On Al Baghdadi:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. He was a bad dude whose organization was responsible for killing thousands, so good riddance to him.

2. That being said, here in the US he would be lucky to have had 1/10th the name recognition that Bin Laden had, so if Trump thinks this is going to be some sort of political game changer for him personally, he’d sadly be mistaken. This will be barely a blip in the news by week’s end.

3. Finally, I am almost certain Turkey probably knew his whereabouts for a long time now and trading those whereabouts to us was most definitely a part of the deal for us to allow them to go in and wreck havoc on the Syrian Kurds.

[spanone]

1. K&R...👍🏼

[rampartc]

2. assuming this is the real al baghdadi.

[mercuryblues]

3. 4. Someone has already taken his place

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. No doubt, and a perfect #4

[Squinch]

4. However, 5. The conservative media will act as if Individual 1 has saved the world.

And 40% of the electorate will buy it.

And 6. we will never again hear the word "Kurd" in the news, even as the ethnic cleansing goes on unimpeded.

[mucifer]

6. yup in the next poll trumps numbers will go up and the media will go nuts

[CrispyQ]

34. I was wondering this morning, how long has it been since the kids in cages have been on the news?

We never even had a march for the kids. Note the date of the commentary below.

It's happening here. I give us a 30% chance of surviving Trump/Barr/McConnell. Trump & Barr are human scum. Total shitholes. There is nothing they won't do. The only thing that might save us is if McConnell thinks he might lose the Senate, even with Russian interference & decides to cut the Con loose.

Fintan O’Toole: Trial runs for fascism are in full flow
Babies in cages were no ‘mistake’ by Trump but test-marketing for barbarism

Tue, Jun 26, 2018, 05:00
by Fintan O’Toole

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-trial-runs-for-fascism-are-in-full-flow-1.3543375

Fascism doesn’t arise suddenly in an existing democracy. It is not easy to get people to give up their ideas of freedom and civility. You have to do trial runs that, if they are done well, serve two purposes. They get people used to something they may initially recoil from; and they allow you to refine and calibrate. This is what is happening now and we would be fools not to see it.

One of the basic tools of fascism is the rigging of elections – we’ve seen that trialled in the election of Trump, in the Brexit referendum and (less successfully) in the French presidential elections. Another is the generation of tribal identities, the division of society into mutually exclusive polarities. Fascism does not need a majority – it typically comes to power with about 40 per cent support and then uses control and intimidation to consolidate that power. So it doesn’t matter if most people hate you, as long as your 40 per cent is fanatically committed. That’s been tested out too. And fascism of course needs a propaganda machine so effective that it creates for its followers a universe of “alternative facts” impervious to unwanted realities. Again, the testing for this is very far advanced.

[Squinch]

37. Yep. This is how they do it. Gish gallop the news cycle, and they can cover up ANYTHING.

I did an OP on their ability to distract - and our inability to avoid being distracted. They distract from the last unthinkable act with the next unthinkable act.

I took universal criticism in the replies to that OP ("Conspiracy theory!!" "I AM NOT distracted!!" "As if my attention would have prevented it!!" ) but I stand strongly by it. Anyone who thinks they are not distracted is kidding themselves. Likewise anyone who thinks their distraction methods are not intentional and orchestrated.

We ARE distracted. We are letting atrocities slide by because we can't keep up with their vileness.

And that article about the 40% support is particularly chilling because that's just about exactly what this disgusting pig has. So, though I hope with all my heart you are wrong about a 30% chance, I wouldn't bet against you.

[Zoonart]

5. Clearly, like General Kelly, You cannot handle his genius.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Very good points.

[bullwinkle428]

9. He timed this raid last night so he could get cheers at World Series tonight.

THERE, I said it - maybe the first at DU with this theory, but I wouldn't be shocked if someone else beat me to it!

[customerserviceguy]

27. He certainly

timed the announcement to get ahead of the Sunday morning talking heads shows.

He knows how to play the media like a fiddle.

[Pachamama]

10. Do I have a bad memory or mistaken memory, but this must be at least the 2nd or 3rd time Baghdadi

...has been killed?

