The real news in the Ryan/McCarthy convo is NOT the part reporters are dismissing as a "joke"

[kpete]

"COMPLICITY IN RUSSIAN SABOTAGE OF THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN"



https://newrepublic.com/article/142761/republicans-tainted-russia-scandal-trump

[Wounded Bear]

1. They were all in collusion...

every single one of them.

[cyclonefence]

2. And you know what?

Even if we all shut down our brains and accept their explanation that it was all a joke, that's a hell of a thing to joke about.

Are you still laughing, Paul Ryan? How funny is it now, asshole?

[eggplant]

21. Reagan's was worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minutes

[dalton99a]

3. It was an orchestrated effort

[enough]

4. I wonder how this would have played out if Obama hadn't held back at that point. NT

[Ligyron]

18. That was a HUGE mistake on our President's part.

One of the few he's made.

Then Comey comes out at the end and knee-caps Hills while holding back on what he knows about the Trump campaign. I'm glad he got fired when he did and he certainly deserved to be. Now he will be a real asset toward Dump's demise and this act probably contributed greatly to the appointment of the new Special Council.

Couldn't have worked out better and Trump really, really screwed-up but good this last week or so. Right on time too.

[uponit7771]

22. Yes, love Obama like a play cousin but this is one of few times I disagree with the actions taken

[Jacquette]

26. Obama COULD NOT openly come

after DT; no matter his true motives, it would look like he was trying to undermine the Gop candidate to benefit Hillary. And everyone: Obama, the msm, the polls...thought Hillary had it. BHO would never give republicans that club to beat him and his legacy with.

We keep overlooking this. We all thought she would win.

[uponit7771]

27. True... Hmmm how he could've made it be known something was up though

[Jacquette]

28. He did by 1. declassifying

a lot of the info and spreading it to different agencies.

2. Setting a trap and briefing DT on things he knew would get back to Putin.

3. Passing foreign intel he recieved on to Comey.

4. Initiating the FISA warrant request last summer and the subsequent appeal to begin an investigation in the 1st place.

And don't forget: This was the waning days of his Presidency; Obama was never going to be the main one to openly lead this fight. I think he did all he could within the constraits of the Presidency.

[Volaris]

29. Yep. The paper trail he put into the hands of the FBI and other agencies

That came from intelligence groups, was paper that those other agencies would never have been able to access unless President Obama made it possible. This is why Comey gets the benefit of the doubt as far as I'm concerned--Obama trusted him to do this right. Until Obama or someone from high, high up in his administration says 'that was a mistake' I'll believe Comey is the first key to Trump's impeachment. Trump fucked up more than he realizes for firing him.

[Alice11111]

37. I love Obama too, but he also failed to appoint Merritt Garland as a recess appointment.

I guarantee you the Repubs would have.

In both cases, I think he assumed Hillary would win, so he wanted to leave on a high note.
As for the Russian investigation, once Comey reopened the email investigation, he should have spoken up at all cost, especially since Comey himself had wanted to do it before.

As good as Obama was, he made a couple of big errors.
I'm glad to see Dems acknowledging that. To get better, we have to view the past and learn.
Heads in the sand, isn't a good strategy for winning.

Nonetheless, we still miss you, Prez Obama.

[LWilliams]

31. But what if...

I have this weird fantasy, probably because I've spent most of my adult life studying Shakespeare, that Obama was so far ahead of everybody else that even though it seemed he was hamstrung -- i.e., couldn't comment on the Russia meddling because it would look like he was helping Mrs. Clinton -- he had a backup plan.

What was his backup plan?

Practically daring Trump to hire Mike Flynn.

Again, I'm ascribing Iago-like tendencies to BHO that (at least I hope) are not really there. But what if he knew all along that Mike Flynn was the linchpin that would cause the whole Russia thing to be exposed, so he said to Trump personally on that day following the election: "Donald, I must warn you. Mike Flynn is bad business. He can't be trusted. Under no circumstances should you hire that guy. I implore you to leave Mike Flynn alone. Really, I mean it." He had Sally Yates reiterate it, just for good measure.

Privately, BHO smiled, knowing that Trump detested him so much he was 100% certain to hire Mike Flynn...Mike Flynn, whose duplicity and mendacity would soon be on full display, and who, if given half a chance, would screw up so badly the whole Kremlin of Kards would come toppling down.

