the other countries of the world to cut the US out and refuse to do business with us. I doubt that Russia, NK, Saudi Arabia and Isreal could pick up the slack. How well do you think Trump's base will do if they lose their abilty to export their goods and services? What happens when foreign countries refuse to continue to buy US debt? Sometimes you just have to hit rock bottom before you can turn your life (in this case, country) around.

The real question to pursue, is how did our Country become so divided ???

THAT'S where all the weakening of our once great nation began.

Maybe history will someday figure it all out.

Link to tweet

I think the most likely outcome (if they even actually meet) is that a statement will be issued saying Kim has agreed to all sorts of stuff and further meetings will hash out the details, send me the Nobel prize.

But then nothing will actually ever change.

edit to concur: And Lindsay does love war talk!

Trump is going to stop by on the way home from Singapore.

The will be promises of future talks or unverifiable pledges. We have seen this dog and pony show before. trump will claim a major triumph and North Korea won't test nukes for a while. They do need to find a new test site anyway. I would not give up nuclear weapons if I were Kim. They are his guarantee of survival and recognition. Having an idiot president helps him to be recognized also.

it would take them to build another underground testing site. Trump will proclaim victory and lobby for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In return for the US removing all troops from South Korea

a tRump hotel and a golf course so both of their fat asses can play golf.

and they will continue to do so. Promise the idiot anything, then do what they want.

I think that is the most likely outcome. Trump will take whatever tokens Kim offers and then pump those up into a "victory" for himself. The actual agreement will be useless and meaningless, but Trump will declare absolute victory.

Trump has set this up so he will claim success, regardless of the actual terms agreed upon.

Settle for a pittance but lie about it bigtime. That's his style and history of deal making.

...and it will be a huge success because they want it to be.

And all of the "reasonable" Republicans will go along, smile and clap politely, and blame Democrats when the stink of the shitpile makes itself evident.

The fallacy of his argument is that Trump IS a capitulator and has shown absolutely no prowess in negotiations. Loud, stupid and stubborn does not add up to a lack of capitulation. He'll make a bad deal, call it a good deal, have his FOX cronies tout it endlessly, and the appearance to his lackeys will be one of victory, when in fact it'll fizzle and die under the microscope of truth.

without destroying the table and umbrella in the process.

Two things are certain:
1) North Korea will not denuclearize
2) Trump will claim a big win regardless of the result

They'll both claim a win and try to increase their standing in the world. End of story. Nothing changes.

Kim's standing in the world will be increased just by meeting with the American president -- and also by appearing to be the more rational of the two.

Thats a good point. If russia does that and helps trump perhaps win the war or whatever, they politically THEY WON.

This is why Democrats have to start stepping up and fighting for what they believe in. You have to know the facts, speak out, vote.

These people are all working together already behind the scenes. They are all colluding and conspiring together to take total control of global affairs. We are all only pawns in the game of life, to quote Mongo.

He’s going to pull our troops out of South Korea and when he does,NK will invade them. If I was a South Korean citizen or resident of Seoul, I would start making plans to leave the country or at least evacuate.

I think there's a fourth outcome: Nothing comes of it. NK says a few things, Trump says a few things. He comes back to the states and lauds his performance, suggests again that he should get a Nobel Peace Prize just for having the meeting, says time will tell what happens, says that NK was close to capitulating in the face of Trump's strength so we'll see, etc., etc. (translation: they both got photo-ops, NK rose to the status of a world leader just from having the meeting, Trump gets some approval points back home, but there was never any guts to this thing so time will pass and this will be forgotten.) This will be forgotten until the next time NK tests a missile. Then it will start all over again. Trump will angrily warn on tv how big his nuclear button is, NK will test another missile (further destroying the earth and damaging the environment while killing wildlife), and so on.

The overriding imperative for the Kim regime is to maintain the rule of the Kim regime.

There is little if any trust on which to craft a "deal" which entails risk by the weaker party, especially with the examples of Libya and US withdrawal from the Iran agreement.

Nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent and a significant source of prestige for the regime at home and being taken seriously on the world stage.

What carrot could Trump offer Kim that would convince him to completely and permanently relinquish NK's nukes? What stick would coerce him to surrender his grestest deterrent?

Does Kim really want a reconciliation with South Korea resulting in economic partnership and a more open relationship between the long separated societies?

THAT might be a greater threat to this insular totalitarian communist regime than any external enemy. When people in the north are exposed to the material prosperity and freedom enjoyed by their estranged brethren in the South, they are going to want it for themselves.

No doubt Kim is aware of all the above, so the question is what does he hope to gain by a summit in which the US position is complete denuclearization?

He forgets the power part sometimes, I think. So Trump may offer him a good trade deal in return for complete denuclearization, and will be shocked when Kim doesn't go for it...or offers scaling back a bit in return for a good trade deal. Something like that.

But you're right. Kim's nuclear weapons are the one thing that protects his tiny country from the ever encroaching big powers of the world. The only reason he gets what he considers respect (fear...which Trump also confuses for respect).

Trump will say "People are saying I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for this. I don't know. We'll see. But many, many people are saying that." (No one but the Trump team is saying that...that's how Trump plants a seed among his supporters, to push for things, or believe fallacies.)

And he projects his mindset onto everyone else.

He is, in many ways, blind.

Also willfully ignorant.

Both are total non-starters. The only good outcome from Shitler flying East would be for Air Force One to crash into the deepest trench of the Marianas.

What we have seen the last 48 hours is a MAJOR move by 45/putin to amp up the process of getting the lunatic "base" on board with out and out rejecting our ideological/historical allies - Canada, Britain, France and post WWII Germany.

The NK propoganda tour is a big part of it the "good guy" element for 45 to OK his turning on our allies.

Nothing of substance will get done, but it won't be "capitulation" because 45 gets more out of it to do nothing, and claim victory.

THAT is what this is about. Get the jackal right wing media to scream NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, for the idiot GOP base to have something to point to in order justify his other craziness, for the "liberal" media to eagerly help promote, and the soft headed "middle" to get their feel good item to point to and justify their "this criticism of 45 is overboard" mentality.

We are WELL into a post fact world now - it won't matter if nothing comes from it. All he has to do is get a photo op, say GREAT WIN FOR AMERICA! and that will be what it is.

Can any two people come to an agreement on denuclearization in two hours? My understanding is that the meeting is going to take up to two hours. I have heard that Asians do not like getting right to the point, so, it could take Kim maybe 30 minutes to an hour just to get to his point. Trump also tends to meander, so, it could also take him 30 minutes to an hour to get to his point. So, the two hours could be taken up just by Trump and Kim getting to the point. Is there any chance they get to a real agreement with only a two hour meeting? Am I wrong about how long the meeting is scheduled to last?

and lie about it.

Might convince him if he does certain things he could get the biggest trump tower there.

Kim might also record things and use it to blackmail trump.

And there is the other matter of how Putinis bein behind this whole thing.

The problem with graham is he is viewing it like trump's interest is mainly about policy and nukes and doesn't consider the personal profit motive.

It seems like Trump has already capitulated. Since this meeting was rescheduled it seems like Team Trump has been moving the goalposts back. It seemed that a few days ago Mike Pompeo was saying that denuclearization was not necessary. It seemed like Pompeo was talking about something a step below denuclearization. At one point it seemed like Team Trump was not expecting much from this meeting. It seemed like they were going through with this meeting because it had been reported in the media that the meeting could not be rescheduled.

will make an a$$ out of himself as usual, and ask Kim about the military parade, and ask for pointers.

I've never seen a pol love war so much, and gets so much air time for it.