President Obama is receiving much mud, slung by frothing Conservatives, over Ukraine. A recent column by normally judicious Victor Davis Hanson describes the Presidents’ difficulty.
Foaming Conservatives are accusing the Prez of everything from cowardice to weakness over Ukraine. Columnist Hanson reviews the dangers of acting similarly with China. All dump on the President. Seems to us, no fans of Obama, that the righteous fury is misplaced.
The U.S. has some 10 aircraft carriers to China and Russia’s one each. The U.S. has military in over a hundred countries, neither China nor Russia comes anywhere near that. The U.S. bestrides the world like a colossus. Alone, without a competitor. Thank Ronald Reagan.
But the U.S. is a hollow colossus, financially insolvent; it cannot continue astride the world because it cannot afford it. Thank Ronald Reagan for that, too. And the Democrats and Republicans who have succeeded him. No politicians willingly presides over retreat, but that has become President Obama’s task, willing or no, imposed by lack of money. So he puts upon that, the best face that he can, denying the reality while acting in reality to recognize that reality because he has no choice.
What is he to do with Putin? Invade Ukraine and kick the Russians out? At the same time he is reducing U.S. military because he can’t pay for them? He announced his “pivot to Asia” recently and China is watching to see how he will back it up. As Victor Davis Hanson points out, he isn’t backing it up; it’s bluff. And that is because our President doesn’t have the money. China will be no more easily bluffed than Mr. Putin.
Iran is not bluffed, either and will progress to the possession of nukes to put atop its missiles. China plans to add nukes to its submarines yet this year. And those are the ones we know of. Our world is becoming a much more dangerous place and the U.S. no longer presides over it; it has receded of its own financial mismanagement, to a primus inter pares, a first among equals. Possession of nukes is a great equalizer.
And the sole rule none can ignore is no longer issued by the United States; it comes now, from Murphy. …
One thing I have worked out, we MUST require ID to vote, if the voter is too stupid to get ID or not up on “news” enough to know it is needed, they should NOT vote in the first place.
Up to me, voting would be limited to 30 and older, property-owning males. And my esteemed spouse, agrees. However, in the real world, black, Illegal Hispanic and deceased voters seem usually to be Democrats, as do many of the election officials, so …