Pat Oliphant for April 09, 2014

Maybe we could sic Putin’s ex-wife on him?

More beautifully drawn editorial art from Oliphant! He’s been drawing a lot of horses, lately. I’d bet he was tempted to draw the Putin centaur with certain anatomically correct parts..Putin will continue to have the upper hand until we get smart in dealing with him. As Sun Tzu wrote in THE ART OF WAR, .“If ignorant of both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”.Interesting that Sun Tzu put great value of the use of spies:.“It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.”.I have to wonder if it is any coincidence that Snowden is now in Russia. Is Putin puttin’ certain stolen data to good use? How he must despise our weakness and indecision! How he must grimly chuckle as we squabble.

There is nothing to be done against Putin militarily. The world realizes that there’s no real estate the U.S. is willing to defend against someone who can fight back. Possibly including Alaska (once part of Greater Russia). It may be that financial and other economic sanctions, though not sexy, have more impact than the ordinary citizen thinks. There is also the sticky problem that Ukraine is not just some nearby territory that Russia occupies when it’s able, it is historically an integral part of Russia. Rather as if the U.S. broke up into several pieces and Southern California (including the San Diego naval facilities) sought to ally with China. The main piece of the U.S. remaining would never tolerate that if it had the power to thwart it. And Ukraine has been part of Russia way, way, longer than California has been part of the U.S.-—-Might may not make what’s right, but it sure makes what is. —anonymous.

Poor John Kerry. It is his fate to be the head diplomat at a time when the U.S. is perceived as a paper tiger. When he says “jump”, the nations of the world snicker. And given that Mr. Hagel wishes to significantly downgrade the military that we have, this attitude will only increase. Hurrah for the new multipolar world in which Russia and China will do whatever they wish, and the Middle East will fill up with new nuclear powers as the Sunnis seek to counter Iran. We’re so much happier than in the old days of trying to be the world cop.