We'll probably never know for sure. And like I said. Too much Shakespeare.

But these are the things I think about.

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. Shakespeare wrote about court intrigue because he knew it

and he drew on old tales which were based on fact.
He is an excellent teacher, in that respect.

Welcome to DU!

[Alice11111]

38. Although Obama messed up, I don't think you can compare him to Iago

Obama may enjoy watching things unwind, but I don't think he would knowingly put the country through this. He was not evil. Perhaps, it was hubris. He thought Hillary would win. He thought his constituants would turn out to protect his legacy.

[Mme. Defarge]

5. K&R!

[eppur_se_muova]

6. So McConnell was aiding and abetting a foreign power ...

which brings us to this:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(2)(J), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

7. K & FuckingR. nt

[Amaryllis]

8. Not locker room talk. Not joking, either.

[TeamPooka]

9. Comrades in arms.

[cachukis]

10. Wasn't this the McCarthy who reavealed the real reason for the Benghazi Inquiry?

"Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?" McCarthy told Hannity. "But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought." Washington Post Sep 30, 2015

[Ligyron]

19. That's him all right.

He seems to have a knack for spouting the truth inadvertently at just the right moment.

[ffr]

11. The truth comes out!

Thank you!

[elmac]

12. Whenever Parrot face & the other fascists confronted President Obama he simply should have said

[Enoki33]

13. Don't be surprised if the laundering of Russian money is linked

with some of them.

[Volaris]

30. It's ALREADY linked to McConnell and Ryan...

Don't have the link but there was a story a few weeks ago about a phone call between them, trying to figure out the best way to channel russian cashflows into McConnells Senate SuperPac...This was BEFORE the election, mind you, but AFTER the White House congressional briefing on russian interference. So yeah, unless the 2 of them have hired some damn-good lawyers, when Trump goes down, Turtle and The Grannystarver are going right along with them. Good fucking riddance (I hate McConnell MORE than I hate Trump, I think).

[Achilleaze]

14. republicans are complicit in treason against America

disgusting.

[prairierose]

15. In other words, the Republican leadership...

was so desperate to win the election, to control all branches of government, that treason was just fine with them. Russia is/was no longer and enemy if they would help the R's win the election.

This is no joke. I do hope the special prosecutor looks beyond the White House.

[Justice]

25. Absolutely correct. No joke. And McConnell gets to hide out in his office and not answer Qs.

[aeromanKC]

16. McConnell never was worried about obstructing Merrick Garland

Or an even more Progressive Hillary Clinton nominee because he knew the Mother Russia fix was in.

[Volaris]

32. Yep. All that bullshit about were in an election year was a stalling tactic cause he KNEW the fix in

[BSdetect]

17. If you show weakness they try threats over and over

Never accept their bluffs.

We are all paying for this

[Johnny2X2X]

20. Sick

This tape would be explosive in any other news cycle. Basically the GOP is fine with pursuing propaganda and misinformation to mislead people. And they're fine with Russia interference into our Democracy.

Sick.

[Scurrilous]

23. K&R

[WinkyDink]

24. With my 20/20 hindsight, I guess Obama should have risked "politicizing" the information.

[onetexan]

33. i'm not happy about O not exposing this either

given the gravity of the situation, how damning it was and what was at stake. Though i respect his accomplishments as president i do think he needed to be more hawkish and stand up to GOP. I think he was banking on the fact that this idiot was such a grossly incompetent candidate that he wouldn't win and that Hillary was a shoe-in. He failed to realize the damage a foreign nation would cause with their meddling in the elections to destabilize our democracy.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

34. K&R nt

[Skittles]

35. this part

"........... the Obama administration backed down in the face of McConnell’s threat"

it makes me sick

but if you try to say this helped pave the way for Trump as prez, your post will be hidden

[chimpymustgo]

39. We have to face up to the FACTS of the Rethugs' criminality. And Dems bringing knives to gunfights.

They KEEP on stealing elections. And we keep focusing on what we did wrong, and what stupid voters we didn't cater to. These are not "conspiracy theories" in a crazy way - they are acknowledging things we can't always prove (maybe because we don't try).

I never understood a lot of things about Obama - especially his lack of "fight." Starting with healthcare.

[Skittles]

40. YOU KNOW IT, CHIMPYMUSTGO

Obama didn't hold people accountable coming in, and he let them off the hook going out.....very big mistakes