At this point, Trump has turned the United States into a satellite state of the Russian Federation.

I received a Kindle for Christmas last year. I had previously been an, “ebooks aren’t real books” guy. Could not have been more wrong. Love it, and have nearly doubled my usual book a weak goal. Really improved my quality of life, well except for my sleep time. Highly recommended.

Just a random thought of the day, I find it hilarious that Bad Bunny could run for president, but Melania Trump can’t.

Black Manhattan this subdued XMAS evening. Best holiday wishes to friends, colleagues, former colleagues, here and abroad. Thank you for your service during this difficult time of unprecedented professional and personal challenges. #holdfast

I don’t know who this guy is, but he seems to know what he’s talking about.

Trump’s brilliant ploy to name the less than mediocre governor of Louisiana as “Special Envoy to Greenland” is working as expected. Trump: “We have never been more respected around the world.” Rest of the World: “GFY.”

We need to boycott @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy, we need to cancel our Paramount subscriptions. This cannot stand. #holdfast

I tried every trick in my diplomatic playbook to persuade him that I had been nice this year. He remained skeptical and in the end, refused to sign off on the draft joint statement. Devastating.

“Coverup” is the new, “Watergate,” but a thousand times worse.

Who knew that the C.S.A. Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, would join the late Charlie Kirk and the very much alive, Sydney Sweeney, as the standard bearers for the MAGA culture wars?

My favorite part of the rambling, shouting, blame immigrants speech, was when he claimed to have “single handedly brought peace to the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years.”

I posted something about Robert R. Lee (not particularly complimentary) on Elmo’s hellsite, and man, the personal, racist slurs directed at me were amazing. Kind of worth it in a way. 🤣

Looks like White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, is toast.

I spent literally half of my time on this earth in service of my country, proudly so. I have never been more embarrassed of my country than I am now. We have to take it back now.

Back to my standard extra dirty vodka martini, stirred, not shaken. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

@cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy interview of Erika Kirk was nothing short of revolting. CBS is now a thinly disguised version of Fox News. Beyond disappointing.

OTD 42 years ago a truck bomber crashed through the front of the US Embassy Kuwait where I worked as economic officer. 5 people, including 3 of our dedicated local staff, died. A much more devastating attack on Embassy Beirut had occurred in April. Don’t tell me the Foreign Service doesn’t serve.

Elmo’s hellsite keeps trying to make me, and others like me, invisible. What a bunch of snowflakes and so much for the advocacy of free speech.

Pope Leo would make a much better Secretary of State than Marco Rubio.

No one was happier than me when Maria Corina won the Nobel Peace Prize. Excited to see her in Oslo. But for God’s sake, may she not thank/mention Trump at all. It’s of course, done for obvious reasons, but damn, it’s degrading.

The so called, “National Security Strategy” is nothing short of an abomination and a betrayal of everything our country stands for.

Trump renaming the U.S. Institute of Peace, which he and Musk gutted, after himself is the ultimate perversion.

Heartbreaking, and it will take at least a generation to repair the intentional destruction of our diplomatic corps.

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... My interview w ABC Radio Australia. Big pitch for @steadystatevets.bsky.social at the 12 minute mark. #holdfast

I post about this every 6 months or so: Why doesn’t any pol from either party talk about demand reduction? Without an insatiable market, the cartel goes bankrupt. Educational programs, school programs, massive media campaigns, treatment programs, etc. It’s slow, and not sexy, but it works.

I made a similar point last on Elmo’s hellsite last night. Generated a couple of hundred likes, but dozens of insulting, vulgar comments from well, let’s just say the uninformed. More braindead and viscous than usual.

The rule of law in the United States of America is dead.

Hegseth, Trump and others are so fond of Putin, they are committing stone cold war crimes like him.

Happy Thanksgiving from my table to yours. Especially thinking about friends/former colleagues, civilian or military, abroad or at home, a special and reflective day. May you overcome unprecedented personal and professional challenges with fortitude and determination. #HoldFast

Apropos to absolutely nothing: WHERE THE HELL ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES?

Of course, I’m glad that the obscene DOJ case against Comey was thrown out. But I can’t stop thinking that this self righteous, attention seeking egomaniac helped put us in the mess we find ourselves now. He should just get lost.

Cosmopolitan NFL related cocktail.

The incompetence, double dealing, deception and backstabbing surrounding the Ukrainian “peace proposal” is breathtaking. Heard that Rubio is pulling his dyed hair out.

A change of pace this evening, a Manhattan. You know, the place that votes about 95% against Trump, because they actually know him.

Man, the Russian bots are all hands on deck, unlimited overtime mode on Elmo’s hellsite. Putin good, Trump good. Zelensky bad. Unbelievable.

Zelenskyy has made his choice. He will not bow down to Trump and Russia. He will go down as Europe’s greatest statesman and leader since Winston Churchill. Time to circle the wagon. #SlavaUkraini

I came in under George Shultz, which makes me all the more proud to have signed this letter.

Everyone needs to put this on blast.

There is just so much bad stuff going on, it’s hard to even keep up. But one thing we can never forget is #Russiaisaterroriststate

Elmo’s hellsite is down hard, 🤣

The amount of Catholics on Elmo’s hellsite denouncing Pope Leo and applauding mass deportations is just unholy.

I’m tired of all this talk about illegal cows crossing the border and raising beef prices. Let’s be honest it’s just a mooot point by now.

Open MAGA civil war on Elmo’s hell site. Divided by the Trump loyalists who maintain MTG & others are making a “coop” vs. those who maintain Trump is not MAGA enough. (“Your” defending a pedo.) As humorous as it is enjoyable.

E-mails showing that Epstein was advising the Russians on how to manipulate Trump should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Notice I said, “should be.”

The temptation to say/think that this is the beginning of the end for Trump is enticing. But we’ve been down this path before, and he seems to always get away with it. May the majority of the American people wake up and smell the diaper. This needs to finish him.

During my career, I was privileged to work with military colleagues on a daily basis.I have especially fond memories of all the uniformed folks I served with in Iraq, particularly, the soldiers of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry who kept me in one piece.Happy Veterans Day & thank you for your service

The Brits have stopped sharing drug trafficking intel w/us in the Caribbean, Latin American region. They believe our extra judicial killings are illegal. If you’ve worked on this stuff or w/ the Brits, you know this is really a big deal. DOD folks—your professional liability insurance won’t work.

One of the biggest honors of my Foreign Service career was serving along side our MSG Detachments. Happy Birthday, Marines. Semper Fi now and always.

Visiting old friends this weekend at my old stomping grounds in Monterrey, Nuevo León.

Trump, Miller and company will do everything in their power (which is considerable) to prevent and avoid a fair mid term election.