Alan Cunningham

Alan Cunningham

@cadetcunningham.bsky.social

International Relations Afficionado | Aspiring Novelist | Book & Movie Lover | Follow me on Substack: https://substack.com/@alanthecommentariat

2.9K followers788 following3.5K posts

Pinned

“Dems didn’t have a real primary” “People cared about the economy” “Biden should’ve stepped down earlier” “Trump had wealthier benefactors” “Harris/Biden shouldn’t fund Israel” All that to me isn’t right; what the 2024 election showed me was that racism and misogyny trumps everything else

Fibonacci Sequins@brentwaggoner.bsky.social

When I sit and think about it I still can't really believe they elected him a second time.

This just in - WAPO forgets John Yoo and the Bush administration’s War on Terror

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com

As the Trump administration pushes the bounds of executive power, the DOJ unit known as the Office of Legal Counsel has affirmed some of its most controversial actions — even as experts question their legitimacy and some are later struck down by the courts.

If only Republicans actually cared about national security and foreign policy What irritates me most though is how little I see Democratic candidates focus on those same issues; it leaves the field open to Republicans to just spout that stupid bullshit

haversack@hsack121.bsky.social

Kimberly Guilfoyle is accused of taking $3M in bribes, doing drugs and leaking information to China in alleged phone recording released by Eric Deters Eric Deters released a phone call with Jon Constantine, who alleged that Guilfoyle took $3 million in bribes. www.primetimer.com/news/kimberl...

Alan Cunningham reposted

that traitorous motherfucker is going to give russia ukraine and sell out taiwan to china

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social

BREAKING WSJ: Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, Trump, and Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict that would favor Moscow.

Can’t remember who said it, but I watched a doc where a Vietnam vet said “we overstated our own allies’ importance to make up for our own incompetence” It’s amazing (and super saddening) that so much of our Vietnam experience applies to Afghanistan

Joe Stieb@joestieb.bsky.social

Fuck this guy to eternity

On top of this, we also really didn’t give Biden any credit for effectively eliminating targeted killings via drone as a national security strategy One of the largest critiques of Obama’s foreign policy was nearly solved by Biden and barely anyone paid attention

Alan Cunningham@cadetcunningham.bsky.social

We moved on from Syria much much too quickly It is absolutely incredible that Biden’s Ukraine policy effectively dealt a death knell to Al-Assad and drastically changed the future of Syria, a nation that had dominated foreign policy discussions in 2016 And few gave Biden credit for that

One thing I can say with 100% certainty is that Tim Walz wouldn’t do this shit

Ford@ford422.bsky.social

In a better world the chyron at the bottom would quote this and explain he makes shit up for political effect.

I don’t think it was much reported either but the Air Force’s Journal of the Americas also was deactivated due to a lot of the reshuffling

Will Yale@wayale.bsky.social

It is extremely unfortunate and regrettable that the Department of the Air Force has decided to shutter the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI). CASI, along with its sister institutions the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC), and…

“Common sense” and “Brandon Herrera” should never ever go together. Ever

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

Tapper: "Brandon Herrera, you've endorsed him…What does his candidacy say about the Republican Party's more extreme candidates?" Speaker Johnson: "Brandon Herrera has been out running a very effective campaign…He has apologized...Brandon Herrera will join the common sense team of Republicans."

Okay this has been bothering me for awhile; she says she’ll be the first PhD woman to serve in Congress (I know she says scientist here, but she’s said woman with a science PhD/PhD before) Does she just forget that Judy Chu for CA-28 has been in office since 2009 with a PhD in Psychology??

Dr. Kristin Hook for Congress@kristinhook.bsky.social

We need scientists in office now more than ever. When I’m elected, I’ll become the first PhD woman scientist to ever serve in Congress. I can’t wait to use my science skills to solve these problems for Texans and the public good.

I’m sure she would argue “I mean hard science” or “psychology isn’t a science” but also why are you putting up artificial roadblocks and trying to be superior to another degree field that contributes just as much to society?

