It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World

This was a very revealing week in recent world history, wasn’t it? Russia hosts the Olympics and wins the most total medals. Meanwhile, as a turbulent backdrop, the Ukrainian people overthrew, finally, the government which seemed to the rest of the decent world, oppress and torture its citizens on the weekend of Russia’s (translate – Putin’s) greatest triumph and glory on the world stage. He certainly was embarrassed and irritated by this display of disrespect toward him.

Understand that since circa 1991, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and all the other former republics of the USSR have been “independent” countries bound together with economic and energy needs, mostly with Russia as the senior (dominant) partner in these arrangements. In reality, the USSR never really went away. Instead, it lay dormant until the world conditions became optimal for its resurgence.

Since the return of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation, not that he went away, the world, Europe and the United States have been walking on eggs with just about every new world crisis. It seems that he is standing on the playing field, ready to ride in as the white knight to save the day. The world breathes a sigh of relief. Please read my commentaries “Chess, Anyone?”  from June 26, 2013 and “The Ukrainian Coup d’état” from February 25, 2014 for further clarification.

Any reasonable and intelligent person could see that the events of last weekend would culminate with the events of Friday, in Moscow, Ukraine and the White House.

But what did Secretary of Defense, Hagel do this week? He, with the approval of the Commander In Chief in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, announced that the United States military would be reduced to levels not seen since the Triparte Pact. As a reminder, that was the agreement between the Japanese, the Nazis and Mussolini’s fascists. Obviously, it appears the world is a safer place, well, at least to the Obama Whiz Kids.

Then on Friday when it was reported, with a lot of evidence Russian troops were massing on the Ukrainian border and troops standing on the Crimean peninsula which is

Barack Obama & Vladimir Putin at Putin's dacha 2009-07-07 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

technically part of Ukraine, what did President Obama do? He showed up in the White House briefing room, blustered about how “there will be costs” (what, not consequences?) and that he was “deeply concerned” about the events ongoing in Ukraine and Russia. He then promptly left to attend a fund-raiser. Sound familiar? If he does nothing else well, he knows how to show “concern” and immediately vanish to his comfort zone, Happy Hour anyone?

What do you think Putin the Chess Player is doing? That’s right, laughing his butt off as he encircles Ukraine with at least 2,000 troops that we know of and moving his pieces on the geopolitical chessboard making his moves to checkmate our President into a huge political defeat in front of the world. He knows more than our Congress and our media, the weakness Obama displays time after time when confronted with challenges he has no idea to handle.

Also, to show that he has no fear of the United States and its military, what was the additional slap in our face? That’s right, a Russian warship brazenly docks 100 miles off our coast, in Havana Harbor. What did our President do? He blows it off, as if it were commonplace. Don’t forget, as well, Iranian warships are cruising just outside our territorial waters, but that fund-raiser was just so pressing.

On Saturday, Vlad the Dictator went to the Russian Parliament (read: Politburo) to ask them to approve use of the country’s military in Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians and a military base in Crimea. Really now, he expects us to believe he needed “permission” from a group of “yes-men”, who understand that if they said no, they would be digging their own graves in the Siberian tundra. Of course, the U.N. is marveling what a great “humanitarian” he is. Yeah, like Hitler was a “misunderstood champion of religious diversity.”

John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan are screaming from the grave for Obama to stand up to Putin. Sadly, their pleas are falling on deaf ears. He either does not understand or really doesn’t care about the consequences of his inaction; after all he has his Nobel Peace Prize. That’s great since his inaction in all this confrontation will ultimately bring the world to a final resolution. Yes, I am saying nuclear war.

Just remember, those who ignore the lessons and mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them. Here we go!