Trump: the 21st century Chamberlain

The same people who believe Hillary Clinton and John Podesta sit atop a global organization of child kidnapping, rape, cannibalism, and murder based on pizza joints scream their lungs out denying even the possibility of Russian interference in our elections. The same people who believe in a multi-generational conspiracy to cover up Barack Obama’s actual country of origin call a Russian effort to elect Trump too baroque and complex to contemplate.

I’m not the first to point out that if the shoe was on the other foot, Republicans would be living in quite a different political framework. As a thought experiment, imagine for even a moment the eternal, apoplectic, spittle-flecked rage you’d see from Fox news hosts, talk radio, and the fever-swamp media if Hillary Clinton had won, and there was even a whisper of a hint of a rumor that the Russians had helped her. Republicans wouldn’t simply be asking about the details of their involvement, but they’d be engaged in a constant examination of the Russian’s intent. (Hell, who am I kidding? The word “impeachment” would never leave our lips.)

Responsible American leaders will examine Russia’s behavior and the current climate in a cold-eyed and clear way. Congressional leadership has realized this isn’t a game. For the good of the nation, we should hope they’ll weigh the threats facing America more as Churchills than Chamberlains and pursue the truth with at least the vigor given to Benghazi affair and other congressional investigations. Simply because the incoming administration is filled with a Putin fanboys is no reason for members of Congress and the Senate to abdicate their oversight responsibilities.