The Washington Post editorial board is asking aloud what many are wondering – is there a hidden reason for Trump’s Putin-lovin’?
“Mr. Trump has been frank about his desire to improve relations with Russia, but he seems blissfully untroubled by the reasons for the deterioration in relations, including Russia’s instigation of an armed uprising in Ukraine, its seizure of Crimea, its efforts to divide Europe and the crushing of democracy and human rights at home,” the Post wrote.
“Why is Mr. Trump so dismissive of Russia’s dangerous behavior? Some say it is his lack of experience in foreign policy, or an oft-stated admiration for strongmen, or naivete about Russian intentions. But darker suspicions persist.”
We posted yesterday about the conspiracy theory being peddled by many liberals that Trump is being blackmailed by Putin. What the Washington Post suggests would include that possibility:
“Are there loans or deals with Russian businesses or the state that were concealed during the campaign? Are there hidden communications with Mr. Putin or his representatives?” The newspaper speculated.
“We would be thrilled to see all the doubts dispelled, but Mr. Trump’s odd behavior in the face of a clear threat from Russia, matched by Mr. Putin’s evident enthusiasm for the president-elect, cannot be easily explained.”
I have a very simple rule about this stuff – don’t ascribe to a conspiracy theory what can be explained by simple incompetence. In this case, Trump’s admiration for the creepy journalist-murdering thug might be very simply that Trump doesn’t have a problem with any of that stuff. And that’s a problem for us now, isn’t it?