Imagine — just IMAGINE — the Republican outcry if a Democrat had said anything remotely like the things Trump says about this modern-day Stalin. But has a single endorsement been lost over this? Shameless!
Jonathan Martin and Amy Chozick@The New York Times (9/8/16): “‘I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country,’ Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, Mr. Trump’s running mate, said on CNN, defending Mr. Trump by echoing his latest praise for the Russian leader, offered Wednesday night in a televised candidate forum. Hillary Clinton excoriated Mr. Trump for asserting that Mr. Putin is a better leader than President Obama, saying it was ‘not just unpatriotic and insulting to the people of our country, as well as to our commander in chief — it is scary.’ … In the forum, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin that he had been a leader ‘far more than our president,’ and he praised Mr. Putin’s firm grip on Russia. And after Mr. Lauer highlighted Mr. Putin’s record, Mr. Trump shot back, ‘But do you want me to start naming some of the things that President Obama does at the same time?’ Such talk is a remarkable break from the traditional boundaries of American political speech. And, as with his past provocations, Mr. Trump once again left his fellow Republicans scrambling to defend what many effectively conceded was indefensible.”
