He Doesn't Have Many Options Left.

And that is to put it mildly. 

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is open to Russian President Vladimir Putin serving as a mediator in the Israel-Iran conflict. In an hour-long phone call the previous day, the two leaders focused on the Middle East crisis. “Yeah, I would be open to it. He is ready. He called me about it,” Trump responded to ABC News’ Rachel Scott, when asked about Putin’s potential role in brokering peace. “We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” Trump added.

No, Donny, this is not a quid-pro-quo and if you are trying to convince Russia that in exchange she should allow the US, who is at war (through NATO proxy) with Russia, any "mediation" between Moscow and whatever will be left of 404--I have a bridge to sell you. In related news, Iran continues to demonstrate military and technological incompetence of NATO (Israel is a ME iteration of NATO), while you lost all credibility by greenlighting Israel's attack on Iran, while heralding to the whole world how much you are for peace. 

I am on record, will repeat again--the US lost the arms race(c). For the nation which made military fairy tales a central piece of its national mythology it is a bitter and painful recognition that now Iran will be doing, on a smaller scale what Russia is doing on a much larger one--yes, Al Capone's approach that with the kind word and a gun, one can get much further than with kind word alone. And combined West better start shaking in its boots now because on Monday Iranian Parliament may decide to really close the Strait of Hormuz, and we all know what it means. In latest updates, however, a truckload of Israeli strikes landed on the ... fake targets Iran placed all over the country--plenty of videos of Israelis attacking empty trailer. But yes, they are good at propaganda. If there is a firm confirmation of THAAD leaving the chat, which not only I believe but anticipate, that will merely confirm my old-standing thesis that NATO's AD is for the wars between 1960 and 1980, not for 2025. 

That is why it doesn't matter how many Patriots or even THAADs the US will move to Israel. So far, not a single successful exoatmospheric intercept by Israelis--you can be sure they say they did, but then again, they also say that they have functional and effective AD--but then again, nothing is more entertaining than some moron journo coming up with pseudo-military platitudes. I will abstain from comments on the parade in D.C. I want to say one thing, though--while much of the US Army history is exaggerated, if not simply made up, it is still an important Army with respectable WW II history and its own share of heroism, dedication and, once, strategic brilliance. It didn't deserve to be humiliated at DJT's "parade", but it is too late now. Donny, one cannot buy class and I am telling this to you, not the US Army.  

Ray Is A National Treasure ...

 ... not only for the US but for Russia too. Seated right next to Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin but also the Senate's (Federation Council) Spokeswoman (Chairwoman) Valentina Matvienko, and, of course, Dmitry Medvedev. OK, forgot that--Larry is getting there too)) Love both of them dearly. 

The Meaning Of Soft Power.

Moscow, Read Square today. Training the Parade. Those men just stand in attention when girls are marching. 

Believe me, every one of them will die for those girls, because those girls will die for them.

A Teeny-Weeny Bit Of News From Germany.

I respect Germans, not the perverts from the so called German "left", but real Germans who understand who they are and have ideas about Germany other than guidelines dictated from the swamp of the modern political creatures at the service of globalism. But even globalist shills understand that if Germany has any chance to survive in whatever shape and not be consumed by the United States against which Germany's very high energy cost manufacturing is a very weak hand, Germany needs affordable energy. Bundestag obviously understands that:

Berlin (AP) - The Bundestag has cleared the way for the controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. With the votes of the coalition parliamentary groups CDU / CSU and SPD as well as the FDP the conversion of an EU gas guideline into national law was decided. This should provide legal and planning certainty for Nord Stream 2. The Greens raised sharp criticism. A proposal for a decision on the draft law that has now been adopted is concerned with the addition of a time-limit until when exceptions to certain provisions of the Directive are possible. It is now said that "all circumstances" of the individual case must be taken into account. The amendment to the EU Gas Directive adopted in April stipulates that in future EU energy rules will also apply to pipelines that run from third countries to the European Union. According to this, the production of natural gas and the operation of the pipeline must not be in the same hands - unlike before in Nord Stream 2. 

The only issue I have with this is that Nord Stream 2 is called "controversial". Well, for European Greens who are primarily an open-door asylum for mentally disabled people it is "controversial", it is, of course, controversial for the United States. But then again, everything Russia-related is controversial for the United States, including down right embarrassing maneuvering around Turkish S-400s. 

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The United States is very upset about Turkey's purchase of Russian missile defense systems and could impose sanctions on Ankara if it does not "get rid" of them, White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said on Sunday. "Turkey will feel the impact of those sanctions," O'Brien told CBS's "Face the Nation" in an interview, referring to penalties under the U.S. law known as the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which he said would pass Congress with "overwhelming" bipartisan support.

This will continue across the whole spectrum of the American foreign so called "policy" issues but it will not change couple of facts "on the ground" which became clear for anyone with half-a-brain observing American behavior in the last 5 or so years. 

1. Nord Stream 2, of course, never was about US "concern" about "security" of Europe's energy supply. It was always about opening European market for American expensive LNG while simultaneously providing a double-whammy by raising costs of European, especially German highly energy consuming, manufacturing thus reducing competitiveness of Germany's products. This, and then, of course, Russia--since 1970s the United States were in constant opposition to any Soviet/Russian supply of Europe with affordable energy. Soviet Union then and Russia today were not and are not supposed to benefit from selling energy and, while doing so, establishing better economic relations which served as an impediment to any war plans against Soviet/Russian "threat". 

2. This pathetic charade about F-35 (or F-22) should really be dropped by now. Not only they are seen by S-400s, they are seen by S-300s, and especially are seen by integrated Air Defense using normal sensor-data-fusion techniques across the whole spectrum from optical to radio. They are also seen by the radar or OLS of such aircraft as SU-30SM, SU-35C and SU-57. Even the latest butt-hurt BS propagated by all kinds of tabloids such as The National Interest pushing some lame rumors about supposedly S-500 being "tested" in Syria is yet another link in this long chain of BS claims to save "reputation" of one of the most embarrassing military programs, or rather failures, in the history of humanity. 

But in all of this, one can easily see machinations and desperate attempts to save what Obama Administration and its so called Intelligence Community thought would be a sure thing--to lure and then lock Russia in with the shithole both US and EU helped to create in Ukraine. When it became obvious that Russia didn't take the bait and forestalled the United States first with Crimea and, secondly, in Syria it became clear that the only value of the Ukrainian madhouse for the United States and the Belt of Stupid (US lapdogs from Poland and Baltic States) is in trying to coerce Russia to continue to finance Nazi low lives in Kiev through the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. "Smart" plan--making Russians pay for the chaos near their border. Well, considering ignorant petulant infantiles populating US "analytical" circles, this master plan was calculated well in advance and all necessary steps were taken.  You all know the story--I call it a Revelation Mode and, in fact, I may reiterate again (and why not?), the emergence of a new TOOD (Theater Of Operation Denial) Doctrine. All this happened in an instant when looked at it in historic terms. I had this discussion with Paul Craig Roberts and others not for once: compare the start-state and the end-state, between 2014 and 2019. We all live in a completely different world than it was in 2014. I mean completely, it is already unrecognizable for those who have an attention span longer than the time between commercials in SitCom and who opened their minds to seeing obvious things. 

Here is the deal. The way I see it. Hopefully by that time this pathetic show with "Impeachment" will be over and many people (if to believe that AG Barr and DOJ have any balls and integrity left) who are today omnipresent in US media will be locked away. That time is being May 9, 2020--the 75th Anniversary of the defeat of Nazism. Russia already issued invitation to Donald Trump to attend the undeniably grandiose parade in the Red Square. If the seditious treasonous coup is squashed early next year, Trump has a choice, an enormously powerful choice--if he goes to Moscow he may get along with himself a unified battalion of the US Armed Forces for it to march at the Red Square at the Parade. The precedent was set in 2010. After all, USSR and the United States were big allies. Who knows, suddenly UK and France may "reconsider" (wink, wink). But we'll see how it plays out. But yes, it will take draining of the swamp, but can you imagine the power of such a message? In the end, there are always American and British flags present every year in a massive river of humanity walking in an Immortal Regiment March. I think that is more important, even if for a day, than any geopolitics.