[dataflow]

Hard to take this post seriously when it completely dismisses the substance of Blinken's responses as "a deer-in-the-headlights stare and canned remarks" without spending 2 seconds explaining what they even were. Blinken explained their rationales very calmly and clearly in that video, whether we like with them or not. That deserves consideration, and, if the rationale is wrong, a substantive rebuttal. Not a backhanded dismissal like this.

[Overton-Window]

Blinken on July 7: “We are staying, the embassy is staying, our programs are staying. If there is a significant deterioration in security...I don’t think it’s going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday.”

https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1427314149319643139

[flunhat]

Here's the part you cut out with the ellipsis:

> "If there is a significant deterioration in security -- that could well happen, we've discussed this before -- I don’t think it’s going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday."

[dataflow]

So the administration mispredicted something that was presumably obvious. You'd think the blog post about having serious discussions could actually explain that and attempt to have a serious discussion around it instead of mischaracterizing the interview and ignoring the content.

[Overton-Window]

Misprediction? They are simultaneously surveilling everyone in the world and are getting nothing out of it. Confident statements from the administration are no longer worth a dime.

[dataflow]

If they're not worth a dime then don't mention them at all. If they're worth something then they need to be discussed "seriously", as the blog post itself preaches. Not mischaracterized, and not used to mislead readers about their contents. All the arguing you're doing needs to be in the blog post, not here.

[plankers]

So you're refusing to take seriously a post that accuses you of not being serious?

The irony is nearly overwhelming.

P.S. He linked to a twitter thread that proffered all of Blinken's remarks on Tapper's program.