Incompetence everywhere you look

[RayThom]

Leaking worked for Whitey Bulger... for a time. Hopefully, it will lead Lord Dampnut and his cronies down the same path.

[Big RR]

The president is a leaker?

Yes - don't you remember the meeting with the Russians when he divulged a nugget of information gleaned fom the Israelis?

In other news I see that Newt Gingrich has called Scaramucchi 'divisive' and 'full of himself.' You have to admit that when Newtie starts calling you those sort of names, you've pretty much hit the jackpot.

Yeah, but like Nixon said, when the president does it, it's not illegal.

Actually, the president controls those designations and can mke anything he chooses public without violating a law, so he is not a leaker (except maybe for some incontinence).

[ex-khobar Andy]

And now Priebus is out. Must be ego-stroking to have a four star general (Kelly) as your new chief of staff.

[BoSoxGal]

I hope Reince dishes bigly on what's going on in the White House under the Nut.

[Lord Jim]

I'm not at all surprised that Priebus is out, but I am really perplexed as to why somebody like Kelly, a "grown up" with a distinguished military career, would give up his gig at Homeland Security to jump into that clown car/viper's nest...

[ex-khobar Andy]

Absolutely agree LJ. Or maybe Kelly is old school enough to say - if my president wants me to do this who am I to refuse?

[MajGenl.Meade]

And now Priebus is out. Must be ego-stroking to have a four star general (Kelly) as your new chief of staff.

I'm sure Trump will soon be reminding us that Nixon and Ford had one too!

[BoSoxGal]

The Mooch's wife of 3 years just filed for divorce, citing his naked political ambition.

[Lord Jim]

Or maybe Kelly is old school enough to say - if my president wants me to do this who am I to refuse?

That's what I'm thinking...

That as a life-long military man, he may just have the mindset that when your Commander-in-Chief asks you to take on an assignment, you say "Yes sir" and take it on no matter how hopeless it may be...

It's probably a sense of duty thing with him...

Which Trump is cynically exploiting...

[ex-khobar Andy]

And I would not mind betting that, in order to emphasize who is boss, Trump at some point asks Kelly to find a Diet Coke for him. I don't think this will last long. Even if Trump's power trips are not quite as crass and naked, they will be there and Kelly's gorge will rise. Of course I may be underestimating Trump's sense of purpose, motivation and character.

[Burning Petard]

The George Will op-ed piece just released b y the Washington Post has an interesting take on all this:

"Trump is something the nation did not know it needed"

A presidency so weak and incompetent that congress finally wakes up and grudgingly learns again to do its job.

Well, that is one view, sort of like looking through the pile of horse-shit for the pony that must be in there somewhere.

snailgate

[Scooter]

looking through the pile of horse-shit for the pony that must be in there somewhere

Can I steal that one? It is so completely à propos of a number of issues that are on my plate right now.

[Econoline]

[BoSoxGal]

[rubato]

looking through the pile of horse-shit for the pony that must be in there somewhere

Can I steal that one? It is so completely à propos of a number of issues that are on my plate right now.

It was an old joke before Reagan appropriated it and made it his own.

yrs,
rubato

[Lord Jim]

Trump has his White House set up like one of those reality shows where they throw a bunch of strangers together to live in a house and they spend the whole time arguing and backstabbing each other...

And he likes it that way. For Trump, his staff isn't there to try to do a job or accomplish an agenda; they are there primarily to provide him with entertainment (and of course, a constant stream of effusive flattery.)

I just don't see General Kelly thriving in that environment. On paper he looks like a great choice if your objective is to try to bring order to the chaos that reigns in Trump's West Wing, but that's not Trump's objective.

Trump loves the chaos; he must, because he is one who deliberately generates it. I'm sure to get Kelly to take this job he made him a bunch of promises about the authority and control he will have, but as Kelly will soon find out, Trump will never keep those promises.

Trump really doesn't want a disciplined, well functioning White House. Like a 2 year old, Trump gets bored very easily, and he would quickly find that very boring. And again just like a 2 year old, when he's bored he has an irresistible compulsion to throw tantrums and break things...

I have no doubt that under normal circumstances, Kelly has the skill set to bring function to a dysfunctional organization. But the insurmountable problem he's up against is that in this case, the dysfunction comes from the behavior of the boss, and that's something he's not gong to be able to control.

He's going to be like a guy with a fire extinguisher trying to put out the fires, while there's another guy standing behind him tossing Molotov Cocktails who he can't do anything about...

And unless he has the authority to get rid of The Mooch...(which I doubt, but if he does, and his goal is to bring order and function to the White House, canning him should be Decision One) ...he actually has two Molotov Cocktail throwers he can't do anything about...

I'll be surprised if he lasts as long as Priebus did.

[Scooter]

BREAKING NEWS: Anthony Scaramucci Follows Gay Porn Star Blake Mitchell on Twitter!!!

We’ve just learned that White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci is a Twitter follower (and big fan?) of gay porn star/twink god Blake Mitchell. Mitchell just noticed the follow (“Wait… what?” was his adorable response), and Twitter monitoring website DOESFOLLOW confirmed it.

Suddenly Scaramucci’s crack about Bannon sucking his own cock takes on a whole new meaning…

Ditto Scarmucci's wife deciding to divorce him...

[Scooter]

U.S. energy secretary duped into fake interview with Russian comedians

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine's prime minister.

Perry actually was talking with comedians known in Russia for targeting celebrities and politicians with audacious stunts, Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a written statement.

Pranksters Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov are sometimes called the "Jerky Boys of Russia," after an American duo who put out recordings of their prank phone calls in the 1990s. They have made faux calls to British singer Elton John, who thought he was speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and others.

"These individuals are known for pranking high-level officials and celebrities, particularly those who are supportive of an agenda that is not in line with their governments. In this case, the energy security of Ukraine," Hynes said.

During the 22-minute call on July 19, Perry, whose department oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons program, discussed a range of topics in a business-like tone, including sanctions against Russia and helping Ukraine develop oil and gas.

Perry said the Trump administration opposes Nord Stream 2, a Russian project to bring natural gas to Europe across the Baltic and that U.S. technology could help Ukraine develop gas.

"Giving Ukraine more options with some of our technology is, I think, in everyone's best interest with the exception of the Russians, but that's OK," he said.

Perry also discussed the Paris climate accord and coal exports on the call.

The call, first reported by E&E news, was recorded and posted online. (bit.ly/2eMg35v)

It happened about a month after Perry met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his delegation at the Energy Department.

President Donald Trump said last month that Washington plans to offer Ukraine more coal exports from the United States because the eastern European nation's industrial sector has difficulty securing coal from separatist-held regions.

It is unclear how the United States would bring more coal to Ukraine but Perry hinted on the call that the Commerce Department was working on it.

"The coal conversation at this particular point in time is with (Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross) and I full well suspect it will go forward," he said on the call.

News of the call came the same day the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impose new sanctions on Russia.

[Lord Jim]

"These individuals are known for pranking high-level officials and celebrities, particularly those who are supportive of an agenda that is not in line with their governments. [That's not surprising; if they were pranking pro-Putin officials and celebrities, they'd be doing their comedy routine in prison for their fellow inmates...]

This one's really not on Perry; he can't be expected to know what the Prime Minister of Ukraine sounds like...

This is the result of really shitty staff work...

They should have verified with the State Department before they put their boss on the phone...

[Scooter]

Clearly this should have been worked out before hand, but it's amateur hour. How do you let a cabinet secretary get on the phone with a comedian believing it's a prime minister? He might have easily said something on such a call that could have compromised the U.S. position with Ukraine or Russia.