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Tom Nichols
@RadioFreeTom
, 3 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
Here's what a non-panicked WH comms shop would have put out:

"This is old news, recycled by the NYT and disgruntled former agents. The President has complete faith in the FBI and has been working closely with new Bureau leaders to protect our security." /1
Instead, we got: COMEY AND MCCABE ARE HACKY LYING LIAR HACKS WHO ARE LYING AND HACKY AND ALSO, OBAMA WAS BAD AND BEYOND THAT WE WILL NOT DISPUTE THE STORY.":

Oh. Okay. /2
Translation: WH comms is either panicked or inept. Or, both, really. But there is no good explanation for that kind of comms reaction other than a lot of sweaty palms. /3x
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Tom Nichols
@RadioFreeTom
Re-reading @ianbremmer's book in anticipation of our discussion and podcast next week. Some thoughts about globalization in general (not necessarily tied to Ian's analysis). /1
First, I am always struck by the way we all talk about globalization as if it were a *choice.* As though "elites" went out and "chose" globalization in opposition to some other option, or some other road that was open after the 1970s. (Note: not the 80s. Earlier.) /2
Globalization was no more a choice than, say, "radio" was a choice. It was going to happen. The only question is how much price anyone wanted to pay to slow it or redistribute its wealth. But it's not an ideology, and "globalism" vs "nationalism" is a false choice. /3
Read 13 tweets
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Tom Nichols
@RadioFreeTom
A more serious answer. I think what's happening is that elites like Carlson and VD Hanson, having traded in their intellectual bona fides for Trumpism, now have to pander to Rube Nation because they're left with no other constituency. This is the crackup of the right. /1
Trump forced a decision in 2016: do you go all-in on that "Flight 93" bullshit, or do you continue to be an actual *conservative*? I think people like Hanson and others went all in, thinking it wouldn't be so bad and the stench would be tolerable. They were, of course, wrong. /2
So they pretended to like what they were doing. They figured that after Trump was elected, bygones were bygones and the right would reunite, and they'd be shown to be right for going to the wall to stop Hillary. They figured Trump would calm down and adults would run things. /3
Read 11 tweets
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Tom Nichols
@RadioFreeTom
My (very limited) take on this Whelan thing: I've never thought dual-citizenship is (in general) a good idea. I understand why some people do it; I personally, would not. But *four* citizenships? That's just ridiculous. /1
I'm going to take a wild guess at this Whelan business and say - my PERSONAL view, duh - that he's not in any way a spy. More likely some kind of wannabe, or a guy who was trying to rack up Russia cred with private industry or consulting firms, and wasn't too smart about it. /2
Guy who gets a BCD from the Marines isn't exactly a prime recruit for that kind of work. More to the point, running around Russia with four passports is going to get you noticed. Russians probably had him on a list of "people who are easy to grab in case of a problem." /3
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