All:
http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcd4ktDhYPoQAvjIPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTEycDRwaXJpBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjMwMDFfMQRzZWMDc3I-/RV=2/RE=1480139940/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cnn.com%2f2016%2f11%2f21%2fpolitics%2fgabbard-trump-transition%2findex.html/RK=0/RS=4.k6gULdL_9jLanvjVOQvYD4nIo-
Democratic Rep. Gabbard meets with Trump
<http://www.cnn.com/profiles/sara-murray>
<http://www.cnn.com/profiles/tom-lobianco>
By Sara Murray <http://www.cnn.com/profiles/sara-murray> and Tom
LoBianco <http://www.cnn.com/profiles/tom-lobianco>, CNN
Updated 3:28 PM ET, Mon November 21, 2016
Is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard still supporting Bernie Sanders? 00:45
Washington (CNN)Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with
President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team Monday.
Gabbard, who backed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic
primary, is being considered for jobs at the Defense Department, State
Department and the United Nations, a source told CNN.
Gabbard stepped down from her post as a vice chairwoman of the
Democratic National Committee earlier in the year to support Sanders --
and fight Hillary Clinton -- in the primaries. She stood by Sanders
through the Democratic convention, only announcing she would vote for
Clinton days after the convention ended.
"President-elect Trump asked me to meet with him about our current
policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like
al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face,"
Gabbard said in a statement. "
I felt it important to take the opportunity to meet with the
President-elect now before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been
beating drag us into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian
government -- a war which has already cost hundreds of thousands of
lives and forced millions of refugees to flee their homes in search of
safety for themselves and their families.
She added, "While the rules of political expediency would say I should
have refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never
will play politics with American and Syrian lives."
Gabbard is not the first Democrat to meet with Trump. Trump met last
week with corporate education reformer Michelle Rhee, the former schools
chief of Washington
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-team-makes-overtures-to-democrats-as-transition-push-ramps-up-1479343438>,
who is being considered for education secretary.
If Trump picks Gabbard or Rhee for his administration, it would mark an
about-face for the incoming president, who promised in October that
Democrats would not serve in his Cabinet.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-exclusive-idUSKCN12P2PZ>
Also expected to meet with Trump today at Trump Tower are former Texas
Governor Rick Perry, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, former Labor
Secretary Elaine Chao, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and Newt
Gingrich.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report
On 11/25/2016 2:06 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
Mondoweiss > > Tulsi Gabbard’s screw-the-neocons meeting with Trump sparks anger,> derision, encouragement US Politics Philip Weiss on November 24, 2016 > 15 Comments > > HI Rep. Tulsi Gabbard During his round of interviewing > potential job applicants, Donald Trump had one meeting with a > Democratic politician: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a leading > antiwar figure, an Iraq war veteran and Bernie Sanders ally and > former rising star in the party. The Monday meeting is important > because of what Gabbard said about foreign policy: screw the > neoconservatives and dump the idea of regime change in Syria, which > Hillary Clinton had supported. The meeting thus contains seeds of > ideological convergence between the antiwar left and right. It has > been read as misguided, tragic, or hopeful– depending on the > observer’s point of view. Here’s a short tour. First off, Gabbard > filed her own report, titled “My meeting with Donald Trump.” She said > the meeting was all about Syria; and she called out the > neoconservatives and others advocating intervention. This was an > opportunity to advocate for peace — and I felt it was important to > take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect to counteract > neocons’ steady drumbeats of war, which threaten to drag us into an > escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government. This war > has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions > of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves > and their families. It has also strengthened al-Qaeda and other > violent, extremist groups in the region. It would have been > irresponsible not to accept this invitation. I feel it is my duty to > take every single opportunity I get to advocate for peace, no matter > the circumstances of those meetings. I shared with him my grave > concerns that escalating the war in Syria by implementing a so-called > no fly/safe zone would be disastrous for the Syrian people, our > country, and the world. It would lead to more death and suffering, > exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS and al-Qaeda and bring > us into a direct conflict with Russia–potentially resulting in a > nuclear war. We discussed my bill to end our country’s illegal war to > overthrow the Syrian government and the need to focus our precious > resources on rebuilding our own country, and on defeating al-Qaeda, > ISIS, and other terrorist groups who pose a threat to the American > people. The New York Times published a report that characterized > Gabbard as defensive and delusional. “The report was slanted and > pejorative, in a way so easy to penetrate you wonder if they’ve lost > their wits,” David Bromwich writes. “How deeply she has offended > against the new Cold War consensus.” Bromwich revised the Times piece > by putting its prejudicial phrasing in double brackets, and including > his amendments and commentary in boldface: Ms. Gabbard, an Iraq war > veteran [[and former Bernie Sanders supporter]] whose endorsement of > Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton partly stemmed from her rejection > of Clinton’s interventionist foreign policy, [[defended her visit > Monday to the office of the president-elect, saying she needed]] said > that she felt it was imperative to talk foreign policy with Mr. Trump > “before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us > into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government.” > Her statement [[,lengthy and somewhat defensive, allowed,]] went out > of its way to answer anticipated criticism from party loyalists: > “While the rules of political expediency would say I should have > refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never > will play politics with American and Syrian lives.” She then made the > case against any intervention in a war that has [[pulled in Russia > and left hundreds of thousands slaughtered.]] NB: The Times is > drawing a syntactical connection between Russia and the slaughter > whose victims came mostly beforehand and from other causes…. Her case > is a break from the position that her fellow Democrat, Hillary > Clinton, campaigned on. It [[fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance > to engage]] fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance to continue and > expand the slaughter— and with warnings against American involvement > from the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin. > > Jonathan Tasini, former Sanders surrogate, slammed Gabbard for > normalizing Trump’s bigotry and racism. Neoconservative Bill Kristol > at first had a hopeful reading of the meeting: “Tulsi Gabbard for > VA?” Then when reports came out he reversed course and had a similar > take to the Times. Not very happy. He added, “Because listening to > the drumbeats of peace has worked out so well in Syria.” Robert > Parry, the former AP reporter and realist, had a hopeful reading of > the meeting, at Consortium News. By inviting in Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a > Democrat hostile to “regime change” wars, President-elect Trump may > be signaling a major break with Republican neocon orthodoxy and a big > shake-up of the U.S. foreign policy establishment Parry revisited > Gabbard’s antiwar rise: She starred in one of the strongest political > ads of the campaign, a message to Hawaiians, called “The Cost of > War.” “Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War,” Gabbard says. “He > understands the cost of war, that that cost is continued when our > veterans come home. Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take > the trillions of dollars that are spent on these interventionist, > regime change, unnecessary wars and invest it here at home.” In the > ad, Gabbard threw down the gauntlet to the neocons and their > liberal-hawk sidekicks, by accusing them of wasting trillions of > dollars “on these interventionist, regime change, unnecessary wars.” > Her comments mesh closely with Trump’s own perspective… Parry said > that Hillary Clinton might well have appointed Victoria Nuland as > Secretary of State, Nuland whose husband Robert Kagan was one of the > neoconservatives who flocked to Clinton. And he reads even Trump’s > Mike Flynn national security adviser nod as a hopeful departure from > a policy of drone attacks. Taking on this Saudi-Israel nexus has long > been regarded as political suicide, given Israel’s extraordinary > lobbying power and Saudi Arabia’s exceptional wealth. But Trump may > be assembling a team that is “crazy” enough to take on that mission. > So, while the fight over the future of U.S. foreign policy is far > from over – the neocons will surely flex their muscles at the major > think tanks, on the op-ed pages and inside the halls of Congress – > the Trump transition is showing some creativity in assembling a > national security team that may go in a very different direction. > Here is more on Gabbard’s track record, from NBC: Gabbard abruptly > resigned her spot as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic National > Committee in February to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, > accusing party leaders of rigging the presidential primary process > for its eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton… Tim Vandeveer, a Sanders > supporter elected this year as chairman of the Hawaii Democratic > Party, defended Gabbard’s decision [to meet with Trump]. “Given the > reality that we’re facing now with President-elect Trump, and an > administration that we’ve already seen is going to lean heavily on > neoconservatives who are going to rattle the sabers of war, I think > it’s a good idea for Democrats to engage and stand up for our values > She’s also a surfer, who is proud of her Polynesian heritage. >From > her twitter feed: > > Tulsi Gabbard, from her twitter feed > > CNN reported that Gabbard was under consideration for Secretary of > State or Secretary of Defense. The NYT said she was under > consideration for Ambassador to the U.N. Gabbard dismissed the > speculation: I did not meet with Pr • • • • • About • > Advertise • Comments Policy • Site Status • Archives • 100 Recent > Comments • Register • Log in • Donate Advertising • > http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/plugins/oiopub-direct/modules/tracker/go.php?id=28http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/plugins/oiopub-direct/modules/tracker/go.php?id=28 > >
News & Opinion About Palestine, Israel & the United States Search > for: • http://mondoweiss.net/ • Israel/Palestine • MiddleEast • US > Politics • Activism • Features Tulsi Gabbard’s screw-the-neocons > meeting with Trump sparks anger, derision, encouragement US Politics > Philip Weiss on November 24, 2016 15 Comments • Error! Hyperlink > reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. • Error! > Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. • > Adjust Font Size > > HI Rep. Tulsi Gabbard During his round of interviewing > potential job applicants, Donald Trump had one meeting with a > Democratic politician: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a leading > antiwar figure, an Iraq war veteran and Bernie Sanders ally and > former rising star in the party. The Monday meeting is important > because of what Gabbard said about foreign policy: screw the > neoconservatives and dump the idea of regime change in Syria, which > Hillary Clinton had supported. The meeting thus contains seeds of > ideological convergence between the antiwar left and right. It has > been read as misguided, tragic, or hopeful– depending on the > observer’s point of view. Here’s a short tour. First off, Gabbard > filed her own report, titled “My meeting with Donald Trump.” She said > the meeting was all about Syria; and she called out the > neoconservatives and others advocating intervention. This was an > opportunity to advocate for peace — and I felt it was important to > take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect to counteract > neocons’ steady drumbeats of war, which threaten to drag us into an > escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government. This war > has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions > of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves > and their families. It has also strengthened al-Qaeda and other > violent, extremist groups in the region. It would have been > irresponsible not to accept this invitation. I feel it is my duty to > take every single opportunity I get to advocate for peace, no matter > the circumstances of those meetings. I shared with him my grave > concerns that escalating the war in Syria by implementing a so-called > no fly/safe zone would be disastrous for the Syrian people, our > country, and the world. It would lead to more death and suffering, > exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS and al-Qaeda and bring > us into a direct conflict with Russia–potentially resulting in a > nuclear war. We discussed my bill to end our country’s illegal war to > overthrow the Syrian government and the need to focus our precious > resources on rebuilding our own country, and on defeating al-Qaeda, > ISIS, and other terrorist groups who pose a threat to the American > people. The New York Times published a report that characterized > Gabbard as defensive and delusional. “The report was slanted and > pejorative, in a way so easy to penetrate you wonder if they’ve lost > their wits,” David Bromwich writes. “How deeply she has offended > against the new Cold War consensus.” Bromwich revised the Times piece > by putting its prejudicial phrasing in double brackets, and including > his amendments and commentary in boldface: Ms. Gabbard, an Iraq war > veteran [[and former Bernie Sanders supporter]] whose endorsement of > Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton partly stemmed from her rejection > of Clinton’s interventionist foreign policy, [[defended her visit > Monday to the office of the president-elect, saying she needed]] said > that she felt it was imperative to talk foreign policy with Mr. Trump > “before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us > into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government.” > Her statement [[,lengthy and somewhat defensive, allowed,]] went out > of its way to answer anticipated criticism from party loyalists: > “While the rules of political expediency would say I should have > refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never > will play politics with American and Syrian lives.” She then made the > case against any intervention in a war that has [[pulled in Russia > and left hundreds of thousands slaughtered.]] NB: The Times is > drawing a syntactical connection between Russia and the slaughter > whose victims came mostly beforehand and from other causes…. Her case > is a break from the position that her fellow Democrat, Hillary > Clinton, campaigned on. It [[fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance > to engage]] fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance to continue and > expand the slaughter— and with warnings against American involvement > from the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin. Jonathan Tasini, > former Sanders surrogate, slammed Gabbard for normalizing Trump’s > bigotry and racism. Neoconservative Bill Kristol at first had a > hopeful reading of the meeting: “Tulsi Gabbard for VA?” Then when > reports came out he reversed course and had a similar take to the > Times. Not very happy. He added, “Because listening to the drumbeats > of peace has worked out so well in Syria.” Robert Parry, the former > AP reporter and realist, had a hopeful reading of the meeting, at > Consortium News. By inviting in Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat > hostile to “regime change” wars, President-elect Trump may be > signaling a major break with Republican neocon orthodoxy and a big > shake-up of the U.S. foreign policy establishment Parry revisited > Gabbard’s antiwar rise: She starred in one of the strongest political > ads of the campaign, a message to Hawaiians, called “The Cost of > War.” “Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War,” Gabbard says. “He > understands the cost of war, that that cost is continued when our > veterans come home. Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take > the trillions of dollars that are spent on these interventionist, > regime change, unnecessary wars and invest it here at home.” In the > ad, Gabbard threw down the gauntlet to the neocons and their > liberal-hawk sidekicks, by accusing them of wasting trillions of > dollars “on these interventionist, regime change, unnecessary wars.” > Her comments mesh closely with Trump’s own perspective… Parry said > that Hillary Clinton might well have appointed Victoria Nuland as > Secretary of State, Nuland whose husband Robert Kagan was one of the > neoconservatives who flocked to Clinton. And he reads even Trump’s > Mike Flynn national security adviser nod as a hopeful departure from > a policy of drone attacks. Taking on this Saudi-Israel nexus has long > been regarded as political suicide, given Israel’s extraordinary > lobbying power and Saudi Arabia’s exceptional wealth. But Trump may > be assembling a team that is “crazy” enough to take on that mission. > So, while the fight over the future of U.S. foreign policy is far > from over – the neocons will surely flex their muscles at the major > think tanks, on the op-ed pages and inside the halls of Congress – > the Trump transition is showing some creativity in assembling a > national security team that may go in a very different direction. > Here is more on Gabbard’s track record, from NBC: Gabbard abruptly > resigned her spot as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic National > Committee in February to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, > accusing party leaders of rigging the presidential primary process > for its eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton… Tim Vandeveer, a Sanders > supporter elected this year as chairman of the Hawaii Democratic > Party, defended Gabbard’s decision [to meet with Trump]. “Given the > reality that we’re facing now with President-elect Trump, and an > administration that we’ve already seen is going to lean heavily on > neoconservatives who are going to rattle the sabers of war, I think > it’s a good idea for Democrats to engage and stand up for our values > She’s also a surfer, who is proud of her Polynesian heritage. >From > her twitter feed: > > Tulsi Gabbard, from her twitter feed CNN reported that Gabbard was > under consideration for Secretary of State or Secretary of Defense. > The NYT said she was under consideration for Ambassador to the U.N. > Gabbard dismissed the speculation: I did not meet with Pr > > • • • • • About • Advertise • Comments Policy • Site Status • > Archives • 100 Recent Comments • Register • Log in Advertising • > Mondoweiss > > Search for: Menu • Home • Israel/Palestine • Middle East • US > Politics • Activism • Features Tulsi Gabbard’s screw-the-neocons > meeting with Trump sparks anger, derision, encouragement US Politics > Philip Weiss on November 24, 2016 15 Comments • • • Adjust Font > Size > > HI Rep. Tulsi Gabbard During his round of interviewing > potential job applicants, Donald Trump had one meeting with a > Democratic politician: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a leading > antiwar figure, an Iraq war veteran and Bernie Sanders ally and > former rising star in the party. The Monday meeting is important > because of what Gabbard said about foreign policy: screw the > neoconservatives and dump the idea of regime change in Syria, which > Hillary Clinton had supported. The meeting thus contains seeds of > ideological convergence between the antiwar left and right. It has > been read as misguided, tragic, or hopeful– depending on the > observer’s point of view. Here’s a short tour. First off, Gabbard > filed her own report, titled “My meeting with Donald Trump.” She said > the meeting was all about Syria; and she called out the > neoconservatives and others advocating intervention. This was an > opportunity to advocate for peace — and I felt it was important to > take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect to counteract > neocons’ steady drumbeats of war, which threaten to drag us into an > escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government. This war > has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions > of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves > and their families. It has also strengthened al-Qaeda and other > violent, extremist groups in the region. It would have been > irresponsible not to accept this invitation. I feel it is my duty to > take every single opportunity I get to advocate for peace, no matter > the circumstances of those meetings. I shared with him my grave > concerns that escalating the war in Syria by implementing a so-called > no fly/safe zone would be disastrous for the Syrian people, our > country, and the world. It would lead to more death and suffering, > exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS and al-Qaeda and bring > us into a direct conflict with Russia–potentially resulting in a > nuclear war. We discussed my bill to end our country’s illegal war to > overthrow the Syrian government and the need to focus our precious > resources on rebuilding our own country, and on defeating al-Qaeda, > ISIS, and other terrorist groups who pose a threat to the American > people. The New York Times published a report that characterized > Gabbard as defensive and delusional. “The report was slanted and > pejorative, in a way so easy to penetrate you wonder if they’ve lost > their wits,” David Bromwich writes. “How deeply she has offended > against the new Cold War consensus.” Bromwich revised the Times piece > by putting its prejudicial phrasing in double brackets, and including > his amendments and commentary in boldface: Ms. Gabbard, an Iraq war > veteran [[and former Bernie Sanders supporter]] whose endorsement of > Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton partly stemmed from her rejection > of Clinton’s interventionist foreign policy, [[defended her visit > Monday to the office of the president-elect, saying she needed]] said > that she felt it was imperative to talk foreign policy with Mr. Trump > “before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us > into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government.” > Her statement [[,lengthy and somewhat defensive, allowed,]] went out > of its way to answer anticipated criticism from party loyalists: > “While the rules of political expediency would say I should have > refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never > will play politics with American and Syrian lives.” She then made the > case against any intervention in a war that has [[pulled in Russia > and left hundreds of thousands slaughtered.]] NB: The Times is > drawing a syntactical connection between Russia and the slaughter > whose victims came mostly beforehand and from other causes…. Her case > is a break from the position that her fellow Democrat, Hillary > Clinton, campaigned on. It [[fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance > to engage]] fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance to continue and > expand the slaughter— and with warnings against American involvement > from the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin. > > Jonathan Tasini, former Sanders surrogate, slammed Gabbard for > normalizing Trump’s bigotry and racism. Neoconservative Bill Kristol > at first had a hopeful reading of the meeting: “Tulsi Gabbard for > VA?” Then when reports came out he reversed course and had a similar > take to the Times. Not very happy. He added, “Because listening to > the drumbeats of peace has worked out so well in Syria.” Robert > Parry, the former AP reporter and realist, had a hopeful reading of > the meeting, at Consortium News. By inviting in Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a > Democrat hostile to “regime change” wars, President-elect Trump may > be signaling a major break with Republican neocon orthodoxy and a big > shake-up of the U.S. foreign policy establishment Parry revisited > Gabbard’s antiwar rise: She starred in one of the strongest political > ads of the campaign, a message to Hawaiians, called “The Cost of > War.” “Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War,” Gabbard says. “He > understands the cost of war, that that cost is continued when our > veterans come home. Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take > the trillions of dollars that are spent on these interventionist, > regime change, unnecessary wars and invest it here at home.” In the > ad, Gabbard threw down the gauntlet to the neocons and their > liberal-hawk sidekicks, by accusing them of wasting trillions of > dollars “on these interventionist, regime change, unnecessary wars.” > Her comments mesh closely with Trump’s own perspective… Parry said > that Hillary Clinton might well have appointed Victoria Nuland as > Secretary of State, Nuland whose husband Robert Kagan was one of the > neoconservatives who flocked to Clinton. And he reads even Trump’s > Mike Flynn national security adviser nod as a hopeful departure from > a policy of drone attacks. Taking on this Saudi-Israel nexus has long > been regarded as political suicide, given Israel’s extraordinary > lobbying power and Saudi Arabia’s exceptional wealth. But Trump may > be assembling a team that is “crazy” enough to take on that mission. > So, while the fight over the future of U.S. foreign policy is far > from over – the neocons will surely flex their muscles at the major > think tanks, on the op-ed pages and inside the halls of Congress – > the Trump transition is showing some creativity in assembling a > national security team that may go in a very different direction. > Here is more on Gabbard’s track record, from NBC: Gabbard abruptly > resigned her spot as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic National > Committee in February to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, > accusing party leaders of rigging the presidential primary process > for its eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton… Tim Vandeveer, a Sanders > supporter elected this year as chairman of the Hawaii Democratic > Party, defended Gabbard’s decision [to meet with Trump]. “Given the > reality that we’re facing now with President-elect Trump, and an > administration that we’ve already seen is going to lean heavily on > neoconservatives who are going to rattle the sabers of war, I think > it’s a good idea for Democrats to engage and stand up for our values > She’s also a surfer, who is proud of her Polynesian heritage. >From > her twitter feed: > > Tulsi Gabbard, from her twitter feed > > CNN reported that Gabbard was under consideration for Secretary of > State or Secretary of Defense. The NYT said she was under > consideration for Ambassador to the U.N. Gabbard dismissed the > speculation: I did not meet with Pr • • • • • About • > Advertise • Comments Policy • Site Status • Archives • 100 Recent > Comments • Register • Log in • Donate Advertising • > http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/plugins/oiopub-direct/modules/tracker/go.php?id=28http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/plugins/oiopub-direct/modules/tracker/go.php?id=28 > >
News & Opinion About Palestine, Israel & the United States Search > for: • http://mondoweiss.net/ • Israel/Palestine • MiddleEast • US > Politics • Activism • Features Tulsi Gabbard’s screw-the-neocons > meeting with Trump sparks anger, derision, encouragement US Politics > Philip Weiss on November 24, 2016 15 Comments • Error! Hyperlink > reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. • Error! > Hyperlink reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. • > Adjust Font Size > > HI Rep. Tulsi Gabbard During his round of interviewing > potential job applicants, Donald Trump had one meeting with a > Democratic politician: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a leading > antiwar figure, an Iraq war veteran and Bernie Sanders ally and > former rising star in the party. The Monday meeting is important > because of what Gabbard said about foreign policy: screw the > neoconservatives and dump the idea of regime change in Syria, which > Hillary Clinton had supported. The meeting thus contains seeds of > ideological convergence between the antiwar left and right. It has > been read as misguided, tragic, or hopeful– depending on the > observer’s point of view. Here’s a short tour. First off, Gabbard > filed her own report, titled “My meeting with Donald Trump.” She said > the meeting was all about Syria; and she called out the > neoconservatives and others advocating intervention. This was an > opportunity to advocate for peace — and I felt it was important to > take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect to counteract > neocons’ steady drumbeats of war, which threaten to drag us into an > escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government. This war > has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions > of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves > and their families. It has also strengthened al-Qaeda and other > violent, extremist groups in the region. It would have been > irresponsible not to accept this invitation. I feel it is my duty to > take every single opportunity I get to advocate for peace, no matter > the circumstances of those meetings. I shared with him my grave > concerns that escalating the war in Syria by implementing a so-called > no fly/safe zone would be disastrous for the Syrian people, our > country, and the world. It would lead to more death and suffering, > exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS and al-Qaeda and bring > us into a direct conflict with Russia–potentially resulting in a > nuclear war. We discussed my bill to end our country’s illegal war to > overthrow the Syrian government and the need to focus our precious > resources on rebuilding our own country, and on defeating al-Qaeda, > ISIS, and other terrorist groups who pose a threat to the American > people. The New York Times published a report that characterized > Gabbard as defensive and delusional. “The report was slanted and > pejorative, in a way so easy to penetrate you wonder if they’ve lost > their wits,” David Bromwich writes. “How deeply she has offended > against the new Cold War consensus.” Bromwich revised the Times piece > by putting its prejudicial phrasing in double brackets, and including > his amendments and commentary in boldface: Ms. Gabbard, an Iraq war > veteran [[and former Bernie Sanders supporter]] whose endorsement of > Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton partly stemmed from her rejection > of Clinton’s interventionist foreign policy, [[defended her visit > Monday to the office of the president-elect, saying she needed]] said > that she felt it was imperative to talk foreign policy with Mr. Trump > “before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us > into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government.” > Her statement [[,lengthy and somewhat defensive, allowed,]] went out > of its way to answer anticipated criticism from party loyalists: > “While the rules of political expediency would say I should have > refused to meet with President-elect Trump, I never have and never > will play politics with American and Syrian lives.” She then made the > case against any intervention in a war that has [[pulled in Russia > and left hundreds of thousands slaughtered.]] NB: The Times is > drawing a syntactical connection between Russia and the slaughter > whose victims came mostly beforehand and from other causes…. Her case > is a break from the position that her fellow Democrat, Hillary > Clinton, campaigned on. It [[fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance > to engage]] fits nicely with Mr. Trump’s reluctance to continue and > expand the slaughter— and with warnings against American involvement > from the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin. Jonathan Tasini, > former Sanders surrogate, slammed Gabbard for normalizing Trump’s > bigotry and racism. Neoconservative Bill Kristol at first had a > hopeful reading of the meeting: “Tulsi Gabbard for VA?” Then when > reports came out he reversed course and had a similar take to the > Times. Not very happy. He added, “Because listening to the drumbeats > of peace has worked out so well in Syria.” Robert Parry, the former > AP reporter and realist, had a hopeful reading of the meeting, at > Consortium News. By inviting in Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat > hostile to “regime change” wars, President-elect Trump may be > signaling a major break with Republican neocon orthodoxy and a big > shake-up of the U.S. foreign policy establishment Parry revisited > Gabbard’s antiwar rise: She starred in one of the strongest political > ads of the campaign, a message to Hawaiians, called “The Cost of > War.” “Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq War,” Gabbard says. “He > understands the cost of war, that that cost is continued when our > veterans come home. Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take > the trillions of dollars that are spent on these interventionist, > regime change, unnecessary wars and invest it here at home.” In the > ad, Gabbard threw down the gauntlet to the neocons and their > liberal-hawk sidekicks, by accusing them of wasting trillions of > dollars “on these interventionist, regime change, unnecessary wars.” > Her comments mesh closely with Trump’s own perspective… Parry said > that Hillary Clinton might well have appointed Victoria Nuland as > Secretary of State, Nuland whose husband Robert Kagan was one of the > neoconservatives who flocked to Clinton. And he reads even Trump’s > Mike Flynn national security adviser nod as a hopeful departure from > a policy of drone attacks. Taking on this Saudi-Israel nexus has long > been regarded as political suicide, given Israel’s extraordinary > lobbying power and Saudi Arabia’s exceptional wealth. But Trump may > be assembling a team that is “crazy” enough to take on that mission. > So, while the fight over the future of U.S. foreign policy is far > from over – the neocons will surely flex their muscles at the major > think tanks, on the op-ed pages and inside the halls of Congress – > the Trump transition is showing some creativity in assembling a > national security team that may go in a very different direction. > Here is more on Gabbard’s track record, from NBC: Gabbard abruptly > resigned her spot as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic National > Committee in February to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, > accusing party leaders of rigging the presidential primary process > for its eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton… Tim Vandeveer, a Sanders > supporter elected this year as chairman of the Hawaii Democratic > Party, defended Gabbard’s decision [to meet with Trump]. “Given the > reality that we’re facing now with President-elect Trump, and an > administration that we’ve already seen is going to lean heavily on > neoconservatives who are going to rattle the sabers of war, I think > it’s a good idea for Democrats to engage and stand up for our values > She’s also a surfer, who is proud of her Polynesian heritage. >From > her twitter feed: > > Tulsi Gabbard, from her twitter feed CNN reported that Gabbard was > under consideration for Secretary of State or Secretary of Defense. > The NYT said she was under consideration for Ambassador to the U.N. > Gabbard dismissed the speculation: I did not meet with > President-elect Trump seeking a job, nor did he offer me one. > > > >
