The biggest mistake Obama made with Putin is trying to have a "Russian Reset," which Putin threw in his face.
Saw a link somewhere today where James Comey said there was no truth to the story. Makes sense. Why would the Russians want Trump as POTUS when they could just buy his opponent for a "donation" to the Clinton Foundation
You can't parse phrases NC. 1) Judge him when he takes office and puts policies in play. Matt is at Defense and even Tillorson at State are realists and will provide support for a realistic approach. Until he takes office and acts it IS an illusion. 2) Obama and to an extent W have weakened our standing in the world. We stand in considerably lower esteem than 8 years ago. If you don't fear your enemy (and Putin does consider us the enemy) you'll take more aggressive actions against him. Putin has been doing just that. 3) Putin has learned he can survive sanctions well enough. He and his minions are in power, their riches are secure and his popularity is at all time highs. He and Russia aren't a parliamentary democracy but brutal dictatorship that holds no true election. 4) As far as acknowledging the need to treat Russia firmly that I've been on top of it for years. Remember how I accused both W & O of weakness in facing Putin? You should. Those on the left laughed at Romney 4 years ago. I should welcome you.
To say the Russians "hacked the election" is so disingenuous. Somebody hacked The DNC and Hillary's email and posted what they sent and received in the emails on wiki leaks. The election wasn't hacked, did the emails being posted sway some voters ? Maybe, but the election itself was not hacked. In my opinion some people thought the republicans were a bunch of good old boys that sided with the cronies that kept them in power and believed the democrats really cared about their voters, then bam the emails showed they were just as bad as the pandering republicans.
If you think I am parsing phrases you haven't been paying attention. This isn't about his cabinet picks. That's a different thread. Stop trying to derail this one. Why are you placing the blame with our past President's? Regardless, it has nothing to do with a foreign invasion of our political process. The blame lays squarely on the Russians. Winston, for Christ's sake, you just said that a brutal dictators popularity is at all time highs. If that makes sense to you then there is little use in us continuing this conversation. I've already admitted that Romney was right. You always make me feel welcome, Winston.
So we should focus on the content of the hacks rather than the hacks themself. Got it. So it's more important that we learned that Donna Brazil gave Hillary Clinton debate questions for the Democratic nomination than it is for the Russians to be influencing our elections?
Years of hearing about the importance of voter ID laws and the integrity of our elections and not a peep now. Horse shit.
Now is not the time for partisan shit...by either side. Let's have a bipartisan congressional inquiry tomorrow and get this behind us going into the new administration. It's in trumps best interest long term as I don't think this is going away quietly
