Trump invites ruthless dictators to the White House because why, do you suppose?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The debate about whether President Trump rewards crazed dictators by inviting them to the White House is the least of our worries. The real worry is whether we have a dictator-in-waiting living there full time (at least when he is not golfing at one of his private White Houses).

Have you noticed the pattern yet? Just when you think that Trump is moderating from a bizarre, uninformed maniac into a regular, uninformed officeholder, he will do something such as invite Rodrigo Duterte to stop in and break some heads, I mean bread. Or say that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is a “smart cookie” for consolidating power by having his uncle executed.

These are not the exceptions that prove the rule; they are the rule that belies the exceptions. Trump’s instincts and temperament are those of an authoritarian. We don’t need any more evidence on this. The only time Trump behaves is when he needs to backpedal for tactical reasons, and that always proves to be brief to a now-predictable degree.

And the lesson of all this? The lesson is, don’t allow someone like this to accumulate power. You can be sure that any power he has will be leveraged and extended, and ultimately he will use it against you. The coverage of Trump’s governing attempts framed as how many “victories” he has or hasn’t achieved is ill-considered in the extreme. Trump getting any of his uniformly terrible agenda passed into law is no “victory” for America. It is a loss. It is feeding the beast.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2017/05/02/trump-invites-ruthless-dictators-to-the-white-house-because-why-do-you-suppose/?utm_term=.6c0ec9b53ac7

[Igel]

1. Abbas?

Haven't seen Museveni or Mugabe.

Duterte is, sadly, in charge of a long-standing strategic ally, one also facing some fundie terrorist issues.

Duterte is on the left's hit list. Others no better but not on the right of the political spectrum are okay. Mugabe was a darling for quite a while. In other words, it's not behavior alone that matters.

But still, the Philippines is an important ally.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. What the Fuck?

Are you impersonating Sean Spicer?

Your post looks like someone trying to make excuses for Duterte. And using it as a chance to attack "the left" for having a "hit list" of those on the right. And accusing someone - Tom Toles? - of being 'okay' with Mugabe. It appears to be saying "hey, Trump hasn't invited Mugabe, so what's the problem?"

[wendyb]

3. What?

[bJust when you think that Trump is moderating from a bizarre, uninformed maniac into a regular, uninformed officeholder,


I NEVER think that Trump is moderating...the word 'regular' is not in any lexicon applying to that monster.