Donald Trump, who's totally not Vladimir Putin's puppet, warned Russia before airstrikes on Syria

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Source: Salon

It turns out that President Donald Trump gave a heads up to the Russian government before launching his missile strike against Syria on Thursday night.

Russian forces were notified in advance of the strike using the established deconfliction line, said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis in an official statement. U.S. military planners took precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield.

In response to the attack, Russia has announced that it will help Syria strengthen its air defenses. It also may have prepared Syrians for the attack by tipping them off, as eyewitnesses observed personnel and equipment being moved from the Shayrat airbase in advance of the attack.

The authoritarian state expressed predictable displeasure with Trumps decision. Although Syria has been under intense criticism for using chemical weapons against its own citizens, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has a close alliance with Russias own leader, Vladimir Putin.


Read more: http://www.salon.com/2017/04/07/donald-trump-whos-not-vladimir-putins-puppet-warned-russia-before-airstrikes-on-syria/

---

[Honeycombe8]

1. He WARNED Russia? I thought Trump said "I won't let the enemy know what I'm going to do..."

Oh, yeah, I forgot. Russia is NOT an enemy, in TrumpLand.

[Bradical79]

4. Right. His enemies weren't informed.

That's why he left our American congress in the dark.

[Honeycombe8]

6. +1. nt

[ananda]

29. +2

oooohhhh

[Botany]

2. Now who backs Assad in Syria?

That would be Russia.

Who helped to rig our elections in order to install Trump and Republicans?

That would be Russia.

And who shifted the goal of ousting Assad as the leader of Syria?

That would be Trump.

[wishstar]

3. All for show, timed for US primetime viewing to prop up Trump & Co

This attack did not diminish Assad's regime or his air force or capability to hurt civilians in any way

[WoonTars]

5. Yup. Utterly ineffective..

...except at creating the need for another 59 cruise missiles...

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

20. And re-construction contracts for Putin's associates...

... you know, the ones that made so much money, "transforming", Sochi.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. Trump warns Putin, Putin warns Assad.

All personnel and all aircraft that can fly are moved elsewhere. We send tens of millions of dollars worth of cruise missiles to break concrete and destroy non-running aircraft.

But, hey, we're doing something, right? Awesome.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. I'm shocked! Totally shocked!

[BumRushDaShow]

17. And don't forget that Assad warns Khamenei (Iran)

and we get a redux of this -

[DetlefK]

8. Hate to break it to you, but that was the smartest possible move.

1.
There was a russian airbase right next to the syrian one.
What would have happened if Trump hadn't warned Russia?
A hail of US cruise-missiles incoming on a russian airbase???
WTF do you think what kind of split-second decision the Russians would have come to with the US seemingly bombarding a russian airbase??????

2.
Trump doesn't want a war.
This was a demonstration of power.
He wants to show Assad who's boss.
Trump wants to be feared and respected, but he never takes on somebody big enough to be a threat to him.

[B2G]

10. No shit.

Sometimes I wonder about this place.

[dchill]

11. I'm sure Assad already knows who's boss.

So does Trump.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. Then why even shoot off missiles at all?

If it's necessary to avoid an incident to pre-emptively inform Russia, who we would naturally expect would turn around and inform their close ally Assad, why even bother at all with shooting off missiles in the first place?

Hey people of Syria, we care about you being gassed, so here's a couple of craters in an empty Syrian airbase. You're welcome.

Any way you slice it, it's just pointless showmanship that serves as a convenient political distraction for Trump and a pathetic attempt for him to claim that he's his own man.

[DetlefK]

16. Let me break this down for you:

Trump gives Putin a phone-call:
- "Your pal Assad did some really awful shit this time. I'm gonna send some of my guys over to roughen him up a little bit, just to make it clear that he should stop. I'm calling you because you should know that this is just between me and Assad. This is not about our business."

Putin gives Assad a phone-call:
- "Dude, leave your apartment now. Donald is gonna send some thugs over to beat you up. Just be somewhere else, okay? Better a messed-up apartment than broken bones."
- "Can't you send some of your own guys to protect me?"
- "WTF? No! Listen: Lay low for a while. This will blow over."

Assad leaves his apartment.

Assad waits for Trump's thugs to show up.

The thugs never come.

Assad returns home.
"Guess Trump didn't dare to mess with me after all."

