There seem to be a lot of differing opinions about Russian President Vladimir Putin among the Washington establishment. Before we can know what to do about him, we need to know about the man. Here are the facts.
Putin is:
A ruthless dictator.
A liar.
A hypocrite.
A braggart.
A corrupt bureaucrat.
A murderer.
A war criminal.
A megalomaniac.
A sociopath.
A narcissist.
A warmonger
An enemy of the United States.
An avowed enemy of NATO.
An enemy of the free world.
A sponsor of international terrorism.
A racist.
An antisemite.
An embezzler.
A personification of evil.
… and the list goes on.
“Stupid” is not on the list because Putin is not stupid. In fact, he is very smart and very clever. Unfortunately, that amplifies all those characteristics mentioned above. Putin did not rise to power, remain in power and extend his power by being stupid.
There is only one way to deal with Putin. He must be consistently condemned. The United States and the rest of the free world must treat him as the pariah that he is. He must be defeated in all his ambitions. This is not the time for isolationism and Neville Chamberlain diplomacy.
That means he must be driven out of Ukraine. His growing influence in the Middle East must be challenged and diminished. Maximum sanctions need to be imposed to break the back of the Russian economy. His ties to China’s Xi Jinping need to be broken by making him a liability more than a useful asset. His benefits to Iran – and vice versa – must be interdicted.
Putin is acting like Hitler –and must be treated as such. He is in an active war against the world democracies – east and west. Bringing about his downfall will require American leadership and a united effort by the world democracies to diminish his power cutting off his oil profits and eventually leading to his ouster.
It is a large task, to be sure. Sadly, America may not be up to the task. The Washington establishment – both Republican and Democrat – appear to be playing a game of accommodation. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Biden policy of lip-service, half-assed support has enabled Putin to withstand Ukraine’s summer offensive, rebuild its military and gain ground on the battlefield. He has strengthened his support among the Russian people.
The shameful debate over the support of Ukraine is dangerous in both reality and optics. It denies Ukraine of much-needed military weaponry and ammunition to not only hold off Putin, but to retake the offensive. The fact that such support is even being debated gives Putin a propaganda advantage – and encouragement that he will eventually win the war and take over Ukraine.
Those in the Washington establishment who see a “victory” in ending the Ukraine War by ceding land to Putin are proffering nothing less than a huge victory for … Putin.
It is difficult to understand the voices of those – on the right AND the left — who coddle or sidle up to Putin or oppose supporting Ukraine as if he is not all things listed above. There is no accommodation with abject and determined evil. That has been proven over and over throughout history.
There can be no dealing with Putin. He and his ambitions must be defeated. If we fail that challenge, America and the world will pay a very dear price. America will further surrender its role as a leader of the free world – much to the detriment of future generations.
It is really that simple. Personally? I am not optimistic.
So, there ‘tis.