# The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298 "2025-12-01T20:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/521 "2025-12-12T17:17:33Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > So this stunt is the international relations equivalent of “I’m not touching you!” Russia and China pull that shit all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/522 "2025-12-12T17:19:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Russia and China pull that shit all the time That’s a low bar to meet. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/523 "2025-12-12T19:20:57Z")
And yet here we are failing to clear it ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/524 "2025-12-12T20:30:37Z")
New photos of Trump and Epstein have dropped, including one that shows him posing with several teenage girls. > **[New photos released from Epstein’s estate showing Trump, Bannon, Bill Clinton...](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/12/politics/epstein-photos-trump-clinton-bannon?cid=ios_app)** > > Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate Friday showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon,... ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/525 "2025-12-12T21:06:18Z")
I want all the truth and justice about this to come out. However, I do feel like the drips and drabs approach, both when it is intentional and when it is forced, makes me distrustful of the whole process. What does it mean that “Democrats released 19 photos”? Why just Democrats? Why only 19? What is it about the story that these 19 photos are meant to show that would be changed by releasing 30 photos, or 100 photos, or whatever? The article itself says: “None of the released images depict any sexual misconduct nor are believed to depict underage girls.”, so your presentation of the content is… counterfactual. The small controlled bursts of documents feels like a strategy designed to paint specific, context-free narratives. And honestly, “here’s a picture of Trump and Clinton at Epstein’s place”, while it maybe stands as proof that those folks were happy recipients of Epstein’s not-illegal hospitality despite their protests to the contrary, is neither surprising nor particularly informative. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/526 "2025-12-12T21:54:39Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > The article itself says: “None of the released images depict any sexual misconduct nor are believed to depict underage girls.”, so your presentation of the content is… counterfactual. They’re saying that to cover themselves against a libel suit. The girls look pretty underage to me. A Democratic congressman also says the tranche of photos they now have includes photos of people engaged in sexual acts with minors. > **[More lurid revelations coming on Epstein: House Dem](https://www.rawstory.com/epstein-2674396057/)** > > A Democratic lawmaker on Friday revealed a shocking update about the new trove of "explicit and disturbing" images released by House Democrats on the Oversight Committee from the Jeffrey Epstein estate, including the revelation that some of the more... ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/527 "2025-12-12T22:42:59Z")
Aren’t all girls underage by definition? Non-underage girls are called “women.” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/528 "2025-12-12T23:13:54Z")
Not colloquially. Personally, the older I get, the older the people I think of as “boys” and “girls”. Right now they’re pushing 30. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/529 "2025-12-13T02:43:00Z")
Trump is reportedly going to issue an order on Monday for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. Which is… good, I think? > **[Trump expected to sign executive order to reclassify marijuana as soon as...](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/12/cannabis-stocks-trump-regulations.html)** > > Trump expected to sign executive order to reclassify marijuana as soon as Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/530 "2025-12-13T03:11:45Z")
Let’s start out with a bang. If you check Part 1 for this thread, you should see a fair number of times where I asserted the felon has made it so the United States no longer has allies. [That’s not just rhetoric.](https://www.aol.com/danish-intelligence-report-describes-us-123200082.html) > [@](#): > > Denmark’s intelligence service for the first time has described the United States as a potential threat to its and the wider European region’s national security because of the Trump administration’s apparent willingness to use economic and military coercion and pressure “to enforce its will,” even against allies. > > “The world’s great powers are increasingly prioritizing their own interests and use force to achieve their goals,” the NATO country’s military intelligence agency said in its annual threats assessment, published on Dec. 10. The [Danish Defense Intelligence Service](https://www.fe-ddis.dk/globalassets/fe/dokumenter/2025/-udsyn-25-.pdf) named Russia and China among the chief nations posing challenges to Denmark and Europe. But in an unusual move, it also singled out the United States because of what it said was “uncertainty” about “the role of the United States as a guarantor of European security.” > > “The United States uses economic power, including in the form of threats of high tariffs, to enforce its will and no longer excludes the use of military force even against allies,” the report said. Nice. We’re in the same category as Russia and China. That should make the felon happy. Those are two of his favorite countries and, I suspect, top of his list of refuge countries to escape prosecution for his crimes. [Admiral in charge of the felon’s and Hegseth’s war crimes retires.](https://www.aol.com/admiral-hands-over-leadership-command-165048404.html) > [@](#): > > DORAL, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration’s [deadly strikes on alleged drug boats](https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d) in the