The point has been made that American interests globally have included covert operations intrusive to the body politic of other nations. The CIA has often been at the center of these activities. This is a part of our history in the era in which we emerged as the premier military power on the planet. Once you delve into that history and know it better, one can find oneself asking if all these covert activities, and the brutal regimes we have at times supported, is "good". Invariably, moral issues crop up once one understands many innocent people die in pursuit of American global interests. It's an "ugly" world out there.
How is history really going to judge the American era? Which way one breaks on that question can lead to the left, or to the right. Breaking far to the right, patriotism can be seen as a secular religion. The emotional component can swamp reason. I'm very leery of emotion swamping reason. It's one big reason Trump's style worried me. And still does. I'm a citizen of Earth, but I don't expect tribalism to lose sway. I expect to die a stranger in a strange land.
The question of hypocrisy, where state intrusion, covertly, into the politics of other states, is not irrelevant here. But the original question was simply "is Russia trying to help Trump?" It's something that made a few appearances in the news cycle during the election. The most sensational moment was, naturally, provided by Trump. When he spoke directly to Russia and invited more revelations, more Hillary emails. But like so much where Trump and this election is concerned, it was in one collective ear, and out the other. Just another surreal moment in a daily litany of surreal moments.
Now, here the question is, suddenly front and center. It's longest run in the news cycle to date. Congrats, lame stream media. Better late then never I guess, Obama. I think the question of CIA intrusions into other nations is a great topic for another thread. Yeah, we've intruded covertly into other nations, but does that mean when we catch a covert sucker punch, we do nothing? Or, if you are the citizenry of the affected nation, you refuse to be pissed off about it? You decide you would rather not be a hypocrite, and just take it and shut up about it? I'm a little extreme here, because I do regard what Putin did as an attack. McCain called it "a form of warfare", and I think we should treat it that seriously. Involving the 2016 election, already seemingly the most important in our lifetimes up to this point(surely that case can be made?). But, fundamentally an attack on our democratic institutions. If a person can't be affronted by that, pissed off by that, but instead dwells on our own "misdeeds", then at the least that is not much respect for our sovereignty. I'm not much of a patriot, but it's plenty enough to piss me off. Has been for many months now.
And if a person can't be pissed at this form of attack of our democracy, but instead sees it dispassionately as doing to us what we've done to others, I can understand "the evil empire" getting there's attitude, not a fan of imperial attitudes toward the globe, but after Putin just killed thousands of children in Aleppo, he's not the kind of guy I let get away with treating us with this kind of disrespect. We pay this guy back.
Some people get a kick out of liberals. I get a kick out of people who don't recognize the level of disrespect toward our country that this represents, and who actually are puzzled by the concern.
