My Response To Putin's Op-Ed: Yo Putin! FU! America Is Exceptional

The White House Has A New Slogan: "Hope + Let The Russians Fix It." Leno

• Please note. What I'm about to write will expose some of my deep bias toward Putin + Russia. As an American of Polish descent, I have a deep rooted distaste for the Russian overloads during the period of Communism in Eastern Europe. I also personally experienced their repression.
• In May, I wrote a piece about the Obama administration's crumbling credibility. I followed that with a piece about Obama losing his legacy with his first bow and apology. It's for these reasons and more I believe Putin wrote his NY Times Op Ed. As I indicated yesterday, he---like all politicians---is an opportunist and the opportunity to bash America's exceptionalism fell right in his slap with the Syrian fiasco.
• It was also interesting to listen and watch many of our nation's progressives embrace much of what Putin had written in that Op Ed. And that's why, in many respects, his piece was brilliant if not full of garbage, lies and hypocrisies. He knew full who his target was and they fell for it like a bear to a bee hive.
• The only response from the administration came from Jay Carney, Obama's press spokesperson when he said it was ironic Putin used America's freedom of expression to get his message out---freedoms not generally granted to many in Russia. It was a good reply, but Obama failed to respond himself.
• So I feel that I should reply for President Obama  to this former Commie KGB thug on behalf of the greatest exceptional nation in the history of the world.
• As I wrote yesterday, Putin suggested the United States should get UN Security Council authorization knowing full well Russia has veto power and used that veto power multiple times in the past. In addition, it was Russia, then the USSR, who enslaved all of Eastern Europe during the Cold War, invaded Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1958. More recently, Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and Chechnya on two occasions.
• Putin also made the erroneous statement that Russia is not supporting Syria when we know they have provided arms to the Syrian government (Russia is also an ally of Iran who is a major arms dealer in that region).
• This former KGB thug has a cajones to say millions around the world do not view America as a model of democracy. This from a guy who got re-elected twice in Russia with little opposition since he had cancelled elections.
• This former KGB thug and his enablers appear to have forgotten that American exceptionalism  helped free much of the world from totalitarian dictators, created some of the best technology on the planet, helped millions starving around the world,  helped many of those same millions by eradicating and/or diseases such as malaria, AIDS and provided assistance (financial as well has humanitarian) to those areas struck by hurricanes, tsunamis, and other weather catastrophes (I can already envision progressives responding to this part of my piece with the usual wrangling about racism, the 1%, etc. etc. If they experienced Communism, they would kiss our ground every day).
• By comparison, the only thing the Russians have been better at than America is suppressing the very freedoms we cherish.
• Yes, if the progressive political class in America embraced exceptionalism, Putin could not have written that Op Ed earlier this week. Sen. McCain was right on this point when he Tweeted, "Putin's NYT op-ed is an insult to the intelligence of the American people." At least---most Americans Senator.

Putin, The KGB Thug, Teases The Cat With The Laser Beam---The Cat?---Obama

You can tell that Fall is coming. The leaves are changing faster than the White House position on Syria...Leno

• I confess. I've teased cats and dogs with flashlight and laser beams several times in my life. I raise this point, because it appears that's exactly what Putin is now doing with Obama and the United States. Nowhere was this more evident than in Putin's Op Ed in the NY Times today.
• The irony in Putin's piece was that he's the one who appears to have borrowed the language from the progressives---both Democrat and Republican progressives.
• He wrote, "The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope {Wow! Putin threw out the "Pope Card"), will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict beyond Syria's borders..." Putin continued, "A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism"
• If I didn't know those were Putin's remarks, I would have guessed that rhetoric came from the likes of J.F.Kerry, Biden, Obama, Pelosi, Hagel, Reid and others talking about the Iraq War in 2005 (keep in mind, most Democrats urged Bush to go into Iraq prior to the invasion in March of 2003).
• The other irony---or fact---is that Russia has been arming Syria and Iran for the last six decades. And make no mistake, we've had a policy of regime change in Syria for over two decades. Why? Because all of this sabre rattling is really about Iran, not Syria.
• Several weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how Obama would save himself from his own rhetoric on Syria. Who would have guessed it would end up being Putin? But, when you understand the point above about Iran, it all makes sense.
• But let's put that aside for now. Putin, in his Op Ed today, makes himself out to be the "good cop." It's clear who now is considered the "bad cop."  Putin makes it clear he has the upper hand now.
• The other irony from this former KGB thug is even more conspicuous. He actually favors "peaceful dialogue" under the provisions of the UN Security Council. How convenient?  He knows Russia, as a ranking member, can veto---along with China---any proposal submitted by the United States. Russia has done that countless times in the past.
• Putin is a classic political opportunist. In this case, the opportunity to be a faux "peace maker" fell in his lap courtesy of Obama. And Putin continues to have fun teasing the cat with his laser beam.

Swords Into Ploughshares by...Putin? Really? Russia Now Running Our Foreign Policy Too?

"Putin: Check. Obama: Uhmmmm. Syria: Checkmate. Whole World Now Laughing At Us." Tweet by John Nolte today

• This sudden development with Russia appearing to help bail out Pres. Obama reminds me of a scene in "Saturday Night Fever." John Travolta and his dance partner just completed a dance in a competition. Now the Puerto Rican dancers were on stage. Travolta knew immediately they were having a better performance. So did most of the other dancers watching. Yet, Travolta's entourage continued their usual delusional enabling, trying to convince themselves that Travolta  gave a better performance.
• That's what is currently happening right now with Syria. Putin came to the dance to win. Obama thought he would win the dance with just his charm. Obama's entourage are now trying to convince the nation and the world, he really won the dance. He knows he didn't. So does the rest of the world.
• Today, even the NY Times came to its senses (They really had no choice. This was a FUBAR from day one). They started their piece {"Russian Proposal Could Offer Obama Escape From Bind"} with this: "President Obama woke up Monday facing a Congressional defeat that many in both parties believed could hobble his presidency. And, by the end of the day, he found himself in the odd position of relying on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to bail his out." Or, as the Weekly Standard put it today, Putin didn't save Obama---he beat him.
• And today, USA TODAY and others are reporting that Syria accepted the Russian initiative. Note the language used: the Russian initiative. So now, it appears Putin is running our foreign policy.
• Remember, all of this comes on the heels of the Obama administration, John F. Kerry, and others banging the war drums because chemical weapons killed innocent people---especially children (even though almost 100,000 Syrians were killed in the last two years, many of those were children too). So let me see if I understand this. If Syria, Russia and the United States do come to some type of agreement on those chemical weapons, the fact that the reason for attacking Syria---the children murdered---is now suddenly moot?
• And coming over the wires now is a report from the Boston.com that the U.S. is warning of North Korea's chemical weapon threat. Well, at least Obama can draw another red line or he can give Dennis Rodman some more time to negotiate with Kim Jong Un.

Postscript:

Since this was posted, Putin outflanked Obama again in Syria.

Obama's One Potato---Two Potato Foreign Policy

"...John Kerry To Syria: "Hand Over Your Chemical Weapons Or Prepare To Face The #UnbelievablySmall Wrath Of The U.S." Tweet By Kathryn DeLong

 

• Kathryn was able to put John F. Kerry's most recent blunder in perspective. But Kerry's statement about our response to Syria being "limited" and "unbelievably small" follows similar statements by the Obama administration and some members of Congress, especially those I like to refer to as the "anti anti-war" Democrats. For example, rhetoric such as our having to send a very strong message that chemical weapons will not be tolerated followed by declaring our response will be punishing but not destabilizing. Really, what the hell does all that mean? All of this points to a confused White House leadership resulting in a confused strategy. That's also the result chronic vacillation on very important foreign as well as domestic concerns. 
• In the last several months, I've posted a number of pieces summarizing this administration's failed foreign policy. The current conflict in Syria simply highlighted the hyper-incompetence of that policy. It's now being played out for the entire country and globe to see. As I've written in the past, when we witness an administration and Congress abandoning its leadership as a force for good, we get what we see in surrounding this government's response to the Syrian conflict. In fact, Michael Barone of the Washington Examiner said it best: "Blunder after blunder. That's been the story of President Obama's policy toward Syria." But even more disturbing, Barone reminds us that "Undermining the power of even a feckless American president risks undermining the power of the presidency---and of America for years."
• Last week, I and most pointed out there is no "bad" or "right" side in Syria {"Profiles in Stupidity: There Is No "Bad" Or "Right" Side In Syria."}. We've seen that play out most recently with the so-called "moderate" rebels against the Christian village of Maaloula. While it's undeniable that Assad's regime is replete with murderers, it's becoming increasingly undeniable the Syrian rebels are no better. Moreover, it's also been reported many of the Syrian rebel groups are composed of crazed Jihadists as well as members of al-Qaeda.