Update: USS McCain
[Headlines from DRJ]
Navy says it was asked to ‘minimize visibility’ of USS McCain for Trump visit:
The Navy has acknowledged receiving a request to “minimize visibility” of the USS John S. McCain during President Trump’s visit to Japan earlier this week, but said the ship remained in its normal configuration.
“A request was made to the U.S. Navy to minimize the visibility of USS John S. McCain, however, all ships remained in their normal configuration during the President’s visit,” Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, chief of Navy information, told CNN in a statement late Friday. “There were also no intentional efforts to explicitly exclude Sailors assigned to USS John S. McCain.”
***
The ship is currently under repair, with one Navy official telling CNN that the White House request was impractical.
— DRJ
There’s probably sizeable overlap between people who’ve mocked “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” for trauma survivors and people who support Trump.
It’ll be interesting to see how they feel about McCain-free safe spaces for the crybaby-in-chief.
TR (2c5752) — 6/1/2019 @ 10:32 amIs he even the President? Serious question. If they mommy him so much, who is actually running things? Hedley Lamar?
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 10:49 amThe fragility of the ego is directly proportional to its size. Yuge.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 10:57 am“It’ll be interesting to see how they feel about McCain-free safe spaces for the crybaby-in-chief.”
TR (2c5752) — 6/1/2019 @ 10:32 am
Probably should feel more distraught than about president- and chosen-running-mate-free safe spaces at a funeral.
Munroe (8ed3fd) — 6/1/2019 @ 12:09 pmIf they mommy him so much, who is actually running things? Hedley Lamar?
“Work, work, work, work.”
Kevin M (21ca15) — 6/1/2019 @ 12:11 pmwho cares really? remember fdr’s dog fallah?
lany (8407f6) — 6/1/2019 @ 1:02 pmThis is such a non-issue; media filler fodder.
Back in the day, the Nixon WH quashed initial NASA plans for the USS John F. Kennedy to recover the Apollo 11 crew returning from the moon thetask was reassigned to the USS Hornet. With the eyes of the world watching, ‘The Big Dick’ was to [and subsequently did] chopper aboard and sail out to greet the returning astronauts as a part of his international sojourn; the Nixon WH didn’t want him to be seen standing on the deck of the JFK doing so. No love lost between those two camps, either. The irony was nobody really gave a damn. The world focus was on the safe return of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins; the Chappaquiddick splashdown by Teddy had already made headlines days earlier.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/1/2019 @ 1:10 pmHow is this New information? Have all the reporters been asleep?
1) No one denied Navy was asked by SOMEONE to “Minimize Presence” of USS McCain.
2) Navy already stated nothing was done to “hide” USS McCain during Trump visit.
3) Navy already stated no Sailors from USS McCain were barred from Trump speech.
4) Trump and DoD Secretary already stated they had nothing to do with request.
Trump called them out for their fakenews which asserted #2-4 had happened. Now, MSM-fakenews is shifting the goal-posts and claiming Trump said no one in WH asked to minimize presence. False. So, what is the NEWS here. It seems to be that a mysterious someone (WHY DON”T WE KNOW WHO?) in some position in the White House (500-1000 people) asked USS McCain Ship have minimal prominence during visit. And? So what? I assume White House whoever didn’t want Trump giving a speech with the USS McCain in the Background. Thereby giving the MSM a target. Its advance work 101.
Had WSJ simply named the source and given the name WHO asked the Navy, this whole thing would be done with.
rcocean (1a839e) — 6/1/2019 @ 1:38 pmMSM-fake news has used Anonymous sources so often to lie and slander Trump its not funny. Any intellectually honest person would have be skeptical of ANY anti_Trump MSM Story without a named source. People need to start demanding MSM “Name Names”. They have NO Credibility, except for Trump haters, who lap it up.
rcocean (1a839e) — 6/1/2019 @ 1:43 pmTrump fans say “fake news” and “who cares” and “but democrats.”
None of them actually like what they supported, really.
Dustin (6d7686) — 6/1/2019 @ 2:00 pmKind of amazing how fast the party went from “never question any overseas military adventure” to “question every overseas military adventure.” When you got Donald Trump and Liz Warren agreeing on military matters, that’s something.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 2:06 pmWho cares what the name of the snitch on Trump’s Daycare Team is?
