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In reply to the discussion: Want to know why that Meeting with Merkel and Trump was frosty...? [View all]Botany
(70,897 posts)33. Trump's history of being anti NATO and pro Putin is out there
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/04/when-donald-trump-was-more-anti-nato-than-vladimir-putin.html
Michael Morrell, a former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, broke dramatically with the protocol of most ex-spies when he used spook parlance to describe Republican nominee Donald Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation, albeit in the course of endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
The colloquial term for the sort of person Morrell was talking about is useful idiot, someone enlisted in the Kremlins cause through sympathy, or shared interests, or, indeed, ignorance, without actually intending to be a pawn. But, as Putin certainly knows, the problem with useful idiots is that they tend to be insecure and erratic, whereas witting agents are tutored in how to be disciplined and self-controlled.
Trump is too illogical and self-contradictory to be of much use to a hostile foreign power except as a naturally occurring battering ram against the very institutions and beliefs that power would like to see weakened or destroyed. Trumps opponent (whom Putin assuredly does not want to see inhabit the White House) and U.S. democracy at large are the truer objects of a Russian state-run information and cyber-espionage program. That Trumps vulgar and demoralizing campaign is ripping apart America on the path to making it great again is simply an added bonus for the former KGB colonel.
Michael Morrell, a former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, broke dramatically with the protocol of most ex-spies when he used spook parlance to describe Republican nominee Donald Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation, albeit in the course of endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
The colloquial term for the sort of person Morrell was talking about is useful idiot, someone enlisted in the Kremlins cause through sympathy, or shared interests, or, indeed, ignorance, without actually intending to be a pawn. But, as Putin certainly knows, the problem with useful idiots is that they tend to be insecure and erratic, whereas witting agents are tutored in how to be disciplined and self-controlled.
Trump is too illogical and self-contradictory to be of much use to a hostile foreign power except as a naturally occurring battering ram against the very institutions and beliefs that power would like to see weakened or destroyed. Trumps opponent (whom Putin assuredly does not want to see inhabit the White House) and U.S. democracy at large are the truer objects of a Russian state-run information and cyber-espionage program. That Trumps vulgar and demoralizing campaign is ripping apart America on the path to making it great again is simply an added bonus for the former KGB colonel.
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Got my fingers crossed that Dumpty suffers the same faith ad the Trading Places millionaires
iluvtennis
Mar 2017
#87
Tourists from elsewhere are already choosing other destinations. Trump has already sent
tblue37
Mar 2017
#18
Considering the detaining and aggressive questioning of Australian bestselling children's
tblue37
Mar 2017
#25
Lol...I've been wanting an excuse to use that one for a long time! Glad you liked it!
Docreed2003
Mar 2017
#65
So the reason it was frosty is probably because Merkel folded up the bill and tossed it.
randome
Mar 2017
#20
Great News.....Drip, Drip,..The Trump Stupid Asshole Exposes Himself to the World..
Stuart G
Mar 2017
#40
I think trump could not care less about NATO - he is just interested in making more money
DrDan
Mar 2017
#70
That's not how the NATO agreement works anyway. It's not a bank that you pay money to.
Demit
Mar 2017
#58
What a complete Putin tool Trump is. The U.S. News seems to continue to pretend he must be accepted
PoliticalPie
Mar 2017
#66
Copy of that bill should be sent to the Senate & House investigating committees
MrPurple
Mar 2017
#77
If one ever needed proof that Drumpf is just a dirty f'in mobster at heart, this should suffice.
mr_lebowski
Mar 2017
#80
I wonder why he didn't hand her a bill for WWII and make her apologize for Hitler.
grantcart
Mar 2017
#81