[TheRealThing]

"all sides agreed it was a stunning propaganda coup for Putin with the Times itself saying that the 60-year-old former KGB chief is now clearly the most powerful leader in the world."Editor's Note: 22

"Suddenly Mr. Putin has eclipsed Mr. Obama as the world leader driving the agenda in the Syria crisis," the Times wrote on Thursday, the same day that his op-ed appeared.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/putin-t...z2eikc7zBf

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN --- "When 'the people' find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."

The live for today crowd voted to keep the freebies coming in last election cycle when they passed over a true patriot and statesman in the person of Mitt Romney in favor of keeping a community organizer who started out making great entitlement promises to everybody from day one. Now, with traditional America crumbling all around us, the takers seem to have the upper hand. Where are the baby boomers come election time? It seems to me that they have forgotten their own sacrifice, mistakenly placing their trust in something as shallow as a political party name.

Democrats do not run the party which bears the name nowadays. That distinction has fallen into the hands of progressive/liberals masquerading as democrats. Ask the leaders of America's giant labor unions. Did Obama keep his promises with regard to ObamaCare? Teamster leader James Hoffa, and AFL/CIO President Richard Trumka got their hair singed off of them for their trouble. The rest of us rank and file have a date with reality very soon now.

The oratory, begging and pleading which has become the hallmark of this administration, has impressed almost no one except for the liberals and their savior Obama. Putin and the rest of the planet's world leaders know this is their chance to drive around the US. And seizing the opportunity, that's exactly what Putin just did. It's a real shame that this country's epic sacrifice of blood and treasure to secure freedom could be flushed by one liberal. Of course, if he'd any true measure of respect for the provisions of the US Constitution and could appreciate the God's profound blessings that have been poured out on this land, he'd have never thumbed his nose at the congress all those times they have asked for documents in the face of his own stonewalling. I heard John Kerry affirm my suspicions about this president only yesterday, when he said he had absolutely no authority of his own, Obama makes every last decision. Of course, I knew that was the case. I figured that out when I realized how much in love with himself he is.

From this day forward, the office of the presidency, and US influence in world affairs will take a back seat to Russian dominance. What WW2, the Cold War, and lack of Rubles could never do. We allowed one guy to just hand to the Russians. Remember the 'hot mic' incident? Obama: This is my last election. After my election, I will have more flexibility." Medvedev: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

But, we passed on Romney and put this guy back in anyway. How could we complain? I mean, it isn't like we weren't warned.

What say you?

[Hoot Gibson]

Putin is making both Obama and Kerry look like the fools that they are. He is also making Mitt Romney look prophetic. Obama ridiculed Romney for describing Russia as the greatest global threat to the U.S. during the campaign. Romney is a smart man. Obama? Not so much.

[SKINNYPIG]

Washington is being run by childish amateurs. Anyone who seriously defends the actions of this administration and 80% of congress is, um, _____________. Fill in the blank.

[Spirit100]

"all sides agreed it was a stunning propaganda coup for Putin with the Times itself saying that the 60-year-old former KGB chief is now clearly the most powerful leader in the world."Editor's Note: 22

"Suddenly Mr. Putin has eclipsed Mr. Obama as the world leader driving the agenda in the Syria crisis," the Times wrote on Thursday, the same day that his op-ed appeared.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/putin-t...z2eikc7zBf

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN --- "When 'the people' find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."

The live for today crowd voted to keep the freebies coming in last election cycle when they passed over a true patriot and statesman in the person of Mitt Romney in favor of keeping a community organizer who started out making great entitlement promises to everybody from day one. Now, with traditional America crumbling all around us, the takers seem to have the upper hand. Where are the baby boomers come election time? It seems to me that they have forgotten their own sacrifice, mistakenly placing their trust in something as shallow as a political party name.

Democrats do not run the party which bears the name nowadays. That distinction has fallen into the hands of progressive/liberals masquerading as democrats. Ask the leaders of America's giant labor unions. Did Obama keep his promises with regard to ObamaCare? Teamster leader James Hoffa, and AFL/CIO President Richard Trumka got their hair singed off of them for their trouble. The rest of us rank and file have a date with reality very soon now.

