About those Tass photos in the Oval office

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. They win by controlling Trump. They win by destroying Trump.

Think of Trump as if he were a NASA space probe; preordained that it's days are numbered. Should they have it circle one more asteroid before going dead or steer it into Jupiter's atmosphere for the finale?

There may be any number of small matters, concessions to their global agenda, that Russia wants from Trump that he still can influence while he holds the office of President. But some of those acts would come at high risk to his presidency - which Trump has to believe can still be salvaged. So Trump might balk at delivering on some of them because he knows he can't plausibly defend his actions if he caves to Russia's wishes. That would make him look very bad. Well the Russians may be able to make him look even worse if he doesn't. That could be their message.

Or they may think they've already gotten most of what they can from Trump by now - so it is time to move on to the fiery finale: implode the American government, full scale constitutional crisis, America tired up in knots and looking awful to the world.

The Russians have an almost perfect win/win dynamic. The only way they don't come out of this way ahead is if the American political system rises to the challenge and on a bi-partisan basis puts country ahead of party. That could make some damn good lemonade out of a pile of lemons - but what are the odds of that happening?