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 3:12 pmWho cares if the Navy told Trump’s Daycare Team to go fly a kite?
The fact is that someone on Trump’s Daycare Team asked the Navy to hide the USS McCain or Tiny Donnie might have a tantrum and throw his sippycup.
What goes around comes round; one day, when a carrier christened USS Donald J. Trump joins the fleet, it will be crewed by… goldbricks.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/1/2019 @ 4:17 pmnk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 3:12 pm
Oh, I don’t know. Even odds that the requester is no friend of Trump who loved the (bad) optics of such a move, and counted on the bad optics. If you are a journalist, you want to protect that resource.
felipe (023cc9) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:00 pmThose who rightly point out that Trump would be very likely to suggest this request, might ask themselves why Trump’s advisors did not quash it? Not important enough? Did they think it better to wait for a better hill on which to fight?
felipe (023cc9) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:04 pmspeaking of hills to die on I found myself defending Trump against the media today about this stupid Meghan Markle thing. I mean I can’t stand the guy but the Dems and the media are bound and determined to be worse. F*ing depressing.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:25 pmTo be fair to our Tweeter in Chief, i think nasty, as used by Trump might be a word for mean-spirited (probably learned from his mother) as opposed to “gross/diseased” as in “dat hoo be nasty”. Much like “freak/freaky” has a different meaning to boomers and older than it does to latter Gen X and younger.
urbanleftbehind (b4bc0c) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:48 pmYep he was clearly responding to her purported statements, not to the Duchess herself. He immediately followed that statement up with several expressions of well-wishes, which the broadcast I was watching left completely out. I mean. I lean left politically and do not in any way support Trump but the media has a way of forcing one into the position of defending him.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:55 pmWhat about it?
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:57 pmI saw the headlines. They run the spectrum from “Trump shocked that MM said something nasty about him” to “Trump calls MM nasty”.
My thought is: “Great! Now the damn Brits will blame Trump for driving MM out of America and foisting her on them.”
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 6:59 pmYou’re dishonest for saying that.
Of course I’m not calling YOU dishonest. I’m calling your statement dishonest.
I actually don’t mean you’re being dishonest at all. This is just performative to show how the Trump defenders are taking a comment Trump made about her, based on her statement, and saying IT WAS NEVER ABOUT HER ONLY HER STATEMENT. Um, OK. He said he didn’t know she was nasty.
I like Popehat’s tweet:
(I’ll save you the Googling; it’s from 1984.)
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:00 pmTo be clear, I’m not actually calling you dishonest. I was just having fun with you, to show you how silly it sounds when I say “You are [insert ugly term]” and then to follow it up with WELL I WASN’T TALKING ABOUT YOU JUST WHAT YOU SAID!
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:01 pmWell, with much respect to you, I think people are not listening to the full conversation in context. Yes, linguistically, technically “nasty” was referring to Markle, but in context it’s 100% about her supposed comments. “oh I didn’t know she was nasty.” it’s about the comments. My opinion. I’m kind of flattered you took the time to call me dishonest. Lordy.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:06 pmand I know you didn’t really call me dishonest. I get it. cheers.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:06 pmNever ceases to amaze how within a few degrees of a news cycle drifting off course- he can steer attention back to talk –any talk– about him.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:11 pmLet’s say Trump had an old person moment and/or was his usual not very articulate self when he called her ‘nasty.’ Maybe he was really thinking “What she said about me is nasty,” because we all know that Trump’s world view is ” How does this affect me? ”
Still, even if this is what he meant, he used the word nasty to describe a member of the Royal family. They won’t like that any more than Trump would like it if the Queen called Ivana dirty.
DRJ (15874d) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:13 pmI like the irony, personally. When Meghan Markel was a B-list starlet American citizen in America, she could say all the nasty things about Presidential candidates and Presidents that she felt like saying. Now, as a British royal princess and Duchess of Someplace, all she is allowed to say in public is what Parliament writes for her.
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:26 pmI think she is proving to be a maverick in the Royal family and you know what Trump thinks of mavericks.
DRJ (15874d) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:31 pmMost un-Presidential President ever.
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:41 pm@27 and 28. haha!