Say hello to the new Army Secretary Sean Parnell everybody The guy who wrote what is probably the most boring memoir of the War in Afghanistan and all of GWOT

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com

BREAKING: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll RESIGNS. Driscoll is the guy Buria told to approve certain firings because "Trump won't want to stand next to Black female officers." The Army now has ZERO Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

I won’t say this is good nor will I say “oh look the deportations are doing some good” (they’re not) But I will say Milo can get fucked. I’ll reserve my sympathy for those who are truly victims of this administration, not those who are surprised the leopards are eating their faces

Yashar Ali 🐘@yasharali.bsky.social

BREAKING via TMZ Milo Yiannopolous has been apprehended by ICE and is currently in a detention center.

I wonder, when candidates say they only support reform and not abolishment of ICE, what would they say to this Because yes this is Trump, but it’s also the senior leadership, it’s the SACs and Section Chiefs, it’s the culture of the agency, and yes it’s the agent who joined in April of 2025

Steve Held@peoplesfabric.bsky.social

This was entirely predictable: “ICE will promptly release video of shootings and other encounters in which its agents cause death or serious injury only after determining “it is in the best interests of the agency” to do so.”

There’s no reforming an agency if its culture is broken and there’s no reforming an agency when the people that enforce those laws and standards and morally bankrupt, wildly unethical, and shamelessly supporting Trump’s actions

We moved on from Syria much much too quickly It is absolutely incredible that Biden’s Ukraine policy effectively dealt a death knell to Al-Assad and drastically changed the future of Syria, a nation that had dominated foreign policy discussions in 2016 And few gave Biden credit for that

So, when Tillis and Cornyn leave office in January 2027 and Blanche decides to create the Anti-Weaponization Fund, what then? God I hate this timeline

Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social

JUST IN: Tillis confirms he is on board with Cornyn to vote yes on Blanche for AG, after Blanche renounces Anti-Weaponization Fund in writing & asserts that the waiver of any past taxes due is limited to POTUS, Don Jr., Eric & Trump Org. Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

Oh no, if only there was some way this could have been predicted … Polygraphs are a bane upon the federal hiring, criminal investigation, and national security process and should have been outlawed when NAS produced their study in the early days of the Bush administration

I have rarely heard a police officer (field, investigative, executive) speak positively about them but they’re still used because “that’s the way it’s always done” “it’s cheap” “it helps narrow down the applicant pool” And that’s a problem: open.substack.com/pub/alanthec...

open.substack.comWhy law enforcement will never stop using the polygraphThe polygraph has been scientifically discredited, is legally inadmissible, and is more of a problem than it’s worth. So why is it still used?

It’s telling he went on Fox to say this One would think CNN, MSNBC maybe, but no. Know why? That’s not his audience

Donie O’Sullivan@donie.bsky.social

"I am not going to be in the same party with Hasan Piker ... if he becomes a force in the Democratic Party, I am out of here," James Carville says on Fox this morning. Reminder: The Left Insurgency airs tonight on CNN at 8p ET.

I always find it funny when Republicans say they’re the “Party of Lincoln” or “Party of TR” given it’s a tacit admission that the last time the GOP was great was when they had progressive leaders and policies

John Bolton's Mustache@jonboltonsmustache.bsky.social

National. Mental. Health. Crisis.

And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing I should add … BUT it’s super infuriating when you’re a 4.0 MAIR student with great references, a track record of work and volunteer experience to lose an LE internship to a rising college sophomore majoring in music whose mom is an Section Chief at HQ

Alan Cunningham@cadetcunningham.bsky.social

Also this - it’s amazing how it is really not an open process and so heavily fueled by having a friend in service, working for the agency as a contractor, or being a longterm servant’s child or relative

This. I am one of those people. It’s absolute hell to never receive even a response back Fast forward to me working in D.C. and finding out that so many postings get filled by contractors who have govt/military XP and had done the same job just in the private sector, so the announcement is for show

Patrick Meyers@pmeyers7.bsky.social

There are tens of thousands of talented young people, especially outside DC, who would love to join the civil service pipeline (not just in national security, but in many agencies) who will continue to run face first into the brick wall of USAJobs until something changes.

