Prague Summer Returns!

OK, the weather outside is frightful but it is Prague Summer in Washington. The proximate cause - a puzzling McClatchy report that Mueller has evidence that Trump lawyer WAS in Prague in August or early September of 2016. The controversial Steele dossier alleged that Cohen was there colluding with the Russians; Cohen denied it, Jake Tapper had sources backing the denial, and eventually Cohen showed Buzzfeed (the original publisher of the dossier) his passport, which had no entries to Europe at the time in question.

Presumably Tapper is tearing his hair out trying to pin this down, so go long Rogaine. (Pro Tip - don't attempt this sort of equity advisory work at home.)

In any case, I love a mystery! Phillip Bump of the WaPo explains that this is a Big Deal (No f-bombs in the WaPo, please):

But this contradiction between a clear allegation from the Steele dossier and the assertion that it wasn’t true by Cohen and Trump helped drive the idea that the dossier was broadly discredited shortly after its release. Pick out the Prague trip and nothing that follows could have happened. Put the Prague trip back into the mix? A lot of the other parts of that allegation now become possible.* What’s more, it undermines the credibility of those who insisted that the claim was completely without merit.

Look at it another way: If the central conceit of the Steele’s claim were accurate — that Cohen was working with agents of the Russian government directly to aid Trump’s candidacy — it would be very hard to argue that no collusion took place. That likely requires Cohen’s having been in Prague.

And of course, busting Cohen in a lie and cover-up of this magnitude would be impressive, not to mention, it would leave us wondering why he tried so hard to hide it.

Mr. Bump does a good job linking to the Tapper and Buzzfeed reports but leaves out a key caveat from the latter: Cohen might have a second passport, issued either by the US or a foreign country. In the spirit of St Patrick I will note that those of us with Irish heritage, in addition to our many other blessings, are often eligible for Irish citizenship and then a passport. That's contingent on parents or grandparents hailing from the Old Country; as a nice Jewish lad from Long Island Cohen is not an obvious candidate, although we know nothing about his grandparents.

Nor do we need to - Cohen is a slam-dunk for an Israeli passport under their Right of Return. Does he have one and would he occasionally use it for subtle travel abroad? Magic Eightball says "Why ask me? What are we paying these Trump-obsessed journos for, anyway?"

Yeah, my Magic Eightball when I was a kid was much pithier, too, but with wifi and cloud storage and everything - c'mon, get with the 21st century.

A POINT TO PONDER: From Buzzfeed:

Altogether, Cohen’s passport shows he has visited at least a dozen countries during the last eight years: St. Maarten, England, Scotland, St. Barthélemy, France, Italy, Anguilla, Georgia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Macau, and Kazakhstan.

What catches my eye is the absence of a mention of trips to Israel. People who travel to both Israel and some of its foes can get a second US passport to avoid awkward moments at immigration (an Israeli stamp will be a bar to admittance in some countries.)

I'm sure there are plenty of people, Jewish and otherwise, who have not gone to Israel. And Cohen's globe-trotting for Trump's businesses may have been limited since he is a US lawyer. (Team Trump has poked at a few things in Israel). but  But if he has mentioned in interviews a trip to Israel, that might be a clue. Or maybe one of his Facebook/Instagram followers could chime in? Hmm, he has two kids - have they posted family pics from the Wailing Wall? The journalistic ethics are dubious but the insight might be priceless. ("Journalistic ethics"! I know, right? I'm off to enjoy some jumbo shrimp.)

DETAILS, DETAILS: This passage from the McClatchy report is at best wildly misleading:

But investigators have traced evidence that Cohen entered the Czech Republic through Germany, apparently during August or early September of 2016 as the ex-spy reported, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is confidential. He wouldn’t have needed a passport for such a trip, because both countries are in the so-called Schengen Area in which 26 nations operate with open borders. The disclosure still left a puzzle: The sources did not say whether Cohen took a commercial flight or private jet to Europe, and gave no explanation as to why no record of such a trip has surfaced.

Cohen would not have needed a passport at the German-Czech border, so it is true that the Czech government may have no record of his presence in their country. However, Cohen would have needed a passport to enter the Schengen region in Germany, or wherever. Ask 'em all!

 

Comments

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Where is that smell coming from you ask?
Perhaps it is Elon's Musk.
I'd say the noose is getting tighter on the Tesla boss but I'm thinking Ol Sparky might be a better metaphor.

[glasater]

I'd like to know what those Trump-obsessed journos are smoking.

Are they figuring out a way for a person to be in two places at one time?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Details on Liz Holmes and the Theranos megafraud.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Here is the totality of the McClatchy claim;

The Justice Department special counsel has evidence that Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, secretly made a late-summer trip to Prague during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

It is followed by a few dozen paragraphs of speculation, but the claim itself is almost ridiculously flaccid.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

It is my understanding that Cohen was in California and there are two eyewitnesses that met with him there.

