Trump's Pentagon Purge is reportedly to get troops out of the Middle East

[Binkie The Clown]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-pentagon-purge-reportedly-attempt-194755505.html


President Trump is reportedly scrambling to fulfill a campaign promise at the last possible second. Trump campaigned in 2016 on the assurance he'd bring U.S. troops in the Middle East back home. That still hasn't happened, but some new hires in the Pentagon are aimed at getting that task done before Trump leaves office, Axios reports.

Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other top Pentagon officials on Monday after months of tension. Esper said he didn't want to be the "yes man" Trump was looking for, and a senior administration official told Axios that firing Esper and others was "part a settling of Trump's personal scores."

Trump then named Christopher C. Miller, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, as the acting secretary of defense. Miller quickly brought in retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor as a senior adviser; Macgregor has vocally backed Trump and said he wants the president to get troops out of Afghanistan "as soon as possible." He has also advocated for giving military control of the Korean peninsula fully to South Korea. It's all a signal White House officials "want [the Pentagon] more publicly to talk about getting out of Afghanistan by the end of the year," a senior administration official tells Axios.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Why?

How does Putin profit?

[The Polack MSgt]

3. He wants to give his boss a power vacuum ready for Russia to exploit

Couldn't quite wreck NATO, so this is his make up assignment

[Mike 03]

5. In exchange for Russia taking over his Deutsche Bank loans?

[The Polack MSgt]

6. In exchange for polonium free coffee in his Dacha on the shore of the Crimean Sea

Is my guess

[KY_EnviroGuy]

12. And/or payback for meddling in the 2016 election.

KY........ .....

[Klaralven]

7. NATO is wrecked. Without Turkey, NATO isn't very functional. Erdogan is out.

[Brother Buzz]

4. Vacuum, Baby

Putin really, really wants that warm water port on the Mediterranean

[former9thward]

16. Putin already has two warm water ports on the Mediterranean.

Tartus and Sevastopol. Those aren't going anywhere no matter what the U.S. does about troops in the ME.

[Brother Buzz]

17. Sevastopol is hardly on the Mediterranean, and it might be a little claustrophobic for his needs

However, Tartus mostly serves his needs nicely, but one could make the argument the lease could go south if things go sideways in the Syrian Civil War; Putin is smiling at his good fortune if the US pulls out entirely. Hell, in the vacuum, Russia could annex Syria, all risky free.

[former9thward]

18. Very little is left of the Syrian civil war.

Putin and Assad won. Americans are not going to support troops dying to stop whatever Putin does in Syria.

[Mike 03]

2. It's interesting. I heard this theory last night. The reason it's so strange to me is

that I can't figure out what is in it for Trump.

Unless he's fantasizing that he can run on this in 2024

Is this a cover story for something else that he wants to do, like declassify intelligence on the Russia scandal, or make evidence disappear inside the Pentagon?

He doesn't ever do anything that won't benefit him. Kickbacks from Blackwater contracts for Erik Prince?

I don't know. I can't figure out how it fits with his pattern.

[42bambi]

8. Whatever it is, you can bet that it's for his well being.

[Captain Zero]

15. Cash for Trump is the deal.

nt

[Baked Potato]

9. Trump will do nothing, unless:

It benefits him or his family financially.

-or-

It goes against something President Obama did, or would do.

-or-

Pays back his base.

IMO.

[poli-junkie]

10. How long would it take to pull troops out of the Middle East? Exactly where in the M.E.?

[mackdaddy]

11. Helps him run for 2024 if he pulls the troops. He can fundraise for the next four years.

This is a big grift by this bunch. He will raise another billion bucks from his rubes.

"See even after the election was stolen from me, I delivered on my promises!" Here give me some money and attend my ego fest...

[bullimiami]

13. that really makes no sense to me. he could have pulled the troops at any time.

just like he did with syria.

[former9thward]

14. I hope that is true

[UTUSN]

19. Shouldn't Sen.TURTLE be saying a prez can't initiate a major military act 70 days from his end?!1

Last edited Thu Nov 12, 2020, 02:15 AM - Edit history (1)