Donald Trump and the pod people: How “national security” Republicans became Russian tools (Salon)

As indicated by a newly released report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, it appears that Russia’s intelligence agencies, orchestrated by President Vladimir Putin, interfered with the 2016 United States presidential election with the goal of helping Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. They were successful: On Jan. 20, Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

The revelation that one of America’s greatest global rivals and its mortal enemy during the Cold War manipulated the 2016 presidential election (as part of a broader plan to attack Western democracies) is the stuff of spy movies and techno-thrillers. But instead of paranoia and fear, Putin’s interference has been greeted by learned helplessness on the part of many Americans, impotence from the Democrats and a combination of indifference, obfuscation, denial and outright lying by the Republican Party....
http://www.salon.com/2017/01/10/donald-trump-and-the-pod-people-how-national-security-republicans-became-russian-tools/