Defying President Obama and other world leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday moved toward the annexation of Crimea by declaring it a sovereign country independent of Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Putin’s decree recognizes the will of the Crimean people, who voted Sunday to join Russia in a referendum that the United States has declared illegal and illegitimate.
President Obama on Monday called the referendum “a clear violation of the Ukrainian constitution and international law” and announced a series of economic sanctions and travel restrictions aimed at Russian government officials, including some of Putin’s top advisers.
Yep, “Putin is no doubt trembling in fear that Obama leading from behind will somehow get the EU to do anything except wet their pants, if that.”
I’m personally very surprised that Mr. Putin has not recanted very publicly having been tarred and feathered as “so nineteenth century” by wags who seem to believe that humankind has evolved beyond all that stuff and so all such Neanderthals should have died out by now. But Mr. Putin seems immune to such wicked, judgmental barbarity in the press and marshmallow politicos. And, he has an army in all the right places. Certain phases of early twentieth century behavior are recalled by those of an historical bent and those of a certain geographical proximity, as it were.