David Lin gave me time to speculate on what is in store for US-Russia relations in the wake of events over the past few weeks. David’s commentators did not like it; they did not like it, like it, not one bit. See what you think.
Don’t Get Fooled, Trump
“Fool me once”: JFK was fooled by Allen Dulles claiming Castro wld fall once rebels were at Bay of Pigs. JFK learned that CIA analysts had not been consulted. He decided not to be fooled twice – one reason he was killed (as Truman strongly suggested). Trump: Beware, same trick.
Morality According to Trump

Trump’s morality: The Ivys wouldn’t admit him, until a friend at UPenn got him in after 2 years at Fordham, where “Moral Theology” (Ethics) was required for sophomores. Trump’s lawyer threatened Fordham & UPenn not to release Trump’s marks. But Fordham: Do you not dare dissociate from Trump’s morality?
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/09/14/donald-trump-at-wharton-university-of-pennsylvania/
Ignatius Underestimates Iran

Can zealous Zionist David Ignatius, pundit-ancien for Wash Post, CIA, & Israel, be unaware that Israel will be obliterated next time it attacks Iran? Quick, someone explain to old David what “hypersonic” means and how targets in Israel were destroyed last June.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/09/iran-regime-ayatollah-tehran-unrest/
Monday With the Judge
Monday morning; the Judge and I:
How Venezuela Changes the Conversation
All Bets Off for Russia-US rapprochement in wake of US attack on Venezuela. Putin will find this one very hard to stomach. He already had a number of indications the Washington Swamp hawks were gaining clout. Benchmark: My take on status quo ante Venezuela
Deep Dive into Russian/Soviet History

I had thought I knew a lot about Russian/Soviet history. Now hazy memories as well as new discoveries are brought to light by historian Geoffrey Roberts. To his credit, he connects it all to more recent history – particularly on Russia-Ukraine today.
https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/great-powers-roberts/
Putin is More Credible than NYT’s Barnes & Schmitt

US-Russia Stakes in Ukraine
“Bob & Ray II” takes stock of US-Russia stakes in Ukraine. How does one deal with a mercurial narcissist? With kid gloves, probing whether Trump 1) is serious, and 2) is his own man. Putin is likely to learn more in next weeks as key issues come to a head.

