George W. Bush said nice things about Pooty-Poot too. Said he'd looked in to Putin's eyes, and saw his soul. Hosted him at his Texas ranch. I don't remember Democrats or the media having a conniption fit about it at the time.
We need to understand the difference between actions and head fakes intended to confuse and neutralize the opposition
Jast as in sports, in the real world head fakes, trick plays, confusing the opposition are part of reality. The question is what the result of the play is. Did we Or the other side.... gain yardage, gain an advantage? This is as true with Tesla, Coca Cola and Bud Light as it is with Putin.
What are the results? That is what counts.