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Senators Accuse Russia Of Disrupting US Election (washingtonpost.com)
An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes The Washington Post:
Two senior Democratic lawmakers with access to classified intelligence on Thursday accused Russia of "making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election," a charge that appeared aimed at putting pressure on the Obama administration to confront Moscow... "At the least, this effort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes," the statement said. "We believe that orders for the Russian intelligence agencies to conduct such actions could come only from very senior levels of the Russian government..."
White House officials have repeatedly insisted that they are awaiting the outcome of a formal FBI investigation, even though U.S. intelligence are said to have concluded with "high confidence" that Russia was responsible for the DNC breach and other attacks. The White House hesitation has become a source of frustration to critics, including senior members of Congress.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are reportedly investigating whether Donald Trump's foreign policy adviser "opened up private communications with senior Russian officials -- including talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes president."
White House officials have repeatedly insisted that they are awaiting the outcome of a formal FBI investigation, even though U.S. intelligence are said to have concluded with "high confidence" that Russia was responsible for the DNC breach and other attacks. The White House hesitation has become a source of frustration to critics, including senior members of Congress.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are reportedly investigating whether Donald Trump's foreign policy adviser "opened up private communications with senior Russian officials -- including talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes president."
As if the US never tries to influence elections in many many countries. Oh, wait .. they don't matter. They are not the US.
"Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are reportedly investigating whether Donald Trump's foreign policy adviser "opened up private communications with senior Russian officials -- including talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes president."
WTF? There's no reason for the 'intelligence officials' to get involved with this, it's perfectly legal behaviour for a candidate. That it is being sprayed about is a measure of desperation of some people to stop Trump. Whilst I have sympathy with their purpose, their behaviour is deeply wrong.
The US, of course, has never tried to interfere with, or influence, a foreign election.
Anyway, I actually doubt that Russia in interfering at all, in 2016. The political elite in the US have produced the current situation all by itself: people are fed up with being presented with a non-choice (it was supposed to be Jeb vs. Hillary), so they did their damnedest to make it Bernie vs. Trump. Half succeeded, too, and Trump's chances are looking pretty good.
Pisses of the political elite no end, and since nothing could possibly be their fault, it must be the Ruskies. Or maybe aliens.
Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
If they are behind the leaks of the DNC emails that showed Sanders was never going to be allowed to run that's something every registered Democrat had a right to know.
If they are behind the release of the fact Obama used a pseudonym to email hillary, despite the fact he denied having any knowledge of her private email. That's good to know too.
Then there is the price list for all the government posts that were handed out.
At the very least they have done us one hell of a favor.
DOESN'T IT SUCK to have people spying on YOUR Communications? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Serves You Right!
If there is any, and I mean *any*, evidence that Trumps communications to said senior Russian officials came with a "wink and a nod", or indeed anything more specific, then there is every reason for the FBI to get involved....
And of course, selling a third of our Uranium reserves to Russia or selling dual-use technology to Russia doesn't count. It's not important, and was scrubbed from someone's Wikipedia entry.
Thinking through the outrage over Palmer Luckey (Oculus Rift founder) from his support of Trump, and all the crass, oafish things that have happened during this election, one thing seems clear.
The time to address these issues is after the election.
That's the only time where anyone can legitimately claim that their concern is real, and not partisan sniping.
The ends don't justify the means, and it's not worth tearing down the system "just this once". Getting your candidate elected is not worth sacrificing their legitimacy to do it.
If your candidate was worth his/her salt, then you wouldn't need any of these dirty tricks. Right now, the only limits we should have are legal ones.
I note that while Lyndon Johnson was negotiating the end of the Vietnam War, [candidate for president] Richard Nixon called up [Vietnam revolutionary leader] Pol Pot and said that if he delayed negotiations, Nixon would give him a better deal when elected. Negotiations failed, Nixon was elected and the Vietnam war was extended for 2 more years.
This was an American citizen interfering in the political process of the US, and promising aid to our enemy. It was clearly illegal, and the FBI of the time knew about it.
And did nothing. Illegal, and the FBI did nothing. Ring a bell?
Recently, Hillary literally(*) accused Trump of treason. That seems a bit over the line even for Democrats, and it seems illegal on it's face.
But now is not the time to complain, we've let these people have the run of our media, our internet, and our zeitgeist. Let's let it play out for another 6 weeks, then we can carefully examine these things with the benefit of hindsight.
(*) Using the correct definition of literally
FTFA: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam B. Schiff"
Schiff is in the House, not the Senate. Furthermore, where did they get this rock solid information from?
Clapper, the guy that lied to congress about intelligence activities.
I think that says it all.
One of which is the fact that Tony Podesta, a big Hillary bundler and brother of John Podesta, her campaign manager, is registered lobbyist for Putin's bank:
Snip.
And this is just one of many Clinton ties to Putin...
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
Er, "Americans turning inward..."? According to The Washington Post two weeks ago, “While Americans savored the last moments of summer this Labor Day weekend, the U.S. military was busy overseas as warplanes conducted strikes in six countries in a flurry of attacks". https://www.washingtonpost.com...
Many people around the world devoutly wish that Americans would "turn inward" and occupy themselves with their own business, instead of killing foreigners for their own good.
I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
Yea and Hillary is so weak she needs to have Elections rigged and media protecting her from her crimes 24/7
It's not nearly as simple as that. True, people can always be found to "demand" that the USA "do something". But then, people can always be found to demand that any government "do something". Often that "something" turns out to be profitable for the people who do the demanding. But whether the loud demands are at all representative of what people in general want... that's a different question.
The USA is supposed to fund UN peacekeeping missions - actually, a very inexpensive commitment compared to fighting wars - because all the 193 member nations do so. Likewise with other routine UN functions. Please note that the US government was instrumental and took a leadership role in setting up the UN, which is why its headquarters is in New York. Many of us would prefer it to be in a different, preferably small and non-aligned nation.
The anti-pirate patrols are much appreciated and have done a lot of good. However, there is a strong argument that local nations should indeed perform that role instead; that way they would be more inclined to address the root causes of piracy.
I don't believe anyone ever demanded that the USA become the "World Police", and your rude comment about Europeans is wholly unjustified. Indeed, a study of history suggests that it was far more the choice of Americans and their government to occupy Europe (and Japan) than that of the locals. Of course, as of 1945 the USA was the world's wealthiest and most powerful nation, having remained neutral for the first two years and three months of WW2 in Europe. Thus, when WW2 ended, the USA was the only major nation whose own territory had not been invaded or bombed. Germany was shattered and decimated. Italy was little better. The USSR had lost one in seven of all its people - soldiers and civilians - over 25 million dead. Britain had not suffered so many deaths, but was utterly bankrupt due to the cost of fighting both world wars. (The UK finished repaying its war debts to the USA in 2006).
Under the circumstances, I find the expression "lazy f'kers in Europe" extremely offensive and unfair.
I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.