Category Archives: Russia

Russian Rocket Rides

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Pressuring Putin over Ukraine is tricky. It’s a tough sell to squeeze the Russian economy because much of Europe depends on Putin for fuel. But what about American dependency on Russia for a way back to earth?

Russian Rocket Rides

Ever since NASA put the Space Shuttle up on blocks in 2011, with no replacement, the U.S. has paid 70 million a pop for Russian rocket rides.

 

Flexible Cold War Chess Board

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President Obama whispered in Dmitri Medvedev’s ear that, after the 2012 election, he could be flexible.

In the final 2012 presidential debate Mitt Romney called Russia our greatest geopolitical threat. Obama mocked him by saying “the 1980’s is calling for its foreign policy back because, you know, the cold war’s been over for 20 years”. Looks like the 1800’s are on line 2. John Kerry’s response to Putin’s invasion of Crimea was that it was a “19th century act in the 21st century”. Light Brigade, report for duty.

The president still insists this isn’t about some “cold war chessboard“. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers thinks it is, “Putin’s playing chess and we’re playing marbles”.

The Washington Post editorial page thinks President Obama has lost his marbles. It says his “foreign policy is based on fantasy”:

FOR FIVE YEARS, President Obama has led a foreign policy based more on how he thinks the world should operate than on reality. It was a world in which “the tide of war is receding” and the United States could, without much risk, radically reduce the size of its armed forces.

Speaking of how he thinks the world should operate, Obama commended the Ukrainian government for its “restraint” during the current unpleasantness. To which Bret Stephens responded in the WSJ:

The Ukrainian government isn’t showing restraint; it is merely tragically impotent in the face of blunt aggression.. It used to be that defiance, not restraint, was considered the appropriate response to a foreign invasion”.

Stephens thinks Obama invited Putin’s behavior by not seeing a connection to his capitulation to Putin on Syria. Then there’s also the failed Reset and abandoned missile defense for Poland and the Czech Republic.

Flexible Critics

This is all a little much for Dana Milbank, also in the Post. He wants to know how Obama can be such a power grabbing, constitution shredding tyrant at home and a flexible weakling on the international stage.

I think he has a point. I should have drawn the Flexible One wearing his crown.

 

 

Olympic Flameout

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Finland sent the Russian Olympic hockey team home today without a medal. Oh wait they are home.

Last night Ukraine went up in flames. So I drew this cartoon. President Obama drew this red line. Again.

Olympic Flameout Update:

Putin doesn’t make the medal round in Ukraine protests. USA flames out against Canada and then lays an enormous goose egg against Finland 5-0.

Leading from behind fails again.

Sochi Spy Swap

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There will be no Sochi Spy Swap for Edward Snowden.

Senator Mark Warner wants to deport Justin Bieber to Canada. He could go to jail. Pussy Riot has already been there.

Pussy Rioters served Russian prison time for protesting President Putin’s human rights record. That and desecrating a church. In Bieber’s case it would be for assaulting his limo driver. Or for assaulting his jet pilot with second hand pot smoke.

No Sochi Spy Swap but Snowden Welcome

Putin says Edward Snowden is welcome to attend the Sochi Olympics. Pussy Riot, not so much.

I meant to include a shirtless Putin but ran out of room.

JFK and a Silly Little Communist

131123 oswald-silly-little-communistKennedy Week was a very good week for Ira Stoll’s book Kennedy, Conservative. He makes the case that JFK was an anti-communist supply sider and would be a conservative today.

Maybe. Most of the other 11 year olds I knew in those days were anti-communist too. Not so sure about the supply side part – my peer-group wasn’t up to speed on tax policy. A quick look at Youtube, however, does show Kennedy was for tax cuts to increase employment and cut the deficit.

He was also in favor of civil rights. At least his wife thought so:

“He didn’t even have the satisfaction of being killed for civil rights. It’s — it had to be some silly little Communist.”

Jacqueline Kennedy, Nov. 22, 1963

Which brings us to this piece by Rich Lowry. He complains that James McAuley, in a NYT oped, pins the murder on “Dallas, a city of hate with a death wish in its eye”. (Now we know who shot JR.) Manny Fernanez, also in the NYT, blames it on an “angry anti-Washington culture”.

I think President Kennedy was swell but where can I sign up for this Angry Anti-Washington Culture?

JFK and A Silly Little Communist

The real conspiracy about the Kennedy Assassination is the myth built by the left that sinister right wing forces cut down the young president – when it was really just a silly little Communist.

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