Posted on 02/19/2014 3:45:38 PM PST by SeekAndFind
This is so meaningless, both on its own merits and in light of his Syria fiasco last fall, that I’d be inclined not to blog it if I had any better content to give you. In no meaningful sense is it “news” when O issues some pro forma “stern warning,” especially when Putin’s on the other side of it.
But a slow day content-wise has its price.
President Barack Obama condemned the violence in Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that the U.S. holds the government primarily responsible for ensuring they are handling protesters peacefully and that there will be consequences if people step over the line.
We expect the Ukrainian government to show restraint, to not resort to violence, Obama said in Mexico. We expect peaceful protesters to remain peaceful.
Your guess is as good as mine what “consequences” means. Presumably he’s referring to sanctions — McCain, naturally, is busily drafting a bill right now — but it’s vague enough that Obama will have an easy out if he backs away later and is challenged on it by the press. Ditto for “stepping over the line.” Does that mean violence, which has already occurred, or a certain hazily defined amount of violence that the White House would deem intolerable? If Syria is any indication, the bar for bloodshed that’s so unacceptable that the U.S. would feel obliged to get involved is really, really high. So reluctant is O to get sucked into this, in fact, that it fell to Joe Biden, not Obama himself, to call Putin’s buddy Yanukovych last night to express the White House’s displeasure.
And yes, this is all familiar. Here’s a quickie refresher on the evolution of O’s “red line” for Syria, which began with him warning that he wouldn’t tolerate Assad using or transporting chemical weapons. Once Assad started using chemical weapons, the White House dutifully looked the other way to avoid enforcing the red line for as long as it could, until an attack in August forced O to do something. At that point he (a) falsely claimed that it was the world that set the red line, not him; (b) announced that he intended to strike Syria, before adding that he’d do it only if Congress approved; (c) halfheartedly tried to round up congressional support for an attack before failing at that too; and then (d) accepted Putin’s lame “compromise” to have Assad voluntarily disarm in the interest of saving face. That’s worked out exactly as well in practice as everyone expected it to. That’s the sort of steely resolve and sharp-eyed strategic prowess the Euromaidan protesters in Kiev can count on now.
Here’s the vid via NRO. Putin went easy on him last fall, but after that hockey disappointment today, watch out.
That actually sounds like a good plan until you figure out that he will probably come back.
“Im sure the Ukes are quaking in their boots. Or laughing!”
Hopefully, they didn’t fall down and hurt themselves in convulsive fits of uncontrollable laughter after hearing the red line laugher from Obozo.
well.. these guys are white, so Obama might actually do something this time since its not his muslim or black brothers.
obama will send weapons to the chekhov terrorists.
He does not support freedom.
Like what is he going to do? Go play another round of golf?
What is happening in Ukraine straight out of the Globalist Banksters playbook. It was used against Serbia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, and a bunch of other countries. The US/NATO and the Banksters fund a bunch of malcontents to attack the legitimate government, Soros and crew have already spent 5,000,000,000 in Ukraine, and when the government dares put down the insurrection, the Corporate Media paints them as the second coming of the Nazis and this allows the US/NATO to start economic sanctions, arming the rebels, and then if that fails to rain down the bombs. It’s absolutely immoral, evil, and against everything this country used to stand for.
Consequences?
Maybe he’ll enroll them in Obamacare.
While Plato attacks democracy for exhibiting characteristics which today would be considered laudable, some of his remarks are nevertheless directed against a social order that retains political inequality and therefore cannot be considered a complete democracy. Thus, after the old oligarchy is replaced by a society progressing toward democracy, a strong leader arises who begins stirring up one war after another, in order that the people may feel their need of a leader, and also be so impoverished by taxation that they will be forced to think of nothing but winning their daily bread, instead of plotting against him.”
“That Every Man Be armed” Stephen P Halbrook
Oh, Brother. He should just leave this one to Biden. No credibility on the world stage anymore, Barack.
"You people, you clean up your act or I'll shank a 5-iron at you. I kid you not."
I think it is time for a family vacation.
What a tough guy. Threatening unarmed citizens in a foreign country.
What’s he gonna do if they don’t do as he commands — issue a strongly worded rebuke?
Love it! I should try that with my teenage boys. LOL
Bathhouse Barry is such a blowhard.
Like there are going to be any consequences.
Assad is still laughing over Obozo’s “line in the sand”.
I recommend reading this, http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/ukraine-is-on-fire-people-are-dying-in-the-streets-why-at-the-core-its-a-battle-against-vladimir-putin/
Pweese buy ouwew tweasuwy bonds. Pweeeeeeese.
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