Thursday, December 29, 2016

IS OBAMA JUST MAKING TROUBLE FOR THE NEW PRESIDENT WITH HIS LAME-DUCK MOVES AGAINST RUSSIA ???


President Elect Donald Trump pushes-back hard on Lame-duck President Obama’s threats of reprisals against Russia

 

Trump’s verbal barbs weren’t only directed at his current Democrat counterpart  ---  Trump says he doesn’t know what Republican Senator Lindsay Graham is talking about when mentioning targeted sanctions personally directed at Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin;  adding that he doesn’t talk to Graham

 

By making his threats against Russia, Lame-duck Obama might be leaving his successor with a more complex problem than is necessary  ---  Russia expresses its annoyance at Obama’s stance and promises to respond in kind to any U.S. actions


THE WASHINGTON POST REPORT 


According to a report in the Washington Post,  President-elect Donald Trump’s pushback against his lame-duck counterpart was more like a very hard ceremonial shove  ---   “President-elect Donald Trump distanced himself Wednesday night from the Obama administration’s plans to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, telling reporters  ‘I think we ought to get on with our lives.’…  Trump, appearing at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., was asked what he thought about the Obama administration’s plans to sanction Russia for what U.S. intelligence officials say was state-sanctioned hacking of Democratic organizations, targeting of state election systems and meddling in the U.S. presidential election…. ‘I think we ought to get on with our lives,’ Trump said in response. ‘I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what’s going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure we have the kind the security we need.’…”. (See  “Trump on alleged election interference by Russia: ‘Get on with our lives’” by John Wagner, 12/28/16, Washington Post   [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/12/28/trump-on-alleged-election-interference-by-russia-get-on-with-our-lives/?utm_term=.789d9f6402b4 ];  same as [http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-on-alleged-election-interference-by-russia-%E2%80%98get-on-with-our-lives%E2%80%99/ar-BBxFD8j?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp]).



Questioning also turned toward proposals raised by GOP hawks, Lindsay Graham and John McCain.   According to John Wagner’s reporting for the Washington Post,   “….Asked in particular about comments Wednesday by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) that sanctions should hit Russian leader Vladimir Putin “as an individual,” Trump demurred….  ‘I don’t know what he’s doing,’ Trump said of Graham. ‘I haven’t spoken to him. As you know, he ran against me.’…  Trump, whom critics have accused of being too cozy with Putin, was referring to Graham’s failed 2016 bid for the Republican presidential nomination….”



The WaPo article also made note of the following:   “….  During the election, several Democratic email accounts were hacked, including those of the Democratic National Committee and of John Podesta, the chairman of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign….  U.S. officials have pinned the blame on the Russian government -- a finding that Trump has repeatedly said he views skeptically….   administration officials are pushing Obama to respond before leaving office.” 



THE IBT REPORT


A report on the same story that appeared in the International Business Times made President Elect Trump’s remarks seem even tougher and more significant  (See  Trump On Russia Sanctions: President-Elect Urges US To ‘Get On With Our Lives’ Ahead Of Obama Administration’s Possible Restrictions”  by Seerat Chabba, 12/29/16,  IBT/National   [http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-russia-sanctions-president-elect-urges-us-get-our-lives-ahead-obama-2466778]).   According to the IBT report,  President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday showed no inclination toward sanctioning Russia, despite President Barack Obama’s push for the country to take steps against Russia over its alleged interference in the election that saw Trump emerge victorious…." 


The IBT report by Seerat Chabba also mentioned Russia’s response to Obama’s threats  ---  “….  Russia has said it will respond to any 'hostile steps' by the U.S., denying all allegations of attempting to influence the elections....  'If Washington really does take new hostile steps, they will be answered ... any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the US will immediately bounce back on US diplomats in Russia,' CNN quoted the official representative for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, as saying in a statement....  Zakharova added: 'Frankly, we are tired about the lies about Russian hackers — it’s misinformation by Obama administration aimed at providing an excuse for its own failure.'..."



 


20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Certainly, Obama is causing no more trouble with Russia than what he's doing with respect to Israel

Anonymous said...

oh yeah, the Clintons got ripped off

now they know how it feels

Justice was not served up by Loretta 'I'm always looking for something" Lynch, but, by the Russians. Thats rich !!

Speaking of Marc Rich does anyone doubt the Clintons will get Pardons?

Anonymous said...

Lame reprisals by a childlike lame duck president.

How is any of this supposed to "box in" the new President Trump in any way? How can anybody take anything that Obama is doing in the last few days of his presidency seriously?

Even the Marx Brothers conducted better foreign policy in a couple of their movies.

Galewyn Massey said...

UPDATE: THE “PINATA-OBAMA” EDITION

ACCORDING TO TRUMP’S SON-IN-LAW’S PAPER: THE RUSSIAN’S ARE LAUGHING THEIR ASSES OFF AT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA’S PUNY EFFORTS TO PUNISH THEM FOR THEIR PART IN THROWING HILLARY CLINTON AND THE DEMOCRATS UNDER THE BUS IN THE 2016 U.S. VOTING CYCLE

PUTIN SAYS HE WON’T DO ANYTHING IN RESPONSE TO OBAMA’S LATEST TANTRUM --- MEANWHILE THE RUSSIAN MEDIA AND OTHER RUSSIAN OFFICIALS ARE BEATING ON OBAMA LIKE HE’S A PINATA

The paper owned by President Elect Donald Trump’s son-in law, Jared Kushner, the “Observer” has done a piece that shows what the immediate effect of lame-duck President Obama’s announcement of new anti-Russian moves has done to put the Russian’s in their place for trying to influence the U.S. 2016 election --- and both the “Observer” and the Russians seem to be taking their wacks at a hapless lameduck for what looks like a pathetic lameduck tantrum.

According to the folks at the “Observer,” here’s what the Russians are saying on day 2 --- “The silent, months-long contempt expressed by the Russian political class toward the departing White House Administration was suddenly interrupted on Thursday by U.S. President Barack Obama’s announcement of a new set of anti-Russian sanctions…. In Russian media, in the political class and among government officials, the reaction in Moscow was fierce, vocal and pugnacious…. Obama’s decision to expel Russian diplomats—in addition to sanctioning a number of Russian companies and individuals—is nothing but evidence of the agony of the outgoing administration, Konstantin Kosachev, head of the International Committee of the Russian Upper House of Parliament, said to RIA Novosti. “The leaving administration has no reason and no political or moral right for such drastic and disruptive steps with regards to bilateral relations with Russia. Forgive me for being harsh, but I just cannot find other words: this is the agony of not the lame ducks, but of political corpses,” the Russian Senator said. “[President Obama] put at stake the US’ reputation as an adequate state that ensures policy continuity in the process of change of power.”… “This is really a disturbing news,” responded Kosachev’s deputy, Alexei Chepa. According to the politician, Obama’s goal was simply to create new problems for President-elect Donald Trump—more obstacles in building better relations with Russia. “It creates additional difficulties for the [Trump] administration to overcome later.”… Chepa’s colleague from the International Committee of Parliament, Vladimir Dzhabarov, believes Obama was attempting to annoy Russia “out of impotence.” “Obama proved himself to be an arbitrary person who happened to lead the United States,” he said…. Russian think-tanks and academia agree. “The goal of the 44th US President is to complicate things for the 45th one,” Gevorg Mirzayan, a professor at Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper….” (See “Russians Attack ‘Political Corpse’ Obama -- Lawmakers call Obama retaliation 'dangerous game'” by Mikhail Klikushin, 12/30/16, The Observer/ Opinion [http://observer.com/2016/12/russian-media-responds-to-obama-anti-russia-sanctions/]).

[THE REMAINDER OF THIS COMMENT IS CONTINUED IMMEDIATELY BELOW]

Galewyn Massey said...

[CONTINUED FROM COMMENT, "UPDATE: THE 'PINATA-OBAMA' EDITION" ABOVE]

The “Observer” article closed with this nugget (without any American-style political correctness): “Russian media has taken on the issue, gloves-off, with personal attacks and open hatred toward President Obama. Their words are no longer carefully chosen or calibrated…. ‘Obama is playing dangerous games. He started to crash wildly everything around him,’ top political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov raved on his TV show. Obama set the foundation for another colored revolution—this time in America. ‘Now, with all of his might, Obama tries to spoil everything everywhere for the President-elect Trump. And with every day, his behavior gets worse and worse. It seems that on the eve of the inauguration—January, 20—he will have nothing else left to do for himself but to break all the windows in the White House and to leave behind a pile [of shit] on the steps.’…”

And of course, this: “Disclosure: Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media [italics removed].”

Anonymous said...

Watch what you say about jared.

hes the russian connection

Anonymous said...

I sense a comeback for the John Birch society

Anonymous said...

when they go low we get high

Galewyn Massey said...

RESPONSE: THE "OLD YEAR" EDITION

WE DEFINITELY KNOW WHO YOU ARE

At last, you're making some sense.....

Anonymous said...

Gail, since your sources have dried up, here are two hot leads: 1) there are lots of indications that 2017 is about to begin. And, 2) All of the recounts should be over and the inauguration of Trump as POTUS can probably go ahead on January 20th, which should be less than three weeks from now.

Anonymous said...

has anyone told trump that only congress can impose tariffs?

Anonymous said...

We'll have to see about that!

Anonymous said...

Sean Hannity, a handsome man, interviewed Julio Assange tonight. Assange stated that Russia had nothing to do with any of the Clinton DNC leaks.

Food for thought.

Anonymous said...

Hey you, the last guy to make a comment, don't you think that people who have had recent success should come across with more real food for their friends than this occasional "food for thought" stuff?

Anonymous said...

Hannity is a two faced bullshit artist. He rants about the media elites while he travels around on his private jet collecting a salary of 29 million dollars a year. And hes about as handsome as Broderick Crawford

Anonymous said...

Hey you, the last guy to mqake a comment, just how old are you? Broderick Crawford?

Do you remember when Adolf Menjou was the leading man in a Ginger Rogers picture? That's back when movies were called pix.

Anonymous said...

Just one last thing to the comment above. I dont watch Ginger Rodgers or any of that crap. You obviously enjoy a good ole Broadway Show tune.

Anonymous said...

Gail, you've let your blog turn into an old farts' message board with people arguing about show tunes and spelling 'Ginger Rogers' all different ways.

Anonymous said...

Who was better Al Martino or Vic Damone?

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute, what about people like Jerry Vale, Julius LaRosa, Lou Monte, Louie Prima or greats like Perry Como, Frankie Laine, Bobby Darin, or the one who might have beaten-out Sinatra to the top of the heap, 'the Great' Russ Columbo, who died as a result of a much investigated gun accident in 1934?

Of course, only one person, who was mentioned in the comment above, was picked to play 'Johnny Fontane,' Al Martino; and that counts for a lot.