The reader of Mr. Stephens latest essay portentously titled “The Real Russia Scandal’ has to be unimpressed as he restates the ‘evidence’ of Russian meddling in the American election, and it corollary of Trump and his minions being active co-conspirators with Putin. Yet the whole of Stephens essay rests on leaks from the CIA and other National Security agencies and ‘reports’ from The Washington Post, a newspaper owned by Jeff Bezos, a contractee of the CIA. Not to speak of the notorious liars Clapper and Brennan, or of Hillary Clinton’s loud proclamations of that Russian meddling, allied to the myth of American innocence.

But never mind those ascertainable facts of the political present. Mr Stephens writes inept political propaganda. The animus of the Neo-Conservatives to Russia has deep roots that date back to the late 30’s, and his intellectual precursors.  Mr. Stephens reference to his 2006 Premature Anti-Russianism in the Wall Street Journal is evidence of the long duration of that Neo-Conservative perpetual bellicosity. Note too that these Neo-Cons, like Stephens and Wm. Kristol beat the war drum without any military experience, that might just temper, or at the least, lead to a kind of diplomatic restraint/rationalism.

The reader need only look to American popular culture, for the historical characters that reflects the Cold War mentality re-expressed by Stephens. Look to United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper in Stanley Kubrick movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,  script by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George.  Or to Sidney Lumet’s  Fail Safe  script by Walter Bernstein
Peter George and the character of Dr. Groeteschele.

Committed Observer