Putin worse threat than ISIS - Sen. McCain

Senator John McCain has called Vladimir Putin a bigger threat to global security and to US national security than ISIS.

Speaking on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation show, McCain acknowledged that "ISIS can do terrible things . . . .  But it's the Russians who are trying to destroy the very fundamental of democracy."   He was referring to Russian attempts to influence elections in the U.S. and in France.

McCain continued:   "So I view Vladimir Putin, who has dismembered Ukraine, a sovereign nation, who is putting pressure on the Baltics -- I view the Russians as the far greatest challenge that we have."

That is a leading Republican senator speaking.   And yet our Republican president cannot bring himself to utter one slight caution or criticism about Russia or Putin.

At least eight of his associates have had questionable and unreported meetings with Russian officials, during the campaign and since.  Seventeen different security agencies in our government agreed that it was the Russian government behind the hacking of Democrats' emails and spreading of negative propaganda against Hillary Clinton.   The FBI Director announced that there was an active FBI investigation of the possible collusion of members of the Trump campaign with the Russians in this effort, and any other matters that might come up as a result.

Trump fired that FBI Director, only now to have a special counsel appointed to continue the investigation.    The latest bombshell allegation has the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, along with his former National Security Adviser, seeking to set up a secret communication channel through the Russian embassy -- presumably to allow secret talks between Trump and Putin that could evade our own security monitoring.

Why is it that all roads taken by Trump staff seem to lead to Russia?

The same Russia that is the greatest threat to democracy and to global security, according to Sen. John McCain.

Ralph