I am certainly not a fan of Newt Gingrich (who here is?) In fact, it would be difficult to measure how low my opinion of him really is. But once in a while, he gets it right.
What to think of Putin?
Springboarding from the newly revived Crossfire as a base, the ol' Newtster expounded as follows:
American politicians have a deep need to interpret foreign leaders and foreign cultures and governments as though they were American.
...
Putin is a great Russian nationalist who is coldly and methodically maneuvering to maximize Russia's prestige and influence.
And why shouldn't he? It is his country. It has a longer history than we do. He served in the most intensely pro-Soviet institution in the old empire.
Yet, American politicians keep rejecting the realities of Putin's life, statements and actions.
This is a bipartisan self-deception.
I agree and fervently hope that our Government realizes that Putin is as calculating and cold-blooded as Stalin, and is not our "friend." This country misunderestimates him at its own risk.
Update:
Then there's this:
A U.N. report due Monday will say the perpetrators of last month's chemical weapons attack in Syria had up to 350 liters of sarin gas, a diplomatic source told CNN on Monday.
It will say surface-to-surface missiles were used and will give the trajectory of the missiles, the source said.
Some of the hardware used in the attack had Cyrillic lettering, the source said, citing the report.
Are we surprised?