Oh, Those Russians!

I was a child, young adult, aspiring young military man and aged warrior of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. During my time in the military, I trained for—and became proficient at—combating the Russian hordes, or their surrogates, anywhere in the world. As a fighter pilot who really embraced the profession of arms, I must say that I have always held a strong bias against the nation-state associated with Russia. I still do not trust a Russian as far as I can throw one—nothing personal, just an abundance of caution based on historical actions, not words. Why do I feel this way? It is because the wisdom of years of experience dictates that actions are far more important than rhetoric in measuring threats. Thus, I advised candidate Trump to always keep the Russians at arm’s length. For the most part, both Candidate Trump and President Trump did just that. Perhaps this is why I am so confused by the reaction of the Democrats, the Never Trumpers, the media and the wobbly establishment Republicans who all seem aghast at the outcome of a single news conference hosted by Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The fact that Donald Trump has feigned a “bromance” with Putin has been more to tweak the collective noses of the media and his sworn opposition

Perhaps a review of history is important at this juncture. Autocrats have ruled the Russian people since the founding of the Kievan Rus city-state. For nearly 1200 years, one dictatorship after another has held sway over the proud and resilient Russian people. Even after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the ever-shifting power structure inside Russia, nothing much has changed. It is only the stupidity and ignorance of neoconservatives and others who wish to proclaim an alternative narrative that cannot seem to get past facts and reality. Vladimir Putin and his ruling elites are no different than Peter the Great, the Romanovs or even Josef Stalin. The fact that Donald Trump has feigned a “bromance” with Putin has been more to tweak the collective noses of the media and his sworn opposition, as it has been to dictate or even indicate a policy position on the part of this administration. Again, all one has to do is look at the actions of this administration versus the rhetoric and showmanship that is often on display. What has surprised me the most about the above situation is that sworn testimony outlining all of this has been given to the Mueller investigation, the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. One might wonder how I know these things. If one were to stop and think about the experiences of those of us who worked on the Trump campaign and in his administration, one does not have to guess from where such testimony might have come. Of course, such factual information goes against the conventional narrative, so no one has leaked this information to the press—and the press certainly would not publish this contrarian view.

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Our President, on the other hand, because he is disruptive of the establishment status quo, must be attacked at every turn

Since joining Team Trump, I have always been fascinated by the fact that the media take every thing President Trump says literally whereas anyone else could say the same thing and the words would be considered figuratively. One has to go no further than examining the differences in how Candidate Trump was treated as opposed to how the other presidential candidate (I shall not write her name) was treated by the press during the campaign season. Her actions as Secretary of State and as a candidate for president ought to send chills down the spines of all Americans. If any one else had done what she has done, those individuals would be in prison or worse. Yet, her actions are not used as the barometer of behavior, but her rhetoric—damnable lies at best—seem to provide pardon for unpardonable sins. Our President, on the other hand, because he is disruptive of the establishment status quo, must be attacked at every turn. If eliminating him as President is not possible, then his diminution must be the mission of all who oppose him. I trust my President to continue his policies of working to contain our enemies while at the same time working to bolster our strength around the world. Russia is certainly a near peer competitor and should be treated as such. But we also face threats from Iran, Pakistan, China and North Korea. These threats are very real and should occupy a great deal of our time and energy. Those who naively think that globalism, open borders, redistribution of wealth and a new world order are the pavers of the road to salvation are wrong—dead wrong. The path to peace and prosperity in the world—for everyone—is a strong, rich and powerful United States that leads from out front. As we enjoy the fruits of liberty and the rule of law, our nation will flourish. As we grow in strength and freedom, the rest of the world will benefit as well. Sooner or later, the corrupt dictatorships still present in other nations will erode away as the free flow of information, free markets and individual liberty become the demands of more and more people around the globe. Our President has that as his mission, and to resist Making America Great Again is really the act of treason about which our media should be writing.