The Manchurian Candidate
Roger C. Kostmayer
The community of nations is a difficult and dangerous neighborhood. In the past, skillful diplomacy has avoided wars, won wars, rebuilt nations and established relationships and alliances that brought peace and prosperity to much of the world.
For more than 240 years, US Presidents and their Secretaries of State used their intelligence, skill, character and personal credibility to help a former British colony become the most powerful and peace loving leader in the world. The US is now at an inflection point because a President, lacking both knowledge and diplomatic skills, seems bent on destroying ally relationships while toadying to our most dangerous enemies and adversaries – such as Russia, China and North Korea.
After he recently met with North Korea’s leader Kim, President Trump announced to the world that NK was no longer a nuclear threat to destroy US population centers. “I trust him” the President said. This was not only a dangerous lie to the American people, by someone who receives daily intelligence briefings, it flew in the face of intelligence confirming that NK and Kim are lying, cheating, increasing and hiding nuclear assets. And Trump just arranged a private meeting with Russian President Putin, after which he will probably announce that all US intelligence confirming Russia’s cyber attacks on the US are fake and that “I trust him”.
Perhaps only Robert Mueller III and the IRS will be able to explain why this American President is carrying out Putin’s wish list while he and his family made $500 million.
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Like it or not, might makes right. Always has and always will. As for skillful diplomacy, that only works when there is respect for our might.
To think otherwise is simply delusional.
Mr. Kostmayer, you bitch and moan about the Right, about our President, and about everything else being done to bring back our American way of life and protect it from invaders, but you never make any suggestions to help President Trump, or our government, why is that, Mr. Knowitall? Do you have a special agenda? Smells like borsch to me!
Mr. Kostmayer…I totally agree with Mary Smith’s comments. You sir, are “dummer than a sack of hammers”..!!
When it’s all said and done, Ms. Clinton will never be President!
Ms Mary Smith,
You asked for constructive suggestions- which is a fair question. I believe we should do everything possible to increase voting, from 54% (2016 presidential election) to close to 90% participation in our democracy.
Simultaneously, we need campaign finance reform that eliminates all secret (individual and corporate) political contributions (which are, essentially, bribes) so elections would be equally and publicly funded, as well as shorter time limited. Thus, more folks would vote, and their votes would count more.
And, no, I don’t have a “special agenda” other than, probably like you, advocating what I believe is best for our country by contributing to the public debate in today’s village square.
Roger,
Again you are so insightful as it relates to US Foreign Policy. I am astounded. Purely amazing. Wow.
In regard to Russia, Pres Trump is a lightweight. I wish Pres Trump would adopt Pres Obama’s policies toward Russia. Pres Trump can learn a lot from them!
These are some of the highlights of Pres Obama’s Russia policies:
2009 Sec of State “Hillary Clinton and Sergei Lavrov with the “reset” button Clinton presented to Lavrov”
2009 “the Obama administration announced that plans for ‘the United States missile defense complex in Poland’ project had been scrapped.”
2012 “President Barack Obama mocked Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign for calling Russia “our No. 1 geopolitical foe.””
2012 Pres. “Obama telling Medvedev that “after my election I will have more flexibility,””
2014 “Russia made several military incursions into Ukrainian territory”
2014 “The Crimean peninsula was annexed from Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February–March 2014”
2015 “Russia has had direct military involvement in Syria” supporting Pres Assad’s civil war
“we need campaign finance reform that eliminates all secret (individual and corporate) political contributions (which are, essentially, bribes) so elections would be equally and publicly funded,”
As this was “for the progressive cause, these were not bribes…just gifts”.
WaPo “Politics How mega-donors helped raise $1 billion for Hillary Clinton”
Open Secrets “Top Contributors, federal election data for Hillary Clinton, 2016 cycle
Contributor Total
Paloma Partners $21,613,800
Pritzker Group $16,626,207
Renaissance Technologies $16,543,000
Saban Capital Group $12,283,411
Newsweb Corp $11,016,642
Soros Fund Management $10,556,793
Asana $6,005,556
Slim-Fast Foods $6,005,400
Lone Pine Capital $5,015,300
Carpenters & Joiners Union $5,005,954
Laborers Union $4,753,623
DE Shaw Research $4,058,757
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union $4,008,894
Herb & Marion Sandler/Sandler Foundation $4,002,700
Laurel Foundation $3,422,863
Operating Engineers Union $3,012,155
Bohemian Foundation $3,005,400
American Federation of Teachers $2,598,462
Bls Investments $2,530,400
Emerson Collective $2,509,535
“Perhaps only Robert Mueller III and the IRS will be able to explain why this American President is carrying out Putin’s wish list while he and his family made $500 million.
