The MSM has long been an organ of the Democratic Party. But as the Democratic Party moves further and further left (or is merely more comfortable showing its leftist core and banishing its more moderate wing), the MSM has been right there keeping pace.
One of the pillars of MSM coverage of the Trump administration is that it’s taken as a given that Trump is Putin’s puppet. You almost have to admire the left for its ability to choose a narrative early in the game and hammer it home at every opportunity, ignoring evidence that discredits it and spinning all news to conform to it.
The Trump-Putin summit is made to order for them, of course.
Trump talking with Putin—as did Obama and Bush, Trump’s immediate predecessors—is hardly unusual; it’s to be expected (that article I just linked contains a list of many previous US presidents talking with Russian leaders, including at the height of the Cold War). But when you’ve established that Trump-is-Putin’s-puppet, it’s a no-brainer to spin this meeting as something especially nefarious.
And all this from a group of people who didn’t care one whit when Obama said the following to Russia’s President Medvedev (of the Medvedev/Putin alliance):
Then during a 2012 debate with Republican nominee Romney, when Obama mocked his concerns that Russia had not been defanged, the MSM all laughed along with Obama. That stupid Romney, caught in the long-past 1980s!
Now, of course, the times they have a-changed.
One interesting dynamic that’s been set up by the entire “Russian collusion” narrative, plus the toothless indictments of Russian intelligence on the eve of Trump’s Russia visit, is how it could easily have the effect of handicapping Trump in his dealings with Russia. Any treaty or agreement is considered evidence of collusion and puppet status. Likewise any cooperative diplomatic boilerplate issued by Trump, that would ordinarily be considered a yawn.
And of course Trump cannot resist the urge to troll the press and the left and feed the flames. With predictable results:
John Brennan, the CIA director under President Obama, didn’t mince words in describing Monday’s press conference with President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin: Trump’s performance was “nothing short of treasonous.”…
During the press conference, Trump said he trusted Putin over the American intelligence community and his own appointees, he attacked the investigation from special counsel Robert Mueller that recently led to the indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers for crimes related to the 2016 election, and he said he hoped to strengthen relations with Russia — which, according to Trump, had never been worse.
Here are some of the Trump quotes that have gotten the most criticism (from both Democrats and Republicans, I might add):
“I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. I think that we’ve all been foolish. We should have had this dialogue a long time ago, a long time, frankly, before I got to office,” Mr. Trump said during a joint press conference with Putin.
Offered multiple times to denounce Russia’s actions, Mr. Trump instead placed blame on the FBI and said that he had “confidence” in both parties — the intelligence community and Russia.
“All I can do is ask the question – my people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be but I really want to see the server but, I have confidence in both parties,” Mr. Trump said.
He went so far as to say that Putin’s denial of having been involved in the election was “extremely strong and powerful.” Putin instead reiterated past claims that the “Russian state” has never and is not going to ever interfere in U.S. internal affairs, including elections, and offered to allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller an opportunity to request to interrogate and question 12 Russian nationals indicted in his probe on Russian soil.
Why throw red meat to the “Trump is a traitor” folks by criticizing the US and acting as though he accepts Putin’s denials? It reminds me a bit of Bush’s claim to have seen Putin’s soul—a claim I never really felt that Bush himself believed. But I think that Trump is being strategic here, actually, as was Bush.
What did Bush actually say back in 2001 in that widely-mocked comment? The situation was similar in that Bush was meeting with Putin and they were giving a joint press conference. Here’s the statement from Bush [emphasis mine]:
BUSH: I found [Putin] to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialog. I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialog. There was no kind of diplomatic chit chat, trying to throw each other off balance. There was a straightforward dialog. And that’s the beginning of a very constructive relationship. I wouldn’t have invited him to my ranch if I didn’t trust him. [Laughter]Secondly, I appreciate the opportunity to be able to talk about a new relationship, and we will continue these dialogs. The basis for my discussion began with this simple premise, that Russia and the United States must establish a new relationship beyond that of the old cold war mentality.
When you negotiate with someone and then have a press conference, you don’t ordinarily diss that person. You praise him/her. That’s the way diplomacy works. As I already said, I very much doubt that Bush actually trusted Putin or felt he saw into his soul in any significant way. And yes, Putin certainly was and is committed to his country’s best interests, which also serve his own self-interests. Doesn’t take much soul-peering to see that fairly unremarkable fact. But because Bush said it, it was considered incredibly naive.
If Trump had said it, it would have been treason.
Now let’s see what Trump and Putin actually said at their press conference. Here’s the transcript; take a look for yourself. A few excerpts [emphasis mine]:
TRUMP: I’m here today to continue the proud tradition of bold American diplomacy. From the earliest days of our republic, American leaders have understood that diplomacy and engagement is preferable to conflict and hostility.
A productive dialogue is not only good for the United States and good for Russia, but it is good for the world.
The disagreements between our two countries are well known and President Putin and I discussed them at length today. But if we’re going to solve many of the problems facing our world, then we’re going to have to find ways to cooperate in pursuit of shared interests…
Nothing would be easier politically than to refuse to meet, to refuse to engage, but that would not accomplish anything.
As president, I cannot make decisions on foreign policy in a futile effort to appease partisan critics, or the media, or Democrats who want to do nothing but resist and obstruct.
Constructive dialogue between the United States and Russia affords the opportunity to open new pathways toward peace and stability in our world. I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace than to risk peace in pursuit of politics. As president, I will always put (sic) what is best for America and what is best for the American people.
In other words, I can’t be nasty to Putin just to prove something to the Democrats and the MSM.
