Instead of going to go into detail on the contents of Russian President Vladimir Putin's open letter to the American people, I will simply make a few notes and add some responses from assorted overconfident American bigwigs.
Putin called for a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria, which was a good move. The American people needed to hear a voice of reason.
I think that he skirted the issue of bit when he declared that Russia was supporting International Law rather than the Syrian government. There would have been nothing wrong with explaining his reasons for also supporting the latter - current gains by the rebels provide a clear picture of what awaits the rest of Syria if they win. Until the point if/when the use of chemical weapons can be conclusively pinned on the Syrian government, the rest of the world does not really have a say in how the conflict should end anyway.
Putin noted that the UN Security Council, which includes the US as a permanent member, has a purpose - one that was codified with the approval of the United States. I like the way he asked the Americans consider whether such actions are in the best interest of our nation. One wonders if Americans have started to comprehend that, if the US continues with this type of unilateral action, the day will come when the US will be left alone with no supporters when she is the target of a major attack. No empire is immortal.
I would have preferred that Putin went into a little more details on the plight of non-Sunnis in rebel-held areas. The media in the US utterly ignores this sad reality.
His mention about the consequence of other nations seeking nuclear weapons to render them off-limits to nations that use their conventional militarily forces in an arbitrary manner had to have hit a raw nerve among many. Our "John McCain" types, who swagger about with the easy confidence of people who live in a prosperous and (for a little longer) powerful nation that has been the beneficiary of a great degree of geographic isolation, have no problem speaking with with the political equivalents of the scrawny guy with a tough friend to back him up or "beer muscles". That type of bluster has got to be more than annoying to the rest of the world and leaves our grandchildren open for the same treatment in reverse from similar-minded individuals in other nations. Putin's point is spot-on; the whole idea of non-proliferation is that the days of military aggression against weaker states is supposed to be over (That includes the continual saber-rattling of China against virtually any East Asian state that doesn't toe her line), therefore making nuclear weapons superfluous. It may not be realistic, but why provide Iran an argument to use in defense of their own nuclear program?
On his comments about American Exceptionalism (Note that Obama did grossly misuse the term in his Tuesday speech), I say "So what?" In the days before "Eurocentrism" became the academic inventive to be hurled at anyone who takes pride in Western Culture, students in the 1970's US learned about "Ethnocentrism", which means that most people think that the way their people or nation does things is the best. China certainly believes that her methods are the best, and I have no doubt that people from other nations would rather that we, instead of shouting our beliefs from the international rooftops, keep our opinions to ourselves. If somebody wants to debate the topic, then fine, but don't bring it up yourself. It was weird that the Leftist Obama even was willing to (mis)use the term anyway.
As Putin truthfully noted:
"We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."
The response from many on the US was laughable to say the least:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/politics/putin-syria-editorial-reaction/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3
[Crybaby] "John Boehner said he was "insulted."
When are people in the US going to drop the KGB thing? Again, so what? He was a Soviet Citizen, he worked to strengthen his former nation, and he does not adhere to Marxism, be it the Soviet or the Western Socialist types. Are we supposed to assume that only the old Soviet dissidents or a worker from a former collective farm should eligible to run for office in Russia?
[Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich] "And frankly, we should laugh at him when he tries to lecture America about exceptionalism, because he ain't exceptional. He's just one more in a long tradition of dictators and thugs.".....
"This is a guy who, for public relations purposes, wrestles bears. He shoots tigers, stripped to the waste, to prove he's a tough guy," he said
Nancy Pelosi forgot that the rest of the world is not fooled by her conflating of the radical gay agenda with equality and a belief in God..
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi questioned Putin's views on equality.
"What I found interesting was the closing -- when he says when we pray to God he judges us all - I don't know exactly what his words are but he says `we are all God's children.' I think that's great. I hope it applies to gays and lesbians in Russia as well," Pelosi said."
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi questioned Putin's views on equality.
"What I found interesting was the closing -- when he says when we pray to God he judges us all - I don't know exactly what his words are but he says `we are all God's children.' I think that's great. I hope it applies to gays and lesbians in Russia as well," Pelosi said."
"This is a guy who, for public relations purposes, wrestles bears. He shoots tigers, stripped to the waste, to prove he's a tough guy," he said
And what exactly do you do, Newt? And please Newt, by all means do keep your shirt on.
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