While Donald Trump plays sycophant to Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader brags about his country's improved ability to wage war on America and NATO allies.

So what’s our defense? Thoughts and prayers?

Putin boasts military might with animation of Florida nuke strike @CNN https://t.co/RAoaYzOgje

— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) March 1, 2018

Courtesy of CNN: 

Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted Thursday of new weaponry he claims will render NATO defenses "completely useless," delivering a warning to the world about Russia's resurgent military might. 

In an annual address to the Russian parliament, the Kremlin leader said Russia had developed a new, nuclear-capable cruise missile with "unlimited" range that is capable of eluding air-defense systems. 

He also said Russia had developed an "invincible" missile that can deliver a warhead at hypersonic speed. 

Putin is running for reelection in mid-March on a platform that emphasizes his strength as a leader. And Thursday's speech was an occasion for the Russian President to showcase his country's strides in military technology.

"Russia still has the greatest nuclear potential in the world, but nobody listened to us," he said. "Listen now."

Jesus Christ!

So while Trump lubes himself up to make Putin's intrusion into our political system friction free, Vlad slaps his dick in our faces as he brags about his ability to bomb the world back into the stone age and our inability to do a damn thing to stop him.

Of course America officially refutes these claims, but then again America also thought that our cyber security was top notch.

As long as Trump is in the White House we are sitting ducks for any Russian attacks, be they military or cyber. And that is becoming more obvious every day.

The Alt-Right are using NATO and British Intelligence psychological warfare techniques to spread white nationalism. Well isn't that special.

Courtesy of Newsweek: 

Far right groups under the banner of the so-called 'alt right' are using psychological warfare techniques learnt from leaked NATO and British intelligence documents to spread white supremacism across the world, according to a new report. 

In a study by the the Institute of Strategic Dialogue—titled 'The Fringe Insurgency'—Julia Ebner and Jacob Davey argue that activists are "weaponising internet culture" to spread their ideology online and subvert democracies. 

After spending several weeks undercover on online alt-right forums, the authors identified the tactics that users adopted to radicalize people online and mobilize support for the far-right groups, targeting anxieties over immigration, terrorism, and race.

They used “crowd-funding platforms, custom-made social media platforms and even the use of leaked military and intelligence resources from [U.K. intelligence agency] GCHQ and NATO to run campaigns against their own governments,” the report said. 

The study identified these tactics as originating in America and then being transported to European counties to disrupt their democratic elections and incite hatred and even violence.

The article did not mention it but I would be interested in how this relates to the Russian government's attempts to undermine western democracy or if in fact they are working hand in glove. 

Apparently Donald Trump's overseas trip was an even bigger shit show than we were previously led to believe.

Trump's public remarks during his NATO visit were embarrassing enough.

And of course he pushed that Montenegro Prime Minister.

During his visit to NATO headquarters, Trump moves in front of Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic to be in front of the group pic.twitter.com/kYDfshnVrp

— POLITICO (@politico) May 25, 2017

However now we learn that during the private meeting with the members of NATO that things got even worse.

Courtesy of Foreign Policy:

After a public showing on May 25 in which Trump refused to endorse NATO’s collective defense clause and famously shoved the Montenegrin leader out of the way, leaders of the 29-member alliance retired to a closed-door dinner that multiple sources tell Foreign Policy left alliance leaders “appalled.” 

Trump had two versions of prepared remarks for the dinner, one that took a traditional tack and one prepared by the more NATO-skeptic advisors, Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon. “He dumped both of them and improvised,” one source briefed on the dinner told FP. 

During the dinner, Trump went off-script to criticize allies again for not spending enough on defense. (The United States is one of only five members that meets NATO members’ pledge to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense.) 

Several sources briefed extensively on the dinner say he said 2 percent wasn’t enough and allies should spend 3 percent of GDP on defense, and he even threatened to cut back U.S. defense spending and have Europeans dole out “back pay” to make up for their low defense spending if they didn’t pony up quickly enough. Two sources say Trump didn’t mention Russia once during the dinner. 

“Oh, it was like a total shitshow,” said one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to discuss the closed-door dinner. 

