Why the Democratic Party cyberhack matters - By Jennifer Rubin

[DonViejo]

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.

The release of the Democratic Party’s hacked emails has already prompted the resignation of Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and caused consternation about suspected Russian manipulation of our election by Vladimir Putin, who’s frequently been the subject of Donald Trump’s admiration and the leader most likely to benefit from dissolution of U.S. alliances. Actually, both of these may benefit the Democrats in the long run. Wasserman Schultz has long been an irritant to many Democrats, and the Russia-Trump relationship deserves close examination. Granted, however, Hillary Clinton surely did not need 24 hours of “Democrats mess up” news coverage. (Clinton supporters can find solace in the likelihood that most Americans have no idea who Wasserman Schultz is.)

As to the Russia angle, the New York Times reports, “Researchers have concluded that the national committee was breached by two Russian intelligence agencies . . . and metadata from the released emails suggests that the documents passed through Russian computers.” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook pointed out in a weekend interview that Russians would have every reason to prefer Trump, whose admiration for Putin, disdain for European allies and isolationist policies make him Putin’s dream American president. The FBI is already investigating the hack.

If the roles were reversed, surely the GOP would be screaming that the opposing party is a pawn of the Russians and proof its opponent serves our foe’s interests. Eli Lake quotes Mike Vickers, a former undersecretary of defense for intelligence and a Clinton supporter, as saying that “all signs point to cyber actors with ties to Russian Intelligence. . . . What is unprecedented, it seems to me, is the use of these tools for covert political influence against the United States during a presidential general election.” Lake observes:

That indeed would be unprecedented. The Russians operate RT, an English-language television network that gives airtime to 9/11 conspiracy theorists and other anti-American views. If the Russians are behind the DNC hack, it would be a new tactic that combines the state’s overt influence operations with its covert cyber-spying.

-snip-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/07/25/why-the-democratic-party-cyberhack-matters/?wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1

[ymetca]

1. More neocon propaganda

... I expect Putin now to vehemently deny Russia had anything to do with it because that would be stupid, because it would be found out.

See how that works? It all adds up to more of our tax dollars being funneled into defense contractors coffers, and more endless conflict over pipelines in the Middle East.

Every four years we get conned on this crapola...

[Dawson Leery]

2. kick