I think you framed it perfectly. I despise Putin for the corrupt, despotic-minded creature that he is. But I also acknowledge and respect the fact that he is one of the strongest and most capable leaders on the world stage today. It is indeed a stark contrast to the weakest foreign policy leadership America has seen in the modern era. Not even Carter was as feckless and lost as Obama has been, I think.
1) He's a bumbling, inexperienced, naive, community organizer, leftist with an incorrect world view and a fatal agenda led by radicals who do not learn from their early mistakes.
2) (And I did not want to believe this theory), that he is a Manchurian Candidate acting at the behest of others who wish to destroy American power, prestige & influence in the world. Rip America apart on all fronts, racial, economic, social and political. In other words, divide and weaken the nation. This was his plan all along and he has succeeded very much so.
If we judge him on what he says, we wind up with a mixed bag of confusing statements and results. If we judge him based on his actions, it looks far more sinister than anything Jimmy Carter may have done or fumbled at doing.
It is my hope (not change) that he just does not have a clue but my gut tells me he's working for the Muslim Brotherhood...