Trump disputes national security critics on Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that his administration had made significant progress toward wrapping up the U.S. military’s longstanding engagements in the Middle East, contradicting his top intelligence officials by proclaiming that the Islamic State in Syria “will soon be destroyed."

Trump’s tweets seemed to be a rebuttal of the public testimony his top intelligence chiefs gave Tuesday morning before Congress while discussing the gravest threats to the U.S. worldwide.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel both indicated that there is significant daylight between the president and the intelligence community on three significant issues: that the Islamic State remains a forceful presence in Iraq and Syria, North Korea is not likely to give up its nuclear weapons and that Iran is not yet seeking a nuclear weapon.

The president addressed some of those contradictions in a series of tweets Wednesday morning. He wrote that “tremendous progress” had been made in the fight against Islamic State militants since he assumed office two years ago, “especially over [the] last 5 weeks,” when he abruptly announced they had already been defeated and that he would pull U.S. forces out of Syria.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/30/trump-national-security-1136433

[MyOwnPeace]

1. But of course!

Why should these "experts" think they know more than the smartiest, brainiest, bestest person ever?

[sinkingfeeling]

2. When you believe you, and only you, can run the country single-handedly, then

your view on your success is the only one that should be news.

[riversedge]

3. ...None of the officials said there is a security crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, where Trump has

NOT in OP but here.....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/intelligence-officials-will-name-biggest-threats-facing-us-during-senate-hearing/2019/01/28/f08dc5cc-2340-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4756a479ee70


.....None of the officials said there is a security crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, where Trump has considered declaring a national emergency so that he can build a wall.

Coats noted that high crime rates and a weak job market are likely to spur migrants from Central America to cross into the United States. But he also sounded optimistic that Mexico will cooperate with the Trump administration to address violence and the flow of illegal drugs, problems that Trump has said Mexico isn’t addressing sufficiently.

[DallasNE]

4. Sounds Like

Putin called Trump last night and gave Trump his talking points.

[Farmer-Rick]

7. Exactly what I was thinking

Putin has given him his marching orders.

[PeeJ52]

5. If tRump doesn't agree with his own national security team who is giving him his information???

Is he listening to Putin? How can he have a different opinion than the people that gather the information and give it to him? This doesn't make sense? Is it just his gut? The man is not stable and must be removed if he doesn't believe his advisors. He can't be allowed to have the nuclear launch codes if he doesn't believe his own people.

[paleotn]

6. Why is Politico discussing the ravings of a lunatic?

Oh, yea. I remember. Stupid ass people elected him pResident. Otherwise, he just be another nut we collectively ignore.

[ginnyinWI]

8. Talk and tweets are cheap.

If it prevents him from actually doing anything to disrupt the international order, let him tweet on and be laughed at. Good pressure valve.

[scarytomcat]

9. why do we let this fool conduct foreign policy by tweet

will someone please take that thing away from him or make it only sent tweets to his secretary