OBAMA’S THREATS TO RUSSIA…. WHY?

I must admit, I wasn’t completely shocked when I read the story of President Obama threatening action on Russia. It’s not been a good run this last term and he seems to be the kind of guy who can carry a grudge. But……But……openly threatening Russia and doing so over an issue that is weak at best, well, that’s disturbing!

At some point yesterday, someone had to inform the Tsar that the US President, a person the Tsar has absolutely no admiration for, made such a dangerous statement! The way the Tsar would have taken this message is along the lines of, “I’m going to get you….you are going to pay”! Now, to a man such as Putin, a real Killer and someone that is comfortable with aggressive action, that statement simply had to do more damage than we think. Well, perhaps!  

First thing I did late last night was scan the front page of Sputniknews.com, one of the official mouthpieces of the Tsar’s team. It was there I imagined I would find the preliminary response to the US President’s statement. How hard would that response be? That would indicate, to me, just how serious the Tsar took this threat. By this morning, it appeared the initial reaction was along the lines of, “put up or shut up”! Yep, the proverbial shoulder shrug with, “prove it”! Far too often, the smirk on Putin’s face tells the story of where his mind is. I’m willing to bet he has perfected that “smirk”.  It’s a weapon! So, what does this answer, at least the initial response, tell us about how the Tsar perceives this threat from the US? Does the Tsar take this threat seriously? Before I answer that, let me take a minute to give you a few simple rules on making threats.

Rule number one:

Don’t threaten someone or something unless you are absolutely committed to following up on the threat. The Redline incident in Syria should have been the best example for the US President on that rule.

Rule number two:

Never….EVER…threaten someone with witnesses? The average Joe on the streets of the US can go to jail for doing this and almost always, the first thing the arresting Police Officer will tell the suspect is, “You shouldn’t have said that with witnesses”! “Revenge is a dish best served cold”!

Rule number Three:

Be prepared for the counter threat! Escalation! It’s the historical pivot point just prior to nations going to war. Oh, by the way, most of these escalating events are founded in deep stubbornness or people with grudges.  

Okay, enough about the rules. How does the Tsar interpret this threat from President Obama? The initial response was, “put up or shut up”! That message is a message inside of a message. “I don’t care what you think. You don’t have the stones to pick a fight with me”! So, the good news is, if there is good news, the Tsar most likely is not intimidated by the US President’s statement.  Remember, the Tsar’s impression of Obama is more along the lines of Urkel from Family Matters. No respect and thus little fear. Yes, no respect and little fear make a dangerous cocktail! Putin also understands the days of President Obama’s influence are nearly over. I can assure you the Tsar is far more interested in the tension that is taking place between the US intelligence community and the US President Elect. The fact that this tension is based on the same issue, hacking, well, that makes things all the more interesting for the Russians. How does outgoing President Obama react? Not near as important to the Tsar as how inbound President Trump reacts.

Threats! When one nation threatens another, especially two Super Powers, it needs to be in the form of a warning. A warning that some situation, some process is and has become nearly unacceptable. Even at that point, the best execution of such threats is based upon “unofficial” communications and not in the public eye, at least not initially. Once a government has seemingly exhausted all “unofficial” avenues on an issue that creates tension, then they typically will begin the process of informing their public. A prime example of this was the Cuban Missile Crisis. As soon as President Kennedy spoke to the American people, the whole world began to stockpile food and water! Yes, the topic of nuclear weapons is far more frightening than hacking emails, but the American people didn’t even blink after President Obama’s statement! Why? Could it be the President’s own people have the same opinion of him as the Tsar? Do they simply not see the threat of stolen emails, even when the story is wrapped around the hyper inflamed topic of tampering with the US Presidential Elections as something the nation may go to war over? How far removed are the American people from the real fear of war? Not just a few buildings being knocked down by a religious movement, but war….real war? Why did the US President’s words yesterday not send everyone running to stockpile food and water? One Super Power threaten another and nether nation blinked an eye.

What’s really going on here?

To hear Fox News tell the story, this whole thing is all predicated on the fact that Hillary lost. The President and those on the Progressive, Passive left simply can’t come to terms with the idea that Trump won and that damn thing called the Electoral College has screwed them out of control for a second time in 20 yrs. By the way, how brilliant the US Founding Fathers were to put into place such a process? To hear the US Democratic Party logic, all you have to do is win California, New York and Texas and the hell with the rest of the country. Yep. Just take a look at Mexico and see what that will get you. So, is that it? Is that what this is all about? If the Progressive Left in the US can’t come to terms with the way the elections came out, do the push the nation to potential conflict with another Super Power? What else might possibly be going on here?

For well over ten years now, the stories of just how dangerous cyber-attacks could become stacked on top of government reports on how unprepared the US is for such attacks have been placed out there for all to see. Countless stories of massive theft of data, corporate secrets lost, people identify stolen and it goes on and on and on! The US has spent BILLIONS and BILLIONS on defending the nation from “cyber threats”, yet a minute doesn’t go by the nation is not attacked and not just the US but many nations throughout the world. The people of the US have been told how bad it could be and how bad it may get, but do they understand? More importantly, has the US government told the American people the “whole truth”? I happen to know part of that answer, but I will not comment. How bad is this threat becoming? How vulnerable is the US and other nations? Just like all the horror stories the talking heads have been pushing on the news networks, has the threshold been reached? Is the US government to the point they know longer feel they can govern the nation without outside influence? Isn’t that what the accusation is all about? The Russian influenced the Presidential Election? Can someone really flip a switch and turn off society in the US or the rest of the world? Ever seen the movie, Escape from L.A?

Here is the point that scares me the most. The accusation is a dangerous one. The Russians are trying to reshape government of the US. As I said the other day, not new news as it has been going on for decades. It was the baseline for the Cold War. But….but… if this is the message the President of the US is trying to give to the American people, then why did he deliver the message on MPR? Where is the, “Stand by for a special statement from the White House”?

Has the US government hidden how bad the cyber issues have become? Yes!

Has the cyber issue come to the point that two nations, that have the ability to destroy the world, may go to war? No.

The odds are this is exactly what many think it is. It’s one party in the US having a fit that they’ve lost again. But here is the dangerous part. The leader of that party and the nation has decided to blame a very paranoid, methodical world leader who has no gumption for being threatened.  

Perhaps it’s divine intervention the message of “ I’m going to get you” was delivered by Urkel and not John Wayne?