Imagine What Obama Could Accomplish With A Docile Congress!
Putin Says, Let the Sanctions Begin
With both sides solidly grounded in their respective narratives, the stage has been set for an escalating conflict. The East-West rhetoric will only grow louder and stronger, as each side justifies exacting a price for its adversary's actions.
Since we've past the point of anyone backing down or admitting any wrongs, expect calls for providing military assistance to eventually be answered. With President Obama being pressured by the GOP to respond with ever increasing strength to show Russia America still has what it takes, it won't be long before push comes to shove.
Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin will address his parliament and announce Russia's response to the U.S. targeting sanctions against members of his crew. If he takes Senator McCain's calls for providing Ukraine military assistance seriously, Putin will be obligated to respond with hardened resolve. This my friends, is how wars are started!
Whether John McCain has gone rogue or he's been green-lighted by the Obama administration to play the bad cop routine, this is dangerous business. Perhaps unleashing John McCain to play opposite the President's cool calm and restrained approach was always the plan. Perhaps President Obama has been granted too much credit. Maybe No Drama Obama simply blew this one.
The unfortunate timing of a US election cycle will only add to the crisis. Already, every Congressional hack is lining up for face time to show how tough America must be when dealing with the Russians. Taking every opportunity to show support for Ukraine just to push Putin's buttons, Senator McCain and other GOP hard liners may be setting up a bluff Russia won't mind calling.
Ukraine may have some serious hard cases to battle in street fights, but when the Russian military rolls up on them, the outcome won't be pretty. If the West is not prepared to go all the way in backing Ukraine's play, the United States could be setting the Ukrainian people up for a slaughter.
Eerily similar to Syria, the United States is again instigating an ill-prepared opposition faction to achieve dubious goals. Had the US led West not been so insistent upon regime change by any means necessary, thousands of lives could have been spared.
The humane approach during the Geneva 1 and 2 negotiation efforts, would have been to cut a deal, encourage the opposition to work with Bashar al-Assad in ridding Syria of all interloping jihadist and hold internationally monitored elections as soon as possible. If the US had joined Russia and China in pursuing that course of action, the conflict would be on the wane by now. Instead, the death toll mounts daily.
Lacking the political will for putting boots on the ground or even enough trust in the so-called rebels to provide them with real ethal arms, coaxing an outgunned rag tag crew of malcontents to continue fighting no matter the cost, was more than just wrong, it was insane.
Bottom line: Ukraine will need billions in military hardware and years of training and support before they can even contemplate confronting a force the Russians will mount against them. Aside from trying to drown Russia in buckets of Ukrainian blood in the hopes of getting Vladimir Putin charged with war crimes, these dumb bastards don't have a prayer.
I won't bore you with how this ends, because we all know it ends badly. However, its vital we all understand how and why it began!