The oratory, begging and pleading which has become the hallmark of this administration, has impressed almost no one except for the liberals and their savior Obama. Putin and the rest of the planet's world leaders know this is their chance to drive around the US. And seizing the opportunity, that's exactly what Putin just did. It's a real shame that this country's epic sacrifice of blood and treasure to secure freedom could be flushed by one liberal. Of course, if he'd any true measure of respect for the provisions of the US Constitution and could appreciate the God's profound blessings that have been poured out on this land, he'd have never thumbed his nose at the congress all those times they have asked for documents in the face of his own stonewalling. I heard John Kerry affirm my suspicions about this president only yesterday, when he said he had absolutely no authority of his own, Obama makes every last decision. Of course, I knew that was the case. I figured that out when I realized how much in love with himself he is.

From this day forward, the office of the presidency, and US influence in world affairs will take a back seat to Russian dominance. What WW2, the Cold War, and lack of Rubles could never do. We allowed one guy to just hand to the Russians. Remember the 'hot mic' incident? Obama: This is my last election. After my election, I will have more flexibility." Medvedev: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

But, we passed on Romney and put this guy back in anyway. How could we complain? I mean, it isn't like we weren't warned.

What say you?

Good for Putin, not like this took a lot of thought on his or his advisors behalf. I'm sure the Stoli and strippers are in full effect right now at the Kremlin nicker:

[TheRealThing]

Washington is being run by childish amateurs. Anyone who seriously defends the actions of this administration and 80% of congress is, um, _____________. Fill in the blank.

Maybe you will want to correct me but, to my recollection, this is the very first time a Russian president, premier, tzar, whatever, has bypassed established diplomatic protocol and addressed the American populace directly. That's a little scary to me. I mean, it's one thing for liberals to have a hot line to the man in the moon, now we have to worry about Putin.

I had hopes that we could endure this eight year tour to la-la land but, now I am losing that hope. The current administration has shunned sage advice of those gone on before and has seemingly cut off all communication to surviving, at one time governmental heavy hitters except for Bill the pill and Jimmy Carter. See, hand in hand with ignorance goes arrogance. Even in the midst of turmoil you'd never convince administration 'romper room' they're not in complete control. They're all glassy eyed ideologues, who got their world views given to them by liberal college profs, likely while yet under the lingering influence of the previous evening's pot party. Ever heard the quip, "When I want your opinion I'll give it to you"? There you go.

Two days ago John McCain was speaking as if we had nobody to answer to in the whole world and we could therefore do as we pleased in Syria, we're America, right? Now that Putin has adequately summed Obama up, I doubt very seriously we will see congress vote for, much less push for a strike in Syria. One diplomatic coup de etat, followed up by one historic op-ed and bingo, we got that new world order Obama and his band of naïve yet merry adherents have been so longing for. Welcome the brotherhood of man, goodbye American Exceptionalism and American sovereignty!

Now, if Obama can just get those darn guns out of our hands! The idea behind having the right to own and bear arms, was predicated on the unthinkable ever-so unlikelihood, that if someday the federal government failed to fulfill it's sworn constitutionally mandated duty of providing protection to our land, we'd at least have firearms to fall back on when the Ruskies hit Myrtle Beach. I know that seems somewhat laughable right now but, think back 10 years ago and remember America's image and the image of the presidency. The president, the most powerful man on earth and the leader of the free world. Now put Obama's face on that job description and tell me things haven't changed.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Anywhere and everywhere you go, and i mean outside of this state as well, and all over the internet, it would appear Obamas approval rating wouldnt be higher than 10%.
But when you see these "polls" they all show him higher than 40.

I call bull.

[TheRealThing]

Anywhere and everywhere you go, and i mean outside of this state as well, and all over the internet, it would appear Obamas approval rating wouldnt be higher than 10%.
But when you see these "polls" they all show him higher than 40.

I call bull.

I'm with ya. All these optimistic poll numbers and statistics which tend to prop up present administration officials and their policies, are cooked.

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
It seems the media is more concerned with reporting of how low Congress approval rating is, that way they can pass the blame off to both parties, while ignoring the fact that the president is just as disliked.

[TheRealThing]

^
It seems the media is more concerned with reporting of how low Congress approval rating is, that way they can pass the blame off to both parties, while ignoring the fact that the president is just as disliked.

None of them know what is and is not important. This idea Obama puts out there all the time about how he is the great protector of the masses is so patently absurd it would have gotten him laughed off the podium a decade or so ago. Not to mention run out of office. On a broader scale, is it just me or does anybody else find the same tired message being propagated by democrats, saying that they're the only ones who can be trusted, to be self serving in the extreme? They act like a bunch of preachers to me. I mean, you put a mic in front of their face and you're going to get a dose of anti-republicanism, it's literally all they've got. That is the 'message' democrats would prioritize to be number one. Slam the republicans and that's it. Blaming people for things is not leadership. In fact it is destructive. No lie is unjustifiable in order for democrats to get their agenda passed and stay in office. And so far, we've heard them all. Like the human body needs a right and a left side, so does America need dems and republicans. For the democrats to spend all their time blasting half of the federal government is like a guy trying to get a doctor to cut his body into two halves.

The president's foreign policy, is the laughing stock of the world as nations take delight in thumbing their nose at the US. It's been 'run home to momma time' for this administration of late as the rhetoric has reverted back to the cry baby blame fixing of the recent past. According to Oblame-a, all republicans want to do is deny millions of folks insurance coverage and "mess" with him. This of course, is intended to distract attention away from the scandals and problems which beset our land.

The planet is anything but the orderly global community these goofs keep talking about. Without the solid leadership America provided from the end of WW2 up through the George W Bush era, the fabric of the nations is unraveling. Putin is free wheeling again ala Nikita Kruschev, and the Arab World is bursting at the seams with terror and unrest. Meanwhile, here at home, precious reserves of oil lie under the cloud of a liberally mandated moratorium. Depriving folks of much needed energy and related jobs but, more importantly for the present. Creating and exacerbating a security crisis looming as the result of the loss of OPEC supplied crude oil to the west.

But, to listen to our president, he's totally got a handle on world affairs and it's all about those dastardly republicans wanting to deprive poor folks their government supplied stuff. Ridiculous.

[TheRealThing]

Putin is making both Obama and Kerry look like the fools that they are. He is also making Mitt Romney look prophetic. Obama ridiculed Romney for describing Russia as the greatest global threat to the U.S. during the campaign. Romney is a smart man. Obama? Not so much.

I am one of those on this forum who misses Hoot Gibson. I just want to remind folks once again, that we passed on Mitt Romney for another 4 year stint with Obama. Obviously, Romney had it right and Obama had it wrong, again. I'll be interested to see how the Dems manage to spin the Russian invasion of the Ukraine into some kind of positive. And, you know they will.

So far today, at least 2,000 troops have landed in two Ukrainian airports that had just been secured by advance paramilitary forces. In response, Sec of State John Kerry uttered the six scariest words in the world. "We are monitoring the situation closely." I mean, we already saw how effective those words were in Syria, right?

I also heard the words "grave consequences" being bandied about today from the Executive Branch. In military parlance that means an all out military response. Those are fightin words to say the least, and we dare not use them lightly or, when we have no intention of actually backing up the rhetoric.

In short, this idea that Russia is somehow a toothless tiger, is so patently absurd as to defy justification at any level. Further, the arguments being put forward which pooh-pooh large scale military confrontations as passé and obsolete, are equally the work product born of hash pipe philosophers. Therefore, today's events expose the proposed cuts to the US military as suggested by sock puppet Sec of Defense Chuck Hagel, as naïve and amateurish. But, that is par for the course of late, is it not?

[TheRealThing]

NEW YORK POST
"WASHINGTON — A high-level member of the Russian military is demanding that Ukrainian forces in Crimea surrender or face a “real assault” — jacking up the tension in an already perilous situation that began after Russian troops rolled into the Ukrainian territory.

