Enough talking about Russia

It is probably necessary to explain that Russia and WikiLeaks have teamed to interfere in US elections. That is cyber warfare and an attack worthy of a significant response. Moreover, there are other foreign policy issues regarding Russia:

1. Russia successfully invaded and captured the Crimean from the Ukraine.
2. Russia attacked the Ukraine and continues to pose a military threat there.
3. Russia threatens other former Soviet states.
4. Russia is on the wrong side in Syria.
5. Russia is on the wrong side with Iran.

Now, with verbal support from Donald Trump, Russia and WikiLeaks have attacked the United States by hacking and releasing private information. The hacking and release of private information are a crime that is worthy of prosecution.  However, unless there is a named person or persons, they cannot be brought to trial.

Declaring the Russian attack as an act of war, which it is, the US is considering alternative responses, covert and overt. A story today by NBC News says that the White House is deciding the nature of the reply. There is too much public talk about it now.

Exposing Vladimir Putin and his colleague's finances for the Russian public to see is a logical step. One may wonder what difference that would make in Russia today?

Interfering with Russian assets such as petroleum would impact the Russian economy. Doing that covertly with physical effect on the infrastructure would be an act of war from which retaliation might be expected. That is a slippery slope.

Combatting the Russians in Syria by letting them hold the bag might be a very good idea. It is tricky, but the US military and CIA might have some ideas about that.

Let's see some action.

CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia
by WILLIAM M. ARKIN, KEN DILANIAN and ROBERT WINDREM 

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cia-prepping-possible-cyber-strike-against-russia-n666636

Putin says the US is being provocative while Russians are hacking and leaking.

Obama has responded firmly and promises action.

State of the Union, October 2016

What should topics be in a State of the Union report to the American people? A state of the union message by a president can be delivered anytime, and the contents are free-form, presumably driven by immediacy as determined by the President.

Task 1: Planning, staffing, organizing, and scheduling Presidential work and government functions

• Subtask 1.1: Recruit and staff the cabinet and department and agency appointments
• Subtask 1.2: Conduct cabinet meetings to develop and implement strategies and policies for accomplishing the nation’s workload and issues 
• Subtask 1.3: Define the nation’s outcomes and priorities for each major department and agency to produce the nation’s strategic plan 

Priorities today include water and land resource development policies, carbon footprint from curbing the use of fossil fuels and protecting our outdoor resources for future generations.

However, a complete list of American's priorities might look like this one:

1. Nation secured economically - 100%
2. Nation has a sustainable economy - 100%
3. Nation secured militarily - 100%
4. Homeland secured from terrorists - 100%
5. Employment opportunities for all who can work - 100%
6. Upward mobility for all who are prepared commensurate with ability - 100%
7. All persons provided minimal sustainment as a baseline to start - 100%
8. Social security assured for all persons - 100%
9. Clean air and water - 100%
10. Best education in the world - #1
11. Freest nation in the world - #1 
12. Lowest crime rate in the world - #1 in the least crime per capita

Of course, the actual "state" of these elements are far from perfect. Here is a crucial omission.

The American political system is under siege in all directions. First, the two-party system has fallen into disarray because both political parties have failed to improve their performance and have degraded to such an extent as being unable to produce highly qualified and superior candidates for offices at all levels in the system.

A principal reason for this is that American voters and party members have failed to produce standards for political party performance. There are not clearly stated purposes and tasks with associated performance outcomes. There are no standards for candidates competing for elected offices. Surely, there are party rules for doing certain things. Political party performance requires an independent audit.

The nation is in a dire state because the system is broken.

Broken state needs repairing 

How to Select an American President: Mosul: Why not pick a winner?

How to Select an American President: Mosul: Why not pick a winner?: Allied forces are amassed today to kick the Islamic State out of Mosel. Look at the regional map. Observe the prominence of the Kurds. Know...

Mosul: Why not pick a winner?

Allied forces are amassed today to kick the Islamic State out of Mosel. Look at the regional map. Observe the prominence of the Kurds. Know that the Kurds have been the most loyal and effective ally to the US in the region. The Kurds want to secure their nation state and to defend it. They are opposed to Iran that borders them. Iran is a US enemy, therefore backing them would be helpful. 

The Kurds have stood their ground against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has a beef with the Kurds because Turkey opposes them having a state on its border.

To this analyst, it seems that US foreign policy should support the Kurds in establishing their independent state. That would require a lot of work:

1. Negotiating with the Iraq government to permit the Kurds to develop an independent state.

2. Negotiating the same thing with Turkey.

3. Shoring up the Kurds with sufficient arms to combat potential Iranian insurgency, in addition to protecting against remnants of ISIS, al Qaeda, and other morphing terrorists.

4. Negotiating with other tribal groups in Iraq to secure representation in the Iraq government.

The story in Iraq is about how the fight for Mosul will be messy in the aftermath. Being clearer about US policy with the Kurds would help clarify the future and enable a way forward.

"Battle to banish Islamic State from Mosul could become a mess

Pro-government forces drive in military vehicles in Iraq's eastern Salahuddin province, south of Hawijah, on Oct. 10 as they clear the area ahead of the push to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. (Mahmoud Al-Samarrai/AFP/Getty Images) 

By Loveday Morris October 12 at 3:00 AM  

IRBIL, Iraq — The battle plans to oust the Islamic State from the city of Mosul are in place, but an uneasy mix of forces fighting against the militants could delay the fight or ignite separate conflicts. 

Washington Post

Image from Jane's via the Washington Post

How to Select an American President: What it takes to govern

How to Select an American President: What it takes to govern: In the pluralistic democracy, that is the United States of America; the President must unite partisan forces into cohesive action that is th...

What it takes to govern

In the pluralistic democracy, that is the United States of America; the President must unite partisan forces into cohesive action that is the result of collaboration and building a consensus. A candidate, such as Donald Trump has divided his political party, and the segment of the population that still follows him is aligned with bigotry and misogyny. How can Trump lead and manage under these circumstances? The answer is that he cannot.

A candidate such as Hillary Clinton has devoted a lifetime to public service. As a professional politician, she has had to compromise many times. When she chose to work behind the scenes, being less that transparent, it didn't work. She learned from that experience to become an effective US Senator and federal government executive as Secretary of State.

Nothing is easy in federal governance. Experience matters because the system is complex. Where Donald Trump scammed the tax code and developed property that includes many failed casinos, Hillary Clinton worked for the common good. That is the difference.

Hillary Clinton has flaws, but Donald Trump's character deficiencies delve into hate and mean-spirit, greed and exploitation that is beyond forgiveness. He is most unfit.

Mean spirited

Screen capture from YouTube

How to Select an American President: No apology for despicable behavior

How to Select an American President: No apology for despicable behavior: Despicable behavior that is inherent should eliminate a candidate for president. It is far too late for Donald Trump to apologize for the ...