Putin Knows Obama Better Than He Knows Himself
Well, it turns out that Russia had been in contact with breakaway republic Eddie Snowden all along, and that Snowden’s flight to Russia, hiding out in the airport, threatened deportation, and ultimate asylum may not have been as spontaneous as claimed. What is that Russian phrase for a series of coincidences? Yes—orchestrated.
No surprise. Putin knows that Obama is a Democrat and he is playing Obama like Russians and Soviets have long-played Democrats: as worthless. Meanwhile, Michael Rubin says that Putin treats life as a zero-sum game. Whichever: the point is that the Russians are still acting as if there is some great game out there. Basically, they do this stuff for their own amusement.
And whether it’s Yeltsin joshing around with an overly amused Bill Clinton, or Brezhnev openly ignoring Jimmy Carter, the Russians are always going to view a Democratic president as a first-year substitute teacher.
When his administration came up with that Reset Button screw-up, that was identical to that first-year substitute teacher addressing the class as: “This is my very first substitute teaching assignment, so please don’t take advantage of me.” Okay, right. That just granted permission.
The question is what happens next. If Obama’s overly thin skin gets the better of him, he will treat this and provocations in Syria as a test of his mettle. Never test a Democrat’s mettle: it gets innocent Americans killed and a Republican president to straighten it out. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that the President has one or two savvy-enough advisers who are keeping the obvious from him: Putin knows you’re a putz. Because they know what this President is like when he lashes out.
Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.