In the South you used to (sometimes still do) hear Moms say to their kids “don’t be ugly” if their children were sassing them. That didn’t mean “don’t be physically unappealing,” it meant “don’t sass me.” It referred to their speech. This is the sense in which Trump is using “nasty.” And yeah it’s probably not a great idea but his fans will eat this up and the fact that the media is blowing it out of proportion will make their passion burn hotter.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:44 pmThat’s how I understand and use “nasty”, too. Mean, bad, mean-spirited. Not unhygienic.
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:47 pmMe, too, but I’m more Southern than Northern in my speech.
DRJ (15874d) — 6/1/2019 @ 7:54 pmAn expression I hear sometimes from my black co-workers is “God don’t like ugly”.
Kishnevi (46054d) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:27 pmAnd I’ve always thought a maverick was a stray calf of indeterminate parentage that an enterprising cowman roped and branded and made part of his herd. Which would apply to the Duchess of Sussex, but I never saw how it really applied to McCain.
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:31 pmDictionary.com defines it as an unbranded calf or yearling…that is, one that is not (yet) part of the herd.
Kishnevi (46054d) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:38 pmThat’s actually the second definition. The first is an unorthodox or independent-minded person.
I listened to the full conversation in context. Did you read what I wrote? It addresses the point you made. It would be nice if you reacted to it. Otherwise I feel like what I wrote was just ignored. Which, to be fair, I feel like that often these days.
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:49 pmIf this is the point of contention I agree. He wasn’t calling her dirty, just saying that she — not just what she said, but she — was an ugly (as in referring to her temperament) person.
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:51 pmTrump’s tariffs seem to be causing a sharp drop in fainting couch sales.
Munroe (4b3eb4) — 6/1/2019 @ 8:55 pmSorry for the copypasta, but some people don’t click links:
So the word owes its origins to Texas in both senses of the term. And I am duly educated.
nk (dbc370) — 6/1/2019 @ 9:05 pmMy understanding of the thin and almost non-existent reed upon which Trump auperfans predicated their Argument that Trump did not fall Markle nasty was not a quibble over the meaning of the word but a (false) claim that he said it about her statement and not about her.
Which is false. He said it about her — because of what she said about him. But she said it about her. Period, full stop. People who can’t acknowledge that are not worth talking to, because they will deny literally anything.
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:04 amNow if the argument is that, in context, “she was nasty” is shorthand for “she said a nasty thing and therefore was nasty at the moment she said it” then it means she was nasty for the period of time she said the comment, and might not be a claim she is always nasty. But it’s still a comment about her. And it’s not false for the media to say it’s about her. Maybe this very subtle point lies at the heart of the defense from any honest Trump auperfans but they are getting way too huffy and expressing their issue poorly.
Patterico (2c90e9) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:11 amHow did everybody here miss Trump saying that whoever did this was well meaning and did it because they thought he didn’t like Senator McCain, which he indicated is correct, but he would never do such a thing and it doesn’t matter to him that boast was named after Senator McCain’s father
Note: The ship is also named after his grandfather, and last year Senator McCain was added as a third honoree. I don’t know how you do that when you’re not changing anything about the name of the ship. Put that on plaque, or a website?)
Most of the criticism has not been for anybody doing this, because they accept that somebody working in Trump’s Administration did this on his own, but on what kind of White House is eh running so that such a thing is possible.
Sammy Finkelman (db7fea) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:14 amSuch disrespect of a British royal. So un-American.
Munroe (052192) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:15 amI think this was done because somebody young in the White House military operations office (who didn’t know that this ship had had its name since it was commissioned in 1994) was afraid that Donald Trump would order the ship re-named, and he wanted to prevent that, so he wanted to prevent Donald Trump from finding out that there was a U.S.S. John S. McCain.
And a lot of people in the Pentagon are afraid of Donald Trump doing something irrational, or think yes, orders that he not see the name “John S. McCAin” can be emanating frm Donald J. Trump himself, so no point in trying to get aht reversed.
What happened first was that a tarp was put over the name, and after that was reversed by higher ranking oeople, the sho was positioned so as to hide its name from Donald Trump’s view. And the ship’s crew (as well as that of another hip) was given 96-hour leave and any members of teh crew prevenetd form going aboard the Wasp where Trump was, so that Trump wouldn’t see the name John S McCain emblazoned on any of their gear.