“If they do not surrender before 5 a.m. tomorrow, a real assault will be started against units and divisions of the armed forces across Crimea,” Alexander Vitko, who commands Russia’s Black Sea fleet, told the Interfax news agency Monday, Sky News reported The deadline would come at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time."
END ARTICLE--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Russia is demanding the surrender of the entire Ukrainian Navy as well. Sooner or later, devoid of deterrent, men will revert to actions the Obama administration wrongly think to be partitioned off somewhere in the past. Lindsey Graham's perception of the invasion doesn't seem to be much better.
EXCEPT--
“Putin’s on the wrong side of history. He’s on the wrong side of the law. Make him pay a price,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/02/33010...rylink=cpy

The wrong side of history? Unless I missed something, Graham evidently thinks large scale warfare to be the stuff of history too. Men like Putin, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Kim Jong-un, Bashar al-Assad, etc. etc., don't give a toot in a gas mask what this administration thinks about them. The only reason that Saddam Hussein, Moammar Khadafy, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Osama Bin Laden and other notable bad guys aren't still savaging their countries and the world, is because they've been dispatched. The point is, there will always be bad guys in this world and, according to scripture, they are only going to get worse, as is warfare per se. And, no matter what the La-La's tell you, mankind is not evolving for the better, and warfare is certainly not going to conform itself to the cleaned up version that seems to be rattling around in these guys heads.
KING SOLOMON--- Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 (KJV)
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Bolded of verse 9 is self explanatory, apart from technology, there is nothing new on this earth, bolded of verse 11 paraphrased, simply says "men will never learn from history." Therefore, as is obvious in current events, we are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over. Hence the foreboding with which our founding fathers launched our Republic.

AUTHOR: Benjamin Franklin (1706–90)
QUOTATION: “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
ATTRIBUTION: The response is attributed to BENJAMIN FRANKLIN—at the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, when queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation—in the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention. McHenry’s notes were included in The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Russia will inevitably annex Crimea.
Question is, is that all...

[TheRealThing]

Russia will inevitably annex Crimea.
Question is, is that all...

All the experts I'm hearing, say Putin's take over of the Ukraine is a done deal. And all Obama has done is to express amazement, you know sort of how one might act in an emotional response akin to catching your best friend and your girl friend together? Remember what Obama said paraphrased, "'I'm so shocked, here we were just together in Sochi having such a good time." Adding, again paraphrased, "We're getting a club together called the 'Global Community'. If you don't pull out of the Ukraine, we're not going to let you be in our club."

This whole thing is eerily similar to the Carter Administration, 1976-1980. The country Russia invaded in those days was a western leaning Afghanistan. The country being invaded today is western leaning Ukraine. In 1979, an equally naïve and nearly as novice President Carter, expressed "astonishment" in reaction to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. And, you may not remember, but in a bit of irony, Carter's iron fisted response was to boycott the Moscow Olympic Games. That put Russia in her place boy, LOL. In a nightmarish revisit of the Carter administration's naiveties, and in place of a viable foreign policy, our college kid burdened Department of State, decides to borrow a passé and worn out joke of an operating philosophy originally dreamed up as an advertising gimmick by "Staples", (remember the EASY Button?) and Hillary hands Putin a "RESET" button supposedly written in Russian but when translated correctly, said "OVERLOAD." Oh our foreign policy team is on overload alright, and the only world player that seems unwilling to protect her interests these days might be America.

Militarily, the first thing Obama did was to cancel the US fifth generation F-22 jet fighter program. Next to go were ground based interceptors in Poland that largely 'dehorned' NATO. Our all-volunteer Armed Services have endured massive personnel cuts, our Navy is being mothballed and on and on goes the cascade of US military decline.

Though I have characterized Russian military might as being far from toothless, they are none the less, just a ghost of their former hey day. Should they be able to dictate terms at the arms control bargaining table, or get by with seizing Ukraine? Hardly. But, when one gets a firm grasp on the aspects of pacifism, the play book becomes clear. Pacifists, demanded the US stay out of military conflict before and during WW2. Pacifists went into orbit because we declared war on Japan even though they'd just massacred thousands in the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor. In fact, there were many rallies and peace marches emanating from the likes of the University of California, Berkley beginning in 1940 and, continuing on through the Viet Nam War until this very day. That's right, this baloney has been afoot that long. The liberals just keep relabeling and repackaging cowardice under the guise of meekness.

