Pence Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq to Reassure Kurdish Allies

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Bloomberg

Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday aimed at reassuring Kurdish allies (of U.S. support) in the fight against Islamic State.

Pence arrived Saturday at al-Asad airbase in the Anbar province in western Iraq, where he also was to meet with American military personnel.

During his visit, Pence also spoke by phone with the prime minister of Iraq, Adel Abdul Mahdi. The two men discussed the ongoing protests in Iraq, and Pence encouraged Mahdi to hold firm against the turmoil and maintain Iraq’s distance from the influence of Iran’s government.



Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-23

[Frustratedlady]

1. Mopping up after Trump or preparing for a Pence administration.

God, I hate the sound of that!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Yep

The dotard is one big baby

[Seedersandleechers]

2. I hope the Kurds

throw food at him.

[BlueMTexpat]

3. Preferably shoes! eom

[dewsgirl]

12. I could think of some other things I would like thrown at him.

[BlueMTexpat]

14. That's for sure!

But I was thinking specifically of this incident.

[Maggiemayhem]

22. I remember that.

[Polybius]

28. Gotta hand it to Shrub for one thing

He had amazing reflexes.

[Blue_playwright]

31. He handled that well overall

I don’t give him credit for much but he did smile and reassure his counterparts.

[BlueMTexpat]

34. He likely got them

from shifting all those bushes around on his "ranch."

[Polybius]

35. I think he got it from Laura

When he got on her nerves with his stupidity, maybe she threw things at him.

[BlueMTexpat]

36. ...

[paleotn]

33. Never gets old.

[paleotn]

4. Oh, that's rich.

[Leghorn21]

5. fuck. you. this is just sick.

After expelling majority of Kurds, looting almost all the
shops and houses in this Kurdish district of Tel Abyad,
Turkish-backed mercenaries are now attempting to displace
the remaining Kurdish population from their homes by
random explosions in civilian areas.

Link to tweet

[padah513]

6. Yeah that's about right for this administration

Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. I'm sure that put their minds at ease and they're fine now.

[gab13by13]

8. The Kurds being killed

aren't in Iraq, they are in Syria. Hey Pence why not tag along with Richard Engel, he will show you where the action is.

As far as keeping Iran out of Iraq - too late.

[Marcuse]

13. Pence could get safe Syria transit papers from Erdogan or Putin.

[ancianita]

9. Pence is REALLY on the run. He wants to re-enter as the Big Innocent Republican in all this.

His story line is to be that he is "the real" Christian Right that rebuilds out of the ashes of False Prophet (profit) corruption.

The rest of us Democrats? It'll take him and Christian dupes a LONG while to re-cast US as tools of Satan. Because we're going to make Republicans remember their foolish treason for another generation.

Praise the power of law, truth and good ol' American courage, and on Thanksgiving, pass me the American pie.

[ancianita]

10. Pence. Mr Unannounced. On. The. Run.

[ToxMarz]

18. Pence doesn't do anything (especially something like this) without tRumps blessing.

I think this and things like his unannounced medical exam are Trump setting up an emergency exit plan if he needs. Pence needs to look credible as commander in chief.

It's his ace in the hole if things get to hot. Pence takes over and pardons him and his family. It may be his only uncontested path to get away with his crimes. The public would begrudgingly accept it to a) get rid of him or b) be able to say the Dems didn't get to "take him out".

I don't think it is plan A for tRump, but his ultimate get out of jail free card. And Pence would to it claim Presidency.

[ancianita]

19. Jennifer Williams might have more to say about this. He's not clean or innocent at all.

Cult voters will be grasping at straws with him, likely voting in an incompetent.

[ToxMarz]

24. I'm just thinking Trumps way out, I don't think he cares what happens after that

or gives a crap about the GOP. And actually getting to be named President is enough for Pence, I think he would worry about anything else after the fact.

[keithbvadu2]

11. Pence:::: T-R-U-U-U-U-S-T me!

Pence:::: T-R-U-U-U-U-S-T me!

[bucolic_frolic]

16. Oh, yes, that will be very reassuring

Send in the Cadet Bone Spurs reinforcement

[cstanleytech]

17. Until Trump suddenly decides to bail on them when he is ordered to by Moscow and

I do not mean Mitch.

[getagrip_already]

20. trump is throwing him a bone....

Trump has badly abused him, just like everybody else, but he is suddenly realizing he needs a pardon before being released into the wild. No, not by impeachment, by election.

His plan likely revolves around giving pence a pardon, resigning, and then pence pardoning him. That will only happen if he stops pissing pence off, so he threw him a bone and let him go to an air base.

He probably believes he can beat any nys charges like he always did. Or at least run to another country. But he needs a fed pardon.

[2naSalit]

21. Setting him up for

a serious "mishap"?

[Scarsdale]

23. Was Mother with him,

to make sure no Iraqi or U.S. servicewomen tempted little Mikey? Maybe he would make Mother VP? Or has that position already been promised to Ivanka?

[Chemisse]

25. Reassure them of what? Yeah we got your backs - as in stabbing them as you flee.

Really, what can Pence say after the damage that's been done?

[Firestorm49]

26. Does anybody really think that the Kurds would believe anything this administration has to say?

[Vinca]

27. "To reassure Kurdish allies" - what's left of them.

[Happy Hoosier]

29. "We'll only abandon you if the Russians tell us too" NT

[Zambero]

30. Why, to reassure their doom?

What really matters? Shallow words or despicable actions???

[RVN VET71]

32. Interesting.

It looks almost like Trump sent the virgin queen to get assassinated by the Kurds. I cannot imagine what Pence would have to say to the Kurds that would not insult and enrage them. Even if he offered them the FGM-148 Javelins that Trump denied Ukraine, it would hardly make up for the slaughter of Kurds in the aftermath of Trump's dugout from Syria.