Trump cancels Pelosi ConDel trip to war zone

If the congress did vote for it, then they are guilty of wasting taxpayer money. At any rate, the imperial presidency exists because the political establishment - Democrat and Republican - allowed it to happen. So if Trump is exercising power outside the bounds of the constitution, the political establishment has only themselves to blame for it.

 

We'll see how Newsom does as governor.

 

Of course, they voted for it. CongressCritters go on trips all the time.

He's breaking the tacit agreement around authorizing travel. I figure his next move is to declare a national emergency and break another norm.

 

Keep telling yourself that
Then why doesnt she go to brussels and cut the rest ?
Are you saying belgium is a security risk ?

 

It's a waste of money.

So what? Presidents like Lincoln and FDR are celebrated for their aggrandizement of executive power. Lincoln imprisoned thousands of people merely because they criticized his disastrous war against the south. Lincoln was effectively a dictator during his presidency. Yet he is loved by Democrats and Republicans alike.

 

Pelosi is free to make all the trips she wants, but not with government money. Anyway this came after Trump cancelled his trip to the Davos Economic Forum. The Dems then made a big thing about Pompeo and someone else going to Davos, so he cancelled them and Pelosi as well.

Poor Pelosi!


I hate you Donald Trump!

 

That may be, but we didn't elect Lardbucket king.

Remind yourself of your indifference when a future Democratic President declares a global warming emergency and takes your truck.

 

And by a three year old at that. Guess she thought the President was an adult! Dumb of her!

 

I have news for you, there is no Putin's aggression, but you'll keep propagating the lie anyway. It's what you do, and it keeps the military industrial complex happy.

 

But OK for government money to send Trump's purchased wife back to Mar A Lago.

 

Oh, then the other president's wives went commercial? Interesting!

 

You don't see it because you live within it. It's not a lie. Putin would invade Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in a heartbeat if it weren't for the protection of NATO.

 

Sorry that wasn't the comparison but nice try. And curious as to which other Presidents wifes went to MAr A Lago.

 

Reporter; "Do you view this as retaliation for your letter about the State of the Union?"

Pelosi; "I would hope not. I don't thing the president would be that petty, do you?"

 

Fatso is POTUS, not king. If Congress authorized the spending, he has an ethical (yeah, I know, we're talking about Trump) obligation to organize the spending.

Trump went for the bait and made a fool out of himself.

 

If that's how those countries feel, then why don't they stop with the apartheid and start giving the Russians there equal rights? How long do you think Russia would survive if they were to do the same thing to the 123 ethnicities living within the Federation?

Anyway the people living in the Baltics are not stupid. I'm sure they were given no choice but to allow Nato on their soil, I mean who would want to become cannon fodder for others.

 

LOL! I knew it. (Rooski)

 

I honestly disagree, would prefer anyone who has served some term as an elected official be precluded from running for another term.

One of the features I appreciate in Trump is his 'outsider' approach, he hasn't been groomed and conditioned by decades of political dealings, doesn't appreciate the need to respond in a "politically correct" manner, isn't beholden to lobbyists and interest groups, responds to issues from his own instincts and the experience of real life rather than the views of focus groups. You've got an immigration problem? Build a wall! Quagmire in the Middle East, global warming and assorted environmental demands too expensive or NATO not pitching in? Pull out! Its a radically different approach, one that doesn't canvas constituencies, average their views and experiment with alternative phrasing to pitch for popular support catering to constituencies and interests. Take the pan by the handle!

 

Doesn’t know what the **** he is doing........

 

According to unelected officials.

 

No, its the elected ones who most denounce Trumps unchartered ways, they and their groomed constituency focus groups and intellectual elites.

Who really knows the suffering of the alternatively life-styled when he can't pee in the women's bathroom? Who really appreciates the distress of an ecofreak over "fossil" fuel use? Who can truly assess the despair of minorities daily encountering "white privilege"? Who realizes the fear induced by opposing views beyond their "safe space", the hurt of "triggers", the need to silence different perspectives?

 

The mission was to go to Afghanistan, not only to thank the troops and give them encouragement, but to meet with military minds to get first-hand knowledge of what's happened in Afghanistan militarily. That's the job of Congress, to know what's happening since it's Congress that has the obligation to declare war when and if the time ever comes. The second objective was for Congress to stop in Brussels at the NATO conference to reassure the 28 other countries represented by NATO that the U.S. is still there as an ally for them.

The Congressional trips to Afghanistan are nothing new. Nancy Pelosi has made eight trips to Afghanistan to visit troops and meet with commanders. One other Congressman has been on this trip fifteen times.

 

The trip was supposed to be for 7 days.
For more than three weeks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff had quietly planned an international trip to Brussels and Afghanistan to check in on America’s longest war. Like most congressional delegations—“CODELs”—it was time-consuming work, involving coordination between numerous agencies, stakeholders, and international officials along with extra security briefings because of the danger of the destination.

Pelosi’s chief of staff worked with a liaison from the U.S. Air Force who was the lead in setting up travel arrangements and the itinerary for the trip. Senior officials at the Pentagon also had been read in on the speaker’s plans, especially those regarding her visit to war-torn Afghanistan, where extra security was needed for her time in Kabul. Two senior officials on the ground in Afghanistan said they received the itinerary for the trip, as they do other congressional trips, weeks in advance and held it close to the chest. Fellow members of Congress made similar accommodations as they prepared to accompany the Speaker on the CODEL.

And then, with minutes to go before they departed, President Trump pulled the plug. The Pentagon said that the White House had not coordinated with senior officials in Kabul about the cancellation, either. Troops on the ground viewed the Pelosi trip as a chance to gain an inroad with someone, especially the highest ranking member of the House, in the U.S. government who could see the need to keep U.S. troops in the country. The announcement of the drawback has significantly lowered morale among officials and soldiers.

The halls of Congress are empty, nobody is there because there's nothing about the shutdown to discuss, It's at a stalemate and it doesn't look like either side is willing to concede. But Trump will give a big announcement tomorrow, perhaps he'll call a national emergency and order federal workers back to work without pay.

 

He gets things done alright like empowering al-Qaeda in Syria. He has attacked the FBI and intelligence community even refusing to acknowledge their confirmation that Russia hacked our election. He fired James Comey for 'that Russia thing'. He endorsed and stood by Roy Moore. He failed to condemn the alt-right Nazis. Started a trade war with China. Cozied up to Kim Jong-un which is only going to escalate the danger of an invasion of N. Korea into S. Korea. Already, the U.S. has removed half the sensors and monitors at the border between N and S. Korea making that border less secure than it's been in 60 years.

Trump is without any doubt the worst president in U.S. history and there will never be one worse.

 

How long have you been misinformed on public events?