Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, use the same word to describe Donald Trump’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin: “unpatriotic.” Satisfying as it may be for Democrats to deploy that adjective against the nominee of a party known for its flag-waving jingoism, it is neither accurate nor adequate in describing what’s truly alarming about Trump’s admiration of the Russian strongman.
“He is really very much of a leader,” Trump told NBC’s Matt Lauer last week. “I mean, you can say, ‘Oh, isn’t that a terrible thing.’ The man has very strong control over a country.”
The problem with Trump’s comments about Putin is not that they show a lack of patriotism, writes Jacob Sullum. The problem is that they reflect authoritarian instincts no president of a liberal democracy should have.
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