Thoughts on Ukraine

I have to say what Putin did did not come as that much of a surprise. Wow an autocratic bully acting like a well an autocratic bully. Who would of thought it? The charade of the Olympics, how Russia has some how changed, didn’t last very long. The true Putin and the true Russia came out into the clear.

It’s not to say that the West should not have engaged Putin these past years or continue to engage him in the future. It’s just the mask is off and Putin needs to recognized for what he is a latter day Czar.

Now the question is what to do about what Putin has done. The West and the US in particular has very few options. There’s no way that troops can be sent to the Crimea. Seems to me the West did that years ago in a little thing called the Crimean War and it was a total disaster. Economic sanctions against Russia are about the only thing that can be done. That and economic aid to Ukraine.

And in the it would be funny if this wasn’t so serious is the reaction by the Republicans to the events. This is somehow (and I know this comes as a huge surprise) all Obama’s fault. As Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday: “It started with Benghazi. When you kill Americans and nobody pays a price, you invite this type of aggression.”

Really how does Benghazi in any way shape or form relate to what Putin has done in Ukraine. Oh that would be none. But then again Graham has a Tea Party primary challenger and so has to bow down to the far right of his party. Thus the reason for this crap coming from him.

This is the Republican line. This is Obama’s fault because of his “weak” foreign policy. E.J. Dionne has a great article in the post about it. It shows the hypocrisy of the Republicans. Near the end of his piece he says this:

Washington usually responds blandly by saying that “both parties do it.” But note the consistent thread through the GOP attacks: that Democrats — then Kerry, now Obama — are weak and vacillating and give comfort to our foes. Why is it acceptable for supporters of a party to condemn critics as near-traitors when their side is in power and then embrace the right to dissent when the other guys control the White House? Freedom is freedom.

As always what matters most is blaming the president for everything. Putting the Republican Party first instead of what is better for the country and in this case the world. Nice to see some things with Republicans never change.