The substance of President Trump’s remarks yesterday in Helsinki are being largely ignored in favor of going full hair on fire overreaction. There is much to unpack from the presser, and I’m sure the folks who work hard in the intelligence community who AREN’T playing political games like John Brennan did aren’t thrilled that now their job is even more difficult. That said, Trump’s remarks should never ever be compared to Pearl Harbor or 9/11. But Politico went there.

Putin’s Attack on the U.S. Is Our Pearl Harbor
Make no mistake: Hacking the 2016 election was an act of war. It’s time we responded accordingly.

Yes folks, they really went there. A full 25 paragraphs outlining the authors ‘concerns’ about how Trump just isn’t understanding, is firmly in Putin’s camp and how we acted in response to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor is what we should be doing but aren’t.

Ok, yes. That was nutshelled a little simply. But you get the drift. They note that both those attacks forced a leap in forward thinking. With the result that Japan and Al Qaeda underestimated us. 

We went to war knowing we must fight back, but uncertain how we would win. We acted because we had renewed political will, a newfound clarity toward an enemy and its objectives, and because we understood the cost of failing to rise to the challenge. We were tested in ways we never expected, and the cost was unthinkably high, but we acted because we had to.

It goes on from there.

In 2016, our country was targeted by an attack that had different operational objectives and a different overarching strategy, but its aim was every bit as much to devastate the American homeland as Pearl Harbor or 9/11. The destruction may not send pillars of smoke into the sky or come with an 11-digit price tag, and there’s no body count or casualty statistics—but the damage done has ravaged our institutions and shaken our belief in our immovability. But two years on, we still haven’t put any boats or men in the proverbial water. We still have not yet acted—just today, President Donald Trump, a beneficiary of this attack, exonerated the man who ordered it: Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

Oh? We don’t have any ‘boats or men’ in the water? Are you sure? How do you know we don’t? The CIA and FBI as we know, is in complete disarray. Due in large part to the political gamesmanship and grandstanding by John Brennan, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, and more. They played politics in favor of letting Captain Flexible (thanks Jodi!) go his merry way and never call Putin on the carpet.

The authors of egregious piece should history better. It is a well known fact that what happened at Pearl Harbor and 9/11 was ALSO due to intelligence failures in part because of political gamesmanship at that time.

(2) The title alone is demented.

At Pearl Harbor, 2335 service members and 68 civilians were killed.

How people did Russia kill on election night of 2016?

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

(3) Here's the most dishonest thing they say:

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

(4) "Piece by piece, name by name, one operational detail after the next, special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has documented that the Russian attack on the American homeland and the American people…"

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

(5) "Was every inch as organized, expansive, penetrating and daring as that Japanese run on our fleet or bin Laden’s plan to use civilian airliners as weapons."

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

(6) They're talking about TV shows and social media.

As DEVASTATING as a Japanese naval task force or four airliners used as suicide weapons.

What can you even say?

Is nothing sacred to these people?

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

(7) They're deliberately conflating Russian cyberware and kinetic warfare.

TV shows and social media will lead to Russian annexing us, I guess.

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) July 17, 2018

Evidently nothing is sacred to those two and far too many others. As is pointed out, both authors emphatically state that Russia elected Trump as if it was fact. However, our own INTELLIGENCE community and the indictment that Robert Mueller put forth last week against the 12 Russians state otherwise.

The only pertinent fact is that Russia TRIED to hack state election systems. But while they may have gotten in, they FAILED to change one single vote. Did y’all get that, NOT ONE SINGLE VOTE was altered by the Russians in 2016.

Marta is right. Russia absolutely does matter, and we should not take the events of yesterday lightly.

What we should ALSO remember is that another President spent nearly 5 solid years trying to get Russia to agree to ‘TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.’ Keep in mind, the press at that time was nearly as bad as the press now.

But this melodramatic hyperbole doesn’t do us any good.

What? Phishing emails, FB ads and twitter bots are the same as the Japanese attack on a Pearl Harbor or the events of 9/11? How do you take yourself seriously? https://t.co/h45ydGBxI8

— Reader (@LassFromSC) July 17, 2018

In fact, it plays right into Putin’s hands. All his people had to do is sow the seeds, and the left – like bees to honey – is taking us right off the cliff.

My advice to the folks at Politico? Comparisons to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are the wrong hills to die upon. Be better and history better. Thanks.