Clueless: Obama Still Trying To ‘Reset’ with Russia
Even if Russia wasn’t getting everything they wanted, they still wouldn’t actively support Obama’s agenda in the Middle East: it’s not in Russia’s interests to do so. Russia profits mightily in Syria and Iran both by selling weapons and by seeing the value of its oil reserves soar as commodity markets fret over the instability Russia foments in the region. What’s more — in case Obama and McFaul have forgotten — Russia is ruled by a proud KGB spy about to become “president for life” who spent his entire career learning how to hate and destroy the U.S. Helping the U.S. advance its foreign policy in the Middle East simply isn’t consistent with Putin’s worldview.
The Kremlin’s forces have been quite clear in warning the U.S. that it better not elect a Republican in November, lest it face global war, both hot and cold, from Russia. Former Kremlin insider Andranik Migranyan was particularly blunt about McFaul, accusing him of making a “costly mistake” in paying lip service to the opposition — slavish obedience is the only thing the Kremlin will tolerate:
[McFaul] now will have to devote effort to smoothing over his mistake, just as Obama did when he put forward some unpalatable claims about Prime Minister Putin before his first official visit to Moscow. Then he had to lavish upon the man plenty of compliments once he arrived to limit the damage caused by his clumsy behavior.
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Make no mistake — Obama will do it. He is using McFaul’s reputation to camouflage a policy of appeasement. Meanwhile, the Kremlin will continue — with Obama’s assistance — to obliterate American values in Russia. Kremlin-funded propaganda network Russia Today trumpeted the words of nationalist parliamentarian Vladimir Zhirinovsky as he warned that any member of parliament who met with McFaul would be ostracized from the body. Putin is likewise snuffing out entrepreneurship in business, while Medvedev, with Obama’s blessing, feels free to repeatedly ignore the meeting of his own human rights panel.
Obama has brought America the perfect storm, the worst of all possible worlds. We are seen as betraying the friends of democracy and capitalism in Russia, as supporting the return of Soviet-style repression. We suffer the consequences of dealing with yet another dictatorship, rather than a democracy where we know the rules of the game. And at the same time, we haven’t seen any significant enhancement of Russian support for our foreign policy; to the contrary, we find ourselves openly threatened with war in the Middle East.
I guess I’m “crazy,” but to me it seems like the most essential regime change where Russia is concerned must happen in Washington, D.C.
“The Kremlin’s forces have been quite clear in warning the U.S. that it better not elect a Republican in November, lest it face global war, both hot and cold, from Russia.”
What a better way to prove that the Russians, like just about everybody else in the world, hold the United States in utter contempt and are actually afraid of a Republican taking over the in November. Shows you just how weak and pathetic the Obama administration is when it comes to foreign policy. Even if Obama is replaced in November, the new president is going to have a lot to do to restore America’s standing in the world. When you even have crummy little countries like Egypt, Syria, and Libya, a country we even helped, basically spitting at us, then you KNOW you have problems. This SO reminds me of when Carter was president and what an utter failure he was in foreign policy (aside from the Camp David accords, which only proved that both Egypt and Israel were sick of fighting each other). Once Reagan came into office, the whole world literally changed and not only did we regain the respect we needed, but also the fear. And fear goes a long way in getting what you want in foreign policy.
Don’t forget the north. They have become far more aggressive about pushing further into the Arctic in an attempt to lay claim to the oil and minerals.
“Nor has McFaul seen fit to mention any of the vicious, vitriolic anti-American hatred spewing from high-ranking Kremlin officials over Syria and Iran”
Why would he? The Russians are only saying in public what Obama and his ilk say in private. But your premise is wrong, Obama is not clueless as he’s getting exactly what he wants from Russia. Peace and prosperity won’t advance his agenda, just as it won’t advance Putin’s agenda. The left moves forward on the discarded and crushed bodies of those it “helped”.
and then there is the fact that russians are better at implementing communism– “why the worst rise to the top”– and they were the ones who first infiltrated our culture and filled those initial heads of mush (the current obamanation) with delusions of grandeur and collective utopias
It’s hard to figure out just what O’Bummer is after. So it seems, he just waits for his puppeteers (the “brains” behind him) to tell him what’s up.
There’s lots of rhetoric about bombing Iran (though even Israel says Iran doesn’t have nuclear bomb capability) and I wonder if that IS the plan to get into WWIII with Russia and China over Iran to Eliminate some of those pesky peasants who make the world “less green”.
O’Bummer is a strange bird and there’s no telling what he’ll do, especially since he lies so much that it’s a safe bet that whatever he says he’ll do, he’ll do the opposite.
Perhaps the Russia which Obama “sees” is that of Duranty.
(Well, actually I meant “Walter”, but if comedy is as good a metaphor as treason, then I’m fine with “Jimmy.”)
Vladimir Zhirinovsky is alone enough of a reason to believe that the Cold War is NOT over.
At one time he declared he wanted Alaska back. He even had a map behind his desk showing the new Russia if he had his way…
Obama is very consistent, he never tires of pursuing his ideas no matter how many times they have failed for others and himself. He calls it keeping his eye on the prize.
…Helping the U.S. advance its foreign policy in the Middle East simply isn’t consistent with Putin’s worldview.
So far the U.S. advancement of its foreign policy in the Middle East already replaced a bunch of brutal, secular totalitarian regimes, with more *democratic* but no less brutal Islamic regimes. Yay. Although the current Russia’s foreign policy is a mess, they do have a point there.
Also, regarding Yavlinski. He does not deserve to be touted as “Russia’s leading mainstream opposition politician”. There is no mainstream opposition in Russia to begin with. Just a number of small irrelevant political factions and *state-run* parties like LDPR or KPRF. And if it came down to elections, i would be surprised if he gained more than 5% of voters support. Rigged or not. Whether political or not, his omission from the presidential race has no significance whatsoever for the wave of dissent taking place today. His case is made to sound much louder than it actually is in Russia.
http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/the-first-time-i-heard-of-barack-by-tom-fife/
Ever hear of Tom Fife?
Obama is weak and weakness only encourages contempt and escalation. Hense our problems in Russia and the Middle East.
Romney take note, no bowing!!
Liberals believe the wrong side won the Cold War. Obama’s reset is trying to surrender to a foe we beat over 20 years ago.