It's more than just Hillary Clinton, c'mon. Russia was brought low after the collapse of the USSR. Early in Putin's tenure, we were picking off the Russian satellites, supporting anti-Russian movements in those countries and adopting some of them into NATO to protect them from Russian influence. We took advantage of an opportunity when Russia was weak to take away these vassal states that would support Russian power. The Ukraine fight over Crimea is just the latest of these episodes. We've also been working with Europe to minimize Russia's leverage via nuclear capability (anti-missile defense) and control of energy sources (LNG development). He's not mad simply at Hillary Clinton. He's mad at the United States of America for actively diminishing Russian international power. He wants to make Russia great again and the US has been in his way since he started. Whatever he can do to weaken American power will help him aggrandize Russia's. I think he is completely justified in attacking the United States. So far as he can get away with it, it's good for Russia. But, it's bad for us and we shouldn't tolerate him doing it. Russia, especially one run by an autocrat, has no business being a world leader. I had high hopes for Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union -- I was a USSR history major back in the mid-90s because of all that -- but that place has not reformed well. Putin is just another tsar.
Im glad you acknowledge the guy does what he thinks is good for Russia. I can't stand the guy cause he wouldn't accept our help and let his sailors die at the bottom of the cold sea. But someone had to point out to me a couple of years ago he does what he thinks is good for Russia
On Russia's influence in energy, we allow Russia to do business right here in our energy markets. The best way to stop a dictator is take away his source of income. At the same we can't do anything about him sitting on all those natural gas reserves except push for LNG
The Trump-induced devolution ! case in point, the uber conservative Senator Jeff Flake's speech to be given in the coming days before Trump's forthcoming announcement of the fake news awards. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...dia-attacks-to-stalin/?utm_term=.8cb47515dc19 In excerpts provided by his office, he is poised to blast Trump’s “unrelenting daily assault on the constitutionally-protected free press” that he will call “as unprecedented as it is unwarranted.” Trump has been parroting the rhetoric (media as the enemy of the people) popularized byed by Stalin; it is so fraught w malice that even Stalin's successor, Khrushchev, forbade its use, telling the Soviet Communist Party that the phrase had been introduced by Stalin for the sole purpose of annihilating such individuals who dare to disagree w the supreme leader Flake adds that Trump “has it precisely backward — despotism is the enemy of the people. The free press is the despot’s enemy, which makes the free press the guardian of democracy. When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him ‘fake news,’ it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press.” According to Flake, in addition to Stalin, Mao Zedong, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party, also referred to the media as the “enemy of the people.” And Flake repeats his point that Khrushchev later forbade the use of the term. “I don’t think that we should be using a phrase that’s been rejected as too loaded by a Soviet dictator,” http://cdn2.spiegel.de/images/image-1237289-860_poster_16x9-wnnc-1237289.jpg
Trump really does want to be a Dictator He has been on his whole life . . . in his sphere Rocket River
When I see this thread bumped, I always assume that "Putin's Useful Idiot" refers to our resident chief far left propagandist.
All true. Putin has been very upfront and public with his desire to return Russia to its previous glory. Too many in the West disregard or discount this. I don't know if he's really mad at America (but maybe he is), but regardless we are clearly the main obstacle to his goals.
Makes you wonder what the Trump administration's excuse is for not acknowledging Russian interference in the 2016 election and not further safe guarding our elections.
Truly amazing... you know those sanctions that Congress voted on to punish Russia for meddling in our election?
Holy cow. That is amazing! I can't believe they are getting away with this. I'm not sure why there isn't more coverage of this.
BECAUSE OMFG EMAILS AND MEMOS! TAKING DOWN THE BLACK hATS AND TEH DEEP STATE! AND THE DEEP THOUGHTS! NO MOAR THINKING!
So while trump's excuse as to why the additional sanctions against his boss Putin and Russia for hacking our election were not needed: His CIA Director says this:
