Two of a Kind; Birds of a
Feather; Cut from the Same Cloth; Mirror Image
Trump always has been, still
is, and will try to be the only show in town (or so he says). He would be a “one-man administration”
in the Oval Office running it like a new business, some fancy new product line, or new TV reality show.
The latest: Trump apparently does
not trust U.S. intelligence agencies and especially when it comes to talking about
threats now or ever from Russia and Vlad Putin. This story from
here, and in part below (Chicago Tribune from the Washington Post).
Former senior national
security officials are dismayed at Trump and his repeated refusal to accept their
judgment and that of many intelligence professionals about it was Russia who
hacked and stole files from the DNC computers in an effort to influence our
national election, and to some extent still are hacking and attempting to spoil
or totally destroy our entire electoral process.
Former officials, who have
served presidents in both parties for decades, say they are still bewildered even
after Trump cast doubt on Russia's role even after he received a classified
briefing on the subject and then again after he heard or read an unusually
blunt statement from those agencies saying they were “confident that Moscow had
orchestrated the hack attacks.
Trump for his part has
assured supporters that, if elected, he would surround himself with experts on
defense and foreign affairs, where he has little experience, but when it comes
to Russia, he also made it clear that he is not listening to intelligence
officials, some former officials have said.
Some officials and their statements
and views on this:
Retired Gen. Michael Hayden former
director of the CIA and the NSA said about Trump's pronouncements: “It defies
logic. He seems to ignore their (agency) advice. Why would you assume this
would change when he is in office? It's
remarkable that he's refused to say an unkind syllable about Vladimir Putin. He
contorts himself not to criticize Putin,” Hayden concluded.
Note: Trump has consistently adopted positions likely to find favor with the Kremlin. He has, for instance, criticized NATO allies for not paying their fair share and defended Putin’s human rights record, like bombing civilians all over Syria.
Then this irony: Trump's VP mate, Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN), said in his vice-presidential debate that the United States should “use military force” against the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Trump disagreed with Pence saying we should in essence join Assad and Russia and Iran to fight ISIS and I guess, continue to bomb Syrians back to the Stone Age (or so he implies).
Note: Trump has consistently adopted positions likely to find favor with the Kremlin. He has, for instance, criticized NATO allies for not paying their fair share and defended Putin’s human rights record, like bombing civilians all over Syria.
Then this irony: Trump's VP mate, Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN), said in his vice-presidential debate that the United States should “use military force” against the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Trump disagreed with Pence saying we should in essence join Assad and Russia and Iran to fight ISIS and I guess, continue to bomb Syrians back to the Stone Age (or so he implies).
Former acting CIA director
John E. McLaughlin said that all previous presidential candidates took the
briefings to heart, adding: “In my experience, candidates have taken into the
account the information they have received and modulated their comments. Mr.
Trump, on the other hand, is playing politics. He's trying to diminish the
impression people have that a Russian hack of the DNC somehow helps his cause.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA),
ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said information she
received has led her to conclude that Russia is attempting “to fix this
election,” and she called on Trump and elected officials from both parties “to
vocally and forcefully reject those efforts.”
Former CIA Lawyer John Rizzo,
who served under seven presidents and became the agency's acting general
counsel said: “I don't recall a previous candidate saying they didn't believe
or trust the information from an intelligence briefing. These are career
people. They are not administration officials. What do those comments do to
their morale and credibility?”
Other former
intelligence officials interviewed believe Trump is either willfully disputing
intelligence assessments, has a blind spot on Russia, or perhaps doesn't
understand the nonpartisan traditions and approach of intelligence
professionals. For example, in the first presidential debate, right after
intelligence and congressional officials stated Russia almost certainly broke
into the DNC computers, Trump quipped on national TV: “I don't think anybody
knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. I mean, it could be Russia, but it
could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be
somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay?”
Continue the story here
(Chicago Tribune from the Washington Post).
This story illustrates another
serious side of Trump that displays his total arrogance and stupidity. It reinforces
that I called his act as “a one-man show” who wants to handle everything by
himself and now adds this to his long string of other stupid comments like: “I
know more about ISIS than the Generals do” or “I am the only one who can fix
things.”
Donald J. Trump should never
be near the White House except maybe on a visitor’s weekend tour, but certainly
never on duty as the CINC. He is a menace to national sanity by any standard.
Thanks for stopping by – come
again and vote on November 8th like everything depends on it – because
it does.
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