The US Currently Buys Millions in Russian Oil

Insurrection? Nah!

Liberals Today

"I Never Laid A Finger On It!"

The Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ on Ukraine, Syria & the Economy, Part Deux (Redux)

I must declare a temporary pause in the "Obama Free Zone". This was originally posted August 29, 2014. As liberals are currently taking to their fainting couches over the very idea that Donald Trump might somehow validate Russia's claim to Crimea, a little reminder of the inactivity, failure to meet the international security commitments that characterized President Lead From Behind.

"Next week, I'll be in Europe to coordinate with our closest allies and partners. In Estonia, I will reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the defense of our NATO allies. At the NATO summit in the United Kingdom, we'll focus on the additional steps we can take to ensure the alliance remains prepared for any challenge."

Unwavering commitment? Check.

"Our meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission will be another opportunity for our alliance to continue our partnership with Ukraine, and I look forward to reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine and its people when I welcome President Poroshenko to the White House next month."

"Partnership"? Check.

"...Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but a number of those states that are close by are. And we take our Article 5 commitments to defend each other very seriously, and that includes the smallest NATO member, as well as the largest NATO member."

"...and take our Article 5 commitments to defend each other very seriously" (Having trouble suppressing a giggle here!) Check.

Let me see...unwavering commitment to our allies and "partners", taking our Article 5 commitments to defend each other very seriously, then why in the Hell haven't you grown a backbone and done something about the incursions into Crimea, which everyone has apparently already ceded to the Russians, and the continuing invasion of the Ukraine, which you will not call by its proper name?

Didn't we already have a "commitment" to the Ukraine, if not a signatory of NATO?

Let me remind you, Mr. President, since apparently golf clears empties the mind, from wiki:

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances is a political agreement signed in Budapest, Hungary on 5 December 1994, providing security assurances by its signatories relating to Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The Memorandum was originally signed by three nuclear powers, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents.

The memorandum included security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine as well as those of Belarus and Kazakhstan. As a result Ukraine gave up the world's third largest nuclear weapons stockpile between 1994 and 1996, of which Ukraine had physical though not operational control. The use of the weapons was dependent on Russian controlled electronic Permissive Action Links and the Russian command and control system.

So, because it was only a "memorandum" and not a treaty, the "assurances of security" are null and void? What happened to "unwavering commitment"? Partnership"?? Taking our commitments to defend each other very seriously???

And, of course, since it is Barack Obama, it gets worse!

As a newly minted Senator, Barack Obama pushed to disarm the Ukraine of not only its nuclear arsenal, but conventional weapons as well. Why would they need them? They have the US and Great Britain guaranteeing their security and territorial integrity!

Senator Obama pushed bill that helped destroy more than 15,000 TONS of ammunition, 400,000 small arms and 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles in Ukraine

* Obama traveled to Ukraine with Sen. Dick Lugar in 2005 just seven months after he became a senator, touring surplus weapons stockpiles
* Most of the small arms and ammunition were left over when Soviets withdrew from Eastern bloc nations, and later dumped in Ukraine
* The two senators secured U.S. funding to help destroy the weapons instead of leaving them intact

And now, the man who helped disarm the Ukraine is in no hurry to ship them any arms with which they could defend themselves, after broaching the promise to keep them and their territory secure.

Barack Obama: The gift that keeps on giving.

Joe Biden Is Full of Gas

Joe Biden gave a speech to Ukrainian legislators a few days ago. One statement really stood out to me:

And as you attempt to pursue energy security, there’s no reason why you cannot be energy secure. I mean there isn’t. It will take time. It takes some difficult decisions, but it’s collectively within your power and the power of Europe and the United States. And we stand ready to assist you in reaching that. Imagine where you’d be today if you were able to tell Russia: Keep your gas. It would be a very different world you’d be facing today. It’s within our power to alter that. It will take some time, but it’s within our power. Very difficult decisions, but within our power.

One of those "difficult decisions" that is "within our power", would be to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Aside from reducing the carbon footprint of transporting crude oil and natural gas, and lessening the odds of catastrophic rail or highway accidents involving tankers and oil fires, it has been pointed out that a non military response to the Russian bear's expansionism, would be to provide eastern Europe with an alternate supplier of energy. Providing an alternate buyer to Russian energy would have the twofold effect of reducing the leverage Russia holds over those dependent on Russian oil and gas, and reducing the revenues to Russia, weakening their ability to finance their expansionist adventures.

"...we stand ready to assist you in reaching that. Imagine where you’d be today if you were able to tell Russia: Keep your gas. It would be a very different world you’d be facing today. It’s within our power to alter that..."

No, Joe. You and Barry are standing in the schoolhouse door of energy production, obstructionist at every turn. The record levels of energy production you like to brag about, that took place during your administration, were either federal lands whose development was started during earlier administrations, or on state and private lands you could not successfully obstruct.

Are you serious about what you told the Ukrainians, Joe? Then show them that there's a prayer that we could have the capability, at least some time in the future, of providing them energy independence from the Russian bear. Convince your boss to take out his pen and sign the damn pipeline agreement and then, discuss the kind of infrastructure needed to provide liquified natural gas to our allies. You know. The kinds of facilities that your supporters on the Left oppose whenever they're proposed.

Show the political will to do the right thing, Joe, if you have any dreams of becoming the Leader of the Free World. Start now, and twist the arm of your lame duck boss and actually do something useful and facilitate the thousands of jobs the pipeline will create. Or just mouth the words and stand idly by while the world goes to hell in a handbasket.

Choice is yours.

Cross posted at LCR, Political Clown Parade

"The Fool on the Hill"

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Cross posted at LCR, Political Clown Parade

Obama: "We’re Going to Stand Firm in our Unwavering Support for Ukraine"

We’ll continue to make clear to Russia that further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world. The international community will continue to stand together to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continued Russian military intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia’s diplomatic isolation and exact a greater toll on the Russian economy.

President Obama, the Jar Jar Binks of 21st Century diplomacy, has assured the Ukrainian people that they have his "unwavering support". If any of you doubt Obama's resolve, just look at how he dealt with Assad of Syria. Assad was murdering children with poison gas. Obama made it "clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use", calling it "a crime against humanity, and a violation of the laws of war... If we fail to act, the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons."

If I may quote myself: "Got that? Assad is a dictator committing atrocities, killing children with poison gas, committing crimes against humanity we will not tolerate, so, we must not fail to act."

But, we didn't. Not even a pin prick. Will our "unwavering support" for the Ukraine be any firmer than our ephemeral resolve to stop a murdering dictator, killing children with chemical weapons? Vladimir Putin stepped into the Syrian debacle and gave our toothless, Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ an excuse to do nothing and he took it gladly. Then he went on vacation. Again.

"isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world" Diminish Russia's place while it increases its territory and resources? His carrot is larger than your stick, Mr. President. It's not that your words aren't pretty, Mr. President, it's that no one believes you when you say them.

"If you like your peninsula, people of the Ukraine, you can keep it!"

I don't know how many in the US are willing to start a shooting war to kick Russia out of the Ukraine, but unless that is at least an option, I don't see how Obama has a prayer of using "diplomatic" or economic means to do so.

Cross posted at LCR, Political Clown Parade

Able to Leap to Large Conclusions in a Single Bound!

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Kindergarten Cop

Cross posted at Political Clown Parade

You Keep Using That Word. I Do Not Think it Means What You Think it Means

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Cross posted at LCR

There's Still a Bear in the Woods

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Cross posted at Political Clown Parade, LCR

Obama Deals with Putin

Cross posted at Political Clown Parade

High Pressure Redefined

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art