[mr_lebowski]

42. Pretty sure in the scenario the poster had in mind, the 1st phone call ... doesn't even happen ...

Broke it down for you there

[haele]

30. Two "benefits"

1) "Look at Me, World - I'm strong and have weapons! Gotta Respect me now! I'm Smart, I'm Strong, I'm a LEADER!" (using best Fredo voice)

2) More money will need to go to General Dynamics and the rest of the MIC to replace those missiles that were shot off. They've been wondering how Drumpf could actually justify the increase in the military budget? Well, here ya go.
Cheney and the Carlisle group were starting to get uneasy about making money off him because it was appearing that the Christo-Facist Money (DeVos/Prince, Goldman Sachs, Mercers, Murdoch) were getting most of the bennies from this administration. Now he's going to become one of their best friends...

Haele

[njhoneybadger]

14. Putin has tRump by the balls

Putin could ruin tRump today if he thought it was in his best interest.tRump isn't worried about a war with Russia he is worried about spending the rest of his life in jail.

[pscot]

35. It's rumored that the Russians

turned off their missile defense shield in preparation for this event. I'm not sure what that demonstrates.

[KittyWampus]

41. WRONG. The smartest move was not to have Tillerson give Assad a green light.

Looking at your little list-

A NEED for showing force was created. It was manufactured. It was engineered.

It wasn't some organic situation that Trump just manfully reacted to.

Tillerson's comment last week makes this look like it was intentionally set up.

[Javaman]

12. kabuki theater with puppets. nt

[njhoneybadger]

15. you got that right

TRump is the evil reincarnation of P T Barnum

[MosheFeingold]

18. So it would have been better

To have killed a bunch of Russians and lurched us towards WWIII?

Trump is an idiot, but I presume giving warnings like this was part of a protocol put in place during the Obama admin.

I would like to spend my final years in my little house, not crouched in the fall out shelter.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. The fact that Russia is wholly complicit with Syria in its war crimes was entirely ignored by Trump.

Entirely ignored. For his feigned heart beating at the Presser on Wednesday, he didn't utter Putin or Russia's name once. He did blame President Obama, however.

If it was impossible to attack this particular airbase without creating an undue risk upon Assad's Russian cohorts, then we should have just come up with a better plan of action.

Instead, we end up with blatant Kabuki theater.

Stop pretending you don't know that Trump and Putin have been working with each other for quite a while now.

[MosheFeingold]

24. Different issues

I don't doubt a bit the Russians helped with the chemical attack, and my post says nothing like that.

But killing the Russian soldiers -- even if at fault -- would be raise the stakes of this deal to an unacceptable level.

So, yes, bad guys got away. No doubt about it.

But killing those bad guys would have moved the nuclear war clock to 23:59:59.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

27. If it was President Obama or a President Hillary Clinton, I'd be more inclined to agree.

Because those were/would have been Presidents that Putin had no control over.

However, we're in a special situation where the Kremlin spent considerable effort cultivating and conditioning an ultimately successful presidential candidate and in fact helping to work the game to favor his election.

There are other ways Russia could have responded to Trump if his strike inadvertently killed a few of his own. Ways that didn't have to end up in Mutually Assured Destruction.

[NewRedDawn]

45. Exactly.

So many Putin apologists. Fuck Putin. Fuck Trump. Fuck Assad.Fuck Kim UN.

[njhoneybadger]

25. How about formulating a coherent policy on Syria first

[MosheFeingold]

26. Don't disagree

I just think avoiding WWIII is a good first step.

Personally, I can't figure out who the good guys are in Syria, if any. I'm not sure any plan could be made except a graceful exhile of Assad to Russia (yes, he'd get away with murder) and replace him with a slightly less malignant strong man dictator who could keep a lid on ISIS and Hezbollah.

[sprinkleeninow]

43. While I have a stronger leaning to: this was a set-up of sorts,

I wholeheartedly agree that preventing making waves resulting in a global conflagration is of highest order.
In another post was sussed out who the group is that's got the creds of being the 'good guys'. The Kurds. Good as you'll get over there for all intents and purposes.
Geez, it's a mixed up mess.

[George II]

19. How many WMDs were destroyed in the raid? NONE I'm sure.

[GliderGuider]

22. Definitely Kabuki theater.

Washington warned Moscow, Moscow warned Damascus, Damascus warned the airbase. Personnel and critical gear evacuated. US didn't hit chem weapons, just blew up some stuff on the ground - I don't even think the runways are out of action.

