When the facts at hand don't add up, you are missing some facts.

That is the wisdom that should be crossing our minds these days in regard to our present political situation.  Nothing much makes any sense.

I'm not referring directly to the presidential election, although it is involved.  I'm talking about the aftermath.  Obama is in disarray; his party's ship is on the rocks.  Hillary has disappeared from the scene, and Trump's already unburnished image has been further damaged.

On the other hand, Valdimir Putin is laughing on the sidelines.  A snide laugh, a sadistic laugh – but a laugh none the less.

Let's consider what Putin is.  Putin is a product of the Soviet system, specifically the most "soviet" part of that system, the KGB.  No one ever confused the Red Cross with the KGB, even if they do wear the same colors.

What was the KGB?  Simply said, the KGB was a merciless government spy agency.  They didn't play games; they were brutal and respected.  They manipulated, blackmailed, and subverted everything they touched.  In truth, they were the army of the USSR in the Cold War. 

Sort of like the CIA in our country, but considerably less civilized.

Now consider the CIA.  Has the CIA ever manipulated politics in another country?  In Russia?  You'd better believe it, unless you have seen the Tooth Fairy and can attest to the inherent goodness in Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer.  In fact, we helped destroy the Soviet Union and bring down the KGB.  That little fact may just stick in Putin's craw, don't you think?  

You may ask, is this true?  I refer you to Herb Meyer.

Herb was a reporter for Fortune Magazine.  (You may recall magazines – Fortune was one of the better ones, with glossy pages.)  He was hired by the head of the CIA, Bill Casey, because Casey felt he had a good analytical mind, which turned out to be a great underestimation of Herb's talents.  In months, Herb was writing the digest of all government intel, the daily intelligence estimate that President Reagan read every day. 

Herb went to Casey with an idea no one agreed with: that the Soviet Union was weak and ready to fall.  To make a long story short, the CIA poked a few holes in it, and it did fall.

This brings me to the sly smile on Putin's face. 

This KGB graduate, a "chess master" of intrigue and manipulation, is the only soul on Earth who has benefited from the recent hacking stories consuming the media.  Note again the snide smile. 

Is it possible that he set all of this up not to influence the election, which could be seen as an act of war if he had done it (but of course not if we did it), but as a practical joke to point out just how stupid our political system and media truly are?

Did Russia change the result of the election?  Maybe.  The facts disclosed were not directly relevant to Hillary, and remember, what was disclosed was never disputed as accurate.

The truth is that Putin looks better inside and outside Russia.  Who else came out so well?

If he didn't do what he is accused of, he wishes he did.