Should This Man Be Put to Sleep?
As we await the vote for Crimea, it give us space to review important background stuff before it gets lost in the borscht. Since history is rewritten by the hour lately, its critical to document events as they unfold.
Questions for Today:
Did John McCain's premature visit to Ukraine's Independence Square in a show of support for "the opposition" give Vladimir Putin the excuse, cover and opportunity to grab and hold Crimea? Could this international rancor been avoided had McCain kept his meddlesome ass stateside and let those who understand the 21st century handle complicated foreign policy issues? Was John McCain one of the Western meddlers Vladimir Putin was referring to when making his case against Western interference?
Hailing from a backward, homophobic, gun happy, diversity averse state like Arizona, could have given Ukraine's raucous nationalistic Right Wing the impetus to take their protest to the next level. While cheesing for the cameras during his visit to Kiev, McCain had the following to say in support of the (up until then) peaceful demonstrators: "If Ukraine's government thinks that brute force and the politics of fear can see it through the current crisis, it is woefully mistaken,". Was that a needless taunt? Did his presence light a slow fuse?
Could Senator McCain's remarks have been interpreted by extremist elements lurking among the masses to kick it up a notch? Perhaps encouraged by implied support, some decided getting a rope was more expedient than impeachment. As events quickly progressed, the protesters began to get the upper hand in hand to hand street fighting. Watching his police getting the shit kick out of their asses, a really worried Viktor Yanuvyck must have concluded it was only a matter of time.
When then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych offered amnesty to the protesters detained after mass anti-government rallies in Kiev, it must have been viewed as a sign of weakness because "some" in the crowds simply refused to accept yes for an answer. When Yanukovych said authorities should "release the arrested people, even those who'd already been convicted to put an end to the conflict", his words were falling upon deaf ears.
To think any sane corrupt leader wouldn't make a break for the border under those circumstances, is unrealistic. After Muammar Gaddafi's demise and the manner it came to be, corrupt leaders of shaky governments must all keep a few stacks of cash and bags packed just in case things get crazy.
Since the West responded to Yunukovych's fear and flight with the idea that those who move their meat must lose their seat, Putin saw a golden opportunity shaping up and he seized it. With no central government to recognize, Putin could cherry pick the parts of Ukraine he wanted and leave the rest to the West.
Desperate to remain relevant through reliving the good old cold war days, once again John McCain has engaged beyond his intellectual weight class. A pathetic fool, without a friend, relative or caring colleague to reel him, the aging Senator has become an embarrassment and a national liability.
A perennial loose cannon running amok without a keeper, John McCain was actually allowed to board a plane, travel to a foreign land and conduct business as though he was actually in full command of his mental faculties. The fact that protestors in Kiev received the old codger so enthusiastically, should have set off alarms. If the Ukrainians couldn't see how unstable John McCain was, they couldn't possibly see how unstable their own actions would eventually appear.
At this point, one has to ask; did McCain request permission to leave the country for the purpose of intervening or did he just go rogue? Its hard to imagine the White House sanctioning a trip abroad by a sitting Senator known for making an ass of himself, muddling about and mangling the national message.
If anybody should have their travel restricted, its John McCain. If President Obama was smart, he'd use an executive order to confiscate McCain's passport, have him committed and confined to a home for crotchety old soldiers and thus put an end to his unrestrained mischief-making once and for all.
Bottom line: If Sen. McCain and other GOP ignoramuses could've stifled the urge to upstage President Obama, perhaps the United States wouldn't be facing off against a nuclear armed Russia over what could've been resolved with a few official statements of condemnation.