the Borg
...not unlike the Borg

Comment: Not that we take anything anti-establishment Trump says with any seriousness, since he has no credibility whatsoever. But, it is interesting to note how the mechanical arms of Empire, i.e. the U.S. media - go after him (and Putin of course) with such a vengeance after he makes a few remarks about the U.S. not getting paid by member nations of NATO. In fact, he sounds just like a mafia boss "no pay, no protection". And this from the guy who's notorious about not paying his bills. The real story here though is the media's reaction.


Full meltdown mode all over the orthodox US press from the most-established ("namiest") brands to the newest and hippest.

How a Trump presidency could destabilize Europe - Anne Applebaum - The Washington Post:
But now it is 2016, truth is stranger than fiction, and we finally have a presidential candidate, Donald Trump, with direct and indirect links to a foreign dictator, Vladimir Putin, whose policies he promotes.
Trump would wreck, not restore, America's standing in the world - Editorial Board - The Washington Post:
This is an extraordinary willingness to question 70 years of bedrock political consensus on U.S. foreign policy — one that includes Mr. Obama, who has dispatched U.S. troops to defend the Baltics.
Trump proves he's a Putin lapdog - Jennifer Rubin - The Washington Post:
Trump continued on, promising to advance the "America First" mantra — an isolationist dog-whistle recalling Charles Lindbergh's opposition in the 1930s to fighting Hitler.
It's Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin - Jeffrey Goldberg - The Atlantic:
The Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump, has chosen this week to unmask himself as a de facto agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a KGB-trained dictator who seeks to rebuild the Soviet empire by undermining the free nations of Europe, marginalizing NATO, and ending America's reign as the world's sole superpower.
Donald Trump's Dark Vision - Editorial Board - Bloomberg:
He called for a new era of isolationism in which America would retreat from the world order that generations of citizens sacrificed so much to build and sustain.

It was the most disturbing, demagogic and deluded acceptance speech by any major party nominee in the modern political era.

Trump Ignores the Reason America Defends the World - Editorial Board - Bloomberg:
The biggest cause for alarm, however, may be Trump's casual dismissal of a global system that the U.S. invented and which has served it well for decades.
Remember When Republicans Wanted to Stand Up to Putin? -Eli Lake - Bloomberg:
The same guy who muses about killing the families of terrorists is open to abrogating America's treaty commitments to an alliance that has prevented a major European war for the last 70 years.
Donald Trump Is Sucking Up and Selling Out to Putin - Michael Weiss - The Daily Beast:
Would Americans die for Narva? What an ugly and stupid question. Estonians have already died for New York.
Trump Is Dangerously Incompetent on National Security - Fred Kaplan - Slate:
His promise to abandon NATO allies is a huge gift to Russia and China.
The Real Winner of RNC: Vladimir Putin - Franklin Foer - Slate:
Donald Trump's convention has been marked by gross incompetence in all areas save one: He's been highly effective in moving the Republican Party toward Vladimir Putin.
Putin's Puppet - Franklin Foer - Slate:
Vladimir Putin has a plan for destroying the West—and that plan looks a lot like Donald Trump.
Donald Trump's NATO comments are the scariest thing he's said - Zack Beauchamp - Vox:
Wednesday night, Donald Trump said something that made a nuclear war between the United States and Russia more likely. With a few thoughtless words, he made World War III — the deaths of hundreds of millions of people in nuclear holocaust — plausible.
Of course Donald Trump wouldn't honor NATO obligations - Josh Barro - Business Insider:
What is surprising is the way other Republicans, who claim to care about America's commitments to allies and leadership in the world, have brought themselves to endorse this man.