On Monday, December 12, 2016 at 6:19:19 PM UTC-5, Ignoramus23868 wrote:
There is a big news item circulating, saying that a "secret CIA
assessment" is suggesting that the Russians hacked the election. If
true, it may be the first CIA assessment in a row of false ones, to be
a true assessment.

Nonsense. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of CIA assessments that you never hear about. The ones we remember are the incorrect ones.


The previous ones, about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,
condition of ISIS and so on, all turned out to be false and
politically motivated. My first question is, which is this -- a
conclusion on a domestic matter- a "CIA" assessment rather than a FBI
assessment. CIA, after all, is for spying abroad and not for
investigating spying in our homeland.

The CIA is about warning our government about likely or possible threats. The FBI is about getting convictions in a court of law.


And second, why is it secret? Is that, possibly, so that it would not
be challenged?

How much secret spy information would you like to broadcast to the world?


The only explanation is that, just like most such past "CIA
assessments", they are nothing but political hot air, maybe a last
ditch attempt to sway "electors".

You have no idea.


Amusingly, even the FBI does not support this "assessment".

The FBI couldn't get a conviction. They want physical or attributable evidence. The CIA wants to know the dark and hidden secrets.


It is sad to see how we have so deteriorated politically, Hillary and
Trump being top contenders to lead our country, and everything that is following.

Don't be such a pessimist. There really wasn't much wrong with Hillary, except that many people wanted some big changes and she wasn't going to supply them. What she was going to supply is competence.

We'll survive Trump. And I suspect that we'll have some attitude adjustments during his term. A shakeup isn't a bad idea, just so he doesn't shake us into a trade war or a Russian imperial expansion.

--
Ed Huntress