“Nice Continent You Have Here. Be A Shame…

Trump brags he threatened 'no protection' for NATO moments after Zelenskyy speaks to Congress https://t.co/K3uLn3ZA1N

— Raw Story (@RawStory) March 16, 2022

People forget so quickly with the help of Fake News that it was me that got the 20 out of 28 delinquent NATO countries to start paying the money that they cowed in order to rebuild a floundering NATO," Trump said in the statement. "Nobody knew things would happen so rapidly but NATO was poor and now it is rich and all of the Fake News commentators that said Trump was tearing down NATO should be ashamed of themselves for telling lies."

"Bush and Obama did nothing but make speeches and talk," he charged. "I acted, and acted strongly. I said to them, 'if you don't pay up, no protection.' They all paid up, and quickly. It's a story that's never reported but only because we have a corrupt press in our Country!"

Remember yesterday when he started backing away from Putin?  That was nice.  Lasted about a nanosecond, but still....

He's still a delusional clown.  That hasn't changed.

And in the 'Their Man On Our Side" Category:

Noam Chomsky proposes ‘one sensible approach to ending the tragedy’ in Ukraine https://t.co/uiDrv1yVwJ

— Raw Story (@RawStory) March 16, 2022

"I would like to stress the crucial issue that must be in the forefront of all discussions of this terrible tragedy: We must find a way to bring this war to an end before it escalates, possibly to utter devastation of Ukraine and unimaginable catastrophe beyond," Chomsky said. "The only way is a negotiated settlement. Like it or not, this must provide some kind of escape hatch for Putin, or the worst will happen. Not victory, but an escape hatch. These concerns must be uppermost in our minds."

Chomsky faulted elected officials and media figures who are urging Ukrainians to keep fighting, although western governments have ruled out sending troops to help, and he can only guess about their motives for allowing the human suffering and destruction to continue.

"We can only speculate about the reasons for U.S.-U.K. total concentration on warlike and punitive measures, and refusal to join in the one sensible approach to ending the tragedy," Chomsky said. "Perhaps it is based on hope for regime change [in Russia]. If so, it is both criminal and foolish. Criminal because it perpetuates the vicious war and cuts off hope for ending the horrors, foolish because it is quite likely that if [Vladimir] Putin is overthrown someone even worse will take over. That has been a consistent pattern in elimination of leadership in criminal organizations for many years."

It's also possible the U.S. government is hoping the conflict will enhance American influence over Europe, Chomsky said.

"Another possibility is that Washington is satisfied with how the conflict is proceeding," he said. "As we have discussed, in his criminal foolishness, Putin provided Washington with an enormous gift: firmly establishing the U.S.-run Atlanticist framework for Europe and cutting off the option of an independent 'European common home,' a long-standing issue in world affairs as far back as the origin of the Cold War."

"I personally am reluctant to go as far as the highly knowledgeable sources we discussed earlier who conclude that Washington planned this outcome, but it’s clear enough that it has eventuated," Chomsky said, "and, possibly, Washington planners see no reason to act to change what is underway."

Wild-eyed liberal that I am, that's just gibberish.  Peacenick and on the side of Pope Francis that I am, that is just lunacy.  I can't help thinking (and I NEVER think this) that in the '30's Chomsky would have been an apologist for Hitler.

How did the U.S. prompt this invasion, except to signal, via Trump, that we were cool with it?  How do we oppose it more than we have now, except to go to war? I do like the way he inadvertently compares the Russian government to a criminal organization:

"Criminal because it perpetuates the vicious war and cuts off hope for ending the horrors, foolish because it is quite likely that if [Vladimir] Putin is overthrown someone even worse will take over. That has been a consistent pattern in elimination of leadership in criminal organizations for many years."

He starts off saying the actions of Europe (well, the U.S. and the U.K.  The rest of Europe?  Fuggedaboutit!  Trump would nod sagely in agreement) are criminal; but that last sentence can only apply to Russia.  And I think Ukraine has been negotiating with Russia from the beginning.  NATO doesn't have a dog in this fight, and any NATO country trying to enter negotiations would just prove Chomsky's worst fever dreams about how Europe and America are responsible for Putin's invasion.  That's a helluva conspiracy theory.

Time to retire from the public stage, professor.  You had a good run, but you're just embarassing yourself now.