Matt Stoller has a disturbing introduction to a think piece with some fascinating information:

Interesting thesis. To the extent the conservative movement and their stranglehold on the American government is for sale to the highest bidder, who has more at stake than foreign governments? – Matt

Dave, writing over at “Seeing The Forest” has the details:

the 1980 election the Reagan campaign ran an intelligence operation that, among other things, infiltrated the Carter White House. They had agents sending our most sensitive military secrets to the campaign. At one point they even managed to steal the briefing book that Carter was using to prepare for his debates against Reagan. Use of the briefing book provided inside information that helped Reagan temporarily appear competent. (Side note, learn about the involvement of "journalist" George Will.)

You might remember the briefing book incident, which caused a minor storm at the time, which unfortunately didn’t blacken Reagan’s name enough to disable his viability as a candidate. Of course, the legend that it was just one rotten apple was carried by the MSM.

We should speculate. It would be wrong not to speculate.

To what extent is it possible that today's Republican Party scandals are not just about traditional corruption, but instead are the result of manipulation by foreign interests, masquerading as corruption and ideological cultism? China, Iran, ??? The neo-cons are persuaded by ideology and cooked-up intelligence to go to war in Iraq. Iran ends up with Shia Iraq as a client state, with its oil resources at its disposal, for sale to China. America weakened, its industries no longer competitive, it's infrastructure crumbling. Who benefits?

Think about the harm the neo-con "conservative movement" ideology has done to our country. We're left with massive debt, fractured institutions, a dangerously divided public, destruction of public infrastructure, outsourcing of our manufacturing and technological base, weakened public education system, -- the list just goes on and on. Was this just blind cultist ideology? Who benefits?
How much of the "conservative movement" was not American-grown? Look at the purchased influence of the Moonies - an internationally-funded cult sets up a newspaper in Washington and it becomes the news hub of the "conservative movement." The cult spreads billions of dollars around "conservative movement" circles and sets up front groups with patriotic-sounding names. The President's brother travels with the cult's leader. (Somehow not the biggest story in every news outlet.) Everyone KNOWs it is about buying influence but no one acknowledges they are buying influence! Who benefits?
And this, to get the comments popping: In the 90's the neo-cons kept us from using encrypted voice and data communications. Who funded that campaign? Who benefits?