First off, let me be clear. I think all foreign electoral interference is wrong. In any country. And if it's eventually proven that Russians meddled in America's 2016 presidential election, I certainly won't condone it. But I've have always doubted that the Russian state organized some heinous plan to tilt the contest to Donald Trump, so I'll be shocked if something of this nature is ever proven.

Instead, I've always imagined the greatest extent of Russian "interference" was probably some half-baked playing around by private individuals. Something akin to a "social media marketing campaign," as the New Yorker's Adrian Chan believes. And on a relatively minute scale, to boot. Because - given the billions of dollars swirling around American stumping - anything bar a full-scale FSB/GRU, all-hands-on-deck operation would probably amount to little more than a hill of beans.