
Obama's Response to Russia's Hack: An Emphasis on America's More Generalized Vulnerability
I liked Obama's statements on the Russian hacking Friday far more than most Democrats, who are furious he wasn't more belligerent. But Obama noted, correctly, that the real problem is America's existing political vulnerability, which would exist even if we nuked Putin off the face of the earth.

Trash Talk - Week 15
I started on several versions of Trash Talk only in order to make it all less political. Trash will not always be non-political, but I will try. Kind of.
So, Eagles cannot play with the Ravens today. Maybe next year, but not today. Who cares…

Liberal Bubbles and Conservative Intellectuals
Conservative thinkers are happy to ride to power on the coattails of those who distort the national discourse with lies, crackpot ideas and conspiracy theories.

Russian Hack-Related Excerpts from President Obama's Press Conference
There are the excerpts from President Obama's press conference pertaining to the Russian hack.

Just Before Obama Weighs in on the Russian Hack, John Brennan Tells Everyone What He Says Others Said
CIA totally stomped on President Obama's last press conference today. Who says Vladimir Putin is the only one who is good at Information Operations?

The DNC's Evolving Story about When They Knew They Were Targeted by Russia
The DNC complains the FBI didn't warn that its hackers might be Russia until November 2015. Except the DNC did Google "the dukes" the same month a big report tying that group to Russia.

Craig Murray's Description of WikiLeaks' Sources
Craig Murray says Russians are not Wikileaks' source. Here's why I don't buy that.

Dealing With Trump Voters
Let the Trump voters hang out together. You don't have to be anywhere near them.

Democrats Can Do Better than "Wonk Harder" on ObamaCare Going Forward
Democrats seem to be taking the wrong lessons about ObamaCare from the election of Donald Trump. Even those who are thoughtfully trying to improve the program -- rather than just dismissing people who made real decisions including ObamaCare's import --are missing the opportunity to fix the structural problems with ObamaCare.

"Jim Comey thinks he was handed a shit sandwich"
Tim Weiner really should stick to history. Because to suggest that Jim Comey is the one who got dealt a shit sandwich this year takes hagiography to a whole new level.

The NYT's Legitimate Email Detail
In a story describing the DNC hack in the light most favorable to the Democrats the NYT repeats a claim about the John Podesta hack that makes no sense.

Why Is CIA Avoiding the Conclusion that Putin Hacked Hillary to Retaliate for Its Covert Actions?
The most logical explanation for why Russia hacked Hillary Clinton is the one the CIA hasn't included in its many leaks to the press: that it was retaliation for 4 prior perceived and real US interventions in the government of other countries, including Russia itself as well as three countries that are key Russian interests.

The ObamaCare Not Comey Effect
A chart purportedly showing the Comey effect better illustrates the ObamaCare spike effect.

Week 14 Trash Talk
Going to be a fairly quick Trash today, have some other things requiring attention. No college football this weekend, save for the Army Navy game. Have to say, it was as good of a Army/Navy game as I remember seeing, certainly anytime recently.…

While America Debates Rex Tillerson Nomination, Saudis and Russians Join Hands to Raise Oil Prices
While we were all talking about ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson serving as Trump's Secretary of State, the oil states of the world were deciding to cut production.

The Not-Majority Leader Promises Bipartisan Investigations in Russian Cyberhackery
Chuck Schumer just released a statement with John McCain, Jack Reed, and Lindsey Graham that does nothing so much as emphasize that Mitch McConnell is unprepared to investigate Russian hacking.

The Evidence to Prove the Russian Hack
Here are all the elements you need to prove that Russia hacked the DNC and John Podesta to help Trump win the election.

Unpacking the New CIA Leak: Don't Ignore the Aluminum Tube Footnote
Just hours after Obama announced he was going to ask for a formal review of what Russia did in the election, the CIA and/or Democratic Senators leaked to the WaPo what they want the outcome of the review to be.

Donald Trump's Intelligence Briefings and Ellsberg's Limits of Knowledge
The spooks are cranky that Trump isn't accepting their briefings.

The Game of Telephone about the Election Hacking Review
Comparing reports on what the White House announced review of election cycle hacking will include only makes me more confused about what the review will include.

