Vladimir Putin

Friday January 20, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 20, 2017

President Trump’s Twitter plans: Tweet as usual

President-elect Donald Trump is well on his way to be an entirely new kind of “Tweeter in Chief,” with no plans to cut back on his frequent use of Twitter despite the disapproval of the majority of Americans and a range of security risks.

January 20, 1997 second inauguration of U.S. President Bill Clinton. Graphite sketch (Prisma filtered)

He’s tweeting despite the fact that this week a new NBC/WSJ poll reported that 69 percent of Americans believe Trump’s Twitter habits are a “bad thing” and want him to cut back. Just 26 percent of respondents said Trump’s use of Twitter is good, agreeing with the statement that “it allows a president to directly communicate to people immediately.” It’s no surprise that Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s tweets — just 8 percent say it’s good. And Republicans are divided, with 47 percent calling his tweets a bad idea.

January 20, 2001

Though Trump will inherit the @POTUS handle President Barack Obama established in May 2015, along with its 13.2 million followers, Trump won’t give up his personal account, which has 20.3 million followers, and plans to keep tweeting from it. The Obama administration’s “digital transition” team will wipe the timelines clean of @POTUS accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and will archive all that content. (Source: CNBC) 

 

Tuesday December 20, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday December 20, 2016 Will the GOP be the pro-Putin party? Beneath the surface of the controversy overÊRussiaÕs efforts to help Donald Trump become presidentis a dramatic reconfigurationÊof opinion on foreign policy. Many Republicans who had long been critical of Vladimir PutinÕs despotic rule are adjusting their positions to accord with TrumpÕsÊmore sympathetic views. Others are hanging back, fearful of picking a fight with their partyÕs incoming president or underminingÊthe legitimacy of his election. At the same time, PutinÕs fiercest Republican critics, including leading neoconservatives, find themselves allied with HillaryÊClintonÕs supporters. They are calling out the KremlinÕs interference with the election and demanding a full accounting of whatÊhappened. Sens.ÊJohn McCainÊandÊLindsey O. GrahamÊhave been among the most outspoken. While some on the left worry about starting a new Cold War, there has been a broad toughening of liberal and Democratic opinionÊtoward Russia. This shift owes in part to outrage over PutinÕs efforts to sabotage Clinton, but the roots of the mistrust of Putin canÊbe traced back several years. PutinÕs hostility toward Clinton is widely seen as a response toÊher criticism of the 2011 Russian elections, a pointÊshe underscoredÊherself last week. Mass protests broke out against what the opposition saw as PutinÕs vote rigging. At the time, he blamed ClintonÊand the American government for the uprising. (Source: Washington Post)Êhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/will-the-gop-be-the-pro-putin-party/2016/12/18/a2d22058-c3de-11e6-9a51-cd56ea1c2bb7_story.html?utm_term=.b0976dcc87f0 USA, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Alec Baldwin, satire, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, blood

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 20, 2016

Will the GOP be the pro-Putin party?

Beneath the surface of the controversy over Russia’s efforts to help Donald Trump become presidentis a dramatic reconfiguration of opinion on foreign policy.

Many Republicans who had long been critical of Vladimir Putin’s despotic rule are adjusting their positions to accord with Trump’s more sympathetic views. Others are hanging back, fearful of picking a fight with their party’s incoming president or undermining the legitimacy of his election.

At the same time, Putin’s fiercest Republican critics, including leading neoconservatives, find themselves allied with Hillary Clinton’s supporters. They are calling out the Kremlin’s interference with the election and demanding a full accounting of what happened. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey O. Graham have been among the most outspoken.

While some on the left worry about starting a new Cold War, there has been a broad toughening of liberal and Democratic opinion toward Russia. This shift owes in part to outrage over Putin’s efforts to sabotage Clinton, but the roots of the mistrust of Putin can be traced back several years.

Putin’s hostility toward Clinton is widely seen as a response to her criticism of the 2011 Russian elections, a point she underscored herself last week. Mass protests broke out against what the opposition saw as Putin’s vote rigging. At the time, he blamed Clinton and the American government for the uprising. (Source: Washington Post)

 

Saturday December 17, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday December 17, 2016 Donald TrumpÕs Denial About Russia No matter how divided our politics and our times, Americans can agree thatÊour status as a strong, democratic nation rests on the bedrock of free andÊfair elections. That confidence is what was targeted whenÊRussia, one of ourÊoldest, most determined foreign adversaries, invaded American computerÊnetworks and released thousands of pages of documents to undermine theÊlegitimacy of the 2016 election. This news emerged last summer. Last month, theÊCentral IntelligenceÊAgencyÊshared aÊfurther conclusion,Êbased on months of analysis, that theÊRussian hacking was intended to favorÊDonald Trump. ÒThere shouldnÕt be any doubt in anybodyÕs mind,Ó Adm. Michael Rogers,Êthe director of the National Security Agency and commander of UnitedÊStates Cyber Command,ÊsaidÊrecently. ÒThis was not something that wasÊdone casually, this was not something that was done by chance, this was notÊa target that was selected purely arbitrarily,Ó he said. ÒThis was a consciousÊeffort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect.Ó Extrapolating motive from evidence is always tricky. But after the C.I.A.Êprovided classified briefings for Congress and the White House, members ofÊboth political parties were convinced. But not President-elect Trump. Mr. TrumpÕs instant rejection of the C.I.A. findings as Òridiculous,Ó based onÊno review of its work, echoed MoscowÕs. ÒThis tale of ÔhacksÕ resembles aÊbanal brawl between American security officials over spheres of influence,ÓÊMaria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry,Êwrote on Facebook. Mr. TrumpÊsaidÊof American security officials, ÒTheyÕreÊfighting among themselves.Ó (Continued: New York Times) USA, Russia, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Vladimir Putin, Red Square, Diplomacy, military, politburo, cabinet

