The Axis of Weasels

The US Currently Buys Millions in Russian Oil

Insurrection? Nah!

Quote du jour

"There is no happiness in life, there is only a mirage on the horizon, so cherish that."

-Vladimir Putin

The Russians May Have Hacked Our Casinos...

Duel Headers

Gamesmanship

What Putin Puts on the Ritz

Cross posted at LCR

Clubs Not His Strong Suit

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Vladimir, Then and Now

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Cross posted at LCR, Political Clown Parade

"Moby Vlad"

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

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

"Putin It Straight"

Original art by John Cox. More at John Cox Art

Random Thoughts

Listening to the Sunday shows this AM, heard what has to be the talking point to try to spin Obama's inept and ineffectual handling of the Syrian crisis. Twice, on Fox News Sunday, I heard Democrats talking about how Putin was "moving the ball" on Obama's Syria plan. Horse feathers! After rattling his rubber saber at Syria for the last year, drawing imaginary lines that he had no plan, intention or clue as to how to back up his empty rhetoric, Obama is not in charge, as his flunkies would like to have you believe.

To use a football analogy, they imply that the plan to deal with Syria was Obama's, the quarterback, and Putin is the running back to whom Obama handed the ball. Team effort, but Obama calls the shots. (Hard a hard time writing that with a straight face!) Putin is indeed moving the ball quickly, but more like Rick McKee's cartoon above. Or a fumble recovery by Putin, after Obama and Kerry fumbled the ball. And that's if you concede that Obama is even on the field. He may have more in common with the crazy fan in the end zone, wagging his foam finger, taking credit for how well "his" team is doing.

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The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, has cancelled a trip to the US, and the chance to be feted by Barack Obama, over the NSA spying worldwide. How many times in your lifetime have you heard of a head of state refusing to meet with or be honored with a state dinner by the putative Leader of the Free World? Again, if the crazy guy in the end zone, with his face painted in team colors, asks you out for a drink after the game, you have to think of your reputation if someone sees you with him!


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There's a new app putting your favorite translation of the Bible on your smart phone. It's called You Version. It's about to reach 100 million installs according to them. Could this do for the Bible for this generation what Gutenberg did for his? Oh, and it's free...

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Saw 'The Wolverine' last night. Not a bad movie, not a great movie. A little more nuanced than most comic book movies, yet it had a distinctive comic book feel to it. I could further enhance my geek cred by going into what was wrong with the movie, but why spoil the fun! In keeping with Marvel's penchant for a brief clip of coming attractions, the good news is, they're not making you wait for the absolute end of the credits here. For those of you who have the babysitter double parked, it has to do with an X-Men sequel, and the return of Professor X.

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That's random enough for now. Got to see if I can rally my Niners to overcome their point deficit in the fourth quarter. Or maybe they could blame the deficit on Bill Walsh?

Cross posted at LCR

The Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ Gets Spanked on Syrian Foreign Policy

Many characters in contemporary literature and pop culture have a catch phrase. "I'll be back", intoned the Terminator. "Dy-no-mite", quipped Jimmie Walker. "Whatchu talkin' about Willis?" from the late, 'cute as a bug' Gary Coleman. What was missing from Barack Obama's clear as mud dissertation on American foreign policy a couple of nights ago, was his catch phrase, "Let me be clear".

He came close several times. He talked about making "clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use" and that the "targeted strike to achieve a clear objective". He also wanted to make it clear, despite his Secretary of States pronouncements a few days earlier, that "The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks." This is clearly in response to John Kerry telling us that our military response would be "incredibly small". Well, that's perfectly clear! Incredibly small, yet larger than a pin prick. Got it! Moving right along...

Obama made the very emotional case about a murderous tyrant.

...Assad’s government gassed to death over a thousand people, including hundreds of children. The images from this massacre are sickening: Men, women, children lying in rows, killed by poison gas. Others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath. A father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk. On that terrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons, and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off-limits — a crime against humanity, and a violation of the laws of war."

Gosh. Who wouldn't be moved by that??

...When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory. But these things happened. The facts cannot be denied. The question now is what the United States of America, and the international community, is prepared to do about it. Because what happened to those people — to those children — is not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security. Let me explain why. If we fail to act, the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons.

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.


Enter Vladimir Putin, who takes an offhand remark by Sec State Kerry, and comes riding over the hill, like the cavalry in a John Wayne western, to save Obama from his own careless talk. Yesterday's truth: Assad is evil, kills children and must die. Today's truth: We can negotiate with him, with our friend Putin, even if that keeps a dictator committing atrocities, killing children with poison gas, committing crimes against humanity, in power.

Obama "acted stupidly" by declaring a red line in Syria that he either had not thought through the consequences or was not prepared to back up, or both. Historically, the words and warnings of the Leader of the Free World carry a lot of weight. But then, historically, American presidents didn't make threats they were not prepared to back up.

And now, Vladimir Putin has rescued the impotent Obama from his toothless threats, and the only cost was a further erosion of American prestige in the world, and a guaranteed safe haven for a murderous tyrant who commits atrocities by gassing children to death.


Any way we can nominate this guy for a second Peace Prize?

Cross posted at LCR

Royal Putin

Now, with greater flexibility!