Nyet to the American media.

• Author: Orient, Jane M.
• Position: WORDS & IMAGES

IN 1984, the movie "Red Dawn" depicted a Russian invasion of the U.S. The Defense Intelligence Agency's annual Cold War publication, Soviet Military Power, described the awesome threat posed by the Evil Empire's superpower status. However, as I recall, the "mainstream" media was more worried about the threat of American weapons. The nuclear freeze movement was quite popular with liberals.

Following the collapse of the Soviet empire, the ever-leftward-moving media seemed to have even less concern about Russia--that is until Donald Trump got elected president. Now it is the left that takes for granted that Russia is the evil foe--that idea no longer is dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory.

Does Russia try to influence U.S. policy? While professing concern about this, the media remained--and remains--silent about FDR Secretary of Commerce Harry Hopkins collaborating with the Soviets from the Lincoln bedroom, as described by Diana West in American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character, or the extensive infiltration of Soviet agents of influence into the Deep State of the Roosevelt Administration and its successors. Moreover, it washes over the harm done by America's detractors: the test ban treaty (we no longer can be sure that our deteriorating nuclear arsenal still works); lopsided disarmament agreements; the gutting of the U.S. military; the destruction of our civil defense; and the loss of our industrial capacity. These apparently are just fine.

No, the media--and its cohorts from the Democratic Party--is obsessed with allegations of interference in the presidential election of 2016. There were two candidates. One promised to make America great again, rebuild the military, bring back our industry, and make us energy independent. The other promised more of the same (as Barack Obama), only worse. As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton approved a sale of a majority stake in a company holding 20% of U.S. uranium resources to Russia (as millions of dollars flowed into her foundation). She was endorsed by the Communist Party USA--and the media somehow imagines that Russians interfered to help elect Donald Trump?

Some voters might have been influenced by the exposure of the shameful machinations of the Democratic National Committee, but were these leaks, or Russian hacks? Might the leaker have been DNC staffer Seth Rich, who ultimately was murdered? The intelligence agencies and the press--yeah, we should believe them--say...