219 Trump-Netanyahu Collusion 2024: 56 Years After Nixon’s Treason and Nobody Has Learned Anything
It’s amazing to me but everyone in 2024 played their prescribed roles-the same role as in 1968, or 1972, or 1980, or 2000, or 2016. The GOP commits election chicanery and a truly grand, treasonous scale. The MSM completely misses it. The Democrats only double down their coloring between the lines-after Nixon’s treason in 1968, LBJ had him dead to rights but chose to bury the story “for the good of the country”-sound familiar?
Meanwhile the Left-celebrates the downfall of the liberals as if this is a win FOR THEM.
FN: Regarding this a very interesting observation from the very throught provoking author-she’s an actual MARXIST but I really find her very interesting as a “shit lib”-on the ‘populist Left’\
She’s one of the few leftists not eager to kick us libs when we’re down.
Also political gravity follows its prescribed path. Certainly never has political gravity been less forgiving than for President Joe Biden.
Of course the GOP co-conspirators will do this again as they are right-at least large parts of the country WILL believe these lies-and as we learned on November 5 NOT JUST ON THE RIGHT-indeed Cenk Uygur and Anna Kasparian Anna Kasparian and Cenk Uygur-as she’s clearly the one driving the bus ideologically speaking-as folks debate wether Cenk has “left the Left” remember Ana already did and generally Cenk gets where Ana was 6 months later or so-have been amplifying Right wing lies about California, crime, and homelessness the last two years.
As for Biden he’s Jimmy Carter 1980 in so many ways. His farewell speech last night was very important as he made the crucial point of the threat of tech oligarchy
and he further expanded on it in his interview with Lawrence O’Donnell tonight. But then he threw this in.
I just can’t help but quote from Michael Deaver’s book all over again as I did in Chapter Sometimes the Bad Guys Win
.
I mean it couldn’t be more stark in Deaver’s description:
When the coffee ended, the president and president-elect, as is the custom, drove up to Capitol Hill together. They were alone in the car, but Reagan later told me, Carter remained on the phone with his National Security staff nearly the entire time. When we got to the Capitol, Reagan pulled me aside. Instead of feeling slighted, he was deeply moved by Carter’s determination to see our people free. Reagan himself was becoming increasingly agitated that a handful of Iranian zealots could bring a sitting American president to his knees. He genuinely felt for Carter and understood entirely what was going through his mind.”
LOL-I’m sure old Ronnie’s heart was breaking for Carter-as his campaign negotiated with these same Iranian zealots behind Carter’s back to win flip the election in Reagan’s favor.
Later, in the holding room, Reagan waved me over. “What is it, Governor?” I said, calling him by that title for the last time in my life. Based on the intelligence information he was provided, Reagan thought the release of the hostages was imminent. “If it happens, even during my Inaugural Address, I want you to tell me. Slip me a note. Interrupt me. Because if it happens, I want to bring Carter up to the platform. No country should embarrass and humiliate any president of the United States.” The opportunity never came. Twenty minutes after Reagan took the oath of office, word came to us that the hostages were in fact free. At the time, the new president was having a traditional lunch with the Senate leadership. I wrote out a quick note and made my way toward President Reagan.
“Without looking at the note, he instinctively knew what happened. He read it and let out a long, silent breath and smiled. America had a clean slate—and a new president. He knew that the Iranians did this to embarrass Carter. You would never hear Reagan boast that he had anything to do with the release of the hostages.”
Perhaps Reagan never boasted-he didn’t have to all his GOP co-conspirators did it for him. Trump of course never worries about showing restraint to say the least. Indeed, the way he dropped info about the ceasefire on TruthSocial -it was soon after revealed on the Senate floor-arguably might have endangered the agreement. But let’s face it no one is worried about holding Trump to actual NORMS, whatever his role in this deal is also violated the Logan Act-but no one cares about that anymore-FOR TRUMP. Remember it’s never that norms don’t matter anymore but that he-and his party-gets a pass.
