Obama warns Russia on hacking: ‘We can do stuff to you’

President Obama speaks during a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C

President Obama warned Russia on Friday not to wage cyber  warfare against the United States, saying, “We can do stuff to you” as he defended his handling of Moscow’s alleged hacking of Democrats’ emails to influence the 2016 election.

“Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us, because we can do stuff to you,” Obama told reporters at his final press conference of 2016.

His comments came shortly after it was disclosed that the FBI agrees with the CIA’s conclusions that Russia targeted Democrats with the aim of helping President-elect Donald Trump win on Nov. 8.

Obama promised that any U.S. retaliation against Russia would come “in a thoughtful, methodical way” that might be hidden from the U.S. public.

“Some of it we do publicly, some of it we will do in a way that they know but not everybody will,” he said. “The message will be directly received by the Russians and not publicized.”

Obama defended his response to Moscow’s alleged intrusion, saying, “We handled it the way it should have been handled.”

The question remains ..... Did Russia get the message or is this the beginning of a new kind of cyber, cold war??

It could become a tit for tat battle that escalates to something frightening. Mr Putin wants to be a major world power, equal to or bigger than the United States. He wants to prove his might and he will use any means without conscience. Don't forget he was in the KBG. They were a sneaky and remorseless organization. Putin seems to want to turn the clock back to Russia's ( and his) heyday in the Cold War. And if he thinks he has Trump under his thumb, be afraid. Be very afraid.

 I have always thought Putin was a bad guy and a threat. And never forget, he has a sleeping giant in his back yard. China has been pretty quiet until now. But Mr Trump opened a Pandora's box there too when he spoke directly to Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen in a break from the US' "one China" policy, triggering protest from Beijing.

This is a very sensitive subject with the Chinese. Trump's action was tantamount to recognizing Ing-wen as the leader of an independent country.

China responded by increasing military force in the South China Sea. They can also do major damage to the American economy ... discarding trade deals, lowering their dollar, pulling out billions in investments in America. No one wants to upset China.

 They could defeat any country who threatened them by sheer numbers. They have the biggest population of any country in the world ... about one billion 400 million people.

They have co-operated  with the US, so far, in disapproving of North Korea's nuclear aspirations and also Iran's. But that could change too.

They could also pull out of the Paris Climate Change agreement and they are the worst polluters on the planet.

The thing we don't want to see is China and Russia teaming up as a joint power. Then we are all screwed.  But Mr Trump could bring that about with his ham-handed, 'bull in a china shop' diplomatic skills/ or lack thereof. Someone stop that run away train.