One, Democrats have all along played the Russia card to deflect attention from the DNC’s corruption and Hillary Clinton’s gross mismanagement of her communications and professional relationships while serving as secretary of state. As Paul Ryan said when this latest mess broke open, “Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame.”
Two, and of far greater consequence, we shouldn’t miss Clinton’s agenda for the U.S.–Russia relationship. As The New York Times’ David Sanger wrote a couple of weeks ago, “Clinton will enter the White House with the most contentious relationship with Russia of any president in more than three decades, and with a visceral, personal animus toward Vladimir V. Putin, its leader.”
I can’t think of a single reason this is anything American voters ought to look forward to. Trump’s position on Russia, while in no way well-developed, stands in sharp contrast to Clinton’s worrisome views. While some may find this hard to admit, it’s a sounder strategy.
Trump eschews confrontation in favor of businesslike negotiation. He also recognizes that there are numerous questions—not least Syria—on which cooperation between Washington and Moscow is a realistic alternative to our mounting contention.
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