There’s been quite a debate over WHO GETS CREDIT for the ceasefire-Biden or Trump? If you go by publicly attested facts it appears to have been a joint effort.
How the Biden and Trump teams worked together to get the Gaza ceasefire and hostages deal done
No doubt this is a CNN friendly story-actual bipartisanship! According to their reporting when Biden met Trump in the Oval Office they discussed this.
The cooperation between the two was “almost unprecedented,” a senior Biden administration official said after the deal was clinched, made possible by a rare intersection of interests between bitter rivals who both saw an opening following Trump’s victory.”
Not to quote the Church Lady, but, “Now isn’t that special?”
After the agreement was announced, both the incoming and outgoing president took full credit, a sign the poisonous relationship between them endures.
Ultimately, however, the deal enables both Biden and Trump to claim victory. It notches a final bit of positive news for a president who is poised to leave office with the lowest approval rating of his term. And it bolsters the bonafides of a president-elect who vowed “all hell would break out” in Gaza if the hostages were not released before his second inauguration.”
They’re both taking credit but the #GenocideJoe Left is making it pretty clear who they give the credit to. Regarding Trump’s role such as it is, it’s Steve Witkoff his Middle East envoy who had a major, if not decisive role.
FN: Interestingly Wikoff is a BILLIONAIRE-the Left likes some billionaires, Cenk loves Elon Musk, the Left is feeling Witkoff right now, the Left only hates billionaires unequivocally if they support Democrats.
Many are pointing to a conversation Witkoff had with Netanyahu, where he showed up on Friday night and was told Bibi would talk to him after the Jewish Sabbath and Witkoff was like ‘I don’t care’ and Bibi met with him immediately. This has been framed as a come to Jesus moment-using this phrase advisedly in talking to the Prime Minister of the Jewish State…-where Trump and his envoy laid down the law and did what Biden failed to do in 15 months. Many are making this argument:
Two Arab officials on Tuesday told The Times of Israel that Witkoff did more in his one sit-down meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push Israel towards a deal than Biden did all year.
That business-first approach may have served Witkoff well, as a senior Israeli diplomat told Israeli outlet Haaretz that “Witkoff isn’t a diplomat. He doesn’t talk like a diplomat, he has no interest in diplomatic manners and diplomatic protocols.
FN:
Who is Steve Witkoff? A Look At Central Figure to Gaza Ceasefire Deal
For his part, Witkoff to his credit is saying the right thing in public. Back to CNN:
Speaking at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month, Witkoff said Biden’s team was the “tip of the spear” in the talks.
“No one has pride of authorship. We are totally outcome oriented. Let’s get them home,” Witkoff, a former real estate investor, said then.
But, of course, Trump’s not saying there’s no pride of authorship-he’s saying he’s THE author.
Still, after the deal was struck, even Biden officials acknowledged the deadline of Trump’s entry into office was a motivating factor in finally finding success after months of failure. And Trump, who was monitoring developments from Florida, was quick to declare the agreement was only made possible by his win.”
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November,” he wrote on social media.
I alone can fix it.
As to Biden-well Biden is Biden.
Biden was more circumspect.
“It’s a very good afternoon,” Biden said Wednesday from the White House Cross Hall, steps from where members of the incoming Trump team were meeting with their Biden administration counterparts in the West Wing to discuss national security matters.
The president, who has decades of high-level foreign policy experience, described the talks that led to the ceasefire deal as “one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever experienced.” He said his team had been “speaking as one” with Trump officials.
But asked as he was stepping away from the podium who deserves credit for Wednesday’s deal – himself or Trump – the president flashed his annoyance:
“Is that a joke?” he said before walking away.
But clearly many folks on the Left are eager to agree with Trump: only he can fix it. Trump is THE hero. Kim Iverson-supposedly on the Left though with a tinge of Candace Owens-like the time she JUST ASKSED QUESTIONS about how many Jews REALLY died in the Holocaust-was very quick to respond but her response would be fairly representative of the Left.
(106) Trump Saves the Day Gaza Ceasefire Deal Achieved While Biden Naps – YouTube
Again variations of this take were all over YouTube from leftists-Owen Jones, Hasan-and, unfortunately, VAUSH though to his credit Vaush’s position was far more nuanced than the rest of the leftists-of course! Even where Vaush is wrong he’s not as wrong as most of the Left.
Hasan gives Trump 100% credit.
Israel and Hamas agree to Ceasefire?
(107) Israel’s Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Deal | HasanAbi reacts – YouTube
Owen Jones also displayed the level of feral hatred the Left have towards Joe Biden.
Gaza Deal Exposes Biden As MONSTER
Even Vaush got in with the same general mood declaring ‘Go fuck yourself Genocide Joe.’
(106) Could Biden’s Farewell Speech Have Been More Pathetic? – YouTube
In other words the Left hates Joe Biden like they end up hating ALL DEMOCRATS. Because these are the same things they say about Hillary Clinton-or were saying about Obama in 2012. Not just incomptent, or wrong, but EVIL PURE EVIL. Literally-when I used to sometimes post on Jane Hamsher’s FireDogLake-I have a penchant for self abuse, I’m a masochist true story-those were the sort of comments you would routinely see: that Obama is PURE EVIL.
While CNN tell us it was a joint effort, and Steve Witkos says there is no pride of authorship-much of social media, certainly YouTube is pretty unequivocal on who gets credit: Trump. This Indian news network-apparently a kind of Modi propaganda network-is fairly representative.
Did Trump envoy Steve Witkoff push Netanyahu into accepting Gaza ceasefire deal? – Firstpost
Although the headline puts it in question form if you watch the broadcast the female anchor leaves no doubt: it was Donald Trump-he alone can fix it.
We are all fascists now. Or many of us. Certainly on the Left which is not surprising as going back to 2016 much of the Left has always been far less anti Trump than anti anti Trump and as you learn in 5th grade math two negatives equal a positive. At the end of the day anti anti Trump equals pro Trump.
Despite so many on the Left-andn on Right wing propaganda networks in India, to say nothing of Trump himself-ready to put himself on Mt Rushmore, Max Blumenthal-who else-was on-where else?-America Rising to criticize the Biden Administration for having the temerity to take any credit for a deal that occurred while it’s the sitting Administration.
Biden WH CREDITS Trump In CEASEFIRE Deal; Max Blumenthal, Sam Husseini BOOTED From Blinken Briefing
Apparently even Hamas is giving Trump the credit.
At first glance this seems kind of shocking but should it be? At the end of the day authoritarians love other authoritarians even where material conditions put them on opposite sides they share ideological affinity. This is what we see with the leftist embrace of Trump-what they all these folks share is disdain for liberal democracy.
FN: TikTok now agrees: Trump alone can fix it
Frank Foer pronounces Netanyahu “misread” his relationship with Trump.
How Netanyahu Misread His Relationship With Trump – The Atlantic
Did he really? I’m skeptical. Just like I was skeptical when he wrote a piece earlier during the election where he quoted that MBS telling Blinken wanted to do a ceasefire WITH BIDEN.
As they settled in the tent, MBS shocked Blinken. A hardened piece of Washington conventional wisdom held that MBS felt a kinship, born of shared authoritarian tendencies, with Donald Trump. But after the 2018 murder of the Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, MBS had become a voracious student of American politics. He spoke frequently with Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump’s, and those conversations helped lead him to a fresh analysis of Saudi interests. (In the capitals of the Middle East, Graham is viewed as a potential secretary of state in a second Trump administration, so his opinions are given weight.)
