First 100 days

[LarryW]

Imagine the staff he'll assemble. Then, imagine when he makes his first trip to Moscow.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Badger52

General Mattis --> SECDEF


Things are about to get sporty; and I don't think his confirmation is going to be a problem, procedurally or otherwise. For the Dems it is not the fight they want to pick.

Still have that pesky "7 years out of uniform" law. Hard for Trump to get his anti-lobyist laws passed if the first thing he does is to try to overturn this one for Mad Dog.

Pat

[Kat]

Originally Posted by Badger52

This. And in other areas. People choose to live in certain places for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the mores around which they feel comfortable raising their children. To impose that on another local set of values is an act of war. Once a few of the teachers throw their chains off and remember why they took it up, the rest can find other work. San Fransanctuary & the emerging (yet to be recognized) People's Republik of Kalifornia will surely need barristas for the tourists, who will appreciate the blackmarket tips in USD. Then again, there's great surf, seafood & music in the Carolinas as well.

I think you have it exactly right about CA, it is getting untenable. Been but getting worse, hearing a city of 2M with no housing, much less affordable housing is due for 3500 Syrian refugees is insane. Plus we have 5 k OTM in TJ ready to cross at night. Common Core taught in the schools, The Carolinas sound very inviting.

[sfshooter]

Originally Posted by Badger52

General Mattis --> SECDEF


Things are about to get sporty; and I don't think his confirmation is going to be a problem, procedurally or otherwise. For the Dems it is not the fight they want to pick.

A decent pick for sure. The previous few are damn sure questionable. Why do we need all those billionaires in a cabinet position? And why the hell is Mitch "stand up for nothing" McConnel's wife have a seat?
Trump is definitely a wild card. I hope it all works out.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by PSM

Still have that pesky "7 years out of uniform" law. Hard for Trump to get his anti-lobyist laws passed if the first thing he does is to try to overturn this one for Mad Dog.

Pat

Understood, but Congress has to grant that exception vs. POTUS making a phone call & picking up a pen. I think he'll get it.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by sfshooter

A decent pick for sure. The previous few are damn sure questionable. Why do we need all those billionaires in a cabinet position? And why the hell is Mitch "stand up for nothing" McConnel's wife have a seat?
Trump is definitely a wild card. I hope it all works out.

I'll agree with not caring for a few of the cabinet picks simply because their connections are part of the swamp. We will see; one of the things that got Trump there was a feeling that he knows how to pick competent people & that includes high achievers - if one looks not-too-hard one can easily find rookie politicians that grabbed parachutes from the companies they owned before coming to the Capitol. I imagine Elaine Chao was picked based on her years of experience as Secretary of Labor under GW Bush rather than being married to that lackluster turtle in the Senate. He hasn't been inaugurated yet, but he does seem to be nominating folks who might take file cabinets of needless regulatory crap and do what Bill Veeck did to disco records at Comiskey Park, both things I favor.

The real fight is going to be when he starts making Judicial Branch nominations, the current SCOTUS vacancy, and then anything likely to be a pipeline to feed another SCOTUS vacancy during his term.

[Ret10Echo]

United States of America Inc.

It's going to be interesting.

[frostfire]

Originally Posted by Ret10Echo

United States of America Inc.

Well, better than Amreeka Union ...I hope & pray.

[sfshooter]

We are stuck with what we have.......it is better than Hitlary for sure.
That doesn't mean we can't hold his feet to the fire to do the right thing.
He promised to drain the swamp and part of his picks show that, but others show a continuation of the swamp.
All we can do is ride it out and see how the show goes. With him I think it will be a mix of good and bad decisions.

[Divemaster]

Mattis is a good pick. I'd like to think the transition team tested the waters with congress to make sure they can get the 7-year waiver.

Also, I think keeping some GOP mainstream, like Reince Preibus and others, close is smart. Drain the swamp is a good slogan, but you can't go it alone in D.C. and you need some institutional knowledge for domestic and foreign politics.

Without some astute political handling who knows, Trump might do something crazy like talk to Taiwan.

[scooter]

Originally Posted by Divemaster

Mattis is a good pick. I'd like to think the transition team tested the waters with congress to make sure they can get the 7-year waiver.

Also, I think keeping some GOP mainstream, like Reince Preibus and others, close is smart. Drain the swamp is a good slogan, but you can't go it alone in D.C. and you need some institutional knowledge for domestic and foreign politics.

Without some astute political handling who knows, Trump might do something crazy like talk to Taiwan.

Too much of our foreign policy is on autopilot being run by career staffers at various agencies and think tanks. We do things because "its a core tenant of our foreign policy," not because they are currently paramount to the national interests of the United States.

The US could do with some violent breaking of some sacred paradigms. For the last 25 years we have been like a very large simpleton with a great big hammer, gleefully and madly swinging away at stuff because we could. Everything we have done since 1996 has been a failure. The core ideas of our foreign policy are remnants of the Cold War, and we've never bothered to reevaluate them.

We are largely self sufficient in oil production at this point. Why is the Middle East a concern at this point? Sure, there is that terrorism thing... but that isn't going anywhere, and our current policies aren't going to do anything to help. Iran is regionally destabilizing... so what? Why does the US care if Saudi Arabia and Iran duke it out for a while? Why are we protecting Japan (a country with a huge GDP) still? Why do we care if North Korea is making noises at South Korea? The north isn't going to invade, they are an economic shit show. We cared in 1951 because of the march of communism. If they started it again, why is this our problem? Why are we duty bound to protect Europe, whose GDP exceeds ours in the aggregate? If we didn't care if Russia invaded Georgia and Crimea, why Latvia or Estonia? Is their territorial integrity a vital national interest we should be willing to send our sons to die to protect?

Think of all of our enemies in the world. How many are our enemies because we are the global idiot who is meddling in affairs that have absolutely nothing to do with US national interests? We have been the world police for years, invading small countries while threatening big ones in order to "protect stability". How have we benefited, really? Is anyone still grateful at this point?

I have watched my brothers be maimed and die over the last 15 years in order to guarantee Iraq allies with Iran and to help Afghanistan go from Taliban rule back to Taliban rule.

Trump's foreign policy ideas are an anathema to the professionals? Good. Fucking good. At this point they all need to retire and do something else. Fresh ideas are needed.

[EricV]

I'm not particularly happy that a Goldman Sucks banker is T Sec considering what the past ones did. Trump's attitude and the fact that he actually went to Wharton makes me feel he'll have a better handle on the financial end.

I'm hoping that appointment turns out like FDR's first appointment to the S.E.C. People were disturbed but most on both sides thought Joe Kennedy did a good job when he left.

I think FDR's comment when asked why he appointed him was "It takes a thief to catch a thief."

[Surf n Turf]

Originally Posted by scooter

Too much of our foreign policy is on autopilot being run by career staffers at various agencies and think tanks.

DEMS = Nitze School of Advanced Int'l Studies, Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Economic Policy Institute, Center for American Progress, etc.

REPUB= Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Lexington , Claremont , Hudson ,and Cato Institutes, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and The Federalist Foundation

Originally Posted by scooter

We do things because "its a core tenant of our foreign policy," not because they are currently paramount to the national interests of the United States.

Much of our foreign policy comes from the Weltanschauung of Kissinger and Nixon. Henry has not updated much of his portfolio in his dotage. As a consequence of Washington’s single-minded focus on a zero defect foreign policy, we are still pursuing his agenda items from the 70/80's:

détente

Triangular diplomacy

United States will keep all of its treaty commitments.

we shall provide a shield if a nuclear power threatens the freedom of a nation allied with us or of a nation whose survival we consider vital to our security.

other types of aggression, we shall furnish military and economic assistance when requested in accordance with our treaty commitments.

"political multipolarity"

Originally Posted by scooter

The US could do with some violent breaking of some sacred paradigms.

"Better to fight them in XXX than in our own country", has left us with 1970's foreign entanglements, as you point out playing "cops of the world"

building the democratic peace

maintaining a favorable balance of power among the great powers

punishing rogue actors

investing in good governance and allied capabilities abroad.

