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Title: Did Putin Order the Salisbury Hit?
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URL Source: https://townhall.com/columnists/pat ... der-the-salisbury-hit-n2462576
Published: Mar 20, 2018
Author: Patrick James Buchanan
Post Date: 2018-03-20 11:01:19 by A K A Stone
Keywords: None
Views: 2390
Comments: 19
Britain has yet to identify the assassin who tried to murder the double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England. But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson knows who ordered the hit. "We think it overwhelmingly likely that it was (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the U.K." "Unforgivable," says Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov of the charge, which also defies "common sense." On Sunday, Putin echoed Peskov: "It is just sheer nonsense, complete rubbish, to think that anyone in Russia could do anything like that in the run-up to the presidential election and the World Cup. ... It's simply unthinkable." Putin repeated Russia's offer to assist in the investigation. But Johnson is not backing down; he is doubling down. "We gave the Russians every opportunity to come up with an alternative hypothesis ... and they haven't," said Johnson. "We actually have evidence ... that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of assassination but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok," the poison used in Salisbury. Why Russia is the prime suspect is understandable. Novichok was created by Russia's military decades ago, and Skripal, a former Russian intel officer, betrayed Russian spies to MI6. But what is missing here is the Kremlin's motive for the crime. Skripal was convicted of betraying Russian spies in 2006. He spent four years in prison and was exchanged in 2010 for Russian spies in the U.S. If Putin wanted Skripal dead as an example to all potential traitors, why didn't he execute him while he was in Kremlin custody? Why wait until eight years after Skripal had been sent to England? And how would this murder on British soil advance any Russian interest? Putin is no fool. A veteran intelligence agent, he knows that no rival intel agency such as the CIA or MI6 would trade spies with Russia if the Kremlin were to go about killing them after they have been traded. "Cui bono?" runs the always relevant Ciceronian question. "Who benefits" from this criminal atrocity? Certainly, in this case, not Russia, not the Kremlin, not Putin. All have taken a ceaseless beating in world opinion and Western media since the Skripals were found comatose, near death, on that bench outside a mall in Salisbury. Predictably, Britain's reaction has been rage, revulsion and retaliation. Twenty- three Russian diplomats, intelligence agents in their London embassy, have been expelled. The Brits have been treating Putin as a pariah and depicting Russia as outside the circle of civilized nations. Russia is "ripping up the international rulebook," roared Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. Asked how Moscow might respond to the expulsions, Williamson retorted: Russia should "go away and shut up." Putin sympathizers, including Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, have been silenced or savaged as appeasers for resisting the rush to judgment. The Americans naturally came down on the side of their oldest ally, with President Donald Trump imposing new sanctions. We are daily admonished that Putin tried to tip the 2016 election to Trump. But if so, why would Putin order a public assassination that would almost compel Trump to postpone his efforts at a rapprochement? Who, then, are the beneficiaries of this atrocity? Is it not the coalition -- principally in our own capital city -- that bears an endemic hostility to Russia and envisions America's future role as a continuance of its Cold War role of containing and corralling Russia until we can achieve regime change in Moscow? What should Trump's posture be? Stand by our British ally but insist privately on a full investigation and convincing proof before taking any irreversible action. Was this act really ordered by Putin and the Kremlin, who have not only denied it but condemned it? Or was it the work of rogue agents who desired the consequences that they knew the murder of Skripal would produce -- a deeper and more permanent split between Russia and the West? Only a moron could not have known what the political ramifications of such an atrocity as this would be on U.S.-British-Russian relations. And before we act on Boris Johnson's verdict -- that Putin ordered it -- let us recall: The Spanish, we learned, did not actually blow up the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, which ignited the Spanish-American War. The story of North Vietnamese gunboats attacking U.S. destroyers, which led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and 58,000 dead Americans in Vietnam, proved not to be entirely accurate. We went to war in Iraq in 2003 to disarm it of weapons of mass destruction we later discovered Saddam Hussein did not really have. Some 4,500 U.S. dead and tens of thousands of wounded paid for that rush to judgment. And some of those clamoring for war then are visible in the vanguard of those clamoring for confronting Russia. Before we set off on Cold War II with Russia -- leading perhaps to the shooting war we avoided in Cold War I -- let's try to get this one right.
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#1. To: A K A Stone (#0)
IF Pooty-Poot didn't order the hit,you can bet your ass he approved of it or it wouldn't have happened.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Good gravy, did you even read the article? What is Putin's motive? There is only one potential motive I can think of, and that would be to increase his popularity just before Russia's presidential election which he won by 75% of votes in an 8 way race (eliminating any run-off contest) which he otherwise would have won by only 60-65%. That's it. On the down side, relations with the west have been severely destroyed, and Russia's expectation of respecting spy swaps is compromised. The World Cup is in a few months, to be held in Russia, which is a monumental international soccer event on par with the Olympics. So who benefits from this attack? The deep state in the US & UK benefits. Israel and Saudi Arabia benefit as they detest Russia's saving Assad and they WANT to see the very divide that this attack has caused. I personally see anyone who, without any evidence, blames Russia for this attack as having been duped by the deep state, MSM and PTB's and lacking in any critical analysis on the subject. And there are no shortage of such types all over, unfortunately. I would hope you and others here would not be so naive. Now maybe Russia did do it. I don't know for certain, but I do know that other powers benefit far more from this attack than Russia does.