MBS told Blinken that the Biden administration represented his best chance for realizing his plans: Two-thirds of the Senate needed to ratify any Saudi-U.S. defense pact, and he believed that could happen only in a Democratic administration, which could help deliver progressives’ votes by building a Palestinian state into the deal. He had to move quickly, before the November election risked returning Trump to power.”
The War That Would Not End – The Atlantic
I’m not doubting MBS said it just that he meant it. MBS and Trump are two peas in a pod, actually three peas throwing in Putin. I never for one moment bought the idea that MBS wanted to codify the Abraham Accords with Biden. Listen it was pretty self evident the last 15 months that as a liberal Biden was always the odd man out in the Middle East. Trump OTOH fits right in. Nor do I believe that MBS felt that way. Indeed as we’ll see below it looks now like MBS-along with Bibi-will get to have their cakes and eat it too.
For my part I had been predicting all year that there would finally be a ceasefire AFTER TRUMP WON. Post November 5 I’ve been completely convinced that the Israel hostages would be released on 20 minutes after Trump is sworn on on January 20-just like the Iran hostages were 20 minutes after January 20, 1981
All the way back in late May Seth Abramson wrote this warning of a new conspiracy between Netanyahu and Trump to again win the election for him based on not doing a deal until after the election when Trump would hopefully be reelected.
Seth notes the numerous tracks of the 2016 conspiracy-a la The Red Seas Conspiracy-between Trump and not just Israel but the Saudis, UAE AND Egypt. Regarding the Saudis this again is why I never believed when MBS told Blinken that he wanted to do pass Israel normalization while Biden was President.
BREAKING NEWS: A Stunning Egyptian Plot Suggests the Reestablishment of a Foreign Conspiracy to Elect Donald Trump POTUS
Breaking news of a clandestine plot by Egyptian intelligence raises the specter of a multinational conspiracy long thought to have disbanded—which, when active, was intent on electing Donald Trump.
Again Biden was always the odd man out post October 7 as Far Right authoritarianism is the coin of the realm in the Middle East-as we saw above even Hamas was very ready to give Trump the credit for the ceasefire. Liberalism is popular with no on there.
Netanyahu’s Obvious Gift to Trump Lies in Gaza Ceasefire Details | The New Republic
Jimmy Carter similarly was in denial for many years after the Iran Collusion of the Reagan-Bush campaign Circa 1980. He was never willing to take this scandal with the seriousness it deserved even when Arafat tried to tell him about it.
For Biden to absolve Netanyahu of any guilt here is truly stunning and very telling. Because even after all these years the Democrats never learn. Biden hasn’t learned.
UPDATE:
Very interestingly the host mentions Reagan-Carter and the Iran Hostages and Mehdi points out that that was a deliberate coordinated delay of their release far form being a hero Reagan was the opposite of a hero
(114) Mehdi Hasan on the Gaza ceasefire deal and Trump – YouTube
Mehdi is one of the few along with Vaush on the Left to note it’s quite likely there WAS a collusion between Trump and Bibi. He also namechecked Craig Unger-buy this book soon Mike
Kyle Kulinski argues persuasively today-Inauguration of Trump 2.0 Absolute Immunity Day-that there’s far less than meets the eye in the deal.
BOMBSHELL: Gaza Ceasefire Deal EXPOSED As Fake | The Kyle Kulinski Show
He also quotes Michael Tracey’s tweet.
UPDATE:
Ok so pretty awkward. The pretense of the Trump Ceasefire didn’t even last inauguration day. But I thought he did more in a few days than Biden did in 15 months-he’s Mr. Leverage. Yet now he’s completely pessimistic-why not do the arms embargo the Left has been calling for as Trump unlike Biden is Mr. Antiwar?
FN:
So the ceasefire didn’t last day one of Trump 2.0 Absolute Immunity Edition. He did manage to pardon a huge batch of violent J6ers-1500 total pardons including the 45% that committed felonies those who assaulted police officers
Live updates: Trump sworn in, signs executive actions | CNN Politics
As usual Haaretz framed Trump’s Day One where he WAS the dictator he promised to be-the part you’re skeptical of is that it will only be on Day One-in the best possible way.
