Posted on 03/04/2014 12:14:33 AM PST by Jim Robinson
(Reuters) - With Russia's incursion into Ukraine reviving Cold War-style tensions, President Barack Obama is at risk of suffering a blow to his credibility at a time when he can least afford it: as he tries to convince voters to stick with his fellow Democrats in congressional elections that will help shape his legacy.
For five years, Obama has practiced a cautious approach to foreign policy crises, prizing sober diplomacy and the search for consensus over brinkmanship, in prolonged conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the deliberative style that Obama's team sees as a statesmanlike attitude in tune with Americans' war-weariness, was described as dithering in the crisis over Syria, where the United States long discussed military action without committing.
Facing his toughest test yet in Ukraine, Obama is once again finding himself portrayed as a weak leader, outmaneuvered by a wily, opportunistic Russian President Vladimir Putin intent on reviving the United States' nemesis.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Thanks...good...Ukraine Commander just went over to the Russians... Past Times up for when Russian Commander said he’d have an answer
That man has courage in the face of conflict!
>> How much of this is kabuki for the cameras and Western consumption ?
Or maybe a display of the awesome power of the hand of GOD?
I’m praying for no bloodbath there.
So he defected to the Russians? Seems like a lot of that going on lately.
If Ukraine is subdued and out of the news by mid year it will have little impact on the midterm elections. The Soviet Union and the Cold War ended 23 years ago. The median age of the US population is 37. A 37 year old today was only 14 when the Soviet Union collapsed. A huge segment of the US population has little or no memory of the Cold War and the Russian threat. For those voters Russian actions in Ukraine, and the European continent, are distant and inconsequential.
Certainly the core Democrat constituencies care very little about Eastern Europe and Russia. They are focused on domestic issues - abortion rights, wealth and income redistribution, government control of healthcare, gun control, green energy, minority rights, and amnesty for illegals. Were Russian tanks to swarm across Western Europe Democrat voters will not be concerned unless social welfare programs are threatened or they face the risk of being drafted into the army.
Few voters who fear the resurgence of Russia, and loss of American power, voted for Obama or will vote for Democrats in the 2014 mid term elections. Therefore Obama, Kerry, and Democrat politicians do not need to consider how they are perceived by the public as they pursue diplomacy and saber rattle with no will or intent to take meaningful action. Most of the mainstream media coverage will ultimately parrot the administration’ stalking points. The few negative comments in the press today will be forgotten by election time when the media will be 100% a propaganda organ for the Democrats.
Obama is acting with zero constraints. He has no fear of any negative domestic political repercussions from anything he does in conducting foreign affairs. Even if he blunders badly he will not be held accountable by the media, by Congress, or by the majority of the American people.
Unless the US homeland is attacked directly, or Obama directly engages large numbers of US military forces abroad, votes in the upcoming mid term elections will be cast based on domestic issues. While the GOP is right to criticize the inept foreign policy of this administration, highlighting the foreign policy disaster will not win over swing voters, much less energize the conservative base. The party must convince enough voters it has specific and better plans than the Democrats for getting the economy going and fixing healthcare. Simply being the alternative to status quo is not enough as Romney proved in 2012. Another “Contract With America” will draw more votes in the mid terms than sending John McCain out to pontificate on foreign policy.
NO...
the Russians said they’d have an answer if or not the Commander and his men can guard/control their planes and the base as a joint effort....that was over two hours ago...the deadline Russia gave when they’d have an answer for them.
Times up..the commander went to them to find out what the answer is..
"How will the Ukraine impact OBAMA'S TEAM in the election!??!!"
The true worry of the Obama buttlicking media.
OMG, they are SMOKING?!!?
Kerry and Obama have an excuse to abandon them now.
There’s nothing Obama can do ....Europe has this in their court...Putin has oodles of monies spread throughout banks etc. over the entire EU....they will simply find a way for Putin to come out of this looking good.
Obama has squat influence there....
Obama was neutered long ago but Libya, Egypt, and then Syria completed the job. He’s nothing but a irritating joke on the world stage at this point.
Seconded. Thanks for the updates!
November is going to be a tough election for patriotic Americans to maintain focus. Can we stay on the theme of Obama’s incompetence with socialized medicine, will the continuing inability to create jobs force us to address his broad economic and domestic incompetence, or will Russia, Syria, the Ukraine, China, and North Korea act in a manner that forces us to divide our attention between the rookie’s domestic incompetence and his foreign incompetence?
Per CNN: Putin press conference. Yanukovch legitimate leader of Ukraine. New government illegitimate.
The remarkable thing is that the press and the White House seem to consider “diplomacy” to consist of the President making a phone call. Diplomacy is meeting with allies, discussing the matter, meeting with the person or group with whom you have the dispute, and even bringing in other parties - and not thinking you can kind of just wing it and so it on your own. Remember how long Bush worked, through Powell and other diplomats, to get support for the various resolutions necessary to go into Iraq and also for sanctions against Iran?
Bambi is so clueless, ignorant and self obsessed he really believes that “diplomacy” is just a matter of him picking up the phone.
What an utter putz.
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