About That Letter

Jeremy Bowen, BBC News:

In the letter dated 9 October, and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, Mr Trump told Mr Erdogan: "Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!"

President Trump was urging Turkey not to launch a military offensive against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, but Mr Erdogan ignored this request.

US Vice President Mike Pence is now in Ankara to push for a ceasefire.

The US has faced intense criticism for the withdrawal of troops, which critics say gave Turkey the green light to launch the military attack.

In response, Turkish presidential sources told BBC Turkish: "President Erdogan received the letter, thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin."

It is hard to imagine language like it in many letters between presidents.

Donald Trump's mixture of threats and locker-room banter infuriated Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His staff told the BBC that he threw the letter into the bin and launched the Syrian operation the same day. That could be proof there was no Trumpian green light.

That letter is not what you need from a world leader - it's total shit. It's what you might expect to see from The Onion or in a sketch on late night TV.

I think it's reasonable to conclude that Erdogan saw that letter and knew he'd have no problem with 45*, which makes it a de facto green light.

And even though the timing might indicate there was no "green lighting" of the invasion from 45* (CYA is way more likely), there's a mountain of indication that he's impotent at best, and unfortunately, we can only sit and wait for him to dig down to some new low every fucking day so as to show us what he is "at worst".

BTW - take a good look at the map, and tell me this isn't about Putin making moves to secure a warm water port.