White House announces Russian sanctions.

[Lobohan]

@aldiboronti

So much for Obama’s promise of a smooth transition. The guy just cannot resist throwing as many obstacles in Trump’s way as possible. Any normal President would have the courtesy to leave these important decisions to his successor. Lame-duck Presidents should act like lame-duck Presidents. In fact I can’t recall any previous President behaving to a President-Elect in this petty and vindictive manner. GW Bush certainly didn’t in the transition from his administration to Obama’s.

Fortunately we have only a few more weeks of this pathetic behavior then it’s bye bye Obama, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

That is some cogent political commentary. :rolleyes:

[levdrakon]

@aldiboronti

So much for Obama’s promise of a smooth transition. The guy just cannot resist throwing as many obstacles in Trump’s way as possible. Any normal President would have the courtesy to leave these important decisions to his successor. Lame-duck Presidents should act like lame-duck Presidents. In fact I can’t recall any previous President behaving to a President-Elect in this petty and vindictive manner. GW Bush certainly didn’t in the transition from his administration to Obama’s.

Fortunately we have only a few more weeks of this pathetic behavior then it’s bye bye Obama, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

When the incoming president is an idiot who hangs out on Twitter and says things like “grab 'em in the pussy” the responsible thing to do is set things in as much order as you can before the clown takes office.

[Grumman]

@levdrakon

When the incoming president is an idiot who hangs out on Twitter and says things like “grab 'em in the pussy” the responsible thing to do is set things in as much order as you can before the clown takes office.

Obama trying to start an international incident on zero evidence by executive order is not “setting things in order.”

[iiandyiiii]

@Grumman

Obama trying to start an international incident on zero evidence by executive order is not “setting things in order.”

You’re being too generous. Obama is trying to start a nuclear war because he’s a demon who wants to extinguish humanity, not merely an “international incident”. And the intel agents are all demi-spawn working on his behalf.

[Lobohan]

@Grumman

Obama trying to start an international incident on zero evidence by executive order is not “setting things in order.”

It’s not zero evidence. Maybe you should take a second to learn about this issue before forming an opinion about it?

[The_Other_Waldo_Pepper]

@aldiboronti

So much for Obama’s promise of a smooth transition. The guy just cannot resist throwing as many obstacles in Trump’s way as possible. Any normal President would have the courtesy to leave these important decisions to his successor.

As far as I can tell, he’s smoothing the transition by making his successor look better.

Surprises the hell out of me that that’s possible, but it seems to be working.

[raventhief]

@iiandyiiii

You’re being too generous. Obama is trying to start a nuclear war because he’s a demon who wants to extinguish humanity, not merely an “international incident”. And the intel agents are all demi-spawn working on his behalf.

And he smells like sulfur, too!

[HurricaneDitka]

@wolfpup

The Bears Ears Buttes lands in Utah have been under consideration for federal protected status since 1936, because (quoting the NYT) “[they] encompass Native American sites of sacred and archaeological importance, as well as wildlife habitats and hiking and hunting terrain.” It’s an insignificant amount of land in the great scheme of things but it represents a disproportionate historical and environmental importance.

I think “insignificant” is an interesting adjective for 1.3 million acres.

@wolfpup

Alternatively, maybe when both the FBI and the CIA say the Russians did it, but cannot disclose their sources and methods, it’s reasonable to believe that the Russians did it. Especially when there’s ample evidence that they’ve also being doing the same thing in western European democracies.

If sometime in the next four years they say that Iran is secretly building WMDs, but they can’t disclose their sources or methods, will it still be reasonable to believe them?

This is the weirdest thing about the Russian hacking story to me: Democrats have totally gone from stupid-CIA-got-Iraq-WMDs-wrong to “we should totally trust the CIA”.

Here on the SDMB, it’s traditional to ask for supporting evidence of an assertion. The CIA and FBI haven’t provided hardly any supporting evidence.

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

On a related note, the Russians have announced that not only are they not going to retaliate in kind to the US sanctions, but they’re inviting all children of US embassy personnel to a holiday party at the Kremlin.

IMO this is well played and makes the Obama administration and their sanctions look ineffectual.