“The dinner was far worse than the speech,” said a former senior U.S. government official briefed on dinner. “It was a train wreck. It was awful.”

I was so embarrassed by George W. that I cautioned my daughter to say she was from Canada during her trip to Italy.

Now I am so embarrassed by Donald Trump I want to claim I am Canadian while visiting the grocery store right here in America. 

Donald Trump tries to handshake bully French President Emmanuel Macron, fails miserably.

The Trump/Macron handshake 👇 (h/t @NoahGrayCNN) pic.twitter.com/Ce3ZznfuxM

— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) May 25, 2017

As you can see in this tweet Trump attempts that whole Mafia dominating handshake thing that he is known for, but the mighty Macron totally holds firm and does not allow his tiny hands to win the day.

Later after Macron throws a little shade Trump's way by greeting Angela Merkel and several others before deigning to acknowledge Trump, he attempts the same maneuver, and once again Macron refuses to be pulled off balance or bullied by Cheeto Hitler.  By the way Trump also told Macron that "You were my guy," while meeting him as if the internet did not even exist to prove that claim wrong.

(H/T to Wonkette.)

Donald Trump actually handed Chancellor Angela Merkel a 300 billion dollar bill that he claimed Germany owed NATO.

Courtesy of The Sunday Times:  

Donald Trump handed the German chancellor Angela Merkel a bill — thought to be for more than £300bn — for money her country “owed” Nato for defending it when they met last weekend, German government sources have revealed. 

The bill — handed over during private talks in Washington — was described as “outrageous” by one German minister. 

“The concept behind putting out such demands is to intimidate the other side, but the chancellor took it calmly and will not respond to such provocations,” the minister said.

So I guess Trump was full of shit yet again when he tweeted this:

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

This guy is a national embarrassment now.

Good job Trump voters!

Not simply content to embarrass the US in front of the German Chancellor then Trump attempts to extort money from her as well.

I swear just looking at this picture makes me ashamed for my country.

And if that was not enough, then Trump tweeted this just today.

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

...vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

Yeah the meeting was so great that Trump then felt it necessary to shake the Chancellor down like some Mafia goon for protection money.

Perhaps somebody should inform Orange Hitler that this deal with Germany is part of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty (NATO for short) that we signed to ensure that they knew we had their back as a preventive measure to tamp down the kind of desperation that would allow a fascist to rise to power in that country again.

Too bad there was nothing in place to prevent it from happening here in this country.

Oh wait, there was. It is called the Constitution.

John McCain accuses Rand Paul of working for Vladimir Putin. More popcorn? Update!

Courtesy of CBS News:

The fireworks came as McCain spoke in support of a Senate unanimous consent request in support of Montenegro’s bid to join NATO. The libertarian-leaning Paul, who has often advocated for a less interventionist foreign policy, opposes the resolution. 

“You are achieving the objectives of Vladimir Putin...trying to dismember this small country which has already been the subject of an attempted coup,” McCain said, in an apparent reference to Paul.

McCain then asked that the resolution be passed unanimously, prompting an objection from Paul who then exited the room. McCain then reiterated his accusation. 

“I note the senator from Kentucky leaving the floor without justification or any rationale for the action he has just taken. That is really remarkable -- that a senator blocking a treaty that is supported by the overwhelming number, perhaps 98 at least of his colleagues, would come to the floor and object and walk away…The only conclusion you can draw when he walks away is he has no argument to be made. 

He has no justification for his objection to having a small nation be part of NATO that is under assault from the Russians. So, I repeat again, the senator from Kentucky is now working for Vladimir Putin.”

Damn!

Later Senator Paul made this statement on CBS News: 

“Currently, the United States has troops in dozens of countries and is actively fighting in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen (with the occasional drone strike in Pakistan),” Paul wrote. “In addition, the United States is pledged to defend 28 countries in NATO. It is unwise to expand the monetary and military obligations of the United States given the burden of our $20 trillion debt.”

I don't know if it is a breach of Senate decorum to accuse a peer of working for the Russians or not, but with their puppet currently occupying the White House it DOES seem like a reasonable accusation to make.