Good gravy, did you even read the article? What is Putin's motive? Macho posturing and ego. Is it possible you have never met any Russian men? In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
They are just diplomatic. Typical false flag.
Did you ever did false flag operation?
Of cource Russians did not do it.
No. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Of cource Russians did not do it. HEY! If you can't trust the commies to be moral,who CAN you trust,right,comrade? In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Commies are an universal explanation for you. I bet you believed WMDs in Iraq. Commies too.
Sorry to be the one to tell you this but "Commies" is a pretty outdated term these days. The Chinese might still qualify for the term, but today's Russians are probably no less capitalists than Americans are. Not that Americans are particularly capitalistic, as we do have a progressive income tax and state sponsored schooling among others Carl Marx manifesto things. But Russians have been largely cured of at least the overt communism of the USSR. Nowadays they have progressed quite well economically and in Putin they have a very intelligent and sly leader who, if his interviews, comments and writings are to be believed really is interested in world peace and positive relationships with other countries, including the USA. Unfortunately, it seems like we have too many McCain's in the top level of government.
HorseHillary! It means "members of the Communist Party and their sympathizers",just like it has always meant. today's Russians are probably no less capitalists than Americans are. I will agree if you are talking about the typical Russian citizen. I've been to Russia a couple of times right after Yeltsin was elected,and truth to tell,there were damn few Real Red Russians even back then. Everybody just had to pretend to be faithful to stay out of the gulags. AND.....,since WHEN has communists and communism been restricted to Russia? Ever hear of a guy named FDR and his commie cousin-wife? Unfortunately, it seems like we have too many McCain's in the top level of government. I can't argue with that. The truth is that America has two major problems,and they are called Dim-o-crats and alleged Republicans. AKA,"Party People". In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
I once shook pat Buchanan's hand and he told me something to the affect that communism was dead. It was when he was running for President in 1992. It was at that church on interstate 75 that used to have that statue of what they called touchdown Jesus along the highway. I think the statue was hit by lightning.
OK, a quarter of century passed after they sent you to help Yeltsin in "repairing" of Russia. Any new and DIFFERENT ideas formed in your mind since then? Or are you frozen in time? This is not a rhetorical question, I am really curious.
I am not surprised. This 62-ft. high styrofoam and fiberglass sculpture was just too ugly.
Here is the pic:
I don't think it is ugly. I think it looked kind of kool.
De gustibus non est disputandum, but I always had doubts about this proverb. On the other hand Caesar once said "Surely, it were enough not to eat what you don't like; but he who finds fault with ill-breeding like this is ill-bred himself"
He was right. Reagan and Thatcher,with a lot of help from a lot of people working in the background, killed it. It was at that church on interstate 75 that used to have that statue of what they called touchdown Jesus along the highway. I think the statue was hit by lightning. OUCH! LOL! In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
You are not bright enough to be curious. Shoot for "confused and misinformed" and you will be in your comfort zone. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
#2. To: sneakypete (#1)
IF Pooty-Poot didn't order the hit,you can bet your ass he approved of it or it wouldn't have happened.
#3. To: Pinguinite (#2)
IF Pooty-Poot didn't order the hit,you can bet your ass he approved of it or it wouldn't have happened.
#4. To: A K A Stone (#0)
"We gave the Russians every opportunity to come up with an alternative hypothesis ... and they haven't," said Johnson.
#5. To: sneakypete (#1)
#6. To: Pinguinite (#2)
Now maybe Russia did do it. I don't know for certain,
#7. To: A Pole (#5)
Did you ever did false flag operation?
#8. To: A Pole, Pinguinite, *Politics and Politicians* (#6)
Now maybe Russia did do it. I don't know for certain,
#9. To: sneakypete (#8)
(Edited)
HEY! If you can't trust the commies to be moral,who CAN you trust,right,comrade?
#10. To: sneakypete (#8)
#11. To: Pinguinite (#10)
Sorry to be the one to tell you this but "Commies" is a pretty outdated term these days.
#12. To: sneakypete (#11)
#13. To: sneakypete, Vicomte13, Tooconservative, Deckard (#11)
(Edited)
I've been to Russia a couple of times right after Yeltsin was elected
#14. To: A K A Stone (#12)
think the statue was hit by lightning.
#15. To: All (#14)
sculpture was just too ugly
#16. To: A Pole (#15)
#17. To: A K A Stone, Vicomte13, Tooconservative (#16)
I don't think it is ugly. I think it looked kind of kool.
#18. To: A K A Stone (#12)
(Edited)
I once shook pat Buchanan's hand and he told me something to the affect that communism was dead. It was when he was running for President in 1992.
#19. To: A Pole (#13)
This is not a rhetorical question, I am really curious.
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