[Another Bob]

Cohen already covered the passport thing - he's said he has only one.

Of course he was lying then too.

[Account Deleted]

Recent counsel advised us re our upcoming Regulation D offering to be certain of every stated objective by hedging with detailed risk assessments and summative disclosures to our qualified Investors.

It's quite freeing actually.

Bold leadership and consistent ethical investor relation practices require healthy respect for risk with zero infatuation over palliative blue-sky "forward looking" statements.

Mr. Musk has "stars in [his] courses." The Space thing will be his undoing--- "too big a eat."

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Perhaps Cohen is lying but 'two unnamed sources familiar with* the matter' has proven to be a phrase less than likely to be true.

*Just exactly what does "Familiar with" mean in the context they use it in these stories?
I'm "familiar with" the Cohen matter myself but have precisely zero information to offer on where Cohen was or what Mueller knows about it.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Independent Swiss lab says nerve agent used to poison Skripal was type produced by UK and US not Russia.
The tests were done on samples turned over by the UK itself, so for this story to be true we would have to believe these nasty conspirators handed over a nerve gas sample they knew this brilliant lab would trace back to the West.
As dumb as our and the UK spooks are even they would have a hard time being that stupid.

[Account Deleted]

Iggy---> Nailed it again re "familiar with" nonsense. The Propaganda Press confuses First Amendment rights with "license" granted by such amoeba term phrasing.

As always IHTFP.

Kev

[anonamom]

Magic Eightball says "Why ask me? What are we paying these Trump-obsessed journos for, anyway?"

EXACTLY!
How much can they lay on Sharyl Attkisson and Sarah Carter and Catherine Herridge and still sleep at night???

[clarice feldman]

Did he also forge plane tickets, hotel reservations and photoshp himself into an L.A. bar mitzvah on the day GPS said he was in Prague? And is his name Dick Cohen so uncommon that GPS couldn't possibly have the wrong guy? It's utter b.s. to hide the deep state's handing off FISA material to GPS and that's why they are leaking this canard again.

[clarice feldman]

From my article today:his is an old story that's been completely debunked. The claim that Cohen traveled to Prague was part of the Steele "dossier" that was put out by Fusion GPS = The Hillary Campaign. It turns out that there is more than one Michael Cohen in the world -- yes, imagine that! A different Michael Cohen went to Prague. And that's where things get interesting.

Have you ever tried to access the travel records of another person? Yeah, good luck with that, right?​ Well, then, how did Fusion GPS manage to do that? It turns out, via a FISA Court report, that the FBI employed "private contractors" who weren't cleared and gave them extensive access to government records. Yep. Fusion GPS was a "private contractor," meaning the FBI had given them access to just about everything in order to do oppo research for Hillary. Are you comfortable with that? Fusion GPS's big mistake in keeping this from coming out is that they didn't check to make sure they had the right Michael Cohen and went with the attempted smear.

So, what does Michael Cohen do? In very early January of this year he filed a defamation law suit against Fusion GPS! Uh oh! Imagine the stuff he's gonna be asking for in discovery! What happens next? Mueller's jackbooted FBI break down the doors to every place associated with Cohen, seize all his records, and start leaking accusations against him.

Does this sound like the whole Mueller operation is really just a coverup for Hillary and the Deep State? It does to me.

[Account Deleted]

Off topic.... my belly button window observations:

Berkeley's spring weather is in full retreat courtesy of 53 degrees and a 7 mph wind out of the SW.

But the wild fennel is knee high. Nothing stops that demon plant which "wild Berkeley" advocates allow to go to seed *FUCKING EVERYWHERE* around here.

That and Johnson grass proliferate while our tibouchina can't buy a break.

Cadillac problems are a beench, no? ;)

[Ralph L]

Is anyone keeping a count of apparent leaks from the Special Counsel people? Some may be made up entirely, of course.

[Another Bob]

Clarice, hasn't that been obvious for some time now?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/383166-comeys-last-stand-for-the-deep-state#.WtNvKPeDrP0.twitter

This is a scathing criticism of Comey and Mueller, by MARK PENN. I am stunned. He was the Clinton pollster, even through impeachment.

I invite people to read this and figure out why he is speaking out now.

[anonamom]

KK, try growing grass on red clay, for cadillac problems. ;-)

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Judy Miller has just performed the 'coup de grace' to Patrick Fitzgerald's reputation;

https://www.city-journal.org/html/belated-justice-scooter-libby-15848.html

-------quote------
Fitzgerald refused to discuss the case with me after the trial. Nor would he say why he pursued Libby after learning early on that the source of the leak was not Libby, but Richard Armitage, an aide to Secretary of State Colin Powell, who had argued against the war. Armitage was never punished for releasing classified information.

Then I learned that Fitzgerald had withheld exculpatory evidence not only from me but also from Libby’s lawyer—evidence that might have jogged my memory and prevented me from unwittingly giving false testimony against him. Finally, the prosecutor opposed letting the jury hear information about how often memories of such conversations fail.

I hoped that President Bush might pardon Libby. He commuted Libby’s sentence of 30 months in jail but refused to issue a full pardon, despite repeated pleas from Cheney, who argued that Libby was a scapegoat for public opposition to the war.

In retrospect, it’s clear that Libby’s prosecution marked the beginning of a criminalization of policy differences—a dangerous trend that continues to this day. In light of this, I’m pleased that Libby has finally been pardoned.
---------endquote-------

[Jane]

Caro and I were in Prague at that time (maybe a different year, who knows) and I can say for a fact, Cohen WAS NOT there.

[Ralph L]

Anona, add plenty of lime and phosphorus (middle number on the fertilizer formula) if you can't add topsoil. My dad's old house had yellow clay over hardpan. I put out 12 truckloads of topsoil in the front yard. Phosphorus helps the roots grow.

[Ralph L]

the beginning of a criminalization of policy differences
Ed Meese and others could not be reached for comment.

[JM Hanes]

I tried to respond to this on the last thread where TM posted it, but for some reason, TypePad rejected my submission.

TM:

"For my money, Marcy Wheeler is a big upgrade from the sort of guest author the Times often runs."

I'll have to take your word for that. Nor do I disagree that the Libby pardon (and its timing) has all sorts of ramifications, aside from the personal side of the pardon itself.

"In any case, I for one would be thrilled if earnest progressives made a quarter of the effort Marcy does to wade through the material and do the homework. People agreeing on the facts and reaching different judgments doesn't bother me near as much as people disagreeing on the basis of alternative fictions."

She was certainly a bit more circumspect in the Times than she was on her blog where she literally resorts to saying "Trust me."

Side note: For those who claim Richard Armitage outed Plame, let’s just agree that you have no familiarity with the actual record and leave it there for now. Trust me on this: Bush and Cheney were very concerned that the written record showed Cheney ordering Libby to out Plame (whom, some evidence not introduced at trial suggests, he knew was covert). We can fight about that later, but I’ve got a library of records on this and you don’t. 

I'm sorry, but no matter how big a library she's got, I do not think we agree on the central "facts" here. Of course, it didn't help that she started out in the Times' article with Fitzgerald's "cloud over the White House" which, IMO, represents a truly egregious example of deliberate prosecutorial misdirection, so I admit to making a jaundiced start on her op-ed.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Did he also forge plane tickets, hotel reservations and photoshp himself into an L.A. bar mitzvah on the day GPS said he was in Prague?--

The new theme is he could have been there anywhere from mid August to early September and one can enter Prague via Germany without using your passport.
Not crediting it; just regurgitating it.

[Ralph L]

Unlike sandy soil, Red clay is short of phosphorus, but the box stores push low phos/high nitrogen fert. for showy green-up, and around here because of runoff rules for Cary/Raleigh's water supply.

You might have to go to a farm supply store for it.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Who you gonna believe; Marcy's spinning wheel or Robery Novak's lying ears?

[clarice feldman]

I coulda been there, too, for all they know having a tryst with Iggy. Prove me wrrong. what B.S.

[Ralph L]

the written record showed Cheney ordering Libby
The Smoking Gun!!
The Holy Grail!!

[daddy on iPad]

*Just exactly what does "Familiar with" mean in the context they use it in these stories?

I think Caro and Jane are familiar with Michael Cohen but neither saw him when they visited Prague in summer of 2016. Caro even painted a beautiful picture of the town and Cohen ain't in it.

[JM Hanes]

Hello Patrick R. Sullivan!

It's great to see you here again!

In retrospect, it’s clear that Libby’s prosecution marked the beginning of a criminalization of policy differences—a dangerous trend that continues to this day.

It almost sounds like "normalizing" the prosecution of political opposition, doesn't it?

[clarice feldman]

Maguire, just a softie when it comes to girls--we all know that, jmh.

[narciso]

Isn't this the October surprise forestall all over again, although this time they don't even bother with a conman like Brenneke or air ben menashe (Who has latched on to team hafter unfortunately) of course we have another bit player from that 'groove of forgotten favorites' Stephan halper who dangled tidbits to papadop.

[narciso]

The rahr memo was from the inr, Dr the conference to decide on how best to follow up the niger dossier.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

And that's how rumors get started.

[narciso]

Didn't Stephen Boskin or was it zoellick who got in trouble for minding Clinton's travels in 1970?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Does anyone think a prog, any prog, in possession of a library of evidence, part of which demonstrates what Wheeler claims, would not have found a way to make public that record?

Um, I don't.

[anonamom]

Thanks Ralph L.

I'll go empty out the lime bag right now, before this storm hits.
Pretty windy--lots of red cells about 45 minutes out.

[mad jack]

so is mr bump willing to concede that if cohen wasn't in europe at the time alleged then the dossier is bs and the whole thing is a massive fraud and the greatest scandal in recent us history and the official purveyors and enablers of this coup attempt should be hanged for treason? no? imagine my surprise.