Liberals will always be liberals. A very simple investigation into history reveals the truth. Liberals are dreamers who cannot deal with the realities that continue to abound in the world around them. And, if we Americans allow it, they will totally disarm this land. Even though I continue to assert the flaws within the Republican Party, we must recognize they are at least willing to defend our homeland, maintaining a strong deterrent. Which, BTW, saves far more lives than cowering like babies begging for the heathen to be civilized. And don't let them (liberals) try to tell you that the fiscal policies of FDR (a wonderful wartime president and embodiment of the spirit of Americanism BTW) brought the US out of the clutches of the Great Depression, it was WW2 and the industrial boom that followed.

The US has recently been to the summit of her historical significance under Republican President Ronald Reagan, and she has seen that significance bottom out. Folks, in those days we had no problems, and America wasn't broken. None the less, America spurned the model of excellence Reagan developed and elected and then reelected, an administration bent of transforming her into something new. The record is clear and the contrast is unmistakable, when one contrasts the Reagan Era versus the Obama Era the inescapable truth is blindingly self evident. America will go one of two directions this fall. Farther into the wilderness, or begin a return to some semblance of greatness.

AFTR, it was under the Reagan administration that we saw the concept and implementation of Cadillac insurance plans emerge. Not the Dems

[nky]

The US should do nothing. The European Union should take a stand though but they will not.
Is this the 1930's all over again?

[TheRealThing]

The US should do nothing. The European Union should take a stand though but they will not.
Is this the 1930's all over again?

I'm not saying we should respond with our military. I'm saying we negotiated away NATO's power in Europe and we have willfully eroded our ability to mount a strong defense of this land. Thereby posing much less a threat to the likes of Putin.

[TheRealThing]

The US should do nothing. The European Union should take a stand though but they will not.
Is this the 1930's all over again?

I know what you mean nky. And I think this situation is similar, only the major players are somewhat different with the exception of Russia, who will again be acting with aggression. The rest of the bad guys will be nations of the Arab world, (so much for the Arab Spring) China and the North Korea types, against some kind of mishmash alliance involving the countries of NATO and Israel. Member nations comprising NATO; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_NATO

BTW, the US is bound by treaty to defend the Ukraine in the event of Russian aggression. Can't remember what the name is right now, but it will probably pop into my head later.

WW3 will be just as horrific as Scriptures have warned. And, frankly, whether we choose to be ready, or play the shrinking violet, the scene will make the other wars seem to pale. Only God Himself can protect us during the coming storm, and I hope America wakes up and falls at His feet.

[vector]

This whole thing is eerily similar to the Carter Administration, 1976-1980. The country Russia invaded in those days was a western leaning Afghanistan

we all know how this ended

[TheRealThing]

This whole thing is eerily similar to the Carter Administration, 1976-1980. The country Russia invaded in those days was a western leaning Afghanistan

we all know how this ended

Uh, I know that I know, do you?

[WideRight05]

This whole thing is eerily similar to the Carter Administration, 1976-1980. The country Russia invaded in those days was a western leaning Afghanistan

we all know how this ended

I seriously thought you had put a legible sentence together for a second...

Then I realized that you just copied/pasted a sentence TRT wrote instead of quoting him.

[TheRealThing]

The former Soviet Union was a truly vast empire. Their eastern border went from the Baltic Sea, through Berlin and down the eastern border of the Czech Republic, and engulfing all of the Ukraine down to the Black Sea, then it got a little complicated at the Caspian Sea and the eastern borders of all of the What's-It's-Stans , LOL. Russia came very close to putting Afghanistan in her quiver as well when they invaded in 1980, and since that time Iran has remained under heavy Russian influence. Off to the west, the only thing separating the western shores of the former USSR and the State of Alaska is the Bering Strait.

