[A]nyone in Washington who once knew a skeleton is now looking over his shoulder. “As journalists and political operators pored over the 20,000 emails leaked from the servers of the Democratic National Convention, one Democratic staffer frantically searched for his name. It was only when he failed to find it, that he began to fear for the worst.” The suspense was excruciating.[…]
On the eve of Hillary’s coronation her courtiers are suddenly waking up to the fact that she cannot protect them. The shock may be intentional. If Putin was indeed behind the hacking he is only doing what underdogs through history have done to even the odds. Unable to match the foe in weight, he went for the king, or in this case the queen. Recall how in ancient Gaugamela, the outnumbered Alexander staked everything on a thrust at Darius.
Darius fled in fear. When the mass of the Persian army saw this, they scattered in dismay. By demonstrating the impotence of Darius, Alexander broke the Persian monarch’s aura and with it his majesty. Alexander knew that for a king to rule he must be regarded as more than mortal by the masses. Once the king is humiliated and put to flight he becomes psychologically no better than his subjects and the greater part of his power vanishes.
By striking at Hillary’s aura the Russian may be attempting the same thing. Democratic voters looked up to her to protect and defend the nation because that’s what presidents do. By hacking Hillary and humiliating her Putin has sent the message that she cannot even defend herself — and what’s the use of a president who can’t defend herself?
(updated with better link)
