Public Comment

Dirty tricks seem to be endemic to American politics. Recall the bugging of the Democratic Party offices by President Nixon or hiring a woman to strip naked at a Democratic press conference and scream her love for one the attendees. But Donald Trump and his Russian spymasters have accomplished the impossible – the theft of the American presidency and our democracy. It is a pity that senior Clinton officials failed to take action after an FBI agent issued repeated warnings that their computers were being hacked. The CIA failed to issue such warnings and block the intruders. Putin must have laughed uproariously at President Obama’s tepid response at their hacking admonishing them to “cut it out.” 

Sadly, the CIA has a dismal history of predicting world events from 9/11, Russia’s annexation of Crimea to its incursion into Ukraine and its intervention in Syria. Before we point an accusing finger at the big bad wolf, Vladimir Putin, and his ‘gang of depolorables’, we should recall the CIA’s decades long misdeeds in overthrowing democracies who failed to bend to our will.  

A few examples:  

1953 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh. 

1954 CIA overthrows the democratically elected Jacob Arbenz of Guatemala. 

1957-1973 The CIA carries out approximately one coup per year trying to nullify Laos democratic elections. 1959 The CIA helps the thug, “Papa Doc” Duvalier become dictator of Haiti. Multiple failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro including exploding cigars. 

As the saying goes, “what goes around comes around”.