 

 

3. A War Launched on American Terms

 

How it would work: The United States would initiate a war to destroy the North Korean government outright, much as in Iraq in 2003.

 

The challenge: North Korea’s war plans are thought to call for extensive nuclear strikes to halt any invasion.

 

The risk: North Korea would almost certainly succeed in launching some nuclear and chemical weapons, potentially killing millions.

 

Any plan faces a common set of problems that are both essential to overcome and, so far, have proved insurmountable.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/world/asia/us-north-korea-weapons.html?_r=0

No winners in a war.

Let them all blow them selves up over on the pacific side.

Democrats are missing a real opportunity on the health care issue. They have switched roles and become the party of no. They campaigned that Obamacare needs fixes. Now they are doing nothing but sitting there saying no. If they were smart, they would get out front of this and talk about their recommended changes. It is clear that a good chunk of Obamacare will remain intact regardless of how it gets spun by the Republicans. Democrats should be recommending changes and bragging about their ideas loudly, ala Trump. The final product is going to have Obamacare as part of it whatever they want to claim or call it. Dems should be in position to say that the final product happened in large part because of what they accomplished when they first established Obamacare.

Reports out that Russians have invested millions in 7 different Trump towers.

If we do any kind of strike in/on N. Korea, they are going to punish S. Korea in retaliation. What needs to happen is we pressure China to put the clamps on N. Korea.

Reports out that Russians have invested millions in 7 different Trump towers.

 

Ouch

 

I will be interested to see the details.

Democrats are missing a real opportunity on the health care issue. They have switched roles and become the party of no. They campaigned that Obamacare needs fixes. Now they are doing nothing but sitting there saying no. If they were smart, they would get out front of this and talk about their recommended changes. It is clear that a good chunk of Obamacare will remain intact regardless of how it gets spun by the Republicans. Democrats should be recommending changes and bragging about their ideas loudly, ala Trump. The final product is going to have Obamacare as part of it whatever they want to claim or call it. Dems should be in position to say that the final product happened in large part because of what they accomplished when they first established Obamacare.

 

I guess both sides are stuck with campaign promises instead of what is best for everyone.

If we do any kind of strike in/on N. Korea, they are going to punish S. Korea in retaliation. What needs to happen is we pressure China to put the clamps on N. Korea.

 

China refuses to clamp down on North Korea. Only recent move was over coal, but that has not had any effect. Leaders in the North pay no attention to sanctions, they let their people die and could care less. Also, before anyone sends missiles into the North, they need to remember how many soldiers we have in the South. And the North knows that is a big deterrent to any action from the U.S.