I guess I’m anti-Trump now right? You know the right-wing folks who worship the ground he walks on. The same folks who endorsed Lyin’ Ted the first go round. Now, Trump can do no wrong in their minds. I’m not anti-Trump, I just want to point out some things about this new Air Force 1 jet “donation.”
First, the existing Air Force One has to be over 30 years old or close to it. The president and other dignitaries fly on this jet. Frankly it may no longer be safe and is likely at/close to the end of its useful life. Simply put, I do not want anyone of importance on that jet any longer. We need a new one.
Why don’t we have a new one?
Well, Boeing got the contract. It was very likely “no bid” due to Boeing being the “American manufacturer” of airplanes. Boeing, as per usual, cannot complete a project on time and on budget, so it’s delayed delivery of the new Air Force One for a very long time. (I think it was supposed to be delivered during Trump’s last term.) Who knows? With that company’s track record, it may not be ready until 2050. Even if it is ready, will it be safe? Again, look at the track record recently.
Why am I calling it a mistake taking a “free” Air Force One?
Optics. William will tell you I am a big optics guy. Don’t tell me it’s free or you got a great deal or the best deal lay out the actual cost. There is something else going on here in my opinion and I do not see how I can be wrong. I hope I am …
Why?
I simply do not trust anything out of that part of the world. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Oman … doesn’t matter to me. They have so many petrol dollars they can play all over the world as far as influence and investments go. A rumor circulating the interwebs was Qatar was paying now AG Pam Bondi $119,000 a month as a lobbyist years ago. A month! Some of these countries even blockaded Qatar for a while due to their alleged ties to terror organizations. While the blockade has ended, I do believe most of these Arab nations have been funding proxy attacks on the US forces and Israel. Sure, Iran is behind them as well, but I think these countries want instability in the area.
Why instability?
The US has a very large air force base in Qatar. Al Udeid airbase is where we stage most of our Middle East operations. If we were to attack Iran or another terror group in the Middle East, it would be launched from there. Qatar is an oil rich nation that really doesn’t have a military, they rely on us to defend them. As a result, we get to use this airbase. We also use it to attack many groups funded by these nations such as the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah to name a few that are active in Yemen, Gaza (or Palestine I guess) and Lebanon. I fully believe these nations fund the terrorists, so we stick around to provide defense here.
A $400 million plane for a defense agreement? Really?
No, not in the slightest. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. I think it is interesting that now President Trump wants the sanctions removed on Syria. Granted NATO ally Turkey led a coalition to overthrow the government of Syria, but that was very recent, only a couple months ago. Now we are going to lift all sanctions? Turkey is a Muslim nation like the others I named above, in my opinion they look out for themselves far before they look out for others. Case in point; Turkey has supplied Ukraine with drones for use in the war but has also not abided by sanctions against Russia. They are very much like these gulf countries in that they play on both sides.
Let’s be honest here, how much do we know about Syria’s new government? We know nothing, it’s to soon. Like any government that is overthrown, we always assume it’s for the better. That is rarely the case.
I also think this has implications for Israel. This could be bad or good depending on your thought process/ideology. It is very odd timing that the last “American hostage” was released by Hamas later that day after this “deal” went down. I say odd timing because I think Qatar spoke for all Arab countries with that jet …. I think Bibi Netanyahu is about to fire his last missile/attack into Gaza. Those countries are getting tired of him and Israel, but specifically his warmongering policy. I think there will be a resolution here soon.
Yes, I think the plane was a bribe …. maybe not in the traditional sense but they bought a lot of influence.
In closing, ask yourself this fellow republicans/conservatives, if Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton accepting this plane, what you would say what? Don’t answer. You and I already know the answer. You would be outraged. I am willing to let this play out, but I think Qatar just bought one hell of a lot of influence with President Trump. And if there is one thing the Trumps love, its money/expensive things.
The Chief