On occasion, the White House Press Corps stumbles across an actual moment of journalism. Major Garrett (it’s his name – not a rank) managed to ask Jay Carney what most of the civilized world was already wondering: America’s handling of the Ukraine/Russia conflict doesn’t seem to be working… So why are we sticking to it?
I know… It seems like a stupid question to ask an administration that has stubbornly trudged their way through the Affordable Care Act, Middle Eastern Foreign Policy, and class-warfare; but, the question is astoundingly poignant. After all, Russia has been accelerating toward a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine like a Soviet era sedan (slow, but purposeful). And America’s fumbling attempts at foreign policy have done little to deter Boris Badenov’s boss, Vladimir Putin.
Leave it to Jay Carney to make Garrett sound like the intellectually deficient amateur in the White House Press Corps. I don’t really think Garrett was basing his question on the notion that words alone, uttered from our Nobel Laureate President, are sufficient armaments in a hostile world. After all, words didn’t work in Egypt, Libya, Syria, or Crimea. It almost seemed to me that Garrett was taking a legitimate jab at the President’s uncanny ability to lob UN speeches at advancing Russian T-90 tanks.
More importantly, Carney seems to underestimate the amount of control and power that America (unintentionally) wields throughout the world. (Maybe the Soviet propaganda that he uses to decorate his home is beginning to have an impact on him.) I mean, Russia is essentially a developing nation that has a heck of a geographical footprint. Their economy is roughly $2 trillion. Ours is roughly $17 trillion. In an economic standoff, I don’t see there being a great argument over who has more to lose?
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But, what exactly has our response been so far? Well, we’ve placed a handful of sanctions on a few of Putin’s drinking buddies. (I actually don’t know if they drink together… But, c’mon: They are Russian.) Where are the NATO reinforcements? The US gas reserves? Heck, we’re dealing with an ex-KGB thug who buys Italian suits… I kinda thought we figured out how to handle these people in "Little Odessa," in the 1980’s.
But, let’s face it: It doesn’t really matter that nothing is working. If Liberals have proven anything over the last several years, they’ve proven that unsatisfactory results are hardly an obstacle to continuing their ineffectual march toward mediocrity. I mean, look at Obamacare. It has proven to be as ineffectual as Jimmy Carter’s hostage-negotiation skills – and yet we’re moving forward with reckless abandon.
Of course, nothing compares to the anemic Foreign Policy credentials of Chicago’s most famous community organizer. The Middle East is becoming more hostile to the West; and even moderate Muslims are beginning to understand just how dangerous the radicals can really be in a world dominated by Obama-inspired (or uninspired) foreign policy.
And now, armed gun men (not Spetsnaz) have stormed Ukrainian government buildings. And Putin has vowed to protect the “protestors” with force, if necessary. Heck, he’s even blaming the West for Ukraine’s turmoil. (Squirrel and Moose are most likely the antagonizers in this case.)
See, results don’t actually matter to the altruistic, intellectually immature children that are running the West. So, yeah… Russia is ramping up their rhetoric, and actions. But, c’mon… We’ve sent a couple of strongly worded letters! Sure, those letters haven’t worked; but maybe the next John Kerry speech will have the desired effect on Kremlin officials.
Just like the rest of the priorities engaged by Team-Obama, our intellectual children in the halls of DC will proceed, unabated, with their ineffectual amateur policies. It’s been nice knowing you, Ukraine. I’m sorry we have a team of academic theorists promising to verbally back you up while Russia reclaims its former Soviet “glory”… Because, judging by Carney’s soviet-inspired non-answer, nothing is really going to change.
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