Since pretty much everyone is already infuriated by Trump, Zelensky, Vance, Zelensky's advisors, Democrats who met with Zelensky prior to the meeting and told him (per Sen. Chris Murphy [Moron, CT]) to sign the deal and to not sign the deal, I don't really see any space for you to infuriate anyone who isn't already.
As for Trump, when will his opponents stop trying to figure out a way to make him become a "normal" politician? It's never, ever going to happen. How about accepting that he's totally not normal, but very predictable, and work with that? It looks like they're either too stupid to notice that and act on it, or so wrapped up in their own alternate reality that they'd rather keep losing to him rather than admitting he's never going to be normal.
I believe Trump’s goal is to get into a room with Putin and hammer out a deal to end the war. Ukraine is steadily losing ground. I just finished a book about the Eisenhower presidency. He badly wanted a summit with Kruschouv. (Sorry about the spelling). He had one scheduled in Paris. The CIA kept pressing him for more U2 flights over the Soviet Union and he kept saying no. Until he relented. Well that one got shot down and so did his summit.
I watched the Conversation this weekend. It was great
I too watched the Conversation and I'm sorry, it was one of many listless 1970's movies that dragged the entire time with no real hero and loads of grey ambiguity. I live in the bay area so its always a real treat to see 1970's San Francisco before it was taken over by bums. Mississippi Burning and Unforgiven are still some of my favorite Hackman films. He always made everything better.
All things being equal, when one side of a conflict says that ceasefires are pointless and wants to continue fighting, it's pretty clear that diplomacy isn't an option yet. The question is whether or not his kinsmen agree. It'd be great if Putin woke up one day, realized invading Ukraine was a big mistake and just left, but we don't live in that world. We live in the "make him leave" world and the Ukrainians can't. At some point, there will be a be change in the status quo, but for now, it's a stalemate and the best condition for peace talks.
Neither Putin nor Zelenskyy want peace. Putin wants to absorb all of Ukraine in his quest to reconstitute the Soviet Union, and Zelenskyy wants every Russian off Ukrainian soil (and Putin hauled in front of the ICC). Trump realizes that the longer the two keep trying to achieve their true heart's desire, the conflict gets closer to spinning out of control and endangering the rest of the world. It seems Trump has had some success in convincing Putin that he can claim hanging onto Crimea and Donbas is a victory, despite the staggering cost to Russia. Now he has to convince Zelenskyy that the survival of Ukraine, even with loss of territory, is a victory given the way it has humiliated Russia's military. Zelenskyy seems to think getting Trump to condemn Putin is more important than stopping the hostilities and he doesn't recognize that Ukraine will run out of men for the Russians to kill well before Russia runs out of men for Ukraine to kill. Until he admits that to himself, he won't agree to terms for a long-term armistice.
Classic case of Trump taking an 80% position while the swamp and war mongers take the 20% for continual war with greater downsides every week. Seeing how drippy and itchy Zelensky's nose was during the exchange, I wonder if he was coked out and just let his anger get the best of him? Only those invested in somehow "owning Trump" thought Zelensky did well in the exchange. Trump has got to wonder if Zelensky is even a reliable partner to seek peace with. He couldn't do a staged mineral rights signing ceremony in the White House without blowing the whole thing up.
I'm with you on Wes Anderson and Rushmore. Rushmore is a movie the kids and I are in agreement with, and that's a rarity these days.
But Wes Anderson is becoming a bit of a movie making meme in my book. His stuff is starting to yell WES ANDERSON!!! And you don't want to be mematic in your presentation and style.
Gene Hackman - "he was never much to look at" - ah Jim you must have missed Birdcage. Gene as a woman was much to look at! ; )
LOL
Since pretty much everyone is already infuriated by Trump, Zelensky, Vance, Zelensky's advisors, Democrats who met with Zelensky prior to the meeting and told him (per Sen. Chris Murphy [Moron, CT]) to sign the deal and to not sign the deal, I don't really see any space for you to infuriate anyone who isn't already.
As for Trump, when will his opponents stop trying to figure out a way to make him become a "normal" politician? It's never, ever going to happen. How about accepting that he's totally not normal, but very predictable, and work with that? It looks like they're either too stupid to notice that and act on it, or so wrapped up in their own alternate reality that they'd rather keep losing to him rather than admitting he's never going to be normal.
Hackman is hilarious in a small part as the blind monk in "Young Frankenstein."
I believe Trump’s goal is to get into a room with Putin and hammer out a deal to end the war. Ukraine is steadily losing ground. I just finished a book about the Eisenhower presidency. He badly wanted a summit with Kruschouv. (Sorry about the spelling). He had one scheduled in Paris. The CIA kept pressing him for more U2 flights over the Soviet Union and he kept saying no. Until he relented. Well that one got shot down and so did his summit.
I watched the Conversation this weekend. It was great
I too watched the Conversation and I'm sorry, it was one of many listless 1970's movies that dragged the entire time with no real hero and loads of grey ambiguity. I live in the bay area so its always a real treat to see 1970's San Francisco before it was taken over by bums. Mississippi Burning and Unforgiven are still some of my favorite Hackman films. He always made everything better.
Yea it dragged at first. The endless tape rewinding. But a great ending. I didnt see that coming
All things being equal, when one side of a conflict says that ceasefires are pointless and wants to continue fighting, it's pretty clear that diplomacy isn't an option yet. The question is whether or not his kinsmen agree. It'd be great if Putin woke up one day, realized invading Ukraine was a big mistake and just left, but we don't live in that world. We live in the "make him leave" world and the Ukrainians can't. At some point, there will be a be change in the status quo, but for now, it's a stalemate and the best condition for peace talks.
Trump is a Talosian: Wrong thinking will be punished, right thinking will be as swiftly rewarded.
https://upfromtheslime.substack.com/p/trump-of-talos-iv
Neither Putin nor Zelenskyy want peace. Putin wants to absorb all of Ukraine in his quest to reconstitute the Soviet Union, and Zelenskyy wants every Russian off Ukrainian soil (and Putin hauled in front of the ICC). Trump realizes that the longer the two keep trying to achieve their true heart's desire, the conflict gets closer to spinning out of control and endangering the rest of the world. It seems Trump has had some success in convincing Putin that he can claim hanging onto Crimea and Donbas is a victory, despite the staggering cost to Russia. Now he has to convince Zelenskyy that the survival of Ukraine, even with loss of territory, is a victory given the way it has humiliated Russia's military. Zelenskyy seems to think getting Trump to condemn Putin is more important than stopping the hostilities and he doesn't recognize that Ukraine will run out of men for the Russians to kill well before Russia runs out of men for Ukraine to kill. Until he admits that to himself, he won't agree to terms for a long-term armistice.
Classic case of Trump taking an 80% position while the swamp and war mongers take the 20% for continual war with greater downsides every week. Seeing how drippy and itchy Zelensky's nose was during the exchange, I wonder if he was coked out and just let his anger get the best of him? Only those invested in somehow "owning Trump" thought Zelensky did well in the exchange. Trump has got to wonder if Zelensky is even a reliable partner to seek peace with. He couldn't do a staged mineral rights signing ceremony in the White House without blowing the whole thing up.
I'm with you on Wes Anderson and Rushmore. Rushmore is a movie the kids and I are in agreement with, and that's a rarity these days.
But Wes Anderson is becoming a bit of a movie making meme in my book. His stuff is starting to yell WES ANDERSON!!! And you don't want to be mematic in your presentation and style.