Colin Powell calls Trump a 'national disgrace' in leaked emails - Polidicks

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37364189[/url] [quote]Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has reportedly called Republican nominee Donald Trump a "national disgrace," according to leaked emails. The Republican retired four-star general's comments were revealed in a hack on his personal emails. The emails were posted on DCLeaks.com, which has reportedly been tied to other recent high-profile hacks. Mr Powell, who has been quiet during the election, said he had "no further comment" but was "not denying it". He also criticised Democrat Hillary Clinton's "hubris" as he attacked the way she handled her private email crisis.[/quote] Maybe the most interesting thing is that DCLeaks is one of the [url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-11/russian-hackers-of-dnc-said-to-scoop-up-secrets-from-nato-soros]allegedly Russian[/url] hacking entities that are playing a part in this election, and they've published this seemingly anti-Trump bit of news which seems inconsistent with the theories we have about what Russia is trying to do.

Well, he's not wrong. It's an international embarrassment for the US that a populist demagogue with policies so stupid and so dangerous is not only running for president, but has the support of over 40% of the country.

[IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsVCsztXgAAwOAl.jpg[/IMG] the best leaked email

As someone who plans to vote for trump, I agree. It's absolutely disgusting and amazing that trump is the Republican candidate.

I like how he sourced that insult :v:

[QUOTE=smurfy;51051463]anti-Trump bit of news which seems inconsistent with the theories we have about what Russia is trying to do.[/QUOTE] I don't think it's some high-intellect conspiracy to take over the US. It's probably something simple like Russia trying to embarrass the US and make us seem weak and incompetent so other nations start thinking twice about who they will ally themselves with(still not Russia, probably China now)

Both candidates are a national disgrace. It's just that one of them isn't hiding it.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051492]As someone who plans to vote for trump, I agree. It's absolutely disgusting and amazing that trump is the Republican candidate.[/QUOTE] Why would you vote for Trump if it's disgusting?

[QUOTE=Dr.C;51051527]I don't think it's some high-intellect conspiracy to take over the US. It's probably something simple like Russia trying to embarrass the US and make us seem weak and incompetent so other nations start thinking twice about who they will ally themselves with(still not Russia, probably China now)[/QUOTE] Well, Russia stands to benefit from gravitation away from things like the U.S. lead NATO treaty and toward agreements like the BRIC treaty. It makes perfect sense that, by making the U.S. look like a factitious, incompetent nation with no strong central governance or leading party, other nations might feel uneasy about their potential senior-partner. Particularly when one-half of that semi-schizophrenic leadership says things like, "yeah, no, fuck those treaties, they're just paper." [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Raidyr;51051693]Why would you vote for Trump if it's disgusting?[/QUOTE] Probably for reasons like [QUOTE=benzi2k7;51051488][IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsVCsztXgAAwOAl.jpg[/IMG] [/QUOTE] Not to make this in to the five-hundreth "why would you vote for Trump?" thread (in particular because I'm [I]not,[/I] although I contemplated the idea), the fact of the matter is that voting for Trump is [I]at the very least[/I] voting for essentially "the wild card*," and gambling on the future. Voting for Hillary Clinton is voting for a very definite quantity, that itself seems to be a newspaper editorial caricature that came to life and now stalks the halls of Washington, sustaining itself on comically large sacks of money. *Not to make [I]that,[/I] sound appealing, feel free to replace 'the wild card' with 'a game of Russian roulette.' I think it's easy to argue that if you have nothing to gain by voting Hillary (or feel you having nothing to gain by that vote), then you have very little left to lose by voting Trump, while still making optimistic speculations about his presidency given that, perhaps, something good [I]could[/I] somehow come of it.

[QUOTE=Raidyr;51051693]Why would you vote for Trump if it's disgusting?[/QUOTE] He's generally better for Israel than Clinton. Also, the democrats have taken an anti Russian stance and I think that's just going to end up causing another cold war. Cooperation is better and Trump seems to be friendlier to Russia. Trump is also against the Iran deal, but that can fall under the Israel issue.

[QUOTE=Crazy Ivan;51051694] Not to make this in to the five-hundreth "why would you vote for Trump?" thread (in particular because I'm [I]not,[/I] although I contemplated the idea), the fact of the matter is that voting for Trump is [I]at the very least[/I] voting for essentially "the wild card*," and gambling on the future. Voting for Hillary Clinton is voting for a very definite quantity, that itself seems to be a newspaper editorial caricature that came to life and now stalks the halls of Washington, sustaining itself on comically large sacks of money. *Not to make [I]that,[/I] sound appealing, feel free to replace 'the wild card' with 'a game of Russian roulette.' I think it's easy to argue that if you have nothing to gain by voting Hillary (or feel you having nothing to gain by that vote), then you have very little left to lose by voting Trump, while still making optimistic speculations about his presidency given that, perhaps, something good [I]could[/I] somehow come of it.[/QUOTE] Not to say Clinton is a great candidate but if anything Trump seems like a caricature to me. As for gambling, I feel like if someone is properly informed on both candidates it's more or less impossible to reach the conclusion that it would be better to roll the dice than maintain the status quo. I'd argue that once you escape the surface level "both candidates are bad so lets go with the person who promises to shake things you" that most people would arrive to the conclusion that Trump's plan to "Make America Great Again" would hurt them more than Clinton's decidedly less extravagant mode of leadership. [QUOTE=Svinnik;51051733]He's generally better for Israel than Clinton. Also, the democrats have taken an anti Russian stance and I think that's just going to end up causing another cold war. Cooperation is better and Trump seems to be friendlier to Russia. Trump is also against the Iran deal, but that can fall under the Israel issue.[/QUOTE] How is Trump better for Israel than Clinton? I'm genuinely not sure because he has flipflopped on Israel during the course of the election. I don't think democrats have an anti-Russian stance so much as an anti-Putin imperialist stance. We aren't even close to 1980's era tensions between both countries. I'm sure most politicians in both parties would rather cooperate with Russia than not, but at what cost? Trump doesn't recognize Crimea as territory stolen by Russian-backed separatists. He has told the world that if he was president he would back away from NATO countries and ignore treaties. Cooperation with Russia is fine; appeasement to a ruthless authoritarian that makes Clinton look like a kitten is dangerous. What's wrong with the Iran deal? [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Trebgarta;51051819]Is Israel more important to you than America?[/QUOTE] Also a good question. How much damage would you say the US economy could sustain by Trumps absurd economic and fiscal plans to justify his supposed support for Israel, support that Clinton is almost assuredly going to provide anyway.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051733]He's generally better for Israel than Clinton. Also, the democrats have taken an anti Russian stance and I think that's just going to end up causing another cold war. Cooperation is better and Trump seems to be friendlier to Russia. Trump is also against the Iran deal, but that can fall under the Israel issue.[/QUOTE] Fuck that. Why should we look the other way while Russia walks all over Eastern Europe? I know we get criticized for playing world police, but this kind of aggressive land-grabbing should stay in 19th century where it belongs.

[QUOTE=Trebgarta;51051819]Is Israel more important to you than America?[/QUOTE] well if trump gets voted in and america goes tits up he'll just move to israel which has been made fat with american dollars

Trump has ranged from a hands off position on the entire Israel-Palestine issue to a position where he supports settlements. Both are fine with me. Israel is not more important to me than America. I have more ties to Israel than to America however and I'm concerned about how the current administration is handling the middle east. The Iran deal is bad because it lifts a few economic sanctions, allowing money to flow into Iran that will end up going to Hezbollah and Assad. Also, the entire freeze on Iran's nuclear weapons development will last only 10 years and Iran has already violated the deal by testing missiles that they promised not to test. I'm concerned about the money that is flowing to Hezbollah because it allows them to arm themselves for a new war in Israel once the entire Syrian conflict is over. Talking about Russia; essentially Putin is Russia from what I understand and if you want to cooperate with them, you don't question Putin. That's not a good state of affairs but the US has to work with Russia on many things. Backing away from NATO however is a bad thing but there has to be a way to force NATO countries to pay their fair share. I'm going to be honest, I have no idea about the economy. I have no education in things like these. I generally stick to Israel/Palestine because it's relevant to me and I know a lot about it. [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Psychokitten;51051858]Fuck that. Why should we look the other way while Russia walks all over Eastern Europe? I know we get criticized for playing world police, but this kind of aggressive land-grabbing should stay in 19th century where it belongs.[/QUOTE] I don't support getting rid of NATO either. [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Jund;51051910]well if trump gets voted in and america goes tits up he'll just move to israel which has been made fat with american dollars[/QUOTE] US aid to Israel generally consists of vouchers to US weapons companies, almost none of it is actual cash.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051920] US aid to Israel generally consists of vouchers to US weapons companies, almost none of it is actual cash.[/QUOTE] US weapons that end up in chinese hands but hey, what's a few billion dollars between friends?

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051920]Trump has ranged from a hands off position on the entire Israel-Palestine issue to a position where he supports settlements. Both are fine with me. Israel is not more important to me than America. I have more ties to Israel than to America however and I'm concerned about how the current administration is handling the middle east. The Iran deal is bad because it lifts a few economic sanctions, allowing money to flow into Iran that will end up going to Hezbollah and Assad. Also, the entire freeze on Iran's nuclear weapons development will last only 10 years and Iran has already violated the deal by testing missiles that they promised not to test. I'm concerned about the money that is flowing to Hezbollah because it allows them to arm themselves for a new war in Israel once the entire Syrian conflict is over. Talking about Russia; essentially Putin is Russia from what I understand and if you want to cooperate with them, you don't question Putin. That's not a good state of affairs but the US has to work with Russia on many things. Backing away from NATO however is a bad thing but there has to be a way to force NATO countries to pay their fair share. I'm going to be honest, I have no idea about the economy. I have no education in things like these. I generally stick to Israel/Palestine because it's relevant to me and I know a lot about it. [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] I don't support getting rid of NATO either. [editline]14th September 2016[/editline] US aid to Israel generally consists of vouchers to US weapons companies, almost none of it is actual cash.[/QUOTE] Trump will fuck up Israel by proxy if his policies are implemented. You want a strong Israel? You need a strong international economy. Israel, like any other nation, does not function in a vacuum. You want aid to Israel? You can't afford trash our domestic manufacturing and technology sectors by imposing insane tariffs. Even if he boosts the defense budget, he's going to have to make cuts somewhere, and good luck convincing congress to send materials over seas if our domestic situation continues to decline. You want peace or regional stability? Trump plans on shaking up the hornet's in the Middle East and prevent people from escaping the bloodshed from coming here. On top of that, his environmental policies put more foreign dependence on petrochemicals, which means more money flowing into the Middle East, and climate change will continue to destabilize regions all over.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051920]US aid to Israel generally consists of vouchers to US weapons companies, almost none of it is actual cash.[/QUOTE] oh it's "only" vouchers for weapons, not writing a blank cheque how does the israel-america alliance even help america - like, why is it in americas interest to help israel?

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;51052106]oh it's "only" vouchers for weapons, not writing a blank cheque how does the israel-america alliance even help america - like, why is it in americas interest to help israel?[/QUOTE] My guess? "If we don't back them, the Soviets will, and we can't let the Soviets use the Middle East as their private playground!"

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;51052119]My guess? "If we don't back them, the Soviets will, and we can't let the Soviets use the Middle East as their private playground!"[/QUOTE] Pretty much that yeah, it's useful to have a consistent ally in the middle east.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;51052119]My guess? "If we don't back them, the Soviets will, and we can't let the Soviets use the Middle East as their private playground!"[/QUOTE] No, it was an alliance we inherited from the UK, under whom the state was first formed. The same was more or less true for Jordan, Egypt before the Arab spring coup, Iraq before Saddam, and while they never ruled over the territories they also had an existing alliance with the Saudis.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;51052106]oh it's "only" vouchers for weapons, not writing a blank cheque how does the israel-america alliance even help america - like, why is it in americas interest to help israel?[/QUOTE] Partner in diplomacy and economics, stable allied military presence, weapons technology research and development, and intelligence sharing. I'm for supporting Israel, I just don't see how Trumps support of Israel is remarkably higher than Clinton, who by all accounts would continue the level of cooperation that Obama and largely every president before him has.

[QUOTE=Raidyr;51052213]Partner in diplomacy and economics, stable allied military presence, weapons technology research and development, and intelligence sharing. I'm for supporting Israel, I just don't see how Trumps support of Israel is remarkably higher than Clinton, who by all accounts would continue the level of cooperation that Obama and largely every president before him has.[/QUOTE] if only the cooperation ended there. i mean that there would be the same as say south korea - but it goes waaay beyond that with israel (you don't have the insanely powerful south korea lobby and presidents don't bend over backwards to say how much they support south korea for instance)

[QUOTE=Cructo;51052228]America needs someone to keep the arab nations in check.[/QUOTE] You have already failed if you use the phrase "keep the arab nations in check", because no one wants to be kept in check. America sure as hell doesn't. The UK doesn't. So why would anyone keep within our defined guidelines when our thoughts themselves are hostile from the beginning?

[QUOTE=Svinnik;51051920] The Iran deal is bad because it lifts a few economic sanctions, allowing money to flow into Iran that will end up going to Hezbollah and [b] Assad [/b]. Talking about Russia; essentially Putin is Russia from what I understand and if you want to cooperate with them, you don't question Putin. That's not a good state of affairs but the US has to work with Russia on many things. Backing away from NATO however is a bad thing but there has to be a way to force NATO countries to pay their fair share. [/QUOTE] Okay well firstly, you want the US to warm up to Putin, the main ally of Assad but are against Iran doing the same thing? Also the deal can eventfully lead to warmer relations with Iran, I mean hell relations are already way warmer than during the Bush years, the younger generation will take over eventfully and it's a REALLY good idea to make sure they don't hate our guts Secondly, almost all of the NATO members who are at risk from Putin (mainly the Baltic states and Poland) [b] do [/b] pay their bit in NATO already. Lastly, Putin is just a completely piss poor choice to warm up to since his end game is complete supremacy over Eastern Europe and he won't give a fuck about how much we try to like him as long as we support our allies in the east. Plus we already tried to improve our relations in 2008 and Putin just took the opportunity to be a dick, like he always has done. Plus isn't Putin like, anti Israel anyway?

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;51052237]if only the cooperation ended there. i mean that there would be the same as say south korea - but it goes waaay beyond that with israel (you don't have the insanely powerful south korea lobby and presidents don't bend over backwards to say how much they support south korea for instance)[/QUOTE] I'd imagine this largely comes down to money. I don't know much about American and South Korean private interests but a lot of money changes hands when it comes to the United States and Israeli governments.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;51052106]oh it's "only" vouchers for weapons, not writing a blank cheque how does the israel-america alliance even help america - like, why is it in americas interest to help israel?[/QUOTE] There's a huge Jewish lobby in America. Politicians keep Israel happy and earn the support of Jews in the states.