President Donald Trump met last April with the Russian ambassador at the center of a pair of controversies over engagement between Trump allies and the Kremlin, despite claims by his spokeswoman that he had "zero" involvement with Russian officials during the campaign. ... But the meeting is at odds with White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders’ claim last week that Trump had "no interaction" with Russian government officials during the campaign.This is just jaw-droppingingly stupid. Trump and his people could have denied any "substantive" meeting or said something along the lines of "His Fraudulency has met a lot of people at receptions, he might have talked briefly with the Russian ambassador at such an event."
"The big point here is the president himself knows what his involvement was, and that’s zero," Sanders told reporters on March 3. “And I think that he’s the primary person that should be held responsible, and he had no interaction, and I think that’s what the story should be focused on.”
But no, they denied any meeting at all. "Zero interaction."
And so, more and more, it looks like this:
(Credit)
It's fucking amateur hour in the West Wing. And even Trump's handler isn't happy. As the article points out, Russia was like the GOP was during Obama's presidency: In a position to throw rocks and cast shade, but with no real responsibility for anything. If Trump manages to implode American power, as he more and more seems bent on doing (whether by design or utter fecklessness), the Russians and the Chinese will have to step up and take over.
Russia really ain't capable of doing much beyond their contiguous neighbors. Oh, Putin may have dreams of expanding Russia to its former empire, but one thing that's been shown true over the last century, if not more, and that's empires cost money. Far more money than they are worth.
Frankly, I imagine that the Russians and the Chinese, when they think hard about it, would privately prefer that the United States continue to spend its treasury to keep some semblance of global stability. That way, they don't have to. And they aren't ending up globally contending with each other.
Trump may fuck up the world more than Sykes-Picot did.
Do you suppose that this is what he meant about other countries paying their fair share? Me neither.
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland
Russia lacks the real capacity to control much more than the old elements of the USSR. China is Russia's real concern these days, and might be why Putin wants to have Donnie in bed with him. Chinese freedom in the South China Sea area would help Russia, and that seems to be what Donnie is effectively doing, despite the efforts of his advisors. Of course, China is looking over its shoulder at India. Europe can handle itself, however, it cannot secure resources without the US policeman, unless it teams with China to counterbalance Russia.
ReplyDeleteAnd the administration has gutted the State Department. A SOP of great value to Putin. Payback to the Russians for helping the Trump win?
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