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 17, 2016

Donald Trump’s Denial About Russia

No matter how divided our politics and our times, Americans can agree that our status as a strong, democratic nation rests on the bedrock of free and fair elections. That confidence is what was targeted when Russia, one of our oldest, most determined foreign adversaries, invaded American computer networks and released thousands of pages of documents to undermine the legitimacy of the 2016 election.

Reminiscent of the Cold War days - the Soviet politburo, powerful, stern, disciplined, shrouded in mystery. Downright scary.

Reminiscent of the Cold War days – the Soviet politburo, powerful, stern, disciplined, shrouded in mystery. Downright scary.

This news emerged last summer. Last month, the Central Intelligence Agency shared a further conclusion, based on months of analysis, that the Russian hacking was intended to favor Donald Trump.

“There shouldn’t be any doubt in anybody’s mind,” Adm. Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and commander of United States Cyber Command, said recently. “This was not something that was done casually, this was not something that was done by chance, this was not a target that was selected purely arbitrarily,” he said. “This was a conscious effort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect.”

Extrapolating motive from evidence is always tricky. But after the C.I.A. provided classified briefings for Congress and the White House, members of both political parties were convinced.

But not President-elect Trump.

Mr. Trump’s instant rejection of the C.I.A. findings as “ridiculous,” based on no review of its work, echoed Moscow’s. “This tale of ‘hacks’ resembles a banal brawl between American security officials over spheres of influence,” Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on Facebook. Mr. Trump said of American security officials, “They’re fighting among themselves.” (Continued: New York Times)

“And, yes, the whole world is watching, and not just watching. Graeme MacKay (Hamilton Spectator)offers this sardonic view of Dear Leader and his dear lady among their natural allies, as part of a cartooning project on Twitter, hashtagged #DrawDonaldTrump, though, to be fair, it appears the original call to pens came from Martin Rowson, who — ethical disclosure — bought me a pint three years ago.”

Friday July 29, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday July 29, 2016 Donald Trump Again Praises PutinÕs Leadership, Saying ItÕs Better Than ObamaÕs GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Ñ Donald J. Trump called PresidentÊVladimir V.ÊPutinÊof Russia Òa better leaderÓ than President Obama, offering the praiseÊin an interview with ÒFox and FriendsÓ on Thursday, just a day after sayingÊhe hoped Russian intelligence services had successfully hackedÊHillaryÊClintonÕs email. Asked about comments he had made Wednesday at a news conference inÊFlorida, where he said, ÒPutin has much better leadership qualities thanÊObama,Ó Mr. Trump reiterated his views in slightly starker terms. ÒI said heÕs a better leader than Obama,Ó Mr. Trump said. ÒI said heÕs aÊbetter leader than Obama, because ObamaÕs not a leader, so heÕs certainlyÊdoing a better job than Obama is, and thatÕs all.Ó Mr. Trump also tried to walk back, in part, comments he made WednesdayÊabout Russia hacking Mrs. ClintonÕs emails Ñ anÊextraordinary momentÊinÊwhich the Republican nominee basically urged Russia, an adversary, toÊconduct cyberespionage against a former secretary of state. ÒOf course, IÕm being sarcastic,Ó Mr. Trump said in the interview tapedÊWednesday that aired Thursday morning. ÒBut you have 33,000 emailsÊdeleted, and the real problem is what was said in those emails from theÊDemocratic National Committee. You take a look at what was said in thoseÊemails, itÕs disgraceful. ItÕs disgraceful.Ó Mr. Trump seemed to be conflating the roughly 30,000 emails on Mrs.ÊClintonÕs private server during her time as secretary of state, which herÊlawyers deleted as personal, and the roughly 20,000 emails DemocraticÊNational Committee emails that had been hacked. Mr. TrumpÕs comments Wednesday about Russian hacking set off aÊfirestorm of criticism, and his efforts to recalibrate his remarks began justÊhours after he looked into a bank of television cameras and declared,ÊÒRussia, if youÕre listening, I hope youÕre abl

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 29, 2016

Donald Trump Again Praises Putin’s Leadership, Saying It’s Better Than Obama’s

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Donald J. Trump called President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia “a better leader” than President Obama, offering the praise in an interview with “Fox and Friends” on Thursday, just a day after saying he hoped Russian intelligence services had successfully hacked Hillary Clinton’s email.

