Warning shots flying all over the place.
First, we need to correct something. A few columns back when we commended Donald Trump for sedately wishing Sec. Clinton well with her health because he was really the only one to do it. We don't take the 'thank you' back and we will not delete the post, but we strongly retract the commendation for obvious reasons as Mr. Trump has shown no contrition in the face of ugly comments he made toward women and no common decency for American democracy since.
Of course Vice President Joe Biden is going to wax poetic about how Hillary Clinton is a better more compassionate candidate than Donald Trump, and if it isn't clear - she is, but there wasn't anything insightful there. However, that cannot be said for VP Biden's comment on foreign policy. As a matter of fact, it was news.
The vice president fired a clear warning shot at the Russians with regard to the hacking and seemed to say that the United States was prepared to respond in kind with its own cyber-attack and that it's an eventuality. Quite a bold statement but we think it's one that had to be said. Instead of sitting back and playing defense, VP Biden stated that the U.S. would not be passive essentially putting Russia on notice.
With cyber-warfare, if you concede that that is what it is, there is always going to be deniability - action never admitted to. Going by all evidence, the Russians are responsible for the hacking of our political institutions constituting the beginnings of a new Cold War. It's on and where it's hotly contested is in Syria where the United States and Russia are trying to exert their power to influence the outcome of the civil war. However, on the side of Assad, Russia is directly mired in the civil war bombing civilians in Aleppo while it's widely perceived the U.S. has been completely ineffective in providing an equal response. An equal response would be a military one namely a no-fly zone, which would likely devolve into a larger conflict - we've all seen how these thing go.
Vice President Biden said that the United States top priority is to defeat ISIL that poses a direct threat to the United States and explained that according to the defense community it cannot carry on operations to battle ISIL and institute a no-fly zone over Syria - both cannot be done at the same time.
Mr. Biden also posed an interesting scenario that Russia's foray into the Middle East this time could be opportunity for the U.S. again, just as it was when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. He assessed that the Russians are overextended in foreign affairs and with their economy so weak that he sees a longer-term opportunity for the U.S. That could very well be the case.
However, not if Donald Trump is president, who has rhetorically questioned why it wouldn't be a good idea to get along with Russia seemingly admiring the Russian autocrat. But then again, who knows because Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence have opposing views on Russian policy, inexplicable that the Republican presidential ticket is not on the same page when it comes to policy toward one of our biggest adversaries. Mr. Trump said as much in the last debate when he said that they had talked about it. That's ridiculous.
For Mike Pence's part, he suggested that because of mass media bias, the election is rigged as his Mr. Trump keeps saying. A profile in courage Mr. Pence is not. He said that the American people need to move beyond the issue of Mr. Trump's vile statements toward women (over half of the electorate by the way), and focus on the economy and the things the American people care about. He may want to focus on those things, but the guy who's actually running for president focuses on anything but policy, most recently proposing that the presidential candidates submit to a drug test before the next debate. (It's OK to shake your head in disgust.)
Addressing Mr. Pence's grievance that the media is biased because they're more focused on Donald Trump and are ignoring the Clinton campaign's leaked emails, specifically focusing on Haiti as he and Hugh Hewlitt (on the panel) brought up. The emails suggest that the State Dept. under Hillary Clinton reached out to friends of the Clinton Foundation first with regard to helping Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. There is no evidence that these 'friends' were given any preferential treatment (https://www.apnews.com/997308bef7e742e99f5ca16547b4241d/Q&A:-Did-the-Clintons-'cash-in'-on-Haiti's-earthquake?)
As Joy-Ann Reid pointed out, the electorate in general are not familiar with the players that are sending these emails and its a bit convoluted when picking all this apart. Chris Cillizza from The Washington Post said that Mr. Hewlitt's argument about the emails would be very effective if (a big 'if') Trump could make it, but he can't. Take all that to say that politically it doesn't resonate as loudly as Mr. Trump's actions. If you want to use a Republican rhetorical tactic in combating this, one could explain that Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton then became vice president and gave a no-bid contract to Halliburton once the U.S. invaded Iraq. That's not doing favors? Granted it doesn't make Democrats feel good to use a comparison to Dick Cheney in terms of their candidate but the point is that it happens on both sides.
Going into the upcoming debate, Kristen Welker said that Trump fired a "warning shot" that nothing will be off-limits, and nothing will be as this is Mr. Trump's last chance to air his grievances to the electorate writ large. What you'll see during the debate is Mr. Trump hardly talking policy and mostly talking trash, which will only reinforce his unfitness for office. And ask Joy-Ann Reid warned at a certain point if Mr. Trump falls too far behind in the polls, the down ballot Republican candidates will pay a price. However, with a Trump candidacy, win or lose Republicans have already paid a price.
Panel: Hugh Hewlitt, Salem Radio Network; Joy-Ann Reid, NBC News; Kristen Welker, NBC News;
Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post
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