Image by Kremlin.ru
I’ve written many times before about how you have to look at the consequences of a politician’s actions and policies to judge his priorities, not his oratory.
On the heels of the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, this concept bears further study.
Russians Doubt Putin Gained Much Of Anything At Summit, Other Than Short Term PR
The legacy media went berserk this week during the press conference and after the event. The question is: Why?
To answer this effectively, we need to start by looking at the consequences of former President Barack Obama’s actions. Consider here, I didn’t say look at what Mr. Obama said about Russia during his time in office. I’m not interested in his flowery oratory.
I’m interested in his accomplishments. Here’s a list: An Islamic caliphate in the Middle East, Syrian chemical weapons use and a big backdown from his “red line” with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Crimea invaded and annexed, East Ukraine invaded (10,000-plus dead and the war continues), Iran given tens of billions and a path to a nuclear weapon all the while destabilizing the Middle East and the world, Israel’s security weakened, Russia taking over as the power of influence in the Middle East after trillions of American dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, millions dead from the Arab Spring, where American-friendly governments were toppled and the Muslim Brotherhood installed, and, last but not least, Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
Do I need to go into Mr. Obama’s comments? Like when he said tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that “after my election I have more flexibility.”
Is that collusion or what? Or should I mention the sale of 20 percent of our uranium to Russia under the Obama administration — you know, the stuff that makes nuclear bombs? Collusion is also working with Russia in developing an opposition research dossier to challenge the legitimacy of the Trump candidacy. But we won’t talk about that.
Now let’s look at President Trump’s accomplishments in standing up to Russia in the last 18 months: Massively increased sanctions against Kremlin oligarchs and businesses, authorized two different missile strikes against Syrian chemical weapons infrastructure with Russian personal within hundreds of feet, armed the Ukrainian military against Russian proxy forces in East Ukraine, got NATO to spend tens of billions more on defense against Moscow, has overseen large amounts of American armor back into Eastern Europe, withdrew from 2015 Iran nuclear deal which had given Tehran billions to spend on Russian weapons, obtained Russian cooperation and help in pushing Iran away from Israeli borders in souther Syria, enabled American energy to challenge Russian energy exports globally and threaten the Kremlin’s monetary lifeline, called out Germany for its dependence on Russian gas, and, the big daddy — killed hundreds and wounded hundreds more Russian mercenaries in Syria when they attacked American positions.
The media says Mr. Trump should have “stared Putin in the face and called him out for his behavior.” Based on the evidence above, I would submit the president has already done so.
Russia is a threat, but they are not trying or advocating exterminating the United States — Iran is. North Korea was.
I’ve written previously that forcing regime change from within Iran would quiet down the Middle East, tee up the solving of the Palestinian problem, end the civil war in Syria, deal with the issue of Iranian proxy armies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, end Iran’s sponsorship of global terrorism, end the war in Yemen, ensure Israel’s security, and halt nuclear proliferation.
The Trump-Putin meeting was simply about securing Russia’s help with the Iranian problem, driving a wedge between Russia and China, and gaining further help with the problem in Pyongyang. It is working. If you notice, even this morning China warned Moscow not to fall victim to Mr. Trump’s personal charm offensive in Finland. The left’s response to Mr. Trump’s performance at Helsinki is not spin, not a “narrative,” not patriotism.
It is a lie. A big ugly, stinking, corrupt lie.
Hey, media, let Mr. Trump do his job. Leave him alone. He’s smarter than you are.
Originally posted at The Washington Times