[Okrahoma]

@HurricaneDitka

Here on the SDMB, it’s traditional to ask for supporting evidence of an assertion. The CIA and FBI haven’t provided hardly any supporting evidence.

I don’t know about “hardly any”. So far I have seen none. There is definitely evidence that DNC and Podest have been successfully phished. There is no evidence published by CIA or FBI that Russians were involved.

[Evan_Drake]

[Quote=HurricaneDitka]
The CIA and FBI haven’t provided hardly any supporting evidence
[/Quote]
Yeah, But In Their Hearts They Know He’s Right.

Loud vulgar assertion, repeated ad nauseum, is the Gold Standard of evidence,

[HurricaneDitka]

@Okrahoma

Actors likely associated with RIS are continuing to engage in spearphishing campaigns, including one launched as recently as November 2016, just days after the U.S. election.

I thought this line in the report was interesting. Even the intelligence community is now hedging their bets that it was the Russians.

[alphaboi867]

@joebuck20

So what will happen of the Russian compounds in Long Island and Maryland. Will the Russians still maintain ownership, and if so, will they be allowed to have a caretaker come in and check on things every now and then?

My guess is control is transferred to a 3rd party (like Switzerland) and Russia pays them for upkeep.

@Fotheringay-Phipps

On a related note, the Russians have announced that not only are they not going to retaliate in kind to the US sanctions, but they’re inviting all children of US embassy personnel to a holiday party at the Kremlin…

I cant tell whether that’s more comical or creepy. Either way it shows just how much confidence Putin has in Trump to do right by Russia.

[bobot]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

On a related note, the Russians have announced that not only are they not going to retaliate in kind to the US sanctions, but they’re inviting all children of US embassy personnel to a holiday party at the Kremlin.

IMO this is well played and makes the Obama administration and their sanctions look ineffectual.

Or, Putin lobs Trump a softball; Trump believes he’s hit a home run, Putin leans back, grinning, in his chair.

[carnivorousplant]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

they’re inviting all children of US embassy personnel to a holiday party at the Kremlin.

Where buses will take them to a gulag in Siberia.

[Pantastic]

@HurricaneDitka

I thought this line in the report was interesting. Even the intelligence community is now hedging their bets that it was the Russians.

Remember, this is the same CIA that found evidence of WMDs in Iraq and the same FBI that found new Clinton emails right before the election and has a history or amassing large files on ‘dangerous’ individuals like John Denver, Charlie Chaplain, Colonel Sanders, Jackie Robinson, and Helen Keller.

[up_the_junction]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

On a related note, the Russians have announced that not only are they not going to retaliate in kind to the US sanctions, but they’re inviting all children of US embassy personnel to a holiday party at the Kremlin.

IMO this is well played and makes the Obama administration and their sanctions look ineffectual.

It makes the USA look seriously dated and locked in mindset that has passed.

The future is business and respecting Geo-political boundaries, not agitating on borders (Ukraine) and cold war rhetoric.

[Ravenman]

Maybe we should keep on expelling Russian “diplomats” if Putin is going to be so weak.

Give me a ducking break. If Putin expelled US diplomats and Obama did nothing, we damn well know that nobody would be praising Obama for making Putin look weak. I’m starting to think that Russia has been tampering with water supplies because the opinions of Putin are getting so ridiculously out of touch. Is cult of personality water-soluable?

[The_Other_Waldo_Pepper]

@Ravenman

Maybe we should keep on expelling Russian “diplomats” if Putin is going to be so weak.

Give me a ducking break. If Putin expelled US diplomats and Obama did nothing, we damn well know that nobody would be praising Obama for making Putin look weak.

I disagree.

I mean, yeah, I can agree that nobody – Democrat or Republican – would’ve praised him for that this December. But I honestly believe that plenty of folks would’ve, if Obama had rolled his eyes and chuckled while plausibly assuring us that Putin’s sensible replacement will straighten this out when the guy who can expel people for two or three weeks gets kicked out of office in two or three weeks.

[Ravenman]

These “plenty of folks” you’re talking about who would have been fine with Obama doing nothing, those would be mostly Trump supporters in your opinion?