More:
During today’s meeting, I addressed directly with President Putin the issue of Russian interference in our elections. I felt this was a message best delivered in person. Spent a great deal of time talking about it. And President Putin may very well want to address it, and very strongly, because he feels very strongly about it…
We also discussed one of the most critical challenges facing humanity: nuclear proliferation…
The president and I also discussed the scourge of radical Islamic terrorism…
I also emphasized the importance of placing pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions, and to stop its campaign of violence throughout the area, throughout the Middle East.
As we discussed at length, the crisis in Syria is a complex one…
I also made clear that the United States will not allow Iran to benefit from our successful campaign against ISIS…
We also agreed that representatives from our national security councils will meet to follow up on all of the issues we addressed today, and to continue the progress we have started right here in Helsinki.
Today’s meeting is only the beginning of a longer process…
Those were some of the substantive issues, and there were quite a few more mentioned.
Then Trump answered a question about one of his tweets:
QUESTION: Mr. President, you tweeted this morning that it’s U.S. foolishness, stupidity and the Mueller probe that is responsible for the decline in U.S. relations with Russia.
Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? And if so, what would you — what would you consider them — that they are responsible for?
TRUMP: Yes I do. I hold both countries responsible.
I think that the United States has been foolish. I think we’ve all been foolish. We should’ve had this dialogue a long time ago; a long time, frankly, before I got to office.
And I think we’re all to blame. I think that the United States now has stepped forward along with Russia, and we’re getting together and we have a chance to do some great things, whether it’s nuclear proliferation in terms of stopping — you have to do it, ultimately that’s probably the most important thing that we could be working on.
But I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the — the probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart, it’s kept us separated.
There was no collusion at all. Everybody knows it.
Doesn’t seem so controversial to me. Trump is criticizing the Mueller investigation and the collusion accusations, and saying it all had a negative impact on relations between the US and Russia. He is also saying the US hasn’t been perfect, although the only specific criticism he has made is of the investigation.
But then came probably the most highly-criticized part of the press conference (and the final question and answer):
QUESTION: Just now, President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016. Every U.S. intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did.
What — who — my first question for you, sir, is who do you believe?
TRUMP:…I’ve been asking…for months…Where is the server? I want to know where is the server and what is the server saying?
With that being said, all I can do is ask the question. My people came to me, Dan Coates came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia.
I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. But I really do want to see the server.
But I have — I have confidence in both parties. I — I really believe that this will probably go on for a while, but I don’t think it can go on without finding out what happened to the server…
So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
And what he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer. OK?
That final question seemed designed to pin Trump down and point the finger at Russia and Putin during the press conference. Of course he wasn’t going to do that; probably no president would have done it while standing there with Putin, who had just denied it. Was Trump to stand there and call him a liar, and risk whatever gains they might have agreed on in more substantive matters? Of course not, and that’s why the question and the entire situation was a trap for Trump.
Note also that Putin did apparently agree to some sort of US officials coming over to Russia to do interviews with some of the people who were indicted in connection with election interference.
What Trump was saying there was actually “well, we’ll see.” And he also was taking the opportunity to drive home the fact that Hillary’s server was not actually investigated by the US teams doing a supposed inquiry.
Nothing he said there is all that controversial considering the delicate circumstances of a joint press conference, but the left has made it into the worst thing a president has ever said or done, proof of collusion and treason.
This post has already gotten way too long. I will just add that I went to that transcript of the press conference convinced that Trump had said something awful. That was my expectation. But I didn’t find it. Did you?
[NOTE: A transcript of Obama’s press conference with Medvedev in 2009 can be found here. A few excerpts:
OBAMA: President Medvedev and I are committed to leaving behind the suspicion and the rivalry of the past so that we can advance the interests that we hold in common. Today, we’ve made meaningful progress in demonstrating through deeds and words what a more constructive U.S.-Russian relationship can look like in the 21st century. Tomorrow, I look forward to broadening this effort to include business, civil society, and a dialogue among the American and Russian people.
I believe that all of us have an interest in forging a future in which the United States and Russia partner effectively on behalf of our security and prosperity. That’s the purpose of resetting our relations, that is the progress we made today…
QUESTION: President Obama, I’d like to ask you about the issue of trust, after this period of rocky relations between the countries, but also with the agreements that you’ve just laid out today. Having spent time with President Medvedev, do you feel like you have full trust in him, and have you settled in your mind who is really in charge here in Russia — the President or Prime Minister Putin?…
Barack Obama:…throughout our interactions, I’ve found [Medvedev] to be straightforward, professional. He is clear about the interests of the Russian people, but he’s also interested in finding out what the interests of the United States are. And we have found I think an ability to work together extremely effectively.
So, yes, I trust President Medvedev to not only listen and to negotiate constructively, but also to follow up — follow through on the agreements that are contained here today…
Tomorrow I’ll be having breakfast with Prime Minister Putin. I have not met him before. I’m looking forward to that meeting. My understanding is, is that President Medvedev is the President, Prime Minister Putin is the Prime Minister, and they allocate power in accordance with Russia’s form of government in the same way that we allocate power in the United States.
And so my interest is in dealing directly with my counterpart, the President, but also to reach out to Prime Minister Putin and all other influential sectors in Russian society..
And my strong impression is, is that President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin are working very effectively together. And our interest is dealing with the Russian government as a whole in order to achieve the improved bilateral relationship that I think can be accomplished.
Obama offered some praise of Putin in connection with that meeting. Just standard stuff.]
No comments:
Post a Comment