When trying to understand problems, I like Einstein's method of thought experiments. Imagine what must have happened to lead to it, and how it would play out in reality. Then, from that, determine if it's absurd or if there's actually something to it. I've often found the mental image amusing. Putin, sitting in his office at his desk, listening to world news. Hears the Trump quote. Sees the translation. Stares on in shock for a moment. <Green light?!?!> he thinks to himself. He picks up the Red-green Phone. "Yes! This is Vladmir! GET ME HEAD OF K. G. B.! No, no, I need HEAD of K.G.B. now! NO! I do not want him BEheaded! No, need DIRECTOR of KGB, now! On PHONE, now! Get me director of KGB on phone this right now! What is this? Oh yes, we have no KGB now. Get me GRU director!" Tense moments pass. "This head of KGB." "This President Putin." "Ah, President Putin! I saw you shirtless bear wrestling in new calendar picture. Much working out you have been! So big and strong and manly!" "Yes yes yes. I am so big and strong and manly. But enough of that! I have important mission for you!" "Important mission?" "Yes! American President running candidate has said to hack servers of opposition party." "Yes..?" "This was what we were waiting for!" "Oh, right! We would never attack by cyber war United States without permission!" "Yes! Would be most rude to attack without permission! Russia is never rude to fight others without permission! And now we have permission!" "Excellent. Comrade Putin, we shall cyber war the DNC server at once! We shall use phishing method." "Fishing method?" "Yes, phishing method." "Like where I fish in ice with my bare hands shirtless in a hole I cut with my bare teeth in the frozen ice lake for the February image of the calendar?" "Ye-no! Niet! Not fishing with an F! PHishing! p-h-i-s-h-i-n-g with ph at start. Because in English, ph can also be f. We do not yet know why, but we expect CIA plot." "As well we always should every moment of every day!" "At all times, with vigor! Phishing is where we send e-mail pretending to be deposed Nigerian prince who will send much money to you if you send small money to him." "How does that make sense to anyone?" "It is because small money is needed to unlock frozen bank account to release big money." "So then we send big money to them?" "No. We only take their money." "But...we do not need money. We need dirty e-mails." "So instead we will ask for their account name and password." "And someone is stupid enough to give account name and password over strange and unsolicited e-mail?" "Yes. Apparently. It is the perfect plan. Too stupid to work, yet works because people stupid." "Excellent! Inform me immediately upon receipt of the e-mails! We must immediately send them on unencrypted lines that are constantly monitored to Julian Assange who is also constantly monitored and in Ecuadorian embassy under lock and key and watched at all times in UK where they could easily be traced back to us if we actually sent them, thus giving our enemies cause to suspect us of doing it." "Yes! We will even do very sloppy job and have internet code and computer names in Russian so that cyber hack war can easily be traced back to us." "Yes! Our enemies must know we hacked them, like the dog which poops in your yard to assert its dominance." "It will be done, Comrade President Putin!" . And somewhere in there... ...preferably earlier than later... ...it becomes apparent how inane the narrative is.