{"id":4081,"date":"2016-08-01T02:10:23","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T06:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/?p=4081"},"modified":"2016-08-10T11:01:23","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T15:01:23","slug":"does-putin-back-hillary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/does-putin-back-hillary\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Putin Back Hillary?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russ\u00adian Pres\u00adi\u00addent Vladimir Putin and Demo\u00adc\u00adrat stan\u00addard-bear\u00ader Hillary Clin\u00adton in hap\u00adpi\u00ader times. [Cred\u00adit: thepoliticalcarnival.net]<\/p><\/div>\n

Per\u00adhaps because I\u2019m in Italy, I\u2019ve not been infect\u00aded by the con\u00adta\u00adgion that has spread more rapid\u00adly than the Zika virus: the febrile notion that Russ\u00adian pres\u00adi\u00addent Vladimir Putin is sub\u00advert\u00ading our elec\u00adtoral process in an effort to elect Don\u00adald J. Trump as president.<\/p>\n

Nev\u00ader has such con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion mutat\u00aded so quick\u00adly into received wisdom.<\/p>\n

Writ\u00ading in yesterday\u2019s Wash\u00ading\u00adton Post from that moth\u00ader of all ivory tow\u00aders, the Kennedy School of Gov\u00adern\u00adment, Bruce Schneier<\/a> lapsed into near apoplexy.  \u201cIf Putin\u2019s gov\u00adern\u00adment has already used a cyber\u00adat\u00adtack to attempt to help Trump win,\u201d he writes, using the word \u201cif\u201d rhetor\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, \u201cthere\u2019s no rea\u00adson to believe he won\u2019t do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putin will \u201cdo it again,\u201d Schneier warns, by hack\u00ading into our vot\u00ading machines and deliv\u00ader\u00ading the race to Trump.  Be very afraid.<\/p>\n

Our intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal bet\u00adters, hav\u00ading agi\u00adtat\u00aded them\u00adselves into delir\u00adi\u00adum over the prospect of a Trump pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy, have sum\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly dis\u00admissed the most straight\u00adfor\u00adward expla\u00adna\u00adtion for the email leak: a DNC<\/span> employ\u00adee or con\u00adtrac\u00adtor \u2014 either a Sanders backer or some\u00adone under\u00adstand\u00adably offend\u00aded at his col\u00adleagues\u2019 mis\u00adbe\u00adhav\u00adior \u2014 stole the trove of emails and pro\u00advid\u00aded it to Wik\u00adiLeaks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The \u201cSiber\u00adian Candidacy\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Clin\u00adton cam\u00adpaign aide orig\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded the Putin The\u00ado\u00adry, ped\u00addling it on the Sun\u00adday morn\u00ading shows as I was leav\u00ading for the air\u00adport.  I dis\u00admissed it as a trans\u00adpar\u00adent and some\u00adwhat des\u00adper\u00adate effort to put down a rebel\u00adlion among Sanders sup\u00adport\u00aders.  The emails con\u00adfirmed that the DNC<\/span> was lying all along when it denied that it was secret\u00adly under\u00admin\u00ading Bernie\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n

Sack\u00ading Deb\u00adbie Wasser\u00adman-Schultz hadn\u2019t appeased Bernie\u2019s back\u00aders, so why not throw a Hail Mary by blam\u00ading the whole thing on Putin?<\/p>\n

Had Trump alleged that the Mex\u00adi\u00adcan or Chi\u00adnese gov\u00adern\u00adment was try\u00ading to get Hillary elect\u00aded, he would have been met with well-deserved derision.<\/p>\n

