Putin to Recognize Ukraine Separatist Territories as Independent

Well, I certainly feel sheepish. I Could never have imagined that Putin would actually do what he did. It's not is MO, I thought. His MO is to wait his chance, bite off a nice chunk of one of his neighbors, wait for the reaction to blow over, and then do it all again when the time is right. Lather, rinse, repeat. I guess that was Putin's MO until - it wasn't.

I don't know what to say. Putin has changed from Mafia Boss operating (albeit often criminally) within an unchallenged international system into a War Lord who declared war on that system and now demands tribute.

And it's looking like it's good timing on his part. The non-response from the US and the rest of NATO is so pitiful that this is his moment.

I mean, we're still buying huge quantities of oil and gas from him while we're talking about shutting Russian banks out of the SWIFT system as a proportionate response to his imminent capture of Kiev.

Anyway, I called it wrong, wrong, wrong. So, here's me eating a little humble pie. We're really living through one of those inflection points in history. There will be the "before Ukraine" and "after Ukraine" now until Kingdom Come.

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