Putin the Bully: or What Should We Do About Russian Invasion of the Ukraine? Answer: Nothing.

I am somewhat conflicted about Putin's invasion of the Ukraine.  I think it is wanton piracy, the stealing of another nation's sovereignty through armed conquest, and it is immoral and evil.

So what do we do about it?

The wisest answer:  nothing.  Well, except for denouncing Russia in the United Nations and in speeches and in print, all the usual political and diplomatic channels that accomplish nothing much.  However, we should not commit troops, or invade the Ukraine, or fight Russia with arms.

Why?  Because the Ukraine and Russia have a shared history, though not an honorable one, and the Ukraine is within the Russian sphere of influence.  We have nothing to gain by intervening in the Russian-Ukrainian war.  We have no strategic interest in doing so, and we should not do so.

Vladimir Putin: Look Into His Eyes and See His Soul

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

The world scene is certainly interesting, if not downright frightening. Putin, the old KGB agent, dreams of the days when Russia was the head of the USSR and conquering all the nations in its region. The old goat is an inveterate and unreformable despot, and the world would be better off without him. To see a good summary of what is happening in Georgia, see Rich Lowry's comments at the Corner.

Powerline has posted two notable posts recently, one of President Bush's condemnation of Russia's aggression, and one by our next President John McCain.

On the home front, Republican rebels have kept the House open for continuing speeches and demands for Nancy Pelosi to allow an up or down vote to allow offshore drilling. Pelosi dismissed Congress, turned off the lights and CNN's cameras, and left to promote her new book. Meanwhile, the mainstream media is ignoring the Republican rebellion in the House. So nothing is being done to ensure our longterm independence from foreign oil and gas prices will continue to rise over the longterm until we do so. Never mind all that, Nancy Pelosi, by way of explanation, is that she "is trying to save the planet."

Barack Obama's campaign continues to fascinate: as his true persona becomes more widely known, his election seems increasingly remote. In light of this, Hillary hasn't given up on gaining the Democrat nomination and is pressing for a floor vote at the Democrat National Convention.

I'm looking forward to the convention. It will be interesting to see how the Democrat drama plays out.

Getting the Cold War Back Again

Sometimes I don't know what to think of Canadians. First, I heard they were cold snobs who don't like Americans. Then I went to Vancouver, B.C. a few times and found it wasn't all that true. In fact, I was surprised at the hospitality of the Canadians.

Then I heard that Canada is a haven for all kinds of Islamic terrorists. That may be true but I don't know it from any personal knowledge. For years Canada was liberal to an extreme, even socialist, and socialism is incompatible with freedom. Politically, Canadians were all pretty leftwing and moonbattish, I thought. Then I discovered David Warren, a Canadian columnist who seems to think much like I do. In fact, Mr. Warren's expositions of current events seem downright reasonable, factual and logical. Of course, there is an alternative explanation, i.e., that he is as crazy as I am. However, I feel confident that this isn't the case. Warren is as sharp as a Marine's bayonet.

If you want to see what I mean, read his article today at Realclearpolitics.com, "Getting the Cold War Back Again." If you wondered why Vladimir Putin is such a Putz, Warren explains it. He also points out the obvious: a missile defense shield is defensive; missiles pointed at Europe and the United States are offensive; the two are not equivalent.

Warren's right: Putin has no reasonable complaint about our planned missile shield. If he's jealous, he can build his own defensive missile shield against US missiles which are not even pointed at Russia to begin with. What for? We aren't interested in cornering the market on cabbages, borsch or vodka. Russia has nothing that we want, except maybe oil.

OH THAT'S IT! No wonder we have erected a missile shield. It's obvious that a missile shield is essential to stealing Russia's oil. Though the mechanics of this aren't entirely clear to me, you just can't put anything past BuschCoMcHalliburton.

In any case, thank you Dave Warren for being there. You are living proof that there are functioning brains north of the border. You darn Canadians just keep busting all the stereotypes. It's confusing. Stop it already.