By Jermel W. Shim
After watching President Obama's press conference to address the Ukrainian crisis on CNN (02-28-14), in which he issued a stern warning to Russia not to interfere, it occurred to me that Vladimir Putin the Russian president does not have to heed the president's warning. The problem is not one of President Obama's own making why Putin does not have to heed the warning. Rather it is the result of the GOPs campaign to destroy the president.
The GOPs campaign to destroy President Obama demonstrate their blatant disrespect, their effort to negate his agenda and policies, and the failure to condemn the vile and hate-filled comments like the one Ted Nugent made recently. The impact of this campaign has divided Americans, weakened the president, and made the country more vulnerable on the world political stage. This is unfortunate for America because when the world sees how the GOP treats President Obama then leaders like Putin know how to take advantage of this situation.
As a former KGB leader, Putin knows the nature of politicians and he knows the weakness of a political system. Unlike former Russian leaders who did not have this experience, he knows that the US is not in a good position to challenge him on any crisis that he might initiate or support. This was perhaps why he wrote is Op-ed letter to the American people (New York Times, September 11, 2013) to warn America of the dangers of a potential US strike against Syria. Five months later, Putin has taken advantage of a weakened president and a divided US by either staging or supporting the Ukrainian crisis.
The GOP campaign to destroy President Obama has set in motion political tactics that may very well be irreversible. If the GOP can resort to this unprecedented behavior against a president and get away with it, then the political process can be manipulated to destroy any politician. This manipulation has already happened where powerful lobbyist aided by wealthy campaign donors can help a politician win an election or get them voted out of office. This type of political corruption has hijacked the democratic process. It is being used against President Obama but miraculously he is able to survive these corrupt schemes.
It is said that the enemy within us is more dangerous than the enemy outside. America has weakened its stature on the world stage because of politicians who lack wisdom and are blind because of their personal prejudices. Putin is aware of this so he can take advantage to promote his agenda. If the GOP continues their campaign to destroy President Obama, then countries like China and North Korea could follow Putin's lead. China could try to reclaim Taiwan and North Korea could try to invade South Korea.
The GOP in their quest to bring down President Obama might not be aware of the serious consequences their irresponsible behavior has created at home and abroad. Their relentless effort to bring down the president is irresponsible because it undermines democracy, divides the American people, stymies the effort to make life better for Americans, and make America vulnerable to outside forces.
Jermel W. Shim is the author of Whom God Has Blessed, Let No Man Curse (Infinity Publishing).
http://www.jermelshim.com