patrick.net

Ironman says

Any chance there are some Obama hold-overs still employed in those agencies?

If all 10,000+ members of our executive branch are now only motivated by partisan ideology, popularity contests, or what's printed of them in the news, America is over.

Why is the Trump administration leaking so bad though? Wonder why they don't have faith in him, or what concerns they may have?

I now see how the, we are going to make the leakers "pay" is being interpreted though. Yuck. The CIA/FBI/NSA isn't red or blue in the trenches, it is red, white, and blue.

Didn't Trump say he got a standing ovation at the CIA? Everyone loved him there.

Ironman says

He has a skeleton crew, the majority of the "administration" are hold-overs from the last 8 years?

I've seen a number of US transitions of power, and none of them have had these sort of optics around them.
By holdovers, what you really mean are career civil servants who have served in both the Bush and Obama administration? Yes. There are many of those. What of it?

Say one thing critical, just one, of Trump. Can you even do it?

Ironman says

Do you really think that?? The thousands of employees have NO political leaning???

Armed forces personnel all have strong political leanings, and there are some pretty raucous debates, but at the end of the day they are all on the same side serving the same mission. That was my experience anyway. I cannot imagine the other service agencies are any different.

I have the same experience, as above, at my current company. It's not like we suddenly stop believing in the core function of what we are trying to accomplish, though we may debate focus and priority some.

joeyjojojunior says

Didn't Trump say he got a standing ovation at the CIA? Everyone loved him there.

You mean his disgusting display infant of the memorial wall? Classy. CIA 'loves' him indeed.

Rew says

Say one thing critical, just one, of Trump. Can you even do it?

He seems to have been paid off to ignore Saudi Arabia's central role in sponsoring almost all terrorism around the globe.

Now can you say even one compliment about Trump? Snark won't count.

"Obviously the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake," Trump said, launching into a fierce critique of rival Jeb Bush's brother.
"George Bush made a mistake," the billionaire continued. "Obviously we can make mistakes, but that one was a beauty."
"We should have never been in Iraq," Trump added. "They lied, they said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none and they knew that there were none."

That's about the only sensible thing I've heard emitted out of his mouth-hole.

Trump's platform emphasizes renegotiating U.S.–China relations and free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, strongly enforcing immigration laws, and building a new wall along the U.S.–Mexico border. His other positions include pursuing energy independence while opposing climate change regulations such as the Clean Power Plan and the Paris Agreement, modernizing and expediting services for veterans, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, abolishing Common Core education standards, investing in infrastructure, simplifying the tax code while reducing taxes for all economic classes, and imposing tariffs on imports by companies offshoring jobs. He advocates a largely non-interventionist approach to foreign policy while increasing military spending, "extreme vetting" of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries to preempt domestic Islamic terrorism, and aggressive military action against ISIS. His positions have been described by scholars and commentators as populist, protectionist, and nationalist.

rando says

Now can you say even one compliment about Trump?

Like him, I would love to spend on US infrastructure. I agree the US has major issues there.
He was able to read Tea Party narrative and push it further. His base is beyond fanatically loyal.

rando says

He seems to have been paid off to ignore Saudi Arabia's central role in sponsoring almost all terrorism around the globe.

Really? Paid off? Do you just mean close coal and oil ties?

Ironman says

In reality I don't need to ...

That was so Kellyanne Conway of you. ;)
Are there any concerns raised by the opposition that you share, any at all?

Wasn't too look ago Flynn was saying "lock her up" and that Hillary was a big security risk. Trump administration very afraid of the Russian optics here, it seems. Interesting.

Also appears Yates may have warned Trump about Flynn before he sacked her.