Election campaign

The easiest way for an imperial power’s commanders on the ground to exercise control over conquered lands is to appoint as their lieutenants a local minority group to run herd over their formet overlords - the larger majority group, both of which now are under the thumb of the imperial power. Newfound power coupled with old grudges helps keep the minority groups new imperial lieutenants loyal to the new imperial conquerors

This is why Sunni were put over Shia during colonial Iraq and why Muslims were empowered over Hindu during Britain’s rule of India.

The Sikes-Picot arrangement, particularly with regard to Kurdistan, is a variation on this method of rule. It divided and subordinated the powerful Kurds under various competing ethnic and national rulers. All to the benefit of France and Britain.

Not that the British or French nvented this practice; it’s as old as conquest.

Once this practice is put into place and “the concrete sets” by way of land ownership and marriages and the death of memories, it then become nigh impossible to return to the old boundaries, ways of life, and structures of power. That’s a lot of what troubles the Middle East today.

During WW2 Auchenlik sorted Iraq out in 6 months flat and possibly the ascendency of the Sunni dates from then ,so if so it was a shrewd gambit from one of the outstanding British commanders. Beyond that I suspect the mapping over of Cold War perogatives over the region as well as the oil interests, has had the consequence whereby the former colonial tail now wags the erstwhile Imperial western dog.. Iran , Iraq and especially the Saudis all have had their own agendas and hats in the ring.

Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, refused on Tuesday to rule out postponing the presidential election in November

Found this in the New Yorker the other day:
"Never watch Trump's press briefings. They're understandably dull. Instead, catch the CNN clips of the President losing it, and then check Breitbart for the denials of everything he just said on camera. For a drinking game, take a sip whenever Trump calls a female journalist "nasty" or a male journalist "a looser." And while it's fun to track Dr. Deborah Birx's infinite scarf collection, her masochism is voluntary and deadening. Dr. Anthony Fauci is the only hero here, but I wish while Trump is blathering, that Fauci would mime silently screaming." ....Libby Gelman-Waxner

oldbeezer said:

Have you ever heard of George W Bush? Same thing with a lot of help from Cheney just not openly.

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George w bush? doesn't even have the decency to cringe when he hears ccr's fortunate son on the radio.

In these Troubled times Trumpy Fartface has been good for us. How we have laughed at his antics. We used to laugh at Boris, but he has grown up a bit and now sounds plausible. Trump has just got more stupid. (if that's possible) . But its not funny anymore. Wake up America before something really bad happens. You deserve much better. Even Obama looks good now.