[tblue37]

18. He was badly wounded before and left with limb paralysis. He no longer ran ISIS. nf

[global1]

11. I Don't Think That As You Say - This Will Be Barely A Blip In The News By Week's End.....

Trump will be reminding us of this at every one of his rallies, campaign stops and copter conferences. He will be his biggest cheerleader on this.

[ashredux]

12. Trump's statement is an Embarrassment......

Good God....he THANKED Russia

Who writes this crap?

[Ilsa]

16. The one who called him a genius when dissing Gen. Kelly. nt

[CaptainTruth]

13. Remember when Trump said he had a secret plan to defeat ISIS in 30 days?

He said it multiple times during the 2016 campaign.

What ever happened to that?

[JHB]

17. Well, obviously, it was so secret nobody knew what it was. Even him.

Especially him.

[Pepsidog]

14. He lies all the time.Why would we now believe he is telling the truth. Even if they did get him,

Dems should sent it

[vlyons]

15. Selling out the Kurds for a chance to 1-up Obama?

No doubt about it.

Note: Trump will NEVER 1-up Obama on anything. Not even a 1/2-up, or a 1/1000th up. Never.

[dalton99a]

19. FACT: Far more Americans have been killed by Trump-inspired terrorists than by ISIS terrorists.

[klook]

26. Sad truth. (nt)

[ewagner]

20. Had to turn off the sound....

Does anybody else feel like trump described the detail of the raid like he was watching PORN????

He's really getting off on it.....

It's also ironic that he's describing Al Baghdadi's death ..."he died like a dog, a coward"....when he depended on bone spurs to avoid military service.

[DinahMoeHum]

21. Remember US Navy SEAL Ryan Owens????

Just sayin'

Oh and BTW, General James Mattis isn't exactly blameless for that fiasco.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/trump-says-they-lost-ryan-owens-commander-chief/580066/

[SayItLoud]

22. Media needs to VERIFY anything tRUMP says THEN

publish. Not the other way around with this lying POS.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. 4. The operation appears to have been carried out with the help of Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish-lead Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) tweeted that there was a "successful" joint operation with the US -- but did not specifically name what that operation was or give any further details.
"Successful & historical operation due to joint intelligence work with the United States of America," Mazloum Abdi, SDF General Commander tweeted Sunday.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/26/politics/white-house-trump-announcement-sunday/index.html

[ananda]

24. Bugger all, and words fail again!

This moves carrying a grudge to a whole new level!

[gab13by13]

25. I posted a couple of times

about this being a quid pro quo between Trump and Turkey. Baghdadi for withdrawal of troops BUT,

The more I think about this I'm not so sure. Turkey was not exactly enemies with ISIS, they let them freely cross its border. I ask myself, would Turkey want it publicized that it gave up Baghdadi which would open its country up to terrorism? Something is rotten in Denmark.

I now don't believe a quid pro quo, I believe a false flag operation.

[yaesu]

28. yep, this was another tRump quid pro quo deal. nt

[Eyeball_Kid]

29. So I'm reading unverified reports that Baghdadi

was severely disabled from a previous attempt on his life and was paralyzed. Further, he was no longer functioning as an executive within ISIS. Basically, he was already "neutralized."

I've also read an unverified report that the same al-Baghdadi was chased down a tunnel before being eliminated, paralyzed limbs and all.

Who knew?

[B Stieg]

30. He blew himself up...

Yeah, how convenient.

[SCVDem]

31. "He died like a dog" dump says.

First, leave dogs the hell out of it. Dump has no dog and if he did it would bite him!

Second, I did not know that dogs could build and set off a bomb vest.

Third, you can tell dump never served. There is joy in achieving a goal or objective.

We do not celebrate a killing.

Their help wanted ad is already posted. Next!

[DashOneBravo]

32. K&R

[ancianita]

33. All I've seen is a portrait photo at some big table. No photos of any real take-down.

NO ONE has shown that it actually happened.

No thinking person believes a liar.

THIS NEEDS PENTAGON CONFIRMATION.

Until I see Pentagon sourced photos of the operation, I won't believe it happened.

[SCVDem]

35. Fake News?

I trust nothing and no one.

[ancianita]

36. That's a trademarked phrase. I prefer "made up shit."