Here’s the breathless title from Reuters
Former intelligence officials say Trump is being manipulated by Putin
Former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-National Intelligence Director James Clapper both said Trump was mishandling Moscow ties even as a special counsel investigates possible collusion between Trump’s campaign team and Russia.
“I think Mr. Trump is, for whatever reason, either intimidated by Mr. Putin, afraid of what he could do, or what might come out as a result of these investigations… It’s either naiveté, ignorance or fear in terms of what Mr. Trump is doing vis-à-vis the Russians,” Brennan said in an appearance with Clapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Actually, Brennan never said what is being claimed in the title.
Clapper added:
“I do think both the Chinese and the Russians think they can play him,” Clapper said.
Think they can play him is one thing. Being manipulated is another.
What was it Trump said?
“I really believe that, when he tells me that, he means it,”
That doesn’t mean Trump believes it.
But here’s the giveaway line:
Clapper added that foreign leaders who roll out the red carpet for Trump are able to manipulate Trump.
Is that so? Do Clapper and Brennan think Putin was able to manipulate Xi Jinping when he visited Moscow in 2013 and had the red carpet rolled out for him?
Vladimir Putin rolls out the red carpet (and guards on horseback) for visit of President Xi Jinping
Back then rolling out the red carpet meant something important:
The grand welcome was a clear indication of the importance placed on the visit by Moscow. Russia is one of the world’s biggest energy producers, and China is the top energy consumer. These realities tend to outweigh the traditionally tense relations between the two neighbouring giants, who were bitter rivals during the Soviet era despite their ideological links.
Now let’s recall something. Both Brennan and Clapper have lied to Congress. They’ll sure as hell lie to us. Yet why would they say something like foreign leaders who roll out the red carpet for Trump are able to manipulate Trump?
That suggests that every time a red carpet is rolled out it is being done because the host believes he can manipulate the visitor? Is that what Brennan is saying? That would be pretty interesting.
Chinese authorities have rolled out the red carpet for leaders including India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, and the British prime minister, Theresa May, who touched down on Sunday morning.
Was China able to manipulate all those leaders?
Was Japan able to manipulate Trump?
Japan’s Abe rolls out red carpet for Trump
Was Obama able to manipulate Renzi?
Obama rolls out red carpet for Italian ally Matteo Renzi
No, of course not. Why are Clapper and Brennan spewing this drivel? It’s because of the embarrassing way obama was made to exit from the “ass” of Air Force One last year:
“The reception that President Obama and his staff got when they arrived here Saturday afternoon was bruising, even by Chinese standards,” the New York Times reported.
Jorge Guajardo, Mexico’s former ambassador to China, said he was convinced Obama’s treatment was part of a calculated snub.
“These things do not happen by mistake. Not with the Chinese,” Guajardo, who hosted presidents Enrique Peña Nieto and Felipe Calderón during his time in Beijing, told the Guardian.
“I’ve dealt with the Chinese for six years. I’ve done these visits. I took Xi Jinpingto Mexico. I received two Mexican presidents in China. I know exactly how these things get worked out. It’s down to the last detail in everything. It’s not a mistake. It’s not.”
Guajardo added: “It’s a snub. It’s a way of saying: ‘You know, you’re not that special to us.’ It’s part of the new Chinese arrogance. It’s part of stirring up Chinese nationalism. It’s part of saying: ‘China stands up to the superpower.’ It’s part of saying: ‘And by the way, you’re just someone else to us.’ It works very well with the local audience.
And
“It sure looks like a straight-up snub,” Bishop said. “This clearly plays very much into the [idea]: ‘Look, we can make the American president go out of the ass of the plane.’”
Which makes some sense, since obama spent eight years diminishing the importance of the US. Clapper and Brennan would have us believe that making the US President leave out of the ass end of the plane is more respectful than a red carpet.
Here is the video for your enjoyment
Is trying to improve relations with Russia a bad thing? It sure wasn’t a bad thing when obama tried in 2014:
President Barack Obama had his first face-to-face chat Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, since their relations broke down over the Ukraine crisis early this spring. Their brief conversation about stopping the ongoing bloodshed in eastern Ukraine was the clearest sign yet that ties are on the mend, and that Putin’s decision in March to annex a chunk of Ukrainian territory will not lead to his isolation from the club of Western leaders.
As the Russians like to say, Putin is once again rukopozhatny, or worthy of a handshake.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a leader whose close friends and associates have been the targets of Western sanctions over the past three months. During preparations for Obama’s trip to Europe this week, the White House avoided questions over whether the U.S. President would speak with Putin or even shake his hand in France, where the two gathered on Friday along with a dozen European leaders to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasions.
Brennan and Clapper are not about to let you think the Russians and and Chinese have a higher regard for Trump than they did obama. obama got rolled consistently for eight years by the Russians. He promised to be flexible for them, sold them 20% of US uranium despite knowing the Russians were involved in criminal activity in the US and did nothing as the Russians tried to meddle in US elections. Don’t you wonder why Brennan and Clapper were not bothered by any of this?
It is because they are political hacks.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.