Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret.) was very blunt in his assessment of the incident in the Baltic Sea on Monday, when a Russian warplane buzzed awfully close to a U.S. Navy destroyer.
"I'm very, very worried that in the closing months of Obama's presidency we're gonna see American blood,” Peters said in an interview with Fox News.
It was a bold prediction, but one that former Ambassador John Bolton agrees with. During his own conversation on Fox Friday morning, Bolton predicted “there’s more” Russian aggression to come.
“If that airplane had caught a gust of wind, it could have been right up against that destroyer,” the ambassador explained.
Russia’s latest stint in the Baltic Sea signals to our NATO allies that the U.S. can’t take care of itself, he continued.
“I just hope Obama doesn’t apologize for destroyer getting in the way of that airplane.”
Based on the White House's typical response to foreign intimidation, Bolton’s question is a fair one. Before the Russian airplane flew near our destroyer, Iran captured 10 of our American sailors and celebrated it. Secretary of State John Kerry actually thanked Iran for their compassion during the ordeal. President Obama, meanwhile, continues to defend his nuclear deal with the nation, which has basically given Iran a pass for its bad behavior. A Middle East expert who is very critical of that agreement argues it has severely damaged America’s image as a superpower.
Obama is also no stranger to apologies. He has asked for forgiveness on America’s behalf in about every corner of the globe, it seems. In Argentina last month, he noted the “early dark days” of the CIA and our country’s human rights violations. He continued to express regret over America’s human rights record in Cuba. Yes, Castros’ Cuba, where free speech is suppressed and punished.
Our adversaries are taking advantage of our president’s shows of weakness.
Iran will continue to intimidate us “indefinitely,” Bolton argued, for they know that under Obama, “they will face no consequences.”
A new report indicates that an Iranian general is in Moscow this week to discuss military options with President Putin.
Iran is “going to push the envelope” and “they’ll succeed,” Bolton warned.