Complete foolishness, but this may tell you how the Trump administration works, with people afriad he may easily do somethig irrational that they have no power to countermand, so they try to limit the possibilities by not exposing Donald Trump to anything that might result in irrational commands. And they’re afraid of stuff that he’s actually not very likely to do.
Sammy Finkelman (db7fea) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:17 amIt’s amusing to hear all this chatter about what Trump might have said or what Trump might have meant when Trump himself has said, “I don’t care what anybody says about me as long as it isn’t true.” Which disregard for the opinions of others is the true mark of his strength and forcefulness, the sort of man’s man that Trump is and the sort of bold leadership we so desperately need.
Jerryskids (702a61) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:30 amJerryskids (702a61) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:30 am
On the contrary, I think Trump goes ballistic when it’s not true, at least if it would also get him into legal or political difficulty.
Sammy Finkelman (db7fea) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:36 amThat’s beside the point, as your comments usually are. The point is accuately assessing things the President says in public.
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:49 am@45 (appropriate number for this post):
TomM (55c638) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:23 amThat entire post is a parody of a super trump Ian, right?
“The sort of mans man trump is….”? Yikes.
Fan – apologies
TomM (55c638) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:24 amHad to be parody, Tom.
Dustin (6d7686) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:29 amI am glad that I am not defending Trump today. One Day at a Time.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:50 am“I don’t care what anybody says about me as long as it isn’t true.”
This is because anything he says about himself also isn’t true.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:51 amMy thought is: “Great! Now the damn Brits will blame Trump for driving MM out of America and foisting her on them.”
Counter-argument: Harry could have done far worse, picking just from American actresses.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 6/2/2019 @ 9:53 amIt all depends on the maaning of the word “was”
Does it mean that Trump, now that he learned what she said, thinks being nasty is a characteritic of Meghan Markle? (most logical)
Or does it mean she used to be asty or was nasty in 2016?
Sammy Finkelman (db7fea) — 6/2/2019 @ 10:13 amI think there is a lot of parody in these comments, and it is fun to read. Normally this would be something Americans wouldn’t and shouldn’t care about, but England quit being our oppressor over 200 years ago. Now England is an important ally that two Presidents in a row have treated as unimportant. Trump can disrespect domestic and foreign politicians if he wants, but if we want the English people on our side then he should lay off the Royals.
DRJ (15874d) — 6/2/2019 @ 10:14 amI wish Prince Harry would challenge Cadet Bonespurs to a duel.
Dave (1bb933) — 6/2/2019 @ 10:26 amActually, the only U.S. President- at least in my lifetime- the Brits maintained a true warmth and respect for was Dwight Eisenhower– chiefly for reasons which will be honored later this week. Witnessed it first hand; was in London when he passed away and the outpouring of deep, genuine affection and condolences from the normally reserved Brits– who tended to welcome American dollars more than Americans themselves– was surprising, and on a par w/Churchill’s passing.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/2/2019 @ 1:14 pmTrump didn’t call Markle “nasty” – he called her comments “Nasty”. OR maybe he did, after Trump heard she’d attacked him and said she’d leave the USA – if Trump was elected.
Thankfully, she DID leave the USA. And it was all for the best. The UK LOVES HER. Or that’s what the British press says. Frankly, I think her – and her trashy Father – are an embarrassment. I’d rather have the UK Royalty marry other royalty – as opposed to mediocre Hollywood actresses. But I care about the Princess Markle about as much as I care about Prince Charles – which is to say, very little. I can see why Queen Elizabeth hangs on. Her children and grandchildren are not up to it.
rcocean (1a839e) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:05 pmYes, i think that’s right. The Republicans after Ike were too “Right-wing” for the British who are one SD to the Left of USA politics. As for the Democrats. Obama had no feeling for the “special Relationship” LBJ/Clinton/Carter were too low class ‘murican. And JFK was too Irish.
The Brits would’ve loved Kerry. A globalist/internationalist with a pompous way of speaking, a veneer of learning and a rich heiress wife.
rcocean (1a839e) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:11 pm@41. If someone says something rude and you say “she was rude,” are you speaking about the person or the speech? IMO It’s about the speech and that’s what Trump was doing.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:13 pmBoth. You said she was rude because of what she said.
