Free Republic

As Russian pilots fly home from Syria, they can look forward to triumphant welcomes. Their commander-in-chief, Vladimir Putin, is the focus of almost as much fawning adulation — even from the supposedly hostile Western media. Once again, the Russian president is being portrayed as a strategic genius, adept at wrong-footing America and Europe. Yet the self-congratulation conveniently ignores some awkward truths. Far from making a cool and calculated decision to intervene in Syria, Putin was compelled to deploy his forces in order to rescue a feckless ally. His campaign has yet to achieve any of its stated goals. Worse, Russia...