Comment: Also see: ANOTHER attack against AfD: German MP brutally beaten in "politically-motivated attempted assassination"

Comment: Interesting that this bunch seems to think it can push Syria around like a pawn in their regional geopolitical games without taking Russia into account. Russia has been Syria's staunch friend throughout the crisis the West has plunged it into. Assad is not likely to act on all these 'friendly' overtures without consulting with Putin.

Comment: When the desire for war outranks the reasons to have one...

Comment: As we can see, the Trump, Pompeo and Bolton circus continues to confound and amaze us with discrepancy, change-up, fantasy and bullpucky. Read on:

1/10/19 RFE/RL has More from clips from Pompeo's speech:

"It's time for old rivalries [in the Middle East] to end, for the sake of the greater good of the region," Pompeo said in a speech on Washington's broader Mideast objectives...

He also said that the United States "will use diplomacy and work with our partners to expel every last Iranian boot" from Syria and will bolster efforts "to bring peace and stability to the long-suffering Syrian people."

He accused President Donald Trump's predecessor of sowing chaos in the Middle East, and said he "grossly underestimated the tenacity and viciousness of radical Islamism."

Pompeo said on Twitter following talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that "the U.S. stands firmly with Egypt in its commitments to protecting religious freedom and in the fight against terrorism that threatens all of our friends in the Middle East."

1/10/19 From Sputnik:

Earlier in December, media reported that Trump had ordered the Pentagon to develop a plan to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, coinciding with the president's announcement that 2,000 American military personnel were set to leave Syria. According to US officials, the pull-out of the US troops, with their number exceeding 2,000, will take from 60 to 100 days. [see below]

1/10/2019 From RT:

National Security Adviser John Bolton said that the withdrawal would only occur after the US had drawn up a contingency plan with its allies in the region to protect Kurdish fighters in Syria from Turkish forces, and to contain Iranian influence in the war-stricken country.

Originally slated to take between 60 and 100 days, Trump's withdrawal from Syria could take slightly longer. Bolton said at the weekend that there was no set timetable for the pullout, noting that "the timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."

Pompeo struck a similar tone on Thursday, declaring that the US will still carry out airstrikes in Syria as the need arises, and will not completely abandon the region until the "complete dismantling of the ISIS threat" is achieved.

Pompeo also promised continued airstrikes in Yemen, which has been pounded by US and Saudi strikes since 2015.

He also declared that no foreign aid will be given to Syria until Iranian forces completely withdraw from the country.

Pompeo's choice of Cairo to deliver his address to the Muslim world at large is a symbolic one. Former President Barack Obama also chose the Egyptian capital as the stage for his address to the region in 2009, when he took a more apologetic tone to Pompeo, apologizing for American intervention in the region and reaching out to the leaders of Iran for reconciliation. In his speech, Pompeo declared the results of Obama's policies "disastrous," and said "the days of self-inflicted American shame are over."

Comment: The US government has become a roller coaster - what goes down must come up - be it troop withdrawal numbers...and what goes up must come down - be it hopes of the country for a war respite.

Comment: See also:

• Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker replaces Sessions, to take over Mueller probe
• Acting U.S. Attorney General to consult with ethics officials about involvement in Russia probe

Comment: The president's assessment is narrow and naive. Many deadly and costly fires are ignited by lightning, other natural events, carelessness or are maliciously set. All forest fires, especially those that consume public property, are assessed for cause and effect. It is not just a matter of properly grooming thousands of forests 'and we're good'. In California, weather conditions the prior year dictate the next year's vegetation growth: a low rainfall year yields dry tinder foliage the following year; a goodly amount of rainfall yields an abundance of overgrowth ripe for drying. Both contribute to fire conditions that create their own windstorms propelling fires quickly out of control, especially in hard-to-access areas. Residentially, it is up to the homeowner to be proactive regarding private property. California territory is enormous: 163,696 mi²

Comment: Sott.net was one of PropOrNot's victims. See also:

• Unmasking PropOrNot: Who They Are And Why They Were Activated Against Independent Media
• Liberty Blitzkrieg and SOTT.net included on Washington Post highlighted hit list of 'Russian propaganda' websites
• Who's behind PropOrNot alt news blacklist?
• Publications on Russian propaganda list consider suing anonymous 'experts'
• Who is the secretive shadow group PropOrNot that is now pushing to lynch "Russian controlled fake news" sites?
• Washington Post admits article on 'Russian propaganda' and 'fake news' based on sham research