Live sketch of Clinton's acceptance speech

Live sketch of Clinton’s acceptance speech

Asked about comments he had made Wednesday at a news conference in Florida, where he said, “Putin has much better leadership qualities than Obama,” Mr. Trump reiterated his views in slightly starker terms.

“I said he’s a better leader than Obama,” Mr. Trump said. “I said he’s a better leader than Obama, because Obama’s not a leader, so he’s certainly doing a better job than Obama is, and that’s all.”

Mr. Trump also tried to walk back, in part, comments he made Wednesday about Russia hacking Mrs. Clinton’s emails — an extraordinary moment in which the Republican nominee basically urged Russia, an adversary, to conduct cyberespionage against a former secretary of state.

“Of course, I’m being sarcastic,” Mr. Trump said in the interview taped Wednesday that aired Thursday morning. “But you have 33,000 emails deleted, and the real problem is what was said in those emails from the Democratic National Committee. You take a look at what was said in those emails, it’s disgraceful. It’s disgraceful.”

debate2016sm

Debate Night, Sept 26, 2016

Mr. Trump seemed to be conflating the roughly 30,000 emails on Mrs. Clinton’s private server during her time as secretary of state, which her lawyers deleted as personal, and the roughly 20,000 emails Democratic National Committee emails that had been hacked.

Mr. Trump’s comments Wednesday about Russian hacking set off a firestorm of criticism, and his efforts to recalibrate his remarks began just hours after he looked into a bank of television cameras and declared, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”

Mr. Trump posted on Twitter on Wednesday that he was simply urging Russia — if it had indeed hacked Mrs. Clinton — to hand her emails over to the proper authorities. “If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the F.B.I!” Mr. Trump wrote. (Source: New York Times)

 

Thursday July 21, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday July 21, 2016 Dick Pound says ban Russia from Rio 2016 Olympics The founder of the World Anti-Doping Agency says the answer is clear Ñ Russia should be banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics for the good of the movement. Dick Pound, a longtime IOC member and a former competitive swimmer himself, says the IOC has an opportunity to send a clear message about zero tolerance for doping in the Olympics. "This is institutional cheating. It's just not acceptable in sport," said Pound on Wednesday. But the enormity of Russia Ñ both athletically and politically Ñ seems to be giving the International Olympic Committee pause, and it's delayed any decision on the allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia until Sunday. "It's political Ñ instead of focusing as we should on the sport aspects of this," Pound said. Far from marring the Olympic brand, Pound said banning Russia from the upcoming games would improve the reputation of the IOC and the Olympic movement more generally. "It would demonstrate that, on matters of principle, and the protection of clean athletes and the integrity of competition, that the Olympic movement is prepared to suspend even one of its most successful countries, because it has been demonstrated to endorse and in fact organize cheating.Ó Russia has been accused of running a widespread state-sponsored doping program designed to give Russian athletes an edge in international competition by WADA, the agency Pound founded, which has recommended that Russia be banned from the upcoming games. Pound said he understands the IOC delaying the decision for fear of legal reprisal from Russian athletes, but says they've missed an opportunity by not embracing WADA's recommendations. "If I were the president of the IOC, I would be on my knees saying, 'Thank you for taking this albatross from around my neck. We are happy to do what you recommend,'" Pound said. Russia is not the only country

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 21, 2016

Dick Pound says ban Russia from Rio 2016 Olympics

The founder of the World Anti-Doping Agency says the answer is clear — Russia should be banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics for the good of the movement.

Dick Pound, a longtime IOC member and a former competitive swimmer himself, says the IOC has an opportunity to send a clear message about zero tolerance for doping in the Olympics.

“This is institutional cheating. It’s just not acceptable in sport,” said Pound on Wednesday.

But the enormity of Russia — both athletically and politically — seems to be giving the International Olympic Committee pause, and it’s delayed any decision on the allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia until Sunday.

“It’s political — instead of focusing as we should on the sport aspects of this,” Pound said.

Far from marring the Olympic brand, Pound said banning Russia from the upcoming games would improve the reputation of the IOC and the Olympic movement more generally.

“It would demonstrate that, on matters of principle, and the protection of clean athletes and the integrity of competition, that the Olympic movement is prepared to suspend even one of its most successful countries, because it has been demonstrated to endorse and in fact organize cheating.”

Russia has been accused of running a widespread state-sponsored doping program designed to give Russian athletes an edge in international competition by WADA, the agency Pound founded, which has recommended that Russia be banned from the upcoming games.

Pound said he understands the IOC delaying the decision for fear of legal reprisal from Russian athletes, but says they’ve missed an opportunity by not embracing WADA’s recommendations.

“If I were the president of the IOC, I would be on my knees saying, ‘Thank you for taking this albatross from around my neck. We are happy to do what you recommend,'” Pound said.

Russia is not the only country with a doping problem, but this situation is unique in that it was run by the state and extended to almost all areas of high-level sport in the country, he noted. (Source: CBC News)