So, as I hinted above both MBS and Netanyahu are going to get to have their cake and eat it too-the Abraham Accord without worrying over a Palestinian state. To the contrary you are seeing talk now of the idea that maybe FOR THE GOOD OF THE PALESTINIANS of course for them to be “relocated” out of Gaza. Meanwhile Trump is rescinding Biden’s sanctions against violent settlers.
FN: Regarding MBS I never bought that he actually wanted to do a deal with Biden considering the conspiracy he and Bibi amongst others had with the Trump campaign in 2016-see Chapter Seth Abramson.
At this point it’s really not possible to be “too conspiratorial” only to be not conspiratorial a not. I’m taking it as basically axiomatic that Trump and Bibi had a conspiracy similar to the Reagan campaign and the Iranian Ayatollah-which also involved the Right wing Israeli Likud party. What is not understood at all even 45 years later is that Iran-Contra was just one discrete episode in a long term arrangement that predated the 1980 election AND that the reason Likud doxxed Reagan-Bush for having a second back channel selling arms to Iraq as we saw in Chapter October Surprise
To the contrary you can’t be TOO PARANOID to put the matter baldly. I’m at the point where even the idea that October 7 was a false flag can’t be ruled out of hand. To be clear it wasn’t a ‘false flag’ in the sense that Israel attacked itself but the possibility that Netanyahu sort of let it happened? After all there IS plenty of evidence that he got a lot of intelligence prior to warning him of the danger.
Indeed the comparisons to the way George W. Bush ignored prior 9/11 warnings is striking-see Chapter 9/11. Because at the end of the day it comes back to one question: cuo bono-who benefits? And no one benefitted more than two men: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Every since October 7 I had a deep sense of foreboding that to paraphrase Van Jones “Donald Trump became President today.”
Prior ot that day both Bibi and Trump were in big trouble. Both were in trouble politically and if they lost power they potentially could lose their freedom-Bibi was a convicted felon Trump had 91 indictments-and would be convicted on 34 counts the next year in the hush money case.
Bibi was very unpopular after his attempt to abolish the independent judiciary. But after October 7 everything changed. In the immediate aftermath his approval ratings were lower than ever, large supermajorities of Israelis called for him to step down AFTER the war. He had refused to even publicly speak to the public-Biden was forced to do that. But of course it was clear what that meant: the war would never end. But if the war never ended this would endager Joe Biden’s reelection. Biden’s approval ratings were also upside down-not as low as Bibi’s but far too low for comfort when he faced reelection in a little over a year. And this is what happened clearly as Dearborn flipped to Trump. Nor is it reaonable to presume the effect was felt only in Dearborn.
But if Israel’s war in Gaza-essentially a slaughter of Gaza if not indeed a genocide as the ICC has ruled-was still going on 13 months later on election day 2024 this could seroiusly imperil Biden’s chances. There’s no questoin 10/7 has ressurrected Bibi. HIs centrist and liberal opposition-a la Benny Gantz-dithered as centrists and liberals are wont to do and he’s been able to resusicitate his standing. If Gantz had refused to join his coalition government in the immediate aftermath maybe things would have been different.
So it’s clear who benefitted handsomely-Trump and Bibi as well, of course, as Putin, indeed intentational fascism. All a coincidence? FDR famously said there are no coincidences in politics. As I’ve been saying since 2016 maybe coincidences happen but you have to be pretty skeptical of coincidences that are so conveneint.
April Fools! Guys win again.
The whole point of this marathon of a book I’m still trying to conclude was that MAYBE FINALLY someone would learn something. But 56 years after Nixon scuttled LBJ’s peace talks, 45 years after the Reagan campaign delayed the release of the hostages, 25 years after Bush v. Gore, 9 years after “Russia if you’re listening” no one has learned anything.