When the driving principle of FP must be defending the American homeland from attack.

Originally Posted by scooter

For the last 25 years we have been like a very large simpleton with a great big hammer, gleefully and madly swinging away at stuff because we could.

Lebanon. Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Iraq, ETC.

SOF [Special Operations forces] were deployed to 134 countries” during fiscal year 2013 (open source)

I do understand and support the use of Special Forces of any stripe as opposed to going to war.

Originally Posted by scooter

Everything we have done since 1996 has been a failure. The core ideas of our foreign policy are remnants of the Cold War, and we've never bothered to reevaluate them.

Originally Posted by scooter

We are largely self sufficient in oil production at this point. Why is the Middle East a concern at this point? Sure, there is that terrorism thing... but that isn't going anywhere, and our current policies aren't going to do anything to help. Iran is regionally destabilizing... so what? Why does the US care if Saudi Arabia and Iran duke it out for a while?

I don't care about a regional kerfuffle in the ME (in fact, I would probably enjoy it..if we were not involved), but keep it contained there, and I am afraid that is no longer possible with all of the ROP adherents currently in Europe...... but that is their problem.. hope they are just like South Africa and transfer the NUKES before the Muzzies come to power.

Originally Posted by scooter

Why are we protecting Japan (a country with a huge GDP) still? Why do we care if North Korea is making noises at South Korea? The north isn't going to invade, they are an economic shit show. We cared in 1951 because of the march of communism. If they started it again, why is this our problem? Why are we duty bound to protect Europe, whose GDP exceeds ours in the aggregate? If we didn't care if Russia invaded Georgia and Crimea, why Latvia or Estonia? Is their territorial integrity a vital national interest we should be willing to send our sons to die to protect?

NO

Originally Posted by scooter

Think of all of our enemies in the world. How many are our enemies because we are the global idiot who is meddling in affairs that have absolutely nothing to do with US national interests? .

I would hazard an estimate of MOST

Originally Posted by scooter

We have been the world police for years, invading small countries while threatening big ones in order to "protect stability". How have we benefited, really? Is anyone still grateful at this point?

“America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests” ...Henry Kissinger

Originally Posted by scooter

I have watched my brothers be maimed and die over the last 15 years in order to guarantee Iraq allies with Iran and to help Afghanistan go from Taliban rule back to Taliban rule.
Trump's foreign policy ideas are an anathema to the professionals? Good. Fucking good. At this point they all need to retire and do something else. Fresh ideas are needed.

I think that a lot of armchair Generals (real and make believe) are in for a surprise when our next SECDEF says NO BOYS, we are not going to do that. I think (and hope) that he will use his office to engender a stand down from this opstempo, and saying HELL NO to missions of no redeeming value.

SnT

[Badger52]

'Cause I'm certain all the real working folk in Big Sky country (yes, really, it's one of the 57 states) and thereabouts, deplorable all, just love the typical metrosexual bureaukrats they've been getting.

On the surface, I like it & think this would continue to send the right message.

LINK to full story.

President-elect Donald Trump intends to pick Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke as secretary of the Interior, multiple sources confirmed Tuesday evening to Fox News.

Zinke is a first-term House member and a former Navy SEAL commander.

Neither the Trump transition team nor Zinke has made a public statement. But Zinke reportedly has accepted the offer.

He was purportedly in the running with Washington Rep. Kathy McMorris Rogers, who met at least twice with Trump, a fellow Republican, in recent days.

McMorris Rogers has made no official statement either. But she posted a message late Tuesday on her Facebook page that suggested she will remain on Capitol Hill as part of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s leadership team.

[Badger52]

While ambivalent about Perry as Energy Secretary, I reeeeally like the idea afoot of naming a sitting Dem Senator (Heitkamp from ND) to Agriculture. 1 less in the OPFOR when it comes confirmation and judicial appointment times if they're done quickly.

Looks like Ag, Interior & Veteran's Affairs are all that's left for a cabinet.