To the south, had Russia been successful in Annexing Afghanistan, they could have easily bought the affections of Iran who hates America and everything she stands for. That would have given Russia uncontested control of both sides of the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman. So, not only would we have had to buy our oil through watchful Russian interests but, Russia would have had access to the high seas of the Southern Hemisphere and would have likely controlled the Suez Canal to boot. The military community of the day was very justifiably horrified, as the feckless Carter Administration (ironically itself in the throes of an oil shortage) was content to watch Russia work in Afghanistan. In short, under dovish Jimmy Carter, America almost ceded Russia control of a vast portion of the globe. We dodged the bullet that time. This time, though the circumstances are not as grim, our chances to affect a rightful outcome in the Ukraine are much better, as it is America who holds all the cards. The problem may be the guy holding those cards.

So, can Russia regain her former greatness? Maybe, maybe (probably) not. But, as of last weekend, the Crimean Peninsula is certainly back in the Russian fold. Therefore when the La-La's try to say that this all means nothing, remember the ramifications posed had Afghanistan actually fallen in the Carter Era. That in part, is why we didn't sit on our hands when things heated up in Afghanistan the last time. And we'd do well to remember. Under George W, 575 American soldiers were KIA. Under Barrack Obama there has so far been 1,681 KIA, the vast majority of those being due to the ridiculous rules of engagement foisted upon them by present administration bleeding hearts.

I did notice a pattern with regard to our president however. On the campaign trail in 2008, he promised everybody everything. It would be belly up to the bar time for all Americans, (except the rich of course, we hate those jerks, LOL). Since his election, gifts for votes are wide open. Illegal immigrants will get amnesty and a full range of entitlements, government, labor and teacher unions, will continue to get the red carpet treatment, the global warming insane, let's call them weather-wackos, will be sated as the war on fossil fuels rages on. And, let's be honest about ObamaCare, the reason the administration doesn't give a flip whether or not the payment end of HealthCare.Gov works or not, is because folks are going to be given ObamaCare at first and we'll "true up" at a later time. That would be after, the American taxpayer has spent their trillions to get the whole mess up and running. Similarly, we screwed Poland to give Putin the gift of no NATO based ground interceptors, and he has laughed at us.

[TheRealThing]

LOL ^^ reverse my references to east and west above and we'll have our compass points straightened out. Obviously Berlin and Czechoslovakia lie to the west of Russia. And Alaska is off to the east. I think they refer to that condition as being dyslexic. :eyeroll:

[Granny Bear]

Well, at least the Russian/Ukrainian "thingy" isn't stopping Obama and Biden from their vacation plans. What a relief!!

[TheRealThing]

Well, at least the Russian/Ukrainian "thingy" isn't stopping Obama and Biden from their vacation plans. What a relief!!

LOL, I know that put my mind at ease! Situations like that just go to show how their minds really work. World affairs when prioritized accordingly, fall into perspective as they see it. Take our President's first reaction to the Crimean invasion.

"Minutes after issuing a stern warning to Russia and saying there will be a price to pay if it interferes militarily in Ukraine, President Obama headed to a “happy hour” with fellow Democrats.

“Well, it’s Friday. It’s after 5 o’clock. So, this is now officially happy hour with the Democratic party,” the president told his cohorts. “I can do that. It is an executive action. I have the authority.”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014...z2vO1Km800

So, here is the world put into proper perspective in the view of a liberal Dem if I have it right;
1) Happy Hour for the Democratic party
2) Vacation time
3) Weekends
4) 4 pm
5) Collapse of the world order

In my mind, it's all about him. The fact that he could joke so flippantly about his executive power reveals how stuck on himself he really is, is.

[Granny Bear]

What else could one expect from a President who organized the Beer Summit??

[TheRealThing]

What else could one expect from a President who organized the Beer Summit??

Wow. It just occurred to me what Obama's crowing achievement actually is, is. The Beer Summit was an unqualified success!

[Granny Bear]

Compared to the rest of his ambitions, it really is. At least he took the time to discover the brand of beer that the folks want, and even produced it.

Gotta give the devil his due!

[TheRealThing]

Compared to the rest of his ambitions, it really is. At least he took the time to discover the brand of beer that the folks want, and even produced it.

Gotta give the devil his due!

CLICK

[attachment=o3002]





Totally agree. :devilflam

[TheRealThing]

Obama has sanctioned Russia according to his speech today. However, the sanctions will impact less than two dozen Russian citizens.

