http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160802/1043849062/trump-russia-crimea.html
Interview of Ray by Sputnik (excerpts below)
Ray has taken another admittedly risky step from the contemporary mainstream, by drawing on some ancient wisdom he picked up in a college course named “Logic.” Double-checking what he remembered from that course a half-century ago, he confirmed that the arcane procedure called a syllogism can still be applied without prejudice or opprobrium. A far more recent scholarly book said it was still acceptable to distinguish logic from rhetoric – and even to apply, logically, a major and a minor premise to reach a conclusion. The book noted, though, that “in everyday life, few of us bother” with premises or conclusions. Well that much is clear, thought Ray – and sadly true.
Here’s the syllogism in question:
Major premise: Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Donald Trump to win the election.
Minor premise: The publication of documentary (email) proof that Hillary Clinton stole the Democratic nomination was aimed at helping Trump defeat Clinton.
Conclusion: Putin did it.
Anyone want to look up “fallacy?” Again, if memory serves, in Logic a fallacy is a mistaken belief or conclusion based on faulty or misleading reasoning. It is a fallacy, for example, to conclude that the sun moves round the earth, even though we can SEE the sun moving, right? And we are equally certain that Putin prefers Trump because we can SEE everyone saying that on TV, right?
Alas, if the rules for logical reasoning have not been suspended, then when a major premise is not sound, you really want to have a hard look at the conclusion. (Ray apologizes for the pedantry and his requirement for rigor in reasoning. Chalk it up to his training at the hands of the Jesuits.)
Trump Probably Makes Russia Nervous (from above; excerpts)
WASHINGTON (from the Sputnik wire), August 2, 2016
“Former CIA analyst Raymond McGovern told Sputnik that despite widespread speculation that the billionaire businessman has become President Vladimir Putin’s favored candidate, the president unlikely wants him to win. ‘I know a little bit about Russian and Soviet leaders,’ McGovern added. ‘The last thing they want is somebody who is proud of being unpredictable and who gets irate at the slightest slight.’ That Putin, McGovern added, would want Trump to have his finger on the nuclear button ‘is a leap of faith that I cannot possibly make and remain sane.’ …
“Unfortunately, McGovern suggested, the idea that Putin supports Trump has wormed its way into a narrative being spun by Democrats and major US media outlets that back Clinton. If the media says Putin wants Trump to win 50 times, then 95 percent of the American people will believe that to be true, McGovern added.”
So how and why did the Trump-Loves-Putin-and-vice-versa idea “worm its way” into the narrative. Well, Ray’s main point was edited into a Part Two of the same interview (Part Two is not on the Sputnik wire – not yet, at least). Here’s the edited piece Sputnik had prepared.
US Democrats Use Russia to Distract From Clinton Stealing Nomination – Ex-CIA Analyst
WASHINGTON, August 2, 2016 (full text)
“‘US Democrats have pulled off a masterful slight-of-hand by shifting the focus from documentary proof that Senator Bernie Sanders was robbed of the party’s nomination to charges that Russia leaked the documents to influence the US election,’ former CIA analyst Raymond McGovern told Sputnik.
“‘It is a classic diversion from the fact that those emails show beyond any doubt in documents, in documentary evidence, that Hillary Clinton and her pals in the Democratic National Committee stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders,’ McGovern said on Monday.
“The former CIA analyst was referring to a trove of documents provided by WikiLeaks that exposed secret efforts to exploit Sanders’ ethnic Jewish background and presumption that Sanders is an atheist, to weaken his support.
“‘Hillary and all her minions are doing their best to blacken Trump by associating him with the other bête noir, Putin, and it’s all ludicrous on its face,’ McGovern explained.
“In a weekend interview with Fox News, Clinton claimed that Russian intelligence services stole the documents, raising serious issues about Russian interference in the US election.”
And Chuck the Toady Todd (see posting directly above on pimping the “red line” on Syria) comes through for Hillary again, giving sycophancy a bad name. Aiming for White House press secretary, Chuck?
Quo usque tandem abutere sycophanti patientia nostra?!