region. > > Adm. Alvin Holsey has [retired one year into a posting](https://apnews.com/article/alvin-holsey-southern-command-boat-strikes-venezuela-7cf34c822b56945129baf7f0d2635f95) that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters near Miami. > > In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and [support for the rule of law](https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642). > > “To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged,” Holsey said. > > Holsey’s shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administration’s strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed at least 87 people. With the campaign facing [growing scrutiny by Congress](https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-pete-hegseth-venezuela-9f46a5f074b5b3c979ee41082949b196), Holsey briefed key lawmakers earlier this week. > > Long-term replacement for Holsey hasn’t yet been named Apparently nobody’s standing up yet to say, “Sure, I’ll drown some civilians”. [Cruella de Vile ran away from Congress like she had a puppy to shoot.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/noem-accused-misleading-congress-early-190057982.html) > [@](#): > > Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was accused of misleading House Homeland Security Committee members when she said she was departing a Thursday hearing early to attend another meeting that was actually canceled. > > It’s an assertion denied by Noem’s office, which said she only found out her meeting was canceled after she left the witness table. > > Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) moved to subpoena Noem to reappear before the panel, saying she shirked her duties and may have even lied about needing to attend a meeting of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Council convened to determine the future of the disaster agency. > > Beyond putting Noem in hot water with the committee’s Democrats, the cancellation raises questions about the Trump administration’s plans to diminish FEMA and give more power to states to respond to disasters. > > “I understand on good information that the FEMA Council meeting was canceled so there was no need for her to go,” Thompson said, referencing a meeting to determine the future of the agency. > > “She was a liar with no respect for congressional oversight.” That last line applies to each and every flack in the felon’s fold. [Do you think the felon even knows this Franklin isn’t one of our Founding Fathers?](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-administration-doubles-down-cruel-072206949.html) > [@](#): > > The [Trump](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/donald-trump) administration isn’t retreating into its shell after the publisher of the beloved children’s book series “[Franklin the Turtle](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/franklin-the-turtle)” knocked officials’ “unauthorized” use of the cartoon reptile. > > [In a post to X on Thursday](https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1999126416642728259), the [Justice Department](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/justice-department) urged “patriotic legal professionals” to apply to become “deportation judges,” adding that their work “will have generational consequences.” > > The DOJ post included an illustrated cover of a fake book titled “Franklin Becomes A Deportation Judge” that showed the fictional turtle wearing a white wig and a judge’s robe and holding a gavel in his hand. And since when do American judges wear judicial wigs? [The whole flock of fool’s flacks are Keystone Kops.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-issues-deportation-order-belarusian-214837116.html) > [@](#): > > An ongoing FBI investigation into a Belarusian woman accused of smuggling US aviation parts and electronics to Russia is teetering on the brink of collapse after being caught in what one judge called a “Kafkaesque” case brought on by the Trump administration’s attempts to deport her before she faces trial. > > Federal prosecutors had worked for over a year to secure the extradition of Yana Leonova, who faces multiple charges including fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. But their efforts unraveled when immigration officials abruptly issued an order to detain and deport her soon after she was flown into the US last month, a move that plunged the case into legal chaos. > > “Indeed, it is both preposterous and offensive for the government to bring someone into the United States against their will and then turn around and seek ICE detention because that person is here ‘illegally,’” magistrate judge Zia M Faruqui said in a written order. [Senator Schiff takes the felon to task.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/schiff-trump-administration-venezuela-escalation-164017609.html) > [@](#): > > Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday questioned the Trump administration’s escalations in Venezuela after the U.S. seized an oil tanker from the country. > > Schiff also mentioned the series of strikes on smaller boats allegedly running drugs to the United States, which have increasingly come under scrutiny from lawmakers in both parties — particularly after reports that survivors of an initial strike were killed by a second one. > > Schiff said he is unclear of the U.S. policies behind the larger operation. > > “We’ve been told that the strikes on these boats are about narcotics. We’ve been told that this is about immigration, and now we’re being told this is about oil and sanctions,” Schiff said during a Wednesday appearance on CNN’s “[The Story Is](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/11/politics/video/venezuela-oil-tanker-seized-trump-maduro-adam-schiff-reaction-tsi).” > > He then said what “it really seems to be about” is “regime change.” > > “And if that is the case, they have no authorization from Congress to go to war with Venezuela in order to change the leadership there,” he said. > > “And it’s also bewildering at the same time, because the president just pardoned the corrupt former president of Honduras for drug running. So something doesn’t add up, but the American people don’t want us to get into another war, this time with Venezuela,” he added. & > [@](#): > > “And it just, as I said, doesn’t add up when we pardon one criminal former leader of a country, and now we’re going to use all of this military force to depose another. I just don’t understand what’s the strategy, what’s the plan, what’s the policy,” he continued. There is no strategy. There is no plan. There is no policy. There is only a convicted felon disgracing the Oval Office. [Evidently the felon thinks he has another decade, just like in China, to be in office.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-gives-chilling-hint-future-093630035.html) > [@](#): > > [President Donald Trump](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-79-ditches-hand-bandage-041501276.html) ended his speech at the White House Congressional Ball with what sounded like a nod to a [never-ending presidency](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-79-posts-menacing-video-220523648.html). > > The president again hinted at his wish to remain beyond the end of his second term, having previously told reporters he would love a [third term](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-finally-comes-clean-naked-103351525.html). > > At the moment, that would mean breaking the Constitution’s term limit laws in the 22nd Amendment. > > “Have a great Christmas, a great Hanukkah, and a fantastic year,” he told attendees at the ball as first lady Melania Trump stood at his side. “We’re going to have a great three years, four years, 10 years, we’re going to make it great. Our country’s going to be strong, safe, rich, it’s going to be great. We’re going to make America great again!” [Leavitt thinks the Oval Office is Grand Central.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rattled-leavitt-cornered-trump-mystery-204710563.html) > [@](#): > > White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has sought to dispel fresh speculation about President Donald Trump’s health by insisting that mystery bandages spotted on his hand are the result of handshaking. > > As concerns grow around the aging 79-year-old president, Trump has been photographed in meetings, rallies, and gala events sporting band-aids on the back of his hand, in a notable shift from his earlier use of makeup to conceal hand bruising. > > The White House had previously said that the bruising was the result of constant hand shaking, coupled with an aspirin regimen. > > However, it had so far remained silent on the mysterious bandages, sparking speculation that Trump could be receiving intravenous medical infusions to treat a condition. > > Asked by the Daily Beast to explain the latest development, Leavitt also put it down to the president “constantly shaking hands.” > > “The Oval Office is like Grand Central Terminal,” she replied during her press briefing on Thursday. I think the Oval Office is now a [circle jerk](https://x.com/i/status/1527002426942922752). (The link goes to X.) > [@Smapti](#): > > Trump is reportedly going to issue an order on Monday for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. > > Which is… good, I think? I think he’s found out Marijuana is good for whatever ailment he and his complicit physicians are hiding from the public. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/531 "2025-12-13T07:58:24Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Admiral in charge of the felon’s and Hegseth’s war crimes retires.](https://www.aol.com/admiral-hands-over-leadership-command-165048404.html) > > > [@](#): > > > > DORAL, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration’s [deadly strikes on alleged drug boats](https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d) in the region. > > > > Adm. Alvin Holsey has [retired one year into a posting](https://apnews.com/article/alvin-holsey-southern-command-boat-strikes-venezuela-7cf34c822b56945129baf7f0d2635f95) that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters near Miami. Falling on his sword, deserting a sinking ship, or preparing an exit to a safe haven in the event that a future SecDef recalls him for a court-martial? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/532 "2025-12-13T12:59:26Z")
Spending more time with family, surely. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/533 "2025-12-13T13:07:45Z")
Monty, it’s a bit of a long read… but a good read. This is how other nations… and other nation’s militaries now view us. ( Spoiler: It’s not good. ) > **[Matt Gurney: 'We will never fucking trust you again'](https://www.readtheline.ca/p/matt-gurney-we-will-never-fucking?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true)** > > Some blunt talk for our American neighbours at the Halifax International Security Forum. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/534 "2025-12-13T13:17:17Z")
My understanding is that drugs are classified by the Controlled Substances Act (or whatever its formal name is), and to reclassify marijuana would require Congress to amend the law. Indeed, there have been legislative fights over this very issue for several years now. Trump can’t just say “I have decided marijuana is Schedule III now” and it is so. He has been playing these games with funding and stafffing but this would be a direct “I am overturning a law by fiat”. This would be a new line crossed-we’ll see if Congress steps up and asserts itself. I won’t hold my breath. Anyway, medical cannabis is legal in DC. He can just send a staffer to the nearest dispo for some gummies. No need to mess around with EOs. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/535 "2025-12-13T15:08:26Z")
I’m no calligrapher, but can you discern the woke font from the lethal font? [![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_60,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_37,w_100,c_scale,f_avif/v200/e6cd93f5-2a56-4c30-9b85-f34c1b312ba3) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_60,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_37,w_100,c_scale,f_avif/v200/e6cd93f5-2a56-4c30-9b85-f34c1b312ba3) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/536 "2025-12-13T15:11:32Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Falling on his sword, deserting a sinking ship, or preparing an exit to a safe haven in the event that a future SecDef recalls him for a court-martial? None of the above, from what people can tell. He announced his intention to retire back in October and many of his responsibilities started transferring to other people. This is only the final formal bit. Admirals generally are responsible people so they don’t tend to be people who say ‘I quit’ and just leave without notice. He did not give a reason at the time but it was semi-publicly known at the time he had serious disagreements with Hegseth and was concerned about the legality of the strikes. If anything, his retirement announcement was one of the early building blocks of building the current public case against the strikes, rather than an escape attempt. For all he knew at the time, he’d be targeted for retribution for leaving. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/537 "2025-12-13T15:24:58Z")
Because this is the Pit, I hope I can be forgiven for providing an AI (Google Gemini)-derived exchange: > **CLICK ME!** > > Q: Is it reasonable to conclude that the United States has perfected its place in the world based on the fact that the US State Department is concerned about fonts (ie, typefaces)? > > A: That is a very interesting, and highly satirical, thought! > > It’s tempting to look at an institution like the U.S. State Department focusing on something as seemingly trivial as **fonts (typefaces)** and conclude that all major global issues must be solved, leaving only aesthetic details to handle. > > However, the conclusion that the U.S. has “perfected its place in the world” based on this concern is **not reasonable,** for several practical and organizational reasons: > > ### Why the Font Concern Does Not Imply Perfection > > 1. **Organizational Specialization:** Large government agencies, especially those dealing with global diplomacy and massive amounts of documentation (like the State Department), are vast. > > 2. **Efficiency and Consistency:** The concern over a standard font (such as the recent switch from Calibri to a more accessible font) is usually driven by practical administrative needs: > > 3. **Symbolic Importance (Diplomacy):** In high-stakes diplomacy, every detail matters. The presentation of an official document—from the font to the paper—contributes to its perceived seriousness, professionalism, and authenticity. It’s part of the bureaucratic facade of state power. > > 4. **The Nature of Perpetual Problems:** Global politics is not a solvable puzzle; it is a continuously evolving set of relationships, conflicts, and challenges. The U.S. role in the world is perpetually debated and defined by ongoing issues (economic competition, climate change, conflicts, etc.). > > In short, the U.S. State Department’s ability to address administrative minutiae like fonts simply reflects that it is a **huge, complex bureaucracy** that handles both macro (geopolitics) and micro (internal operations) issues simultaneously. > > It’s a great example of **bureaucratic irony** , but not evidence of international perfection! So, now you know: it’s not the arrival at international perfection. Indeed, it’s a textbook example of the kind of bloated bureaucracy and wasteful government overreach against which Conservatives have perpetually railed. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/538 "2025-12-13T15:46:06Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [The whole flock of fool’s flacks are Keystone Kops.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-issues-deportation-order-belarusian-214837116.html) > > > [@](#): > > > > An ongoing FBI investigation into a Belarusian woman accused of smuggling US aviation parts and electronics to Russia is teetering on the brink of collapse after being caught in what one judge called a “Kafkaesque” case brought on by the Trump administration’s attempts to deport her before she faces trial. So… I really have to wonder who twigged DHS to this woman’s presence in the country. And what existing relationships they had with the Trump maladministration, and with Ms. Leonova herself. Has someone figured out a way to use ICE to get international criminals off so that they don’t have to pay for their crimes - and won’t testify against any of their co-conspirators? On the whole, it would not surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/539 "2025-12-13T16:04:44Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > None of the above, from what people can tell. > > He announced his intention to retire back in October and many of his responsibilities started transferring to other people. This is only the final formal bit. Admirals generally are responsible people so they don’t tend to be people who say ‘I quit’ and just leave without notice. Notable, though, is that he announced this will take place a few years before it would have been expected. > [@](#): > > He did not give a reason at the time but it was semi-publicly known at the time he had serious disagreements with Hegseth and was concerned about the legality of the strikes. And he may have also been concerned about his own culpability in the clearly illegal action. Which he signed off on. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/540 "2025-12-13T16:35:33Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > And he may have also been concerned about his own culpability in the clearly illegal action. > > Which he signed off on. Leaving wouldn’t make him any less culpable for any strikes that already occurred when he was around Not saying he’s some kind of hero but it doesn’t really add up that he’s some kind of wanton war criminal, either [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=28)