Posted on 05/11/2014 9:41:41 PM PDT by Whenifhow
As the United States watches Russia, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned that the gridlock and lack of international leadership in Washington, D.C. was becoming the greatest national security threat facing the United States.
Gates’ comments came during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“I think the greatest national security threat to this country at this point is the two square miles that encompasses the Capitol building and the White House… I think that other countries are watching us very carefully,” Gates said. “Other countries, whether it’s Russia or China or Iran or North Korea, are looking to see if what they perceive as our withdrawal from international leadership presents them opportunities down the road that they can take advantage of.”
While Gates contended that internal politics were the United States most significant concern, he also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to back away from Ukraine and the Unites States needed to engage in a “long-term game.”
“I don’t think he’ll rest until there’s a pro-Russian government in Kiev. Or a federated Ukraine where the eastern part of the country, for all practical purposes, looks to Russia,” Gates said.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
Gates decries the lack of leadership (and he's correct) but then he leads Putin on (in the wrong direction) by saying Putin won't "rest until there's a a pro-Russian government in Kiev".
That's what a defeatist says.
Did Reagan say that the the Soviet Union would never rest until the west was defeated?
Of course he didn't.
We are focused too much on Russia at the moment.
Number two in the world is now China, with the second-largest military budget on the entire planet.
America imports a massive 440 billion (last year) from China.
America only exported 122 billion (again last year) to China.
Russia is not the problem.
America needs to make things. Right here.
There ISN’T any US leadership.
He’s right—Non Leadership is limiting what we can do in the world. It is making us look bad. Russia is looking like a superpower because they act—Their tyrant in Syria is winning and our people are losing. We lost Egypt, we are losing Ukraine as it slips into Russias orbit. We are even losing Europe. All because we have people in charge who do not know what they are doing. Russia looks good only because they have a strong leader-—a nation 20% as powerful as the USA—looks great because we only use 10% of our power.
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