Pity the next president for the mess that they will inherit from this administration.
Stephens: Anatomy of a Feckless Presidency Gone are the days when the American president was capable of articulating the American interest.
... "Give the Russian president this much: He pursues Russia's national interests, baldly and expediently, as he sees them. The American president, by contrast, does nothing more than patronizingly lecture other countries about where their respective interests should lie.
"Yet at no point in his statement did Mr. Obama make an effort to define, much less explain, the U.S. interest in all this. Why should Americans be alarmed that Russia is carving territory from a country they know little, and care even less, about? It would be good to hear the president give an account of just what is at stake for the American people...."
IBD Editorials; Obama's World Without America Looks A Lot Like Ukraine "The brazen seizure of Crimea by Putin's Russia has brought into bold relief how the world would look if America is unable or unwilling to project power and influence. Is this what our diplomatic president wanted?"
"... there is more than Putin to think about. Tyrants in places from Tehran to Beijing will also be wondering about the cost of violating international law and threatening the peace and stability of neighbors. What will China do in neighboring seas, or Iran do in its tiny neighbor Bahrain, if actions like Putin’s go without a response?"
....
"The combination of zero action on Syria despite our own declared “red line” and the weakening of the American military sent a dangerous message, and not just to Putin."
"Pressed on whether Putin would pay a price for his incursion into sovereign territory, Kerry said, “We’re busy right now coordinating with our counterparts in many parts of the world.” He emphasized that “we don’t want this to be a larger confrontation” and that the administration is “not looking for a U.S.-Russia, East-West redux.' ”
Standing up to aggressors appears to be above Obama's pay grade.
WaPo: Obama’s Foreign Policy Is Based on ‘Fantasy’ ... "China has interests in Asia and off the coasts that it wants to advance, but the United States and our alliances stand in the way. China is paying close attention to Barack Obama’s actions on Ukraine, or lack thereof.
"For all the talk of a “new economy,” nations still need fuel, raw materials, access to ports, and the ability to impose their will on occasion. Obama either still doesn’t understand, or he does but doesn’t deem America’s interests as worth advancing."
Some perspective: Obama Finds a Country to Threaten. Too Bad It’s Israel.
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