Imagine if Canada had a new Prime Minister unfriendly to the USA, that wished to join a defense pact with Russia, and fanatic French speakers proposed banning English in schools and government. The US would be alarmed of course, and no matter what action we took, we would regard this as a horrible disaster, and if we invaded Canada, that would be absurd weakness rather than strength.
This is the current position of Russia in Ukraine, and thoughtful people understand why Barack Obama can't copy the absurd chest pumping paranoia of some Republican politicians. Vladimir Putin might be a savage brute, but he finds himself on the brink of complete defeat, he believes Russia's enemies have seduced away a nation historically wed to his own, and like a wife beater, thinks violence will persuade, even as the savagery makes the split final. Like a scorned husband, Putin blames the split on lies of the seducer, and not his own deficiencies. Like a straying wife, the Ukraine wants the prosperity of the happy family next door, the European Union, far more than the EU and the US want to take her in.
We must remember that Russia cares very much about Ukraine, and most Americans likely couldn't find it on the map. Russia now loses it's best friend in the world due to years of shockingly inept policy. This result is not a US victory, there are only two groups that see this as a fight between the US and Russia, those who believe Russian propaganda, and those who believe US Conservative propaganda. Both these groups believe in their own national humiliation and defeat. These misguided ideas of national grievance mix the traditional witches brew of war. Let the cool heads prevail. They say Obama lacks passion, I thank God, and the electorate for that.
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