Update: Rand Paul responds to McCain's statements:   

You know, I think he makes a really, really strong case for term limits. I think maybe he's past his prime; I think maybe he's gotten a little bit unhinged.

Oh yeah, I am definitely going to need some more popcorn. 

Putin spokesman says that Donald Trump could build confidence by telling NATO to back off and let Russia do what it wants.

Courtesy of the AP: 

Vladimir Putin's spokesman says one way Donald Trump could help build confidence with Russia after he becomes president would be to persuade NATO to slow down its expansion or withdraw its forces from Russia's borders. 

Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with The Associated Press that this "would lead to a kind of detente in Europe." 

But unfortunately, he said, Russia now sees "NATO's muscles ... getting bigger and bigger and closer and closer to Russian borders." 

At a NATO summit in July, the Western alliance said it is building up positions in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in response to what it sees as escalating tensions with Russia. The United States is sending 1,000 troops to Poland next year.

Yeah gee, I bet we could repair relationships with all kinds of countries if we just let them do whatever they wanted to whomever they wanted.

For instance I bet North Korea would be our bosom buddy if we just let them invade South Korea.

And I bet Iran would totally invite us to their birthday party if we let them go ahead and build nuclear weapons.

Of course the really troubling part of this is that Trump might actually not care about any of those scenarios.

In fact he is already pretty much on board with this whole NATO thing:

Trump has praised Putin as a strong leader and suggested that the U.S. could abandon its NATO commitments, which include mutual defense in case of attack. 

The president-elect says NATO was created to confront a threat — the Soviet Union — that no longer exists and has called the alliance "obsolete" and a bad deal for America. He argues that the U.S. gets too little out of decades-old security partnerships like NATO, which is anchored in Europe but traditionally led by the United States.

In another interview that same Putin spokesman said this:

The Kremlin said on Thursday U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy approach was "phenomenally close" to that of President Vladimir Putin, giving Russia hope that tattered U.S.-Russia relations could gradually be improved. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking in New York, said he saw incredible similarities between the two men's foreign policy ideas, and this meant there was a solid basis to start a meaningful dialogue between Moscow and Washington. 

So the Russians see our new president's foreign policy approach as "phenomenally close" to that of a former Soviet KGB agent who seems hell bent on world domination.

And we wondered why Putin worked so hard to get this guy elected. 

Of all of the terrifying things that Donald Trump has said this might be the most terrifying of all. Update!

This is how much I understand about NATO. 

Courtesy of CNN:

Donald Trump, in a New York Times interview published Thursday, outlined a sharp break in US foreign policy tradition, suggesting the US wouldn't defend NATO allies like the Baltic states against Russian aggression if they haven't "fulfilled their obligation to us." 

Trump has repeatedly made the case that most of NATO's 28-member countries are not making the requisite financial contributions for their common defense, and he's said in the past that "the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves." 

Throughout the interview, the Republican presidential nominee seemed to reject core assumptions of US military and foreign policy thinking -- including foreign troop deployment and advocating for civil liberties -- and argued for an unprecedented global retrenchment, frequently framing his argument in economic terms. 

Trump's comments were met with shock and anger in some quarters, drawing stern rebukes from members of both parties and prompting the White House to assuage anxious allies.

You know when a presidential candidate is so reckless that the current President's administraton has to calm fears in the wake of his comments, that should really tell you that such a person should NOT be a presidential candidate.

I'm just saying.

A top Clinton aide had this to say:

Jake Sullivan, a senior Clinton policy adviser, noted how the U.S. has for decades given an "ironclad guarantee" to its NATO allies to come to their defense if attacked, "just as they came to our defense" after 9/11.

"Donald Trump was asked if he would honor that guarantee. He said ... maybe, maybe not," Sullivan said in a statement. "The president is supposed to be the leader of the free world. Donald Trump apparently doesn't even believe in the free world." 

You know all of this stopped being funny months ago.

Simply put anybody who sits out this election, or votes the Republican party ticket, is a traitor to this country.

Update: They have now had a chance to fact check Trump's acceptance speech and found that most of the "facts" that he presented were either untrue or misleading.

I actually would be surprised if it were otherwise.