@gjohnsit

But I thought he was a symbol of her competency as a foreign policy wonk. Surely you can't be implying that Henry FUCKING Kissinger was a bad person?

link

The Kurds succumbed to the spin, believing Washington was finally supporting their right to self-determination. In reality, the United States was using the Kurdish rebels to sap the resources of the Iraqi regime and coerce them into a settlement.

That settlement came at the 1975 OPEC summit, at which time the United States promised Iraq that support for the Kurds would be immediately withdrawn. As Iraq subsequently wiped out the Kurdish rebels, Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani sent a message to Kissinger. It read in part:

“Our movement and people are being destroyed in an unbelievable way, with silence from everyone. We feel, your excellency, that the United States has a moral and political responsibility towards our people, who have committed themselves to your country’s policy.”

One can easily imagine Kissinger getting off on being called “your excellency,” while cringing at the concept of moral responsibility, but he did not directly reply to Barzani. Instead, he instructed a staff member: “Promise them anything, give them what they get, and fuck them if they can’t take a joke.”

When asked to explain America’s duplicity towards the Kurds, Kissinger delivered a one-liner that effectively sums up the perpetual purpose of phallocentric, necrophilic U.S. foreign policy: “Covert action should not be confused with missionary work.”

@snoopydawg

That we settle things by international rule of law

Fuck the UN is what he just said.
The hypocrisy drools from the corner of a mad dogs muzzle.

The reporter didn't fall on the floor and laugh his ass off, he went on to the next question.

source

Q: Your national defense strategy you laid out this last week mentioned the great power competition with China and Russia. I'm wondering what role that might play in this trip (inaudible)?

SEC. MATTIS: Yes, you know, I think that what we're looking for is a world where we solve problems, and we don't shred trust. We don't militarize features in the middle of international waters. We don't invade other countries, in Russia's case -- Georgia, Ukraine. That we settle things by international rule of law, you know, this sort of thing. And so I think that in terms of great power and competition. One point I want to make is we respect these as sovereign nations with a sovereign voice and sovereign decisions, and we don't think anyone else should have a veto authority over their economic, their diplomatic or their security decisions. So one of the points I will be making just by being there is we respect these countries, and we respect their sovereignty, their sovereign decisions.

@Lenzabi so they're running the military like a business now? What are the effin officers and generals making?

I wonder how long before we hear of "Kurdish Terrorists" in our lazy ass MSM with folks who learned but eschew real journalism, just so that they can earn the cash like Maddow and others like her. At the very least, US to the Kurds regarding their fighting ISIS for us: "Thank you for your service!" having been told I don't qualify for VA benefits of any kind due to apparently being discharged 10days shy of 2yrs, so I am sarcastic about "Thank you for your service" which from the government equals FU.

Kurds earned many favors from us that we will balk on and bilk them of such favors.