[Jim Eagle]

When I was working for BIG engineering-construction, I had 2 American passports, not just for the Israeli - other ME countries issues but for visa applications to certain countries that can take weeks for some. That way I always had passport for non-visa required travel.

That said, the Czech republic is a member of the EU but I don't know if it is a Shengen member. IOW if a Shengen member, you come into France or Germany and may be able to travel to Prague and not have to show a passport.

Also, for the last 3 years I had an EU passport. There are lots of ways to access countries without an American passport. If your mother and/or father were, lets say Irish nationals, and you were born here, you can get an Irish passport. Same for Belgium, France and I believe Germany.

I am holding my fire even though I can't see Cohen in Prague while working for Trump unless he is another plant.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://twitter.com/tracybeanz/status/985526771557814273

This is a documented thread about stuff that went on with Weiner's lap top in New York. Lots of screen caps of documents and links.

I think it might have important information - iti's based on stuff that was in the OIG's report.

[Buckeye]

Well, she always says you are her favorite Iggy, so I am inclined to believe her:)

[JM Hanes]

Also intended for the last thread in re Syria:

I'm not sure I'd jump to conclusions about the quality of Russian anti-missle defense systems. I thought I read somewhere that there had, in fact, been some form of communication with the Russkies in Syria, with a view to avoid killing Russians if we could -- or perhaps to assure them that we were only planning a limited action of some sort. I know there have been such communications before, and I may be completely wrong in this instance, but I imagine the Russians might not want to give us a gratuitous demonstration of their defensive system. Contra Putin's continual sword-rattling, he's got to be cautious about attacking the US directly. Somehow I doubt he would want to risk turning what currently remains a proxy war into a real one on one with the U.S. I bet he expected his resolution to do better at the UN, though. That must have hurt! In any case, this is pure, uninformed speculation on my part.

One less noted plus on the Trump scorecard, I see that Turkey's Erdogan publicly approved of the mission, saying, “The innocent Syrian people should have been defended long ago.” Oh yeah! Ignoring the irony for now, is he suddenly thinking maybe he chose the wrong horse? Even aside from the anti-missile question, Putin's attempt at hegemony in the Middle East would be almost untenable without Erdogan in his camp. Of course, if there's anybody in this great game you'd be crazy to trust, it's Erdogan.

[Tom Maguire]

I hadn't clicked the Fitzgerald Cloud link, which is a danger to the old blood pressure.

As to the Armitage did not out Plame notion, she is referencing the theory that Armitage knew her as Wilson's wife and should not, based on the memo that outed her, have known she was Plame, with classified status. Ergo, Novak had a second source. (Novak claimed it was Who's Who. Who knows?)

I put that sort of dispute in the "That's as maybe" file. Obviously, Armitage was capable of gossiping a bit himself and who knows what he knew? Woodward claimed it seemed casual, Novak claimed that "operative" meant political player, not spy - whatever.

I do agree that I have a different opinion than a lot of lefties as to where the missing puzzle pieces fit and whether the resulting implications are possible, likely, probable, or near-certain. That said, it is easier to see the faith-based reasoning on the other side, since I never have a problem with confirmation bias myself (or so I think I was told...).

Cheney pretty clearly took an interest in the 16 Words imbroglio. I'd be surprised if the case against Bush would impress me but I'd be even more surprised if there weren't any straws in the wind at all blowing his way.

[Another Bob]

Jack, i thought holding two passports was illegal?

[narciso]

And of course there was Brennan analytical passport trove.

[JimNorCal]

So,about this tryst ... are there photos of Clarice and The Igster in a smoky cafe or romantic cabaret? Do their passports show overlap in destinations?

[narciso]

So if you're a Republican you shouldn't even mention you have one

[JimNorCal]

JMH, agree that Turkey press release is fascinating and tantalizing.

[Account Deleted]

Ralph L: Triple super phosphate (TSP) is our go-to fert for our White sage booshes. Makes those roots go deep deep deep in this drought prone region.

It was also the fert that turned some undisclosed farmer's reefer plants into psychedelic rainbow shaded flower tops back in the day of creative plant breeding. The Chicago market was way into it. :)

Kevlar "Mr. Soil ph" Kid

[JM Hanes]

TM:

I'm happy to report that I have no problem with confirmation bias, or its opposite, either! Admitting to mistakes is harder. By the time I got through defending my dismissive remarks, I had to recognize that Marcie Wheeler really is about the most respectable of the anti-Cheney bloggers, and that she doubtless does have a library of records that I don't. So I do take your point.

[narciso]

Or,Mohammed atta and al ani, the Iraqi operative,

[Account Deleted]

Comment section nugget from MM's Hill article by the Clintonista pollster:

Paul Frantizek Richard_Reed • an hour ago

"I'm amazed that anyone associated with the Clinton's would write something like this.

