The Genie’s Out of the Bottle, and He Lies
From Politico: Just yesterday, Senator John Kennedy was on national television promoting a Russian disinformation campaign narrative alleging that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. But two years ago, his own Senate colleagues debunked that very theory when the Senate Intelligence Committee produced a bipartisan report finding absolutely no evidence of Ukrainian interference.
In another era, this would have been news. Before 2016, it was unthinkable for a public figure to make an assertion that even he knew to be provably and 100% false, but that is no longer the case.
The true danger of what we’re dealing with today is that walking out on a cloudless day and telling the world it’s raining no longer makes it impossible for people to take you seriously. Our leaders have learned that truth and lies carry equal weight in terms of their forming our beliefs about the world around us.
Now, in your mind, try to imagine a future where this evil genie has been put back into the bottle and bald-faced lying destroys one’s credibility. It’s not easy, is it? Once truth has lost its value, it’s hard to bring its standing back again.
We either put a spear through this now, or prepare ourselves to live with the consequences indefinitely.
Craig,
Just because you don’t want something to be true, doesn’t mean it isn’t true!
Times and information have moved on since the Senate Intelligence Committee made it’s finding.
The Senate Committee did not issue an “Olympian Decree” that shall stand for all time!
Rather the committee concluded there was insufficient evidence.
It’s quite possible that not only Russia (through Belarus) ran a campaign to interfere in the US election, but several other nations including the Ukraine (or various Ukrainians), certainly the peoples Republic of China, and several others sought to influence the election.
I’m afraid the USA has little reason to complain since for the last 70 years at least the US has interfered in the elections and politics of nearly every nation on earth, friend and foe alike!
It’s just what big powers do!
Mostly, it’s pretty ineffective. In the advanced democracies, political outcomes are largely about domestic issues and personalities. Any foreign influence is pretty inconsequential unless co-ordinated on a large scale by willing and knowledgeable domestic participants.
That hasn’t yet occurred in the US.
Senator John Kennedy was not on TV propagating a “Russian disinformation campaign narrative”, he was simply expressing the very reasonable opinion that elements in the Ukraine also may have pursued a course of election interference.
This viewpoint arises from a lot of recently uncovered very murky activities between US intelligence agents, Ukrainians, the DNC and Hillary Clinton.
The role of the Ukraine or Ukrainians, Russians and various other players, including the activities of former UK spy, Christopher Steele etc, is very confused.
It’s become further confused with the activity of Joe Biden’s son Hayden, and a host of other players who appear to be out of a Robert Ludlum novel.
Noe of this gives you the right to call Senator John Kennedy a “liar” , for expressing a viewpoint.
I don’t know all the intricate details of these murky goings on, and I’m damn sure you don’t!
I certainly don’t believe the Senate committee knew all the facts back in 2017. (I know that, because they said so).
Nor do I think Senator Kennedy knows all the facts.
I would not be surprised if none of the actual participants knows all the facts. It’s no pretty evident multiple players pursued different objectives which kept changing as the situation evolved.
In the end, it maybe very fascinating,but of no real practical importance, except as an excuse by those who want to pretend the 2016 election wasn’t legitimate.
Both Republicans and Democrats should draw a line under the whole boondoggle and get on with future issues concerning the American people’s lives.
The role of the Intelligence agencies and FBI needs to be investigated.
But, the nation should just move on. That includes the House Democrats and the President.