Posted on 10/06/2015 5:02:54 PM PDT by markomalley
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was playing checkers, not chess, the latest in a series of attempts to paint Putin as weak.
In a question at the White House press briefing, a reporter implied that the stalled talks between Russia and America are a part of Russian strategy. She asked whether the White House would walk away with Russias stalling tactic in mind, or whether the administration believes that Putin will follow through on the U.S.-Russian agreement for a political transition in Syria.
The White House says that the preferred approach has to be diplomacy, whether it is military-to-military talks, or if its a political transition, that diplomacy is the foot forward. All of that is stalled, she said. There are no talks on the calendar, military-to-military, or diplomatically at this point.
One could look at that and say the Russians could be playing for time and tilting the chess board toward their guy. Does the White House walk away thinking that right now, or is the jury still out on whether Putin is following through on this agreement? she asked.
Earnest was quick to debunk the claim that Putin was a chess player.
There is one premise of your question that I would disagree with. I dont think President Putin is playing chesshe is playing checkers, he said.
He is making a series of tactical decisions that are leading to a starkly negative strategic conclusion, which is that by making the tactical decision to ramp up their support for the Assad regime, Russia is being sucked into a sectarian civil war, essentially a quagmire, that poses a whole set of risks to Russias interests not just in the region but back at home, Earnest said.
The White House has been working to reverse the popular image of Putin as a political mastermind who has the upper hand in international disputes. The administration is facing heavy criticism from the public, which sees Obama as desperate and scrambling to keep up with Putin.
Critics were especially aggravated by Obamas weakness last week, after Putin gave the U.S. an hours notice before launching airstrikes in Syria. The strikes followed a day of talks between Putin and Obama, during which both sides agreed on a political transition in Syria.
If Putin is playing checkers, it’s at the world championship level. Meanwhile, Obama plays ____ with his ______.
If Baghdad Bob had a son.
Putin’s twice as smart as anyone in the White House - they’re too stupid to know even the game they’re ensnared in....
That is SO GOOD!
I liked it too, especially the one where Putin takes Obama’s lunch money.
Well the white house better learn to play checkers in a big damn hurry.
BTTT
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I like that too.
I also like the dog walkers and the ones where Putin is looking everyone of those world leaders right, smack in the eye...while Barry genuflects.
What a disgusting wimp.
CLASSIC! Bookmarked it.
So...friggin’...true!!
There is a photo somewhere of Obama throwing a baseball and he is unusually limp wristed.
I don’t care for Bush Jr. but he at least throws like a man.
Putin is playing chess while O’Venal plays pocket pool!
tiddly winks ;)
Why is this coming from a White House spokesperson?
If you are going to say something demeaning about the leader of another country, than have the guts to say it yourself. This really makes our President look like a chickenshirt.
Is there no one in the leadership of the Democrat Party that will go and wake this President up?
I guess they must all be stupid and chickenshirt.
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Ok, have it your way, it’s checkers.
Who just got triple-jumped?
Putin is playin checkers and Obama is playing giveaway.
With himself..
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