But by the time my flight had crossed the Atlantic, the Clin\u00adton diver\u00adsion had tak\u00aden root. Instead of delv\u00ading more deeply into the con\u00adtent of the emails, oth\u00ader\u00adwise ratio\u00adnal peo\u00adple have been falling all over them\u00adselves to \u201cprove\u201d that no less than Putin him\u00adself (or one of his oper\u00ada\u00adtives) was the leak\u00ader and, worse, that his motive was to advance Trump\u2019s \u201cSiber\u00adian can\u00addi\u00adda\u00adcy<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCarthy\u00adism Reborn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writ\u00ading in The Nation\u00adal Inter\u00adest<\/a>,<\/span> the Cato Institute\u2019s Ted Galen Car\u00adpen\u00adter char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adizes the \u201cmount\u00ading alle\u00adga\u00adtions that [Trump] is a Russ\u00adian syco\u00adphant, if not a Russ\u00adian agent,\u201d as a \u201csmear [that] con\u00adsti\u00adtutes a new McCarthyism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Car\u00adpen\u00adter has hit the mark.  As in the days of the noto\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly anti-Russ\u00adian Wis\u00adcon\u00adsin Sen\u00ada\u00adtor, respect\u00aded cor\u00adpo\u00adrate news out\u00adlets are devot\u00ading enor\u00admous ener\u00adgy to prov\u00ading that those sin\u00adis\u00adter Rooskies are try\u00ading to take con\u00adtrol of the U.S. government.<\/p>\n

The alle\u00adga\u00adtions have become ubiq\u00adui\u00adtous, prompt\u00ading the FBI<\/span> to inves\u00adti\u00adgate. The FBI<\/span> state\u00adment <\/a>on the inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion is intrigu\u00ading. The agency says it \u201cis aware of media report\u00ading on cyber\u00adin\u00adtru\u00adsions involv\u00ading mul\u00adti\u00adple polit\u00adi\u00adcal enti\u00adties, and is work\u00ading to deter\u00admine the accu\u00adra\u00adcy, nature and scope of these matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

No men\u00adtion of Rus\u00adsia. Or Putin. Or evi\u00addence. Just \u201cmedia report\u00ading,\u201d the wild\u00adfire ignit\u00aded by a Clin\u00adton polit\u00adi\u00adcal oper\u00ada\u00adtive.  The media have tak\u00aden the mere fact that there is an inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion (launched in response to \u201cmedia report\u00ading\u201d) as con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adtion that their spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions are true.<\/p>\n

What If It\u2019s True?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is of course pos\u00adsi\u00adble that the inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion will estab\u00adlish the Rus\u00adsians as the leak\u00aders. But even if that bears out, it would hard\u00adly prove that Putin was try\u00ading to install Trump as President.<\/p>\n

After all, the Pres\u00adi\u00addent told us not all that long ago that the prospect of a Trump pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy had \u201crat\u00adtled<\/a>\u201d for\u00adeign lead\u00aders.  Now we are to believe that a for\u00adeign leader is so enthu\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtic about Trump\u2019s can\u00addi\u00adda\u00adcy that he is try\u00ading to rig the elec\u00adtion in his favor.<\/p>\n

Nor is it entire\u00adly clear why Putin would pre\u00adfer Trump to Hillary.  She was the one, after all, who pre\u00adsent\u00aded the Russ\u00adian for\u00adeign min\u00adis\u00adter with a reset but\u00adton<\/a> short\u00adly after she became Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, pledg\u00ading to repair rela\u00adtions between Wash\u00ading\u00adton and Moscow.<\/p>\n

When Xeno\u00adpho\u00adbia Was Social\u00adly Acceptable<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dur\u00ading her tenure as Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, her fam\u00adi\u00adly did well by Putin and his oli\u00adgarchy.  Her hus\u00adband helped facil\u00adi\u00adtate a series of rather lucra\u00adtive deals<\/a> for Frank Gius\u00adtra, a Cana\u00addi\u00adan min\u00ading financier and one of the Clin\u00adton Foundation\u2019s largest bene\u00adfac\u00adtors. Those deals helped enrich both Gius\u00adtra and, through him, the Clintons.<\/p>\n