Not the legacy media who’s now competing with each other to see who can pay Trump the biggest bribe-after ABC agreed to pay Trump $10 million dollars for a frivolous lawsuit CBS said “hold my beer.”
The Democrats hardly seem in the mood for being any sort of opposition party. I wrote this on Bluesky this morning.
Nevertheless:
As Malcolm Nance says yesterday was the beginning of the end for our democracy. He says there is one word for how we must go forward with: defiance. Amen have no doubt like many of you I will choose defiance any day of the week and twice on Sundays www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKo…
Place this in Chapter Day One?
But overall it’s amazing how apparently no one has learned anything. Indeed, this is the motive force for me writing this marathon book-the feeling that SOMEONE had to remember WHAT HAPPENED-as HRC asked in her own post 2016 book-under the premise that we could learn something for the future.
Kind of makes you think of Obama’s favorite phrase
FN
End FN
Must be a very large arc. And the learning curve of many people notably the now moribund legacy media, the Establishment centrists and liberals who run the Democratic party, to say nothing of the Tankie #GeoncideJoe Left is astonishingly slow.
As Michael Falone the heroic capitol policeman assaulted on J6 says, alas: Americans don’t care about justice.
(147) I have a target on my back: Retired officer files protective orders – YouTube
FN: See Also Alex Wanger on Trumpland
Sometimes a ducks a duck. Not that I’m giving up-you can’t have read this far in this book and had any doubt of THAT! But it truly is amazing who everyone who was supposed to protect us from this outcome failed.
Everyone Who Was Supposed To Protect You From Donald Trump Failed
So-it’s up to US. But this book has been about remembering-most of course can’t remember as they never knew in the first place.
We Are on Our Own – Democracy Docket
In a previous chapter I discussed Susan Faludi’s “The Backlash Against American Women” and the profoundly unsettling impact it had on me in reading her anecdote of a woman who was literally prevented from having an abortion even though that was the only thing which could prevent her death. As I noted what seemed extreme or dystopian is now reality.
But Faludi had finished the book remarking that despite all the backlash she faces no one can deny the justice of the American woman’s cause.
Indeed nor the cause of American democracy itself. But even if the moral arc does bend towards justice the arc is VERY LONG.
In all seriousness the problem with the phrase and Obamanomic in principle is it suggests we don’t have to do it we don’t have to fight as we’re on the side of angels and they will win. It suggests you can afford to be passive. Like Pelosi’s notorious neologism that Trump is self impeaching. To defeat the nefariousness of Trumpism cum fascism we have to defeat it, rather than sort of sit back and wait for it to defeat itself.
Even THIS makes me a little uneasy
‘Let him punch himself out’: Legendary strategist James Carville shreds Trump’s first week
If Trump is going to punch himself out guess we don’t have to punch him?
It’s just very frustrating for me as a concerned citizen who HAS closely followed American politics for at least 33 years-1992 being my first election-and DOES have an actual historical memory. Because if you recall this history the GOP playbook through the years is completely predictable. Foreign collusion and subversion is nothing new it’s their modus operandi going back to Nixon 1968. By no means did Trump invent foreign election collusion.
They use the time tested methods of misinformation, disinformation, character assassination, phony conspiracy theories-to muddy the tracks for the genuine conspiracies they have propagated to such profitable effect.
UPDATE:
Certainly not from the Genocide Joe folks. Again we’ve leared nothing. It’s been 45 years since the October Surprise cum Reagan-Ayatollah collusion and Craig Unger just recently published a new deep dive.
Link
UPDATE: Once again well played to the #GenocideJoe folks on the Left. Such a good thing you helped defeat Kamala Harris and elect Trump the Ceasefire on Day One hero who’s envoy declared: Sabbath Shabboth! let’s get this ceasefire done NOW
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-says-clean-out-gaza-urges-arab-countries-to-take-more-refugees/ar-AA1xTz2R?ocid=BingNewsSerp