Why is it that I have never heard a legislator on the campaign trail talk about civil service reform or updating USAJobs for the current work force? That’s something not only active and ex-federal employees but prospective federal employees (including students, veterans etc) would want to hear

I love how, after not posting a lot over the past few months, this skeet got a dozen likes in less than three minutes That alone should indicative how popular that policy and promise would be

I want to say, this is why I don’t watch CNN or much cable news anymore RFK went on this because he knew he would find a great place and a poor journalist to be able to show off his “mettle” at dealing with the media, “fighting for the American people’s health”, and showing up liberals

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

RFK: "You are saying nonsense." Bash: "I am not saying nonsense, excuse me?…This is not productive. " RFK: "You're talking nonsense…You were scaring people." Bash: "Why are you saying that?" RFK: "Because that was the job of CNN." Bash: "Okay, stop."

View full thread

Having watched this a few times now, I don’t think this anchor did a great job of countering RFK nor did she do a good job of holding him accountable; she allowed him to speak over her and continue promulgating his bile, seemed to become too agitated too quickly and didn’t handle this well

The fact he’s on CNN isn’t her fault of course and he never should’ve been platformed to begin with. But that’s what happen when you have a 24 hour news channel more committed to advertising, views, and elite notoriety rather than reporting

I want to say, this is why I don’t watch CNN or much cable news anymore RFK went on this because he knew he would find a great place and a poor journalist to be able to show off his “mettle” at dealing with the media, “fighting for the American people’s health”, and showing up liberals

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

RFK: "You are saying nonsense." Bash: "I am not saying nonsense, excuse me?…This is not productive. " RFK: "You're talking nonsense…You were scaring people." Bash: "Why are you saying that?" RFK: "Because that was the job of CNN." Bash: "Okay, stop."

It’s the same reason why Fox News seeks out a certain kind of Democrat (those with really poor policy or are flimsy )to go on their programs; because if gives them the sound bite, the views they want to make their viewers believe is the mainstream in liberal thinking

Not just the next pandemic, but the next everything; the next natural disaster, the next attack, the next war, the next regulatory crisis, the next recession, it’s infuriating

This post is unavailable.

Remember, investigations, calls for BWCs or no masks are all pointless unless you are also addressing the root causes of this criminality - the culture of militarization and law enforcement in border security agencies and the disastrous 2003 implementation of DHS

Oversight Dems@oversightdemocrats.bsky.social

ICE agents are untrained, unqualified, and killing people on the streets. Oversight Dems will investigate every failure that led to these tragedies and hold agents and their leadership accountable.

What’s the phrase? “Money can’t buy class or taste”? This video sums that up; no matter the amount of money, it can never buy a person taste or knowing what works and what doesn’t in a room

Dom Ervolina@dominicervolina.com

Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted this video of the Oval Office and it somehow looks even more embarrassing than I realized

Having just watched Rocky, I am truly amazed at how this movie won Best Picture and Best Director You’ve got it going up against All the President’s Men and Network; how did neither of those win but this did? Makes not sense whatever

It’s also crazy to me Rocky didn’t win for Best Music (Original Score), but at the same time clear why Sly shouldn’t have won for Best Screenplay All *that* said Sly should have won Supporting Actor for 2016’s Creed and absolutely should’ve at least been nominated for 2006’s Rocky Balboa

I never was a major fan of Alan Greenspan’s and I make that fact known here, but it’s pretty incredible how Zoomers and definitely Alphas don’t know the name of the man who made it impossible for them to obtain wealth open.substack.com/pub/alanthec...

open.substack.comSpeaking Ill of the DeadWith Alan Greenspan’s death, the financial world and society at large has shown a desire to revere the industry’s giants – and forget problematic legacies.