That series of sales and acqui\u00adsi\u00adtions cul\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded with a Putin crony buy\u00ading a con\u00adtrol\u00adling inter\u00adest in Gius\u00adtra\u2019s Ura\u00adni\u00adum One, whose hold\u00adings includ\u00aded 20 per\u00adcent of America\u2019s ura\u00adni\u00adum deposits.<\/p>\n

Because of uranium\u2019s strate\u00adgic impor\u00adtance, the trans\u00adac\u00adtion required the approval of the Com\u00admit\u00adtee on For\u00adeign Invest\u00adments in the Unit\u00aded States (CFIUS<\/span>).  Then-Sec\u00adre\u00adtary Clin\u00adton was one of nine mem\u00adbers of the panel.<\/p>\n

There was good rea\u00adson to believe Sec\u00adre\u00adtary Clin\u00adton would move to block the sale of our ura\u00adni\u00adum mines to the Rus\u00adsians.  As a Sen\u00ada\u00adtor, she suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly led the charge to reverse the Bush Administration\u2019s agree\u00adment to allow the sale of six port man\u00adage\u00adment busi\u00adness\u00ades<\/a> to a com\u00adpa\u00adny based in the Unit\u00aded Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

The cam\u00adpaign against the sale smacked of xeno\u00adpho\u00adbia, accord\u00ading then-Deputy Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of Defense Gor\u00addon Eng\u00adland [CK<\/span>].  \u201cThe ter\u00adror\u00adists want our nation to become dis\u00adtrust\u00adful,\u201d Eng\u00adland said<\/a>. \u201cThey want us to become para\u00adnoid and iso\u00adla\u00adtion\u00adist, and my view is we can\u00adnot allow this to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In those days, Democ\u00adrats thought it social\u00adly accept\u00adable to exploit pop\u00adulist anti-Arab Mus\u00adlim sen\u00adti\u00adments, just as they now are seek\u00ading to use Rus\u00adso\u00adpho\u00adbia to their polit\u00adi\u00adcal advan\u00adtage. Mrs. Clin\u00adton\u2019s suc\u00adcess\u00adful cam\u00adpaign to nix the deal cer\u00adtain\u00adly ben\u00ade\u00adfit\u00aded from those sentiments.<\/p>\n

A Mutu\u00adal\u00adly Ben\u00ade\u00adfi\u00adcial Deal With The Russians<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a mem\u00adber of CFIUS<\/span>, she proved rather ecu\u00admeni\u00adcal in her sus\u00adpi\u00adcions of for\u00adeign acqui\u00adsi\u00adtions of U.S. assets.  As Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, she led efforts, for exam\u00adple, that result\u00aded in CFIUS<\/span> reject\u00ading appli\u00adca\u00adtions from Chi\u00adnese com\u00adpa\u00adnies<\/a> to acquire every\u00adthing from min\u00ading inter\u00adests to fiber optic com\u00adpa\u00adnies to an Ore\u00adgon wind farm.<\/p>\n

So it was nat\u00adur\u00adal to expect that she would object to Russ\u00adian acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion of the raw mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal for nuclear weapons.  If any mem\u00adber of the CFIUS<\/span><\/a> had reg\u00adis\u00adtered an objec\u00adtion to the Ura\u00adni\u00adum One deal, the mat\u00adter would have land\u00aded on the President\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

Sec\u00adre\u00adtary Clin\u00adton did not object.  The deal went through with\u00adout requir\u00ading the President\u2019s direct intervention.<\/p>\n

Some\u00adone of a more con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal bent might allege that she approved the deal because of the finan\u00adcial ben\u00ade\u00adfits her fam\u00adi\u00adly received from its asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion with Gius\u00adtra, who prof\u00adit\u00aded most from the sale of Ura\u00adni\u00adum One to the Rus\u00adsians.  Although the cir\u00adcum\u00adstan\u00adtial evi\u00addence for such a quid pro quo is much stronger than for the idea that Putin is secret\u00adly plot\u00adting to pro\u00admote Don\u00adald Trump\u2019s pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial aspi\u00adra\u00adtions, such an alle\u00adga\u00adtion requires more spe\u00adcif\u00adic evidence.<\/p>\n