The upcoming series of IG Reports must be brutal if the lesser rats are edging towards the dock."

Now, if only someone would serve up the DCON.

[daddy on iPad]

Of all the personalities we watched on TV during the entire Plame affair I don't think anybody approached the degree of lying we saw come out of Andrea Mitchell's piehole. If I had to rate 'em on a scale of who flat out lied the most, I'd probably go with:

1) Andrea Mitchell
2) Patrick Fitzgerald
3) Tim Russert

[DrJ]

FWIW, TSP == trisodium phosphate, and it is pretty alkaline when dissolved in water -- a 1% solution gives a pH value of about 12.

[Ralph L]

Armitage confessed to Powell that he (Chesty) was the leak.

What could Russia do for Trump's election anyway that he couldn't do himself? Buy Brighton Beach votes? The whole thing is ludicrous and should have been fought a year ago. Trump must have been distracted by starting an administration and U NO governing.

[Account Deleted]

From the comment section of a private newsletter we get a glimpse of some strategic terrain, should it be taken by POTUS' inside circle, would be a yuge difference maker going forward----

"I’ve said before that I profoundly disagree with Thomas Wictor re: the GCC having significantly more advanced weaponry than other states. I think they’ve created some very solid concepts around effectively using technology which others also have. In case anyone thinks that’s no big deal, may I point out that the German Blitzkrieg didn’t use a single technology that wasn’t in service with France and Britain. The combinations and TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) were very different, and that made the difference.

The GCC don’t have to create anything at the excellence level and scale of blitzkrieg warfare to put huge beatings on a region of lesser foes.

—-

Another thought re: Trump, touching on agility but extending beyond it. When facing the Soviets with their larger phalanxes and weight of firepower, the phrase “quantity has a quality of its own” was often used. It was not wrong, as proven in air combat exercises pitting cheap F-5s against the new F-15s. Add enough F-5s, and the kill ratios went from ridiculously lopsided to almost even.

The related military calculation is called the “Lanchester Square,” informally known as the “Fuzzy Wuzzy Fallacy.”

Trump is facing the same issue vs. the Deep State. He has a very small team of loyalists; indeed, much smaller than he could have if he had prioritized their nomination, staffing, and appointment. Exacerbated by the GOPe, of course, who won’t prioritize his appointments as they should. He has a very large potential base, but he hasn’t developed any structures for mobilizing them effectively; this may be his largest error to date. Against this, he is facing very large, organized phalanxes that cover most centers of power in his society, and rely only partially on command-and-control. They are Western traitors, hence value independent action more than the Soviets did.

Agility is the only thing that can save him in a confrontation on those terms. He’ll also need global allies, even if behind the scenes, who will aim their own capabilities at his enemies. We’ve already seen that from the Saudis, and I suspect it will end up paying big dividends. I hope there are more like that.

Trump needs to bring more of his base into operations, beyond what Q Team may be doing, and put a higher priority on moving his people into the bureaucracy after training them. Multiple sources of agility working toward common ends would be far scarier than what he’s doing now, and would provide a level of insurance and redundancy that his efforts currently lack.

My worry is that he may have such a small team that they are unable to effectively devote any time to building the gear that meshes his base into his efforts, and that he may not have people with the experience and trustworthiness to take it on. One would think this would have been a perfect role for Jared and Ivanka… but they seem occupied with… something. Not sure what."

[clarice feldman]

I have no doubt that Andrea's BFF Powell cued her in and as Gregory said at the time,"what one of us knew all of us knew," She said they knew then claimed she must have been drunk, and the network fought hard to keep her notebook out of evidence. J walton looked at it and his first thought was it had to come in. Surely HE didn't want to string up Powell.

[daddy on iPad]

I coulda been there, too, for all they know having a tryst with Iggy.

Sounds to me like a whole lotta' thermomixin' goin' on!

[Ralph L]

In the last 20 years, TSP (0-46-0) has been significantly more expensive and less available than DAP (18-46-0), so that's what farmers use in the East. Ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) has all but disappeared, so the "free" nitrogen is welcome.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

daddy,

Andrea Mitchell is a liar from way back. I think I have told this story in the last year or so, but I will repeat it.

I used to keep the TV on all day when I was home with my daughter, back in the 80's when she was a toddler and then in pre-school.

I had on NBC because I used to watch their soaps, then a syndicated talk show, then local and national evening news.

This particular day Reahan had a press conference. One of the questions asked by Andrea Mitchell (then NBC's White House correspondent) was about why he didn't show more charitable contributions on his tax return.

His answer was that a lot of his charity was given to private individuals, and those are not considered deductable according to the IRS, and in addition, he sort of felt like if you deducted it from your income, it wasn't even charity, anyway.

So, the press conference ended and I went about my afternoon until the NBC News came on and suddenly Andrea Mitchell pops up on my screen, reporting that press conference and her question, and then saying "President Reagan didn't have an explanation."

