A regular contributor to the Nation magazine Stephen Cohen and John Batchelor (John Batchelor) continues its weekly discussion about the new us-Russian cold war. Previous installments and continuing for four years of discussions can be found on the website of the Nation. com. In this article, the authors focus on the fact that the house of representatives member from the Democratic party, Adam Schiff (Adam Schiff) calls “the Russian attack on our democracy” — that is, it refers to took place hacker attack on the national Committee of the Democratic party — as well as the prosecution’s trump that members of his election headquarters “acted in collusion” with the Kremlin.
Batchelor, reading currently a new book about the reign of Eisenhower, examines the analogy with the hearings of Senator Joseph McCarthy and accusations in the period. Cohen expresses its outrage and dismay at gaining power in Washington neomakkartizma about the leading role played by liberal and even progressive Democrats and their media in that it is becoming more institutional forms of hysteria, and also about the grave threat it poses to American democracy and U.S.-Russian relations.
Cohen notes explicit elements characteristic of McCarthy is compromised of people from the team of trump, and indirectly many of those who are with him not cooperating — and even those people who did not support trump’s candidacy in the presidential election. At a hearing in the House of representatives, one after another of its members, mostly Democrats, were required “to expose” those people who had or have “contacts” with Russia. The suspect got people who often visited Russia, married to Russian, critical writing or speaking about U.S. policy toward Russia, or, as one Democrat, all those who “carry out orders of Putin.”
This phrase refers to the new Secretary Rex Tillerson to his former job as chief Executive of Exxon-Mobile. All this, according to Cohen, may mean that fall under suspicion of thousands of American business representatives, academics, journalists, diplomats, cultural figures and other people. In the unfolding narrative of any contact, any “bond” with Russia can once again be perceived as disloyalty and even, likely, something worse.
The lower point of these hearings, probably, was the rehabilitation of the Democrats against trump’s infamous “dossier” which has been specially hired for this former British intelligence agent. His current hypocritical defenders refuse to mention it “obscene” character — that is the charge that trump hired prostitutes in Moscow and forced them to urinate on the bed in the hotel, which at one time was used by President Obama — but these ridiculous aspects largely discreditied this document as a whole.
According to Cohen, it was a shameful day in the political history of America, the day which freezes the discourse on Russia in several American professions, as was done during the McCarthy era, and which simultaneously shatters — as it did in McCarthy’s reputation and the lives of many people. Most striking, perhaps, was the appearance of FBI Director James Komi (James Comey) in the role of J. Edgar Hoover and a great connoisseur of Russia — in this case, as an expert on the politics of Putin’s Russia, and Putin himself, including his understanding of personal motives, plans, etc. as for Schiff, his words at the beginning of these hearings about the plot of the Kremlin against “our democracy”, about “collusion”, and “one of the most shocking in the history of the betrayal of our democracy” have made it very similar to the McCarthy.
As usual, Congress did not act in a political vacuum. Within a few months, Cohen continued, the mainstream media is associated, in the majority, with the Democratic party, from the New York Times and Washington Post to the New Yorker and Politico, MSNBC and CNN to NPR to diligently promoted the theme of a conspiracy between trump and Putin and even the “mode of trump — Putin” in the White house (among others, this was written by Paul Krugman (Paul Krugman) in the New York Times). Almost every evening for several weeks, Rachel Maddow (Rachel Maddow) is filing charges against trump and his “employees,” and doing the same parties and leading programs on CNN, and it happens every time without independent skeptical voices or people from a somewhat different point of view.
There is, for example, Chris Matthews (Chris Matthews), working on the TV channel MSNBC, said that loyal “Americans do not visit Russia” (March 20). The author of the journal Atlantic David Frum (David Frum) in a tweet dated March 14, proposes to “monitor” during a concert at the Russian Embassy in memory of the members of the Choir of the red Army, died in a plane crash, and photograph all visitors.” More significant political figures contribute to this disaster. Because of disagreements in the Senate John McCain has accused his counterpart at the Republican party of Rand Paul (Rand Paul) “in cooperation with Putin.”
And the new permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley (Nikki Haley) said: “We should never trust Russia.” This diplomatic axiom negates decades of work on the conclusion of the us-Russian agreements in the field of armaments. (If Haley was the brains or the qualifications for her position, she might have quoted President Ronald Reagan: “Trust but verify”).
Cohen goes to a more important, broader issues. The main and fundamental charge in the search for the American “puppets” in the service of Russia is that Putin allegedly ordered to hack the servers of the National Committee of the Democratic party and then distribute found there e-mails to undermine the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and to assist the election campaign trump. To confirm this theory was not presented a single fact, and it still is about “assessments” based on the implicit motives of the Kremlin. Furthermore, there is no political or historical logic to this kind of fundamental charges.
The interpretation of Putin’s thoughts, motives and politics for greater than 25 years period starting from his shock about the collapse of the Soviet state and its reaction to the protests in Moscow in 2011 to his arrogant “hatred towards Hillary” — all this is even worse than simplification. It does not take into account, in fact, all the important factors — personal, political, social, economic, and international leadership in Putin’s Russia since 2000. Nevertheless, a number of “respected” media, the Democratic party and by the Komi all this is presented as an explanation for Putin’s “attack on our democracy” and the attack that he is working against “our allies”.
Whatever bad nor was the whole story — antihistory, in fact, forensic evidence, says Cohen, is worse still none at all (When and if any evidence is provided, we will certainly have to rate them, but only after it is submitted for evaluation that can be checked).
However, many accuse Putin — or Russia — that he accomplished “military action” against America, and it was an attack — as was stated in the Congress and in a number of under the control of the establishment media, is comparable to pearl Harbor and 11 September 2001. To anyone thinking about what present danger is less than during the Soviet Russian communism that we have the wording from the Washington Post, which referred to the red danger on the part of Russia Vladimir Putin which confirmed that “we were attacked by Russia” (Dana Milbank (Dana Milbank) March 21). The internal logic of all these reckless charges seems clear.
At least, the past threat of the cold war, the United States policy toward Russia must become more stringent and therefore more dangerous. But this logic, as its development could also mean the necessity of this war and probably a nuclear war against Russia (This kind of opportunity, undoubtedly, is considered in high circles in Moscow). Trying to challenge this logic was already condemned as a “Pro” position and as an “apology for Putin.” Cohen asks the question: how many influential Americans today are willing to publicly speak out against this — if any exist at all.
The main charge in the search for the American “puppets” in the service of Russia is that Putin allegedly ordered to hack the servers of the National Committee of the Democratic party and gets to disseminate information to the detriment of campaign Hillary Clinton is in favour of a campaign of trump. It was not presented a single fact. Furthermore, there is no political or historical logic to these fundamental charges.