Clin\u00adton\u2019s role in approv\u00ading Rus\u00adsi\u00ada\u2019s acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion of Ura\u00adni\u00adum One does, how\u00adev\u00ader, cast doubt on the idea that Putin would be uncom\u00adfort\u00adable with hav\u00ading a Clin\u00adton (or two) in the White House.  Pre\u00advi\u00adous inter\u00adac\u00adtions between the Russ\u00adian klep\u00adto\u00adcrat and the Clin\u00adtons, after all, have proven to be mutu\u00adal\u00adly beneficial.<\/p>\n

More Ser\u00adi\u00adal Capit\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions Ahead?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Putin also no doubt takes heart from the expec\u00adta\u00adtion that Clin\u00adton would con\u00adtin\u00adue the Oba\u00adma administration\u2019s for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy.  That pol\u00adi\u00adcy has helped Putin enlarge his influ\u00adence both in his \u201cnear abroad\u201d and beyond.  Its leit\u00admo\u00adtif has been to launch bel\u00adli\u00adcose rhetoric against Russ\u00adian action before slow\u00adly bend\u00ading to Putin\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

When Syr\u00adi\u00adan Pres\u00adi\u00addent Bashar Assad crossed Pres\u00adi\u00addent Obama\u2019s \u201cred line\u201d in Syr\u00adia by using chem\u00adi\u00adcal weapons against his own peo\u00adple, Putin dis\u00adsuad\u00aded Oba\u00adma from pur\u00adsu\u00ading the threat\u00adened mil\u00adi\u00adtary inter\u00adven\u00adtion against his client.  Putin instead prod\u00added Assad to destroy his stock\u00adpile of chem\u00adi\u00adcal weapons. Oba\u00adma pro\u00adnounced him\u00adself sat\u00adis\u00adfied. Assad has con\u00adtin\u00adued to use chem\u00adi\u00adcal weapons<\/a> despite the agreement.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s annex\u00ada\u00adtion of Crimea and inva\u00adsion of east\u00adern Ukraine prompt\u00aded more Amer\u00adi\u00adcan saber-rat\u00adtling, but the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion has refused the elect\u00aded gov\u00adern\u00adment in Kiev the weapons and sup\u00adport it has request\u00aded to resist the Russ\u00adian occu\u00adpa\u00adtion. Instead, the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion imposed eco\u00adnom\u00adic sanc\u00adtions against cer\u00adtain Russ\u00adian cit\u00adi\u00adzens and cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions, a strat\u00ade\u00adgy that has proven inef\u00adfec\u00adtu\u00adal. As a result, Putin con\u00adtin\u00adues to exert direct or indi\u00adrect con\u00adtrol over vast por\u00adtions of Ukrain\u00adian territory.<\/p>\n

When Rus\u00adsia last year sent troops and air pow\u00ader to Syr\u00adia to res\u00adcue the embat\u00adtled Assad regime, the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion expressed strong oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion.  Hav\u00ading long called for Assad\u2019s ouster, senior admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion offi\u00adcials warned that Russ\u00adian mil\u00adi\u00adtary inter\u00adven\u00adtion was \u201cdoomed to fail\u00adure<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year lat\u00ader, with the oper\u00ada\u00adtion joint\u00adly con\u00adduct\u00aded by Rus\u00adsia, Assad and the Iran\u00adian-backed ter\u00adror\u00adist group Hezbol\u00adlah on the verge of vic\u00adto\u00adry, Sec\u00adre\u00adtary Ker\u00adry is implor\u00ading the Rus\u00adsians to allow us to coop\u00ader\u00adate<\/a> with them in mil\u00adi\u00adtary efforts in Syria.<\/p>\n

