Trump should have been laying awake a night dreaming of an opportunity like the bounty.

[brewens]

The chance to really flex some muscle and come down hard on Putin. He wouldn't have to start a war. Just announce hard core sanctions and threaten worse if they don't clean up their act. Exactly the type of tough guy leader thing he thinks he's all about. He didn't because he can't. He does not dare cross Putin.

[RockRaven]

1. Unless Putin has tapes of Trump and underaged "prostitutes" whether or not

they are pissing on a bed....

In that case, Trump is better off taking his chances with overtly treasonous (vernacular not statutory meaning) behavior.

[Nevilledog]

2. What? And lose his only friend?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Lying awake. Unless he was laying something.

[Xolodno]

4. I forget where I read it...an opinion piece...

...but Putin probably already considers Trump as a major liability.

He's gotten everything he can reasonably get from him. Trumps advisers will never allow him to drop out of NATO, undermining it is already a major accomplishment. Sanction relief, which would be the ultimate coup de grace, is what he really wants...and he still might get it....but will only be temporary. So he has no obvious illusions about that. It needed to happen a while ago to mean anything.

But an unstable and unpredictable USA is far too dangerous. Biden will probably win, but he's going to be caught up in so many domestic issues in his first term, international issues are going to be put on the back burner...

Which also benefits Putin. He played this well.