EXCERPT---
"Rogozin, who was Russia's long time representative at NATO, laughed off the Obama administration’s announcement of a new executive order implementing visa bans and asset freezes against seven Russian political figures, including close aides to Vladimir Putin, and four Ukrainians involved in the attempted secession of Crimea, including former President Viktor Yanukovich."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/20...ioned.html

I guess Putin knows who isn't afraid to play hardball boy!

[vundy33]

What can we do to stop Russia in Ukraine? There is no action that we can directly short of armed conflict...but no one wants that, so when we don't do that, everyone criticizes our government for being "weak". The U.S. either needs to build a coalition of forces up and directly threaten Russia, or let them by with what they're doing. News broke this morning that they've attacked a Ukrainian ship.

Here is what I think we should do. We can mobilize the Army's 101st Airborne, 82nd Airborne, and 173rd Airborne out of Italy, together with Matines that are already sitting in the Mediterranean. We could get armored units there from our bases all over Europe, as well as both Armor and infantry from our European allies that have enough balls to stand with us. I think that a force like that, one that can jump into Ukraine, tank into Ukraine, and fly over Ukraine would force Putin to backdown, even though he wouldn't want to. It's as simple as that. If Russia wanted to fight, they'd face annihilation. They could not win.

Of course, that course would take us closer to war between major superpowers for the first time in many years. But Russia is using it's military to force one of our allies into submission, not to mention breaking a ton of international laws. Why shouldn't we use our military, the best the world has ever seen, to bully Russia? Some might say you can't bully Russia...but we showed time and time again in the Cold War that if push came to shove, we wouldn't back down but they would. I think that if it got to that point and Putin made the decision to escalate into conflict, that his own government would step in and keep it from happening. They know they can't win, that's why they're using these dirty tactics, like sending their troops into Ukraine with no patches designating their country of origin (illegal, btw).

[TheRealThing]

^ I agree with you, we should at least flex our military muscles in matters such as the invasion of Ukraine. And mobilize enough forces to show we mean business.

There is a problem though, and I doubt that you would agree with me on this. Obama has shown weakness from the get-go. Even the toughened sanctions announced last Thursday conceded the Crimean seizure as a done deal, saying that Putin has to stop this kind of behavior. No mention of pulling in his horns by withdrawing from the Ukraine. Had we acted swiftly to counter Putin's aggression as soon as his disguised military forces invaded, as we were bound to do under the Budapest Memorandum, I believe he'd have tucked tail and headed back to the barn. To me, the fact that Russian soldiers went in without insignia's of rank was intended to give "Mother Russia" the cover she would need to deny ownership of the invasion should those forces be thrown back.

In short, America is not weak. But, we have some weak leaders in power right now. Like I said, one of BHO's first priorities in 2009, was to cancel the NATO missile defense shield as had been formally agreed to by the last administration. This cancellation was done as a gesture of brotherhood, a notion that exists only in the minds of pacifists. Not only did the act not accomplish the hoped for result of making buddies with Putin, but it was a world class double cross between the US and Poland. The liberal world view sees mankind as having progressed into a new age of warless cooperation between and among the nations. And yet, armed conflicts still rage across the globe. Now, I'm not saying perceptions are any worse now than they were before WW2, because it took Pearl Harbor to wake us up that time. Quite the opposite but, I do believe that the relative peace since WW2 has contributed to present day naivety among legislators, most of whom were born after the war was over. Their perspective therefore, is jaded by this notion that war is a relic of the past since all they have known is a world characterized by relative peace. Adding to the picture of US relations with Russia, is the "hot mic" gaffe about him having more flexibility with Russia after the election. Note; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are explained away as anomalies attributable to George W's bent for revenge and general war mongering.

None the less, it is amateurish at best and extremely dangerous at worst, to dismiss the sage advice of those who led our nation up until the turn of the century. Which seemed to be exactly the attitude on display when Obama dismissed Romney's perspective on the level of threat posed by Russia during the 2nd Presidential debate as "cold war thinking" that lost it's relevance over 30 years ago.