One thing I couldn’t get out of my mind yesterday as news broke of the plane crash in Russia that reportedly killed Prigozhin, the guy who led the attempted coup against Putin two months ago, is how Donald Trump has so often praised Putin as the kind of strong leader he admires.
How can millions of Americans continue to support a man who — it’s quite clear — admires someone who assassinates his rivals? Is Russia’s oppressive autocracy the kind of society they want ours to become?
When in the past I’ve raised the specter of an authoritarian future should Trump successfully return to power, I am not being theoretical. I am being literal.
The awful sight of Prigozhin’s plane falling to earth was hardly a reason for mourning because the Wagner boss was a vicious war criminal in his own right. Just like Putin.
And although he can’t say it out loud, Trump no doubt thinks it was a perfectly appropriate action for Putin to order.
When I was young, the absurdist satirical film “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” became a kind of cult favorite.
Today I fear the film that may need airtime would be a documentary called “The Republicans Are Coming.”
***
Speaking of the GOP, last night’s debate between the eight candidates not named Trump appears to have failed to clarify the race for the party’s nomination. If anyone prevailed on the merits, it may have been Nikki Haley, who I’ve thought at times would be the party’s best pick to top its ticket in 2024.
Still, she probably will not get a bump in the polls and remains a long shot as Trump remains far-out the clear front-runner.
As such, the clear and present danger to our democracy remains. Remember these words.
LINKS:
A remarkable day at Fulton County jail as Trump’s surrender looms (CNN)
Rudy Giuliani bond set at $150,000 in Trump Georgia election case (CNBC)
How Mark Meadows Pursued a High-Wire Legal Strategy in Trump Inquiries (NYT)
Why John Eastman was no ordinary lawyer (MSNBC)
Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro surrenders to Fulton jail (AJ-C)
Trump employees lied to D.C. grand jury on classified documents, filing alleges (WP)
Fury at Michigan officials charged in 2020 false electors scheme: ‘This isn’t who we are’ (Guardian)
Hunter Biden’s access-peddling business — Not Illegal, but Clearly Wrong (Atlantic)
In his new book 'The Fall,' author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News (AP)
Wagner boss Prigozhin listed among passengers of crashed plane, Russian state media reports (CNN)
Ukraine’s Forces and Firepower Are Misallocated, U.S. Officials Say (NYT)
The west must stop playing the ‘Great Game’ in Afghanistan once and for all (FT)
It’s Been Two Years. Why Are Afghan Refugees Like Me Still in Legal Limbo? (Slate)
The Afghanistan Girls Soccer Team’s Daring Escape From the Taliban (Rolling Stone)
Springtime for Europe’s fascists (Politico)
Some of the Thorniest Questions About AI Will Be Answered in Court (WSJ)
Elon Musk was reportedly working on his AI company while publicly calling for a pause on AI development (Insider)
Stephen King: My Books Were Used to Train AI (Atlantic)
Meet Apollo, the ‘iPhone’ of humanoid robots (CNN)
The 'Human or not' game is over: Here's what the latest Turing Test tells us (ZDNet)
Man Wonders If Speeding Ticket Just Karma For Going 120 MPH (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment