[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.