It is dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to con\u00adceive why Putin would not thrill to the prospect of four more years of ser\u00adi\u00adal White House capitulations.<\/p>\n

Did Trump Urge Putin To Hack Hillary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are nev\u00ader\u00adthe\u00adless told that Putin is pro\u00admot\u00ading<\/a> Trump\u2019s can\u00addi\u00adda\u00adcy.  The press went fur\u00adther this week, report\u00ading that Trump had invit\u00aded the Rus\u00adsians to hack<\/a> into Clinton\u2019s miss\u00ading State Depart\u00adment emails, a charge the Trump cam\u00adpaign denies.<\/p>\n

I am loathe to defend Trump, but he did noth\u00ading of the sort.  He said that if the Rus\u00adsians have the State Depart\u00adment emails that Hillary destroyed, they should release them.<\/p>\n

Hack\u00ading would be of no use at this point.  Fed\u00ader\u00adal agents already have tried and failed to recov\u00ader the emails.  They \u201care now gone,\u201d FBI<\/span> Direc\u00adtor James Comey said in a state\u00adment<\/a>,<\/span> \u201cbecause they [Clin\u00adton and her asso\u00adciates] delet\u00aded all e\u2011mails they did not return to State, and the lawyers [for Clin\u00adton] cleaned their devices in such a way as to pre\u00adclude com\u00adplete foren\u00adsic recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putin is no more able to obtain those emails than is the FBI<\/span>. Unless, of course, he hacked the Clin\u00adton email serv\u00ader dur\u00ading her tenure as Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State.  In that case, he swiped them before Hillary destroyed them.<\/p>\n

New Wave Of Russophobia<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that, I sus\u00adpect, is a big rea\u00adson Clinton\u2019s team is agi\u00adtat\u00ading this new wave of Rus\u00adso\u00adpho\u00adbia.  She and her lawyers no doubt had good rea\u00adson to take care in shield\u00ading those emails from the pry\u00ading eyes of fed\u00ader\u00adal inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtors. But there remains a pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty \u2014 how\u00adev\u00ader remote \u2014 that some\u00adone else obtained them before their destruction.<\/p>\n

Should the emails sur\u00adface and prove polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dam\u00adag\u00ading, Clin\u00adton would have few options. Alleg\u00ading that their release was part of a plot by a hos\u00adtile for\u00adeign leader to put his pup\u00adpet in the Oval Office might be her only recourse.<\/p>\n

Hav\u00ading already staked its dimin\u00adished rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion on ped\u00addling this nar\u00adra\u00adtive, the New York Times will buy in. Its acolytes among cor\u00adpo\u00adrate news out\u00adlets will swal\u00adlow it whole.<\/p>\n

The major\u00adi\u00adty of vot\u00aders may not.<\/p>\n

What\u00adev\u00ader the out\u00adcome, the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan peo\u00adple will choose the next pres\u00adi\u00addent, unaf\u00adfect\u00aded by the pre\u00adsumed inter\u00adven\u00adtions of any for\u00adeign leader.<\/p>\n

If we choose Mrs. Clin\u00adton, there may well be much rejoic\u00ading in the Kremlin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Per\u00adhaps because I\u2019m in Italy, I\u2019ve not been infect\u00aded by the con\u00adta\u00adgion that has spread more rapid\u00adly than the Zika virus: the febrile notion that Russ\u00adian pres\u00adi\u00addent Vladimir Putin is sub\u00advert\u00ading our elec\u00adtoral process in an effort to elect Don\u00adald \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1172,1173,1285,158,587,1065,441,845],"tags":[512,1174,316,1190,440,1198,1205,847],"class_list":["post-4081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-presidential-election","category-donald-trump","category-foreign-policy","category-national-security","category-putin","category-russia","category-syria","category-ukraine","tag-assad","tag-donald-trump","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-president-obama","tag-russia","tag-syria","tag-ukraine","tag-vladimir-putin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t