Posted on 03/27/2014 8:11:38 PM PDT by goldstategop
Nina Moreyeva, a Moscow resident who lives on a pension, doesn't agree with the widespread perception in the West that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been too muscular in his actions in Ukraine. Quite the opposite. She believes Russia had the right to annex the Ukrainian territory of Crimea – even if it meant going to war with Kiev.
"Crimea is deep in our history," she says. "I have never accepted that it was given to Ukraine" by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. Nor is she worried about the West imposing sanctions. "Russia shouldn't be under anyone's thumb," she says. "Let them keep their potatoes. We'll grow our own."
Her sentiments are hardly unusual. Mr. Putin's popularity is spiking to the highest levels in years largely as a result of the Kremlin leader's forceful handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
Many Russians say they strongly approve of Putin's decision to "draw the line" after what they see as two decades of Western expansion, via the enlargement of the European Union and NATO, into what was formerly the Soviet Union and its allied states.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
Being tough helps in winning universal respect.
My husband and I visited St. Petersburg in 2008. We were visiting friends in Sweden and decided to fly over to Russia.
After a week in Russia we BOTH agreed that the Russians had a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long way to catch up to the USA of FIFTY years ago.
It was expensive while getting LITTLE value for what we paid for. The food was DULL, DULL, DULL, DULL.
The hotel was clean but dull and boring.
They AREN'T that smart after all. Their space program was thanks to the Germans--the ones who DIDN'T come to the USA after WWII. THOSE Germans made OUR space program.
You know, I’ve always had a lot of respect for Hitler. How about you?
/s
I’m not so sure about that.
Putin needs to recognize even Republicans will support Obama if Putin doesn’t stop now.
Good job and all, but you’re getting us off the button.
We don’t really want to rally to Obama, but given the choice, we will.
Back off Putin. Just saying.
Do you have respect for Obama?
And do you think he can be tough?
Spare me the sarcasm - we both know that is not the real issue here.
Hilarious!
Obama doesn’t wear the pants in the family.
And he has drawn one red line after another! Are you waiting for the next one?
No I do not have respect for Obama, but stating that being tough wins you universal respect forgets an awful lot of history.
No Obama can’t be tough. Putin has acted like to two bit thug dictator. That type of brazen disregard for accepted international behavior earns him zero respect outside of the misguided Russian on the street.
Stalin probably had a lot of people who adored him too. When Khrushchev went up against Kennedy, I’ll bet the Russians were in his corner too.
The real issue, is that Putin is a disgraced figure, from here on out. His place in history will be extremely negative.
I’m not really talking about Obama.
The GOP was originally opposed to Obama. Still is in fact.
But Putin is messing that up, and he’s driving me temporarily toward Obama.
Just saying Putin sort of originally had my support. That is pretty much gone at the moment.
Gone.
Putin back off.
A leader’s words must have consequences or they mean nothing.
That is the difference between great leaders and failed ones.
Putin has Crimea. Obama has Obamacare.
Which legacy will be remembered? That is now up to history to judge.
If you believe Obama’s 21st Century diplomacy is going to stop the likes of Putin, good luck.
I do not believe Obama’s diplomacy alone will be effective.
America is larger than Obama.
That is what I’m saying. Putin has a certain level of good will, or had until recently.
I do not believe he will squander that.
I could however be wrong. I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again.
I just don’t recommend he continue.
At all.
Americans are bored shitless by this whole issue. Ukraine crisis is buried so deep on Drudge that you miss it when scrolling through. That said, Putin has the right to protect Russian interests and he’ll continue to go one up on us with every action of ours.
You keep trotting out these platitudes about leaders, their words, and their consequences.
NOTHING is going to make Putin right for what he did.
NOTHING!
Yes Putin has Crimea. Hitler occupied his neighbors too.
How is Hitler remembered? You do know right?
Putin is a thug dictator. He’s no different than Hitler at the end of the day, as it comes to what he has done to his neighbor state.
Whether Obama is respected or not, has nothing to do with this. We both know he’s a child. Putin will have to answer for his own deeds. Obama has absolutely nothing to do with that. Obama didn’t force him to do it. Good grief.
A strong ultranationalist leader in Europe has always had a strong base of support from their ethnic countrymen in other nations and from others searching for strong ethnic European leadership. The German American Bund had a lot of American support before WWII. Obviously, being a strong leader does not equal being a good leader. Freedom is never a value supported by a nationalistic fanatic except for their narrow group of adherents.
It only means something when the bad guy loses.
And if he doesn’t - does history care?
No! There is truth to the adage history is written by the winner.
And between states - the balance of power determines who prevails in world affairs, in a word strength and not words, morality or treaties.
The exception to might makes right has its limits. Tyrants overreach and the pendulum swings back. Napoleon and Hitler come to mind.
You can become overconfident and lose. Its an iron law of history.
>Putin needs to recognize even Republicans will support Obama if Putin doesn’t stop now.<
.
Are you sure Obama will lead us in a direction that benefits America knowing that it is his intention to permanently change the face of this country.
How do you know he won’t lead us into utter destruction?
We are in a real quandary, aren’t we?
Who has done more damage to the US, Putin or Obama?
I say it’s Obama, by a wide margin.
Putin invaded Crimea, next door, and you think that makes him Hitler. Why?’
‘
In the past 12 years, US has invaded four countries - none of them next door. That doesn’t make us Hitler. Obama wants to topple the Syrian gov’t — also not next door.
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