At least he isn't a warmonger

At least he isn't a warmonger

by digby




I know, I know. Democrats are just as bad if not worse and nobody should ever point out the fact that Trump is a violent, bloodthirsty psychopath because George W. Bush and his cronies started that misbegotten war for no reason.

But still:

The numbers are shocking — or at least they should be.

2017 was the deadliest year for civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria, with as many as 6,000 people killed in strikes conducted by the U.S.-led coalition, according to the watchdog group Airwars.

That is an increase of more than 200 percent over the previous year.

It is far more if you add in countries like Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia and many others.

But the subject, considered a stain on President Barack Obama’s legacy even by many of his supporters, has almost dropped off the map.

Obsessed with the seemingly daily updates in the Stormy Daniels story or the impeachment potential of the Russia investigation, the American media is paying even less attention now to a topic it never focused on with much zeal.

“The media has unfortunately been so distracted by the chaos of the Trump administration and allegations of the president’s collusion with Russia that it’s neglected to look closely at the things he’s actually doing already,” said Daphne Eviatar, a director of Amnesty International USA.

That includes, she said, “hugely expanding the use of drone and airstrikes, including outside of war zones, and increasing civilian casualties in the process.”

Trump, of course, was a candidate who promised to “bomb the shit out of ’em [Islamic State],” and has since declared victory over the terrorist organization, while continuing to drop bombs.

It was always obvious that he would not restrain the military even a tiny bit when it came to killing foreigners. He hates foreigners, especially the ones who are not rich.

Recall:

“Would I approve waterboarding? You bet your ass I would. In a heartbeat. I would approve more than that. It works. And if it doesn’t work, they deserve it anyway for what they do to us”.

He once asked a briefer three times why we can't use nuclear weapons.

If anyone thinks that Trump hasn't told his military leaders to "bomb the shit out of 'em" as they think necessary, they are kidding themselves.

The good news is that he hasn't invaded anywhere. Yet.

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