Obama's Cold War Denial

By Joseph Klein

President Obama was AWOL on Saturday when his national security team met to discuss the rapidly unfolding events in Ukraine, including Russia's expanded military presence in the Crimea portion of Ukraine. Only a day before, President Obama had warned Russia that there would be "costs" if it violated Ukraine's sovereignty. Saturday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his answer: He thumbed his nose at Obama. Once again, the Obama administration's vaunted button to "re-set" relations with Russia in a more positive direction has blown up in its face, as Putin continues to play by the rules of realpolitik while Obama flounders. This detached president did not even attend a key national security meeting called to figure out how to best deal with Putin's latest maneuvers. [more...]