My jaw dropped. It was an absolute LIE. Now, Mitchell might not have liked the answer, but he DID have an answer.

I have despised her ever since.

[clarice feldman]

daddy, your wife would love it. Get her one.

[daddy on iPad]

Clarice,

I just might do that. Momma would probably use it to make dogfood for the pups. She feeds them way better than she feeds me. Oftentimes I'll come home and open up the ice box and there'll be these big caserole plates of rice and pumpkin and diced chicken looking scrumptious and she'll say "That's for Scout!"

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

KK,

I appreciate that newsletter guy's opinion, and that MIGHT be the case, but there seem to me to be signs of things happening he might have missed.

First of all, Jared is a stealth operator. No one knew he was working on the analytics and computer stuff with Parscale. He also is tasked with something going on in Israel with the efforts to have a permanent peace.

Ivanka is given outreach stuff to professional women and such, which is in her bailiwick and which, I believe, Melania isn't comfortable doing.

As far as the base being coordinated, it's amazing to me how much people seem to understand what needs to be done. I am not saying it couldn't be better - it could. And it might be that there are things going on I haven't seen.

I would like to see local small groups form, people that could get out and rally support. Local GOP parties SHOULD be doign this but there are a lot of GOPe influences still percolating through them.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.

[clarice feldman]

In Australis people lve it so much they take it on camping trips. You know why? Because they are so far from shops they can make almost everything with a few basics on hand. Mrs D is often surrounded by snow and ice and it would be so much easier for her.Not to mention the dogs and you would eat better.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Heshmat Alavi
‏ @HeshmatAlavi
22s22 seconds ago

As #Iran's regime sees its billions invested in #AnimalAssad of #Syria going to waste after the US-led airstrike, a large percentage of Iranians are living in poverty & over one million searching the trash to find something to sell or eat.
This is Ilam, a city of western Iran.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Ledyard
‏ @2waydef
12m12 minutes ago
Replying to @Barnes_Law

Everything stemming from Comey/FBI/DOJ is fruit from the poisonous tree. It's why they're attempting to shift everything to SDNY

[JimNorCal]

A good interview podcast on the potential Blue Wave.
We don't know if it will happen, of course, but the visceral disdain of GOPe congress people towards Deplorables is notable.
http://teriobrien.com/dangerousthinkers-ryangirdusky/

[daddy on iPad]

Well i am sitting outside of at my favorite Paris Bistro (Mustard, no Mayo) watching the sun intermittently break thru the overcast and light up Notre Dame Cathedral. Gorgeous evening, sipping Vino, and off to meet the usual suspects in a few minutes at the Great Canadien to find out how the PSG-Monico soccer game went.

Have the Yankee's lost yet today?

[Jim Eagle]

Another Bob,

I have no idea if 2 passports are illegal because mine were all handled by our "formalities" people who do all the travel, visas and passports including things like UK permanent residency. So, like I said, I had 3 passports at one time, including my EU passport, which BTW, subjected me to additional taxation but I could peel that back on my US income tax return.

Most of our guys who travelled (our territory was Europe, Africa, Middle East and Southwest Asia) had duplicate and/or EU passports for the same reasons I noted. But then we were always considered a CIA front company, so maybe that little fiction, kept the lawman away:)

Clarice is getting into her super-marketing mode when she tells you one of the main reasons for a Thermomix is you can make great dog food.

[Catsmeat]

Ralph L, only just now checking in. Re your excellent question about the abatement of wit after WWI, I'd add that many progressives of the day (say, the folks we think of as Bloomsbury, but especially Lytton Strachey) hated everything Victorianism represented--especially the insistence on virtue. Their rebellion meant they often went against old ways with a hatchet instead of a silver tongue. Wit requires self-confidence. They preferred to ally themselves with radical politics and Freud. Speaking of which,...

Hoyden, your bringing up the 18th c. "chatelaine" reminded me of Freud's broken-off analysis of "Dora"--the 18 year old was bored and playing with her "reticule" (a little purse also attached at the waist, as nothing is new in fashion and these were "in" in Vienna then) and so Freud told her it showed she was symbolically masturbating herself. Freud/Fraud as usual.

It's SO nice to have Old Home Week here with the folks from Libby days piping up--keep posting, and keep coming by!

[Account Deleted]

TSP remains the best broad spectrum application option. Farmers paying for DAP might get a price break but they're paying for phosphorous that doesn't need to be going on, hot and heavy, with their goto nitro source which is acidifying their soil, making the available soluble phosphate less so, while increasing the presence of soluble iron and aluminum--- a vicious downward cycle.

Commercial acreages don't require phosphorous each summer season as is the case with nitro if soil ph is managed carefully. We tested soil ph twice a year--- at spring thaw and after fall harvest.

Staying within a close range made it unnecessary to "stack" phosphorous applications in the spring, which a majority of factory farms do to "make sure" plants get sufficient soluble phosphorous from an annually applied load of phosphorous.

