Rob Malley would be a bad appointment and at odds with @ABlinken & @jakejsullivan's stated commitment to human rights in Iran. Malley's position on Syria too is discordant (he claims Syria suffered because of the Obama administration's intransigence rather than its inaction).
Its worth remembering that while serving as an official in the Obama administration, Malley encouraged one of his underlings (Nir Rosen) to leak policy papers to the press to pressure his own administration, endorsing the "local ceasefires" strategy personally signed off by Assad
Rosen's girlfriend latter bragged about Malley personally commissioning him to publish the paper, endorsed by Assad. She also reveals that Malley had at least two secret meetings with Assad's frontman Khaled al Ahmed. truthdig.com/articles/meet-…
You've got to love @LRB's choice of writers. To write about the "war on terror" (presumably critically), they turn to the dude who supports Putin and Assad's "war on terror" and slanders Syrian rescuers and medics as "Al Qaeda". lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/…
This was @LRB's "war on terror" expert Andrew Cockburn's timeline on the day the Netflix documentary The White Helmets won an Oscar. Yes, he's slandering Syria's heroic rescuers and medics as "Al Qaeda" and yes that is clearly racist and Islamophobic.
Here is the @LRB writer promoting the head of the pro-Assad lobbying group British Syria Society (actually funded by Assad's father-in-law) as some kind of a revelation.
There are few people more predictable and boring than the professional contrarian.
This made me think about all the other types of people I find insufferable. So here's a thread.
The social media ironist: this person is invincible because nothing means anything and everything is permissible because its "mere irony". Opinions without the burden of responsibility.
Irony is a potent rhetorical tool used in moderation, not when it becomes the default mode.
The "free speech" liberal.
Doesn't have any strong opinions on more fundamental rights, but is an absolutist on free speech and thinks the only measure of its vitality is if you can test it against the sensitivities of people in inferior positions.
I'm reading Barack Obama's memoir and appreciating his skill as a writer in making tedious details about his life during his political ascent readable. The book is an indulgent humblebrag about a presidency that would be viewed dimly if weren't for the horror of what followed.
He is a likeable person and his personally story is certainly compelling. But the book also reveals all the character flaws that led to a presidency lacking in boldness and imagination. The description of how he chose his economic team is particularly grating.
Obama wanted to appear "responsible" so he thought he'll go with the safe choice, so he went with the Bill Clinton team, the same guys who had championed the Glass-Steagall Act that contributed to the financial crisis. He describes Larry Summers misogyny as an endearing trait.
I loved this story by my friend @kshaheen. Loved the idea of a bookshop run by a Syrian for Syrians in exile. Loved the photos. Alas, by the time I visited, the bookshop had closed down.
Tonight's debate was a horrible but revealing spectacle. If anyone is undecided after tonight, it's because they are indifferent to the issues. The contrast on stage could not have been starker. There was only one bully, liar, and opportunist on stage. #debates
I doubt anyone who watched today's debate switched from Biden to Trump. But it's very likely the less rabid of Trump's supporters rethought their choice. @JoeBiden came across as dignified, reasonable, substantive, and, where necessary, cutting. #Debate2020
Biden had some good lines. "It is what it is because he is who he is" was good. And "Law and order, with justice" was the best. #Debate2020