DRJ (15874d) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:14 pmYes technically the pronoun is “she” but what is being referred to is the one act of speaking rudely. It’s about the one act only. I know I’m completely splitting hairs more than this incident deserves.
JRH (52aed3) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:15 pmIke who betrayed eden over suez, causing a run on the pound, with friends like that, who needs enemies,
narciso (d1f714) — 6/2/2019 @ 2:33 pm“My understanding of the thin and almost non-existent reed upon which Trump auperfans predicated their Argument …”
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:04 am
Man is a reed, the weakest of nature, but he is a thinking reed.
Truly a man ahead of his time, that Mr. Pascal, to anticipate Trump and his superfans like that.
Munroe (d9efa6) — 6/2/2019 @ 3:22 pm@63. That there was an Eden at all– not a Von Ribbentrop– is due much to the likes of Ike. And it says much about the character of grateful Britons that they never forgot it.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/2/2019 @ 3:36 pmNasser decided if the us was disloyal to a long time ally like the uk, what chance does a brief understanding matter, and went with the soviets,
https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/02/mexico-president-immigration-trade/
narciso (d1f714) — 6/2/2019 @ 3:51 pmWhat I always find humorous is the gap between the elite and the average American on John McCain. The average American – especially those under 55 – doesn’t care about Johnny McCain. He’s just an old Neo-con Republcian. That’s if they have any opinion at all.
Meanwhile, to the media/political elite, Johnny McCain is a sacred Cow, the most Noble man since Abe Lincoln. So, when Trump bashes McCain they think Trump has “destroyed himself” – when in fact, nobody cares.
rcocean (1a839e) — 6/2/2019 @ 5:50 pmNobody, but nobody, absolutely no other person or primate on the planet, has a bigger obsession with the late John McCain than Cadet Bonespurs. As just evidence by his Daycare Team, which knows him best, trying to hide the name John S. McCain on a US Navy ship from him. And that’s only one piece of a thousand other pieces of evidence.
Now “Why”, one may ask, “does the Fifth Avenue sissy-boy have this obsession with McCain”? Some people may jump to the obvious: McCain served his country with honor during Vietnam while Trump was dodging the draft and venereal disease, and the whole world knows it.
I have a second explanation.
Trump has never had a woman who was not store-bought. McCain, on the other hand, realized every red-blooded American boy’s dream: He married a gorgeous blonde whose father owned a liquor distributorship. Fewer men have accomplished that than have won the Medal of Honor. Fewer than have been elected President. Heck, even fewer than have walked on the Moon.
nk (dbc370) — 6/2/2019 @ 6:10 pm@68. Nobody?!? You’d get an argument from the gone-but-not-forgotten-happyfeet of that score, assuming he was a primate of sorts. 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 6/2/2019 @ 6:17 pmBTW, I never called Trump a “Fifth Avenue sissy-boy”. Anybody who says I did is #FakeNews and should apologize.
nk (dbc370) — 6/2/2019 @ 7:09 pmYou never said any such thing that I know of, and the direct quote where you said it is hardly evidence of anything. At most you said his statements were Fifth Avenue sissy-boy statements.
Patterico (115b1f) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:09 pmMcCain, on the other hand, realized every red-blooded American boy’s dream: He married a gorgeous blonde whose father owned a liquor distributorship.
F**kin’ Coors family kept having sons instead of daughters. It really kept this Colorado boy from realizing his dream.
JVW (54fd0b) — 6/2/2019 @ 8:34 pmIn an alternate universe where the white house is run by competent professionals what happens is this:
Trump Tweets: “I respect and admire the brave men and women serving on the USS John McCain as I do everyone in our Military. Anyone that says otherwise is LYING”
The white house releases a statement that “A low level staffer in the advance team made a mistake. The White House is focused on making our trip a success for the nation and earnestly want to avoid anything that might bring domestic politics past our nation’s border. This was a small error and we encourage our national media to remember that we’re stronger as a nation when unite on our common interests. As such we’ll defer the answers to any follow up question until after the president is home.”
But we live in a Universe where the white house is run by clowns.
Time123 (a7a01b) — 6/3/2019 @ 6:48 am