A farmer who is a good soil manager (steward) will save money on quality phosphate applications, spreading the cost of a higher-priced form of it over years vs. an annual per bushel cost.

The continuous annual application via DAP contributes to runoff problems as the phosphorous is unstable in the soil (which makes it easier for plants to take it up).

We saved a ton of dough on phosphates by managing the ph better than other farmers were willing.

Proper monitoring of soil chemistry through annual testing will ensure judicious and timely application.

Relying on DAP as a nitro source forces the applicator to dish full-strength phosphates into the soil each cropping season---- both a run off situation creator and a drag on the world's dwindling phosphorous supplies (the former being a red flag to the overreaching EPA).

Overuse of phosphates by local farmers in our region through the 70s and 80s was a constant battle for U of I extension agents--- combatting the misguided "little bit do a little good anna lot do a lotta good" technique of farming without soil testing.

I miss farmin' :D)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://nypost.com/2018/04/14/magazine-editors-turn-blind-eye-to-melania/?utm_campaign=applenews&utm_medium=inline&utm_source=applenews

This really steams me after being force-fed Michelle Obama as a "fashion icon" for 8 + years.

[daddy on iPad]

On Passports, we get ours thru the Company and we have to frequently get Visa's added and constantly updated for India and China. A few years back a good friend decided to take his wife for a week in China and do the terracotta Warriors and Shanghai, and he thought his standard Passport we use to get in and out of China every trip would work. Customs stopped him upon arrival Beijing and wouldnt let him in since his Visa to China was a work Visa, not a vacation sort of Visa, so he and the wife had to jump on the first plane out of country. We all laughed, but it was a lesson to us all.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

This is the very first reporter I have seen ask this question:

Sharyl Attkisson
‏Verified account @SharylAttkisson
7m7 minutes ago

One of the most interesting things (to me) in IG report on McCabe: the IG records its interviews; FBI still doesn't. So there were discrepancies between FBI & McCabe re: what he'd told them. Why doesn't FBI use modern technology& record all interviews? https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4437303/Read-the-report-Justice-Department-Inspector.pdf …

[Buckeye]

daddy, I read Mrs. Buckeye the story about your and Z's operation. She says it wasn't enough info:)

How old was Z when they did the surgery?

Curious minds want to know. Good it has become more routine.

[Momto2]

This is from January - yet they never give up even after being *proven* wrong.

Cohen said that during the time the report places him in Prague, he was actually with his son visiting USC and meeting with the baseball coach. A USC baseball source confirmed Tuesday night that Cohen and his son had visited USC on August 29th. Cohen said that he was in Los Angeles from the 23rd through the 29th of August, and that the rest of the month he was in New York.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/michael-cohen-it-is-fake-news-meant-to-malign-mr-trump/512762/

[Account Deleted]

MM:

It's an overstatement to say he "might have missed" some things in his comment.

He did say he doesn't know what Jared and Ivanka are working on. Not all has been revealed, right?

I agree. We'll just have to see.

The point he makes about the base is acute: he refers to building "a gear", a metaphor that pushes the idea of the MAGA base "meshing" with the Administration.

As I understood it, based on his references to non-base foreign allies (like the Saudis et al), he's referring to the multifacted parts of the electorate who voted for him and have yet to galvanize in order to grind up the Deep State criminals and the propaganda press.

Those criminal elements appear to be an intimidating enemy because they keep doing their whack-a-mole routines with rehashed lies and leaks.

They're vulnerable and DJT knows it. Just like President Reagan knew the Soviets were vulnerable even though the American anti-nuke movement painted them as invincible and ready to launch.

It's why I'm confident if DJT can get that gear built to mesh fully with his base---- it's bye bye Deep State sooner rather than later.

Grind their phalanx. Make the Deep State's losses unbearable.

[jimmyk]

I don't think having two passports is illegal. I've known people who travel both to Israel and certain ME countries where having an Israel stamp on your passport is problematic, and the solution was to have two passports.

Every bit of evidence Cohen produces to show that he was somewhere other than Europe just proves what a super duper liar and Russian agent he really is, to be able to come up with all that fake evidence that he was somewhere else.

Wasn't it shown way back at the outset of all of this that it was some other Michael Cohen who traveled to Prague?

[Old Lurker]

Just had time for a quick scan.

Is it true Iggy and Clarice went to Prague for an affair?

[maryrose]

Catsmeat aka Laura White:
I remember your former posts and how much I enjoyed them.
Will Hound of the Baskervilles be on the final for your students?
Many dog lovers and owners on this blog
Smart marketing strategy, Clarice.
I second Catsmeat’s excitement about old home week st J.OM.Left is grasping at straws with Cohen.
Can’t wait for some honest to goodness indictments of the Deep State.
Mark Penn may end up managing some Republicans’s campaigns.
Profs continue to present no economic or national security message 6 months out.
They will rue the day they indulged their obsession with President Trump.