Net result on the ground - sweet fuck-all. Net result in the diplomatic arena - who the fuck knows?

These tea leaves are impossible to read unless you rely on your own beliefs and biases to do the interpreting.

[Sunlei]

23. warned in advance other countries. Gave russia time to remove any planes, stuff and people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Shayrat_missile_strike They have the dry referenced facts

"""On the evening of 6 April, under the War Powers Resolution, Trump notified the U.S. Congress of his plan on the missile strike.[8] According to a White House official, over 24 members of the Congress were briefed at the time.[8]

The strike targeted Shayrat Air Base in Homs Governorate, which was believed to be the base for the aircraft that carried out the chemical attack,[6] and was intended to destroy air defenses, aircraft, hangars and fuel.[1][6] The New York Times, citing a U.S. military source, said that 59 Tomahawk missiles had been launched from two U.S. Navy warships, USS Ross and USS Porter, at around 20:40 EDT (04:40 local time).[1][6] According to Russia's defense ministry, 23 hit the base, and it did not know where the other 36 landed.[9] The U.S. Central Command stated in a press release that Tomahawk missiles hit "aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, defense systems, and radars".[10] A Russian state TV reported that nine planes were destroyed by the strikes. All planes are thought to have been out of action at the time.[11]"""

The United States notified a number of countries, including Australia and Russia, hours in advance of the strike.[12][13][14] There were thought to be Russians at the airbase.[4] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike killed four soldiers, including a general, and damaged over a dozen hangars, a fuel depot, and an air defense base.[15][16] It was the first time President Trump used direct military force against powers faithful to Assad.[17]

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

28. From Malcolm Nance's Twitter acct. this morning;

MISSION FAILURE: US struck base deliberately avoided destroying chem weaps/killing crews. Warned Ru/Sy. Message? Kabuki lives.#SyriaStrikes
2 hours ago - Twitter

[Blue_Tires]

31. Greenwald was unavailable for comment...

[loveandlight]

32. Yes, Kabuki theater...

and now for the final act, Russia says how horrible an act the U.S. just did in Syria (snicker snicker) and Trump gets to look like a tough guy to his fellow Americans, while still serving his boss, Putin. Nice play.

[Pachamama]

33. It was a brilliant Chess Move - well done Comrades

You forgot the "Really" in the headline that Comrade Trumpsky isn't a Putin Puppet

[Tom Rinaldo]

34. I hate having a lying self serving President

That's what it all comes down to. I could even accept Kabuki Theater if it was staged with the full best interests of or nation at stake. When you come down to it, that is virtually literally what a warning shot across the bow is, Kabuki Theater. It's a "pulled punch", not a non punch, and it is done for effect. For what effect? The problem is I have no trust in Trump.

It makes sense to me to try to avoid killing Russians in our first direct military strike against the Syrian government. Maybe that would not make sense the second time, which is why it was just for show the first time - fair dramatic warning to pull Assad back from using chemical weapons or risk more dangerous encounters. If Obama were President now I might accept an explanation like that. But he isn't, and I do not trust that Trump has the full best interests of our nation at heart.

[LeftInTX]

37. I feel it was a whiplash response

1. Trump admin sends a message that they will not interfere with Assad
2. Assad feels empowered. Uses gas.
3. Trump realizes he made a mistake
4. Trump is embarrassed.
5. Trump sends another message to Assad.

[Tom Rinaldo]

38. Yeah, that's definitely possible

The thing about sending a message, once it has been sent you can't revert back to a "sending a message" response to any similar follow up incident. The message was already sent. Then what, if it is ignored?

[mimi85]

40. This is exactly what I've been saying.

I'm beyond tired of Obama being criticized for not having done something in 2013. He went to Congress as required and they didn't want to get involved. Nevertheless, everything went relatively well for 4 years.

I truly believe that the only reason Assad struck was because Trump is president. Now his poll numbers will no doubt rise, which is really the only thing he cares about. My heart breaks for the people of Syria, as anyone with a heart does.

I'm beyond sickened by the whole episode. Every day with 45 as president seems like a month.

[LisaM]

36. Also on the 100th anniversary of WWI

Coincidentally?

[workinclasszero]

39. Putin and Golden Showers 45 put on a good show huh?

Link to tweet

Coming up next on the late show will be North Korea with nukes! Oh boy!

[Fryto]

44. He eliminated the surprise element

Trump is a dumbass.