Thread by @KyleWOrton

The apparent Trump plan to withdraw the U.S. from #Syria and allow Asad and the Russians to retake the country, in exchange for promises that #Iran will be ejected, is monstrously stupid. It is also perfectly in-keeping Obama's policy, of which Trump is considerably a prisoner.

If there is a difference between the Obama and Trump proposals over #Syria, it is that in the Trump administration's ideal world, #Iran would actually leave; they're just not willing to make it happen. The last administration was concerned only with their nuclear deal.

Still, I am glad we're all agreed that the U.S. policy on #Syria is "collusion" with #Russia, and that such collusion is a Bad Thing. It is a consensus that is merely seven years and 500,000 lives too late.

https://twitter.com/KyleWOrton/status/1012729384808140800

Some details in this @WSJ piece:

- State Dept agreed to abandon Tanf to keep Iran 27 miles from Israel

- John Bolton and the White House blocked this deal and demanded a total expulsion of #Iran from Syria, and only then would U.S. withdrawal from Tanf

wsj.com/articles/trump…

The @WSJ version is a bit different than a lot of the reports circulating. It suggests Bolton and the White House are standing firm and making #Russia prove it is able to expel #Iran before it gets anything in #Syria.

Now, since #Russia is unable to remove #Iran from #Syria:

1) Is U.S. still continuing down this blind alley to reach an accord with the Russians? Or

2) Does Bolton know this, has made the offer to put the Russians on the spot and provide cover for Trump leaving the troops in?

Bolton did see through the Russians in southern #Syria ... and the allies remain frustrated at the presence of several key Obama-era officials.

https://twitter.com/BBarabandi/status/1013226247462191104