Roger, another brilliant observation. It has been determined from “anecdotal information” and ‘unspecified sources’ that the following (Russian collusion) occurred in the 2016 Election.
Anecdotally from ‘unspecified sources’, Evan Bogdanovich was a Russian Government Analyst (Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)) who was working out of an igloo in Siberia.
Bogdanovich masterminded the plan for Mr. Trump to win the 2016 election.
• Bogdanovich directed Mr. Trump’s campaign which Mr. Trump followed dutifully
• Directed Mr. Trump to campaign in Michigan and Wisconsin which Ms. Clinton completely avoided
• Mr. Trump was to make multiple campaign stops a day (106 stops total).
• Bogdanovich analyzed that Ms. Clinton was only managing minimal campaign stops per week but spending lots of time meeting with big money, bourgeois donors (71 stops total)
• Mr. Bogdanovich continues his liaison with the Trump team to direct their activities.
From additional “anecdotal information” from ‘unspecified sources’, it was reported that Mr. Bogdanovich was rewarded for his successful efforts with a weekend in the “Bernie Sanders Honeymoon Suite” in Yaroslavl, Russia. Bogdanovich was very happy and grateful. (It has been reported from ‘unspecified sources’ that the Mueller team is attempting to contact Mr. Bogdanovich to interview him about this ‘matter’.)
Bloomberg 2016 “How Bernie Sanders Spent His Soviet ‘Honeymoon’ (1988)”
Politico 2016 “How Clinton lost Michigan — and blew the election”
NY Times 2016 “Where Has Hillary Clinton Been? Ask the Ultrarich”
FiveThirtyEight 2016 “The Last 10 Weeks Of 2016 Campaign Stops”
Mary Smith writes “Smells like borsch to me!”
Roger, if you have forgotten Mother Russia, search Epicurious, they have a recipe (sounds authentic and make you feel at home) for TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN BORSCHT
I dislike borscht.
Sounds to me as if John, Mary and I are singing from the same hymnal regarding Russia. We should NOT be doing what this administration is doing diplomatically: Which is treating dangerous adversaries & dictatorships who mean us harm, like Russia and North Korea, like best friends; and we should NOT treat our friends and neighbors who are valued allies and democracies- like Canada, Mexico and the EU – like enemies. Simple – it’s dumb, dangerous and counter productive.
“regarding Russia. We should NOT be doing what this administration is doing diplomatically:”
Most significant Obama Russia policy for Trump to follow:
In 2012 “President Barack Obama mocked Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign for calling Russia “our No. 1 geopolitical foe.””
Yes, Russia is an oppressive bear, one that isn’t afraid to do dirty deeds for the Pontius Pilates of the world who like to wring their hands clean, while enabling proxies to do their dirty work…
Whoa, I say whoa…are you telling me that Russia is not a “We are the World” member?
So you are saying Russia is being historic Russia from the time of the Czars (1514): expansionist, need for warm water ports, nationalistically unapologetic, working for its’ self interest and internally repressive. So Russia is back to being itself!
Too bad the west no longer studies or wants to study history.
Oh for those geography challenged, Palin was correct.
“At its narrowest point…However, if including the Russian-owned island of Big Diomede and the American-owned island Little Diomede, Alaska and Russia come as close as 2 1/2 miles to one another”
When I stepped foot in Parris Island, SC on April fools day 1969, the first thing recruits learned to recite before ‘hitting the rack’ was:
The age of the Corps is 193 years of rump stump, ass-kicking, death and destruction. I dedicate my Marine Corps training to the destrction of the Viet Cong and will hive them every opportunity to die for their country.
What happened since then? Red blooded males are giving up the ghost.
Time to reinstate the draft and to raise the wage of the head of the household.
“Red blooded males are giving up the ghost.”
It’s not all lost because some are identifying as female with a male body. Others, are identifying as “trans-speciecial wolf, mink, etc”. These usually have a primordial blood thirst and mating drive!
Ah for those history challenged,
Mother Russia encompassed a country from Eastern Poland (recently as 1918), south to Crimea (1950’s?), east including Alaska (1867) and their fur traders ventured as far south as middle California.
That Russia.
I’m surprised that Putin hasn’t urged Russian citizens to rush into Alaska (like the new Mexican President) to take back Alaska! The US having open borders and all that!