What Comey’s fall says about politics in U.S.

Vladimir Putin must be ecstatic. Never in his wildest dreams could the Russian president have imagined the Kremlin’s meddling into last year’s presidential election would yield such remarkable results.

First, he no doubt took credit in derailing Hillary Clinton’s White House ambitions by his part in the WikiLeaks’ dump of thousands of her emails sent to and from her private servers while she was secretary of state, as well as hacked emails from Democrat officials that offered details into the workings of her campaign.

Now he can pat himself on the back for his role in the sacking of FBI Director James Comey, who, because of that email scandal, launched a highly criticized probe of candidate Clinton, which ultimately led to his termination.

And that decision, which occurred while the FBI mounts an investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and members of President Donald Trump’s election campaign, has thrown Washington into another crisis, which some Democrats compare to the

October 1973 Saturday Night Massacre, when President Richard Nixon fired the independent special prosecutor conducting the Watergate investigation, which led to the resignation of both the attorney general and his deputy.

Well done, Vladimir. Not bad for a country with a bankrupt economy desperately seeking to reclaim the glory of its Soviet past.

But in truth, this entire saga points to the sad state of our democracy. That it could be so manipulated by an authoritarian government, playing on our biases, demonstrates how low our political system has fallen, and exposed the hypocrisy that has eroded our system of government, and the values on which it was founded.

We can all question the timing of FBI Director Comey’s dismissal, and the unprofessional manner under which it occurred. The failure to inform him personally of his firing before it flooded media outlets is inexcusable. For all his faults, he deserved better.

However, his professional shortcomings were acknowledged by leaders of both parties, and so for Democrats to hold up him now as a martyr when previously they sought his ouster for his perceived role in Clinton’s defeat exposes the cynicism and political opportunism that permeates Washington politics.

In this toxic atmosphere, it will impossible to persuade Democrats and even some Republicans that Comey’s exit came as a consequence of his botched handling of the Clinton case, where he seemingly acted as both investigator and prosecutor. Likewise, it will be impossible to convince Democrats and even some Republicans that it wasn’t all about the administration’s unease with the ongoing Russia probe.

There’s only one way for President Trump to extricate himself and the country from this political quagmire: Expeditio— if he can find a willing candidate — who’s beyond reproach and acceptable to both parties. And in the meantime, express confidence in the countless FBI members who do extraordinary work every day. And most importantly, ensure they have the assets required to take this Russian probe to a conclusion.

And Congress, hopefully in a bipartisan manner, must hold the president accountable, and conduct its own inquiry into any possible Russian election connections.

It’s through an examination of our weaknesses that this country shows its strength. That’s something Putin & Co. have yet to comprehend.