You don't see that story framed as a direct, personal disagreement between Trump and Mattis?
Omarosa or Porter or McMaster leaving the White House isn't really in the same league.
I asked for an example of a single story that had been corroborated, specifically relating to Trump and his behavior.
Like "****hole countries" or whatever else.
I honestly lost track of how many unverified reports have been touted as foregone conclusions, simply because they support a narrative. Then people forget, and also often forget that they were never supported by actual fact-based reporting in the first place.
"his shortcomings are apparent when he speaks extemporaneously"
lord, man, i hear you, but i feel like this is the perfect example of the kind of irrelevant critiquing that we, as a society, need to avoid.
I think the president should have at least a LCD grasp on policy, basic governance, etc...and in the case that he doesn't, a really plastic mind. This one doesn't, and that's made clear when he speaks off the cuff or does press.
I mean, my opinion about it is irrelevant, but I don't see how the underlying issue can be described that way.
Um, ok ... and you are going to use your extemporaneous/off the cuff-speech-o-meter to gauge that?
Kinda ludicrous.
Also, kinda ludicrous that your comments in this thread, after consistent backpedaling and sidestepping over real issues, have arrived at 'Well, Trump is an idiot because of the way he talks.'
Back to Hannity.
So what you're saying is that you cannot get a feel for Trump's grasp of a given issue based on his actual words about said issue?
Unanswered:
1. What single "unnamed sources" Trump-themed story has been corroborated with verifiable, fact-based reporting?
2. How the story at hand does not involve Trump
3. How Jim Mattis could advocate going to Congress before bombing Syria when he publicly and vocally supported renewing the AUMF, just a few months ago, for the precise reasoning the administration used to justify ... bombing Syria.
4. Why extemporaneous speech is a useful barometer to gauge ... anything?
1. How about "****hole countries"? Reported with attribution to unnamed sources. Confirmed by Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham via Tim Scott.
How about--going way back here--his phone call with Malcolm Turnbull. Reported out using anonymous sources, denied by Trump, months later confirm by a transcript. How about the Flynn story, or many of the other stories previously referenced about firings/resignations?
2. That seems to be an important feature to you, and I'm not really sure why. Mattis was the focus of the discussion.
3. I'm not sure why Mattis's support for renewing the AUMF is a point in support of his not preferring Congressional approval for the Syria strikes. He's advocated for a new or expanded AUMF, while maintaining that it is not legally necessary. What's difficult about the proposition that one might prefer congressional approval but be prepared to act without it? I stipulate that Mattis knocked down the Congressional approval story, while also underscoring that there's no upside in him putting public, on-record daylight between himself and the president. That's hardly an unprecedented situation.
4. Heh, well, I'm not sure how we're supposed to form opinions except through observation. I'm comfortable in my belief that Trump is a soft-headed buffoon.
Whatever disagreement you had with 57 are not applicable as a template to my point of view, which is that I find the media reports suggesting that Mattis was a voice for moderation in the Syria response to be credible, and quite possibly sourced close to Mattis. It's possible that they're all wet, but I still tend to credit NYT, if they dig in on a story, over the WH press office.