Well, it is obvious that if even I can see such silliness in American leadership, the people who vote them into office and the press who report on it all, that other nations, including our adversaries see the US in the same light. The Tunnel Dweller
Hot Air: Putin On US Diplomatic Row: What Do You Expect From People Who Mix Up Austria And Australia?
Hot Air: Putin On US Diplomatic Row: What Do You Expect From People Who Mix Up Austria And Australia?
"Will Vladimir Putin escalate the diplomatic tit-for-tat between Russia and the US? Maybe, maybe not, the Russian president told reporters in China, but he’s angry enough to lash out at the governing class in the United States over it. Putin acknowledged the American right to demand parity in facilities as well as personnel after Putin ordered reductions in both for US missions in Russia. However, he complained that it was done in “a clearly boorish manner,” and then suggested that one can’t expect much more than that from ignorant American hicks:
“That the Americans reduced the number of our diplomatic facilities – this is their right,” Putin told a news conference in the Chinese city of Xiamen, where he was attending a summit of major emerging economies.“The only thing is that it was done in such a clearly boorish manner. That does not reflect well on our American partners. But it’s difficult to conduct a dialogue with people who confuse Austria and Australia. Nothing can be done about it. Probably such is the level of political culture of a certain part of the U.S. establishment.”
. . . "Despite his derision at America’s political class, the main reason Putin’s complaining rather than acting is because the US is answering his provocations now rather than ignoring them."
One case in point: