Trump reportedly made a deal with Erdogan to pull out of Syria during a telephone call on Dec. 14

NBC News is reporting – based on anonymous sources – that President Trump decided on the pullout of forces from Syria during a telephone call with Turkish leader Recep Erdogan. They are clearly appalled that a deal maker would make a deal, especially when the positions of his support staff were ignored.

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter said.

The Dec. 14 call, described by officials who were not authorized to discuss the decision-making process publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, is a view into a Trump decision with profound consequences, including the resignation of widely respected Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

The anti-Trump narrative remains intact with this overview. He is impetuous, stubborn, and ignorant. Evidently, it is appalling that he would ignore the advice of the foreign policy establishment because they know far more than he does, and deserve to be obeyed (because their track record is so outstanding?).

The details of the story as recounted by the unauthorized sources claiming knowledge of the affair, however, can be viewed very differently if one makes different assumptions, staring with the view that Trump campaigned on a promise to withdraw troops from Syria, is suspicious of never-ending commitments of troops to troubled foreign lands,

No, he believes Erdogan that Russia and its allies in this coming battle are prepared to go all the way. It’s his job to prevent a nuclear war that will destroy our country.

It makes me feel old to be having to say this. I remember hiding under desks and behind sofas when I was a kid. We seem to have gone all numb on this danger—too involved with the pleasures of the world. Update: It can still happen.

Who knows what else was in the deal, but regardless of what was said or wasn’t said, not poking the tiger has to have been a big part of it, said or unsaid. Russia is desperate, it’s economy going down the tubes. Time for us to step back.

I have also read that Saudi Arabia will pick up some of the slack so Iran can not fill any “vacuum”

If true, the. not sanctioning SA over the Khashogi murder and the weapons deal also makes sense.

Maybe just a coincidence, but both sides in Yemen have been involved in recent peace agreement talks.

then we get down to the meat of it - if true -

With Erdogan on the line, Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton, who was listening in, why American troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials.

Erdogan’s point, Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mattis, Pompeo, U.S. special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1 percent of its territory, the officials said.

Hi.

“He is impetuous, stubborn, and ignorant. “

President Trump may be impetuous (although getting out of Syria was a campaign promise), he might be stubborn (many good leaders are), but he ain’t ignorant.

Proof? How many ignorant multi billionaires have become president of the U.S.

5.56mm

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