[johnforbes]

"Trump threat rattles NATO, as alliance scrambles to show 18 of its 31 members are paying their way (so nearly HALF are still relying on US and UK funding) have not consistently or ever met their required contribution..."

[Clownkicker]

America Rattled

Trump (the guy who has bragged about not paying his bills) declared he wouldn't live up to the US's NATO treaty obligations and that "No, I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them[Russia] to do whatever the hell they want" encouraging Putin to attack NATO members and start "World War 2." Yes, Trump said World War 2. (He really should look into the "oranges" of that war.)

[sillydaddy]

He said World War 2 ...and THAT is your problem??
The rest of NATO members need to get their heads out of their ass and not rely so much on Russia for their natural gas supply...
That is why they look the other way when he kills his opponents and attacks Ukraine..

[Clownkicker]

"He said World War 2 ...and THAT is your problem??"-sillydoofus

No, dummy, my problem is all the other things I said were the problem, dimwit.
"Trump (the guy who has bragged about not paying his bills) declared he wouldn't live up to the US's NATO treaty obligations and that "No, I would not protect you, in fact I would encourage them[Russia] to do whatever the hell they want" encouraging Putin to attack NATO members..."

That he also said "World War 2" is just the icing on the cake of his immense threat to America and the world.

You really need to go back to grade school and learn to read, silly. It's all right there in front of you and you couldn't even see it.

[sillydaddy]

The US has more than met its obligations to NATO with not only money but with a military presence.
But NATO, once a necessity during the Cold War, has outlived its usefulness and now it's no more than an albatross around our necks....The French kicked us out decades ago and I understand now won't even allow our military aircraft to use their airspace in route to the Middle East.

[Clownkicker]

"The US has more than met its obligations to NATO with not only money but with a military presence."-silly's ghostwriter

GREAT! That's what we should always do when we sign a treaty. What's your point? (By the way, stationing troops there is for OUR benefit, not theirs.)


"But NATO, once a necessity during the Cold War, has outlived its usefulness and now it's no more than an albatross around our necks...."-silly's ghostwriter

And that justifies breaking our current treaty commitments....HOW?
If Congress decides we should exit NATO because it is no longer in the U.S. interest, then that's up to Congress, not you and your uninformed opinions. So far not a single Republican has offered a bill to do that. Until they do, then we remain obligated to execute the treaty we signed.

"...and I understand now won't even allow our military aircraft to use their airspace in route to the Middle East."-silly's ghostwriter

This is 20-year-old news that is now only propaganda for Republican dimwits who can't be bothered to check up on any of the partisan propaganda they consume on a daily basis. That refusal was to allow US planes to cross in order to attack a country which had not yet attacked a NATO country. France is not obligated by treaty to allow such overflights any more than we are in a similar situation. We WERE obligated to ask. France had thwarted an attack on a U.S. Embassy, so no NATO country had yet been attacked.

[johnforbes]

Yep, NATO as currently constituted is effectless.

It is telling that Sullivan, Blinken, AWOL Austin, and now-gone Milley should all have been fired over the Afghanistan debacle.

Clowntoker's argument is under more pressure than a Clinton intern...

[Clownkicker]

johnforbes faikled to put forth a single argument to refute anything I said.

In addition, he couldn't put forth a single argument to support his idiotic notion that NATO is "effectless" (whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean.)

NATO has an effect every single day, dimwit.

[johnforbes]

Mr Forbes provided (supra) a concise summary of NATO strengths (US soldiers on Kasernes) and weaknesses (every other participant).

It is foollish to presume that of some the small NATO members would ever ride to the rescue, in any substantive manner, of the bigger ones.

Even Clowntoker has more brainpower than to assume that.

[Clownkicker]

johnforbes never could grasp the big picture. That's why he makes such inane comments all the time.

It's very much like his ongoing confusion over weather and climate. He sees the weather because he thinks like a child, but he never could grasp what climate is. That requires the mind of an adult.

[johnforbes]

Even the good members, like Italy, lecture the US on how much more they should shovel into the morass of Ukraine, but do nothing more themselves.

The comments of Mr Forbes (above) are salient and correct.