[maryrose]

Profs should be Progs

[Captain Hate]

Wasn't it shown way back at the outset of all of this that it was some other Michael Cohen who traveled to Prague?

Yes but the loons consider him a shapeshifting joooo able to countermand time and space.

[clarice feldman]

A tryst,OL.

when is Mrs OL free? We have a lot of preliminary wedding plans to discuss.

[clarice feldman]

JIB thinks I was kidding about dogfood?https://www.facebook.com/thermomixfordogs/

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

I swear to God I had one of those deja vu moments, Captain, because I would swear you posted the same thing or very similar the first time we dealt with the Cohen story.

[narciso]

So bill Clinton 1969, off limits Donald Greg 1980 obviously Mohammed atta 2001 fuggetaboutit, Barack Obama 2008 squirrel, and now this kerfluffle its almost as if they are not serious.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Question I saw on Twitter:

After Bill Clinton's attorneys paid $850,000 to Paula Jones, did the FBI raid his attorneys' offices?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Barbara Bush is in failing health and will seek no further treatment except comfort care.

Statement was released by the Bush organization.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Here is a screen cap of the statement:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Da12NYDU0AAnXfb.jpg:large

[Momto2]

So whether he had 1 or 2 or 10 passports - if he can prove he was in the U.S. during that time, "at this point, what difference does it make?" (spoken with shrill Hillary voice)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

CNN is now bitching that the President's desk is messy and cluttered. I looks to me like he is doing ACTUAL WORK instead of staring off into space like Obama.

Pictures are at this link:

https://twitter.com/MichaelDelauzon/status/985583746010103808

[narciso]

Not that the rizzotto press, give a farthing

https://babalublog.com/2018/04/15/vp-mike-pence-blasts-dictatorships-in-cuba-and-venezuela-at-summit-of-the-americas-walks-out-on-castro-regimes-rebuttal/

[narciso]

What is trey howdy good for, ht Edwin Starr:

[daddy on iPad]

Buckeye,

Z's initial operation was within a week of birth. She popped out and looked healthy and would suckle and got fat as a tic, but nothing came out the other end so she stopped eating. Did a number of tests and diagnoses of things like Pyloric Stenosis, but when the standard fixes didn't fix and I reminded the doc i had had Hirschsprung he dug into the books snd found out it was hereditary if the parent had survived long enough to pass it on to offspring, amd they had just identified a prime culprit on the genome. When he finally cut in to her he said her intestines were on the point of bursting from the blockages and he cleaned her out just in time. I forget how long she eliminated into a plastic bag attached to her side but off the top I think it was a number of months. She's doing fine.

I was always allowed to play baseball and basketball but I remember that my parents wouldnt let me play tackle football until 8th grade because they were worried about how well the replumbing took, probably on advice of the Docs since when they did my surgury way back when it was still a fairly new procedure, and I remember the Navy made me go thru a bunch of extra tests where I had to drink barium (yecch) then stand in front of scopes so they could recheck the plumbing and give me a thumbs up for service and later for flight training. Z, on the other hand, was skating and skiing and playing soccer the instant she was able to walk. One of the reasons I love doing trips to India is the food is great and acts like Drano on the system, which maybe not in your book but in my book is a big big plus😉

[jimmyk]

if he can prove he was in the U.S. during that time, "at this point, what difference does it make?"

To the level of proof demanded by the presumed guilty crowd on the left (and in Mueller's office), it's impossible. He'd need to show 24/7 video surveillance, and even then they would say the tapes were fake or made at another time.

[narciso]

Clown nose off, clown nose on:

https://babalublog.com/2018/04/14/go-ahead-be-a-mass-murdering-terror-sponsoring-dictator-and-bomb-with-poison-gas-but-to-avoid-airstrikes-and-bask-in-international-acclaim-be-sure-youre-a-castroing/#comments

[JimNorCal]

help with "y'all"
Some months(?) ago there was, I think, a clear explanation of y'all.
As I recall there are 3 categories of y'all.
1) singular: you
2) multiple, you and a couple of people standing next to you
3) multiple, you and the many people belonging to your category

So, for example,
"Could y'all give me a hand?" could you singular help out.
"All y'all should vote for George Bush" Your whole community "all y'all"
I'm not sure how you get the 2nd variety. Anyway if someone is willing to explain the ins and outs of y'all again, I'd appreciate it.

[Captain Hate]

swear to God I had one of those deja vu moments, Captain, because I would swear you posted the same thing or very similar the first time we dealt with the Cohen story.

Maybe but I don't remember it. In fact just recently JJ Sefton has been using the shapeshifter meme in his morning reports. It's hard for me to believe I used it in the past, then forgot about it and now am using it as if it was something brand new.

I know I have some seniors moments but that would up the ante more than I'd like.

[Captain Hate]

Senior.

Autocucumber moment.

[rse]

jim-I can make y'all serving as a pronoun for any of those purposes sound like it's three syllables long.