Egg on Our Face

The picture in the following New York Times story says it all. Our feckless Secretary of State, John Kerry, rattles the non-saber … warning Russia that there just might be some possible consequences, maybe, if it doesn’t  get out of Crimea by Monday while his equivalent from Russia, Sergey Lavrov, piffles at Kerry’s blunted bluster … see: NY Times Story.  Meanwhile Russia moves troops into Eastern Ukraine ahead of today’s Crimean illegal referendum … see: Another NY Times Story while our President Obama urges Congress to tighten rules about overtime pay … see: Fox News Story. Overtime pay!?

Can we look any sillier on the international stage? We not only have egg on our face … we have an entire breakfast … a sausage egg McMuffin, orange juice, coffee …all dribbling down our chins and onto our Hello Kitty bibs.

What do all those high-priced buffoons in the White House and at Foggy Bottom do all day?  Couldn’t we have had a stair-step strategy pre-planned for just such a obvious move by Russia?  We have a wide range of possible actions we might have taken in response to this Russian invasion of a neighboring country.  But all we do is talk … talk which only emphasizes that any military action on anyone’s part is off the table.  We can’t now freeze Russian assets for that money has long fled the West.  But what about putting an anti-ballistic missile shield in Eastern Europe?