Good point. Raises the question whether he actually wanted to be swapped.
Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to impeach Biden for saving Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony
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Anything a Republican does is patriotic, anything a Democrat does is treasonous.
That’s the entire GQP policy position.
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"It’s clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. And so Paul will remain a prisoner until that changes.”
Was a Bout for Whelan deal even a possibility? Doesn’t sound like it.
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I’m surprised she just doesn’t advocate for releasing all the Russian prisoners just because.
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Yeah, it’s a sucky trade, but the United States has dealt far, far more weapons and death than the so-called “Merchant of death” ever dreamed of. The ground we stand on is salted with the blood of millions.
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Politically, I don’t think there is much to be gained for Biden and the Dems here. The midterms have just passed. Had they decided to do nothing for Griner, it’s not like their voters would have stayed home or voted Republican. If anything they waited until after the election to avoid the perception of this being politically motivated. And securing Griner’s release was always going to earn jeers from Republicans.
Given that the political benefits are minor at best, I think they probably did their due diligence on what kind of damage Bout could do now after years in prison. Their conclusion must have been that the risk to American interests would be low enough to justify the swap. That’s not to say Bout won’t cause more death, but he relied on Russia’s reach and cooperation to be a gun runner. The war in Ukraine is curtailing that reach. He used to run arms out of Russia; what they need now is someone who can get arms into it.
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Maybe the administration didn’t do it for the optics… maybe they did it because she’s an American citizen rotting away in a gulag for an unjust reason… 
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he is for sure heading home to some fearful interrogation about what he spilled while he was here. merry christmas, merchant of death!
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It should be the law that it’s displayed in bathrooms/toilets everywhere!
Drives me nuts when people do that!
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Maybe check for faint traces of Novichok nerve agent, or Polonium. We’ve got experience of both, should you guys need some help.
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At least the NRA were never found to be funded by Moscow… oh, wait… are you sure? 
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Under vs over is a most serious situation.
Yeah. Politicians have to weigh the optics of everything they do (unless they are Republicans apparently) but that doesn’t mean they do everything for purely political reasons.
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Along with she not liking Russia well enough to prefer incarceration there.
She will surely advocate that once she and others of her ilk are finally sent to prison.
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And given an opportunity, perhaps the Ukrainian’s will do us a favor.
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I respectfully challenge this.
In the “yes” position, the side you wipe with also wipes the wall. It’s also more exposed to airborne bacteria.
In the “no” position, the “wiping side” faces away from the wall, and has an umbrella protecting it from particles settling on it.
I agree “yes” is prettier. It’s also either nastier, or more awkward if you insist on flipping the paper over.
After travelling in South-East Asia, I became a fan of bidets.
Politicians also do work for their constituencies, which while political, it isn’t necessarily for the optics of it.
But sure, let’s just keep wallowing in cynicism, because that’s been totally working for America. Fixed all our problems right on up! /s
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So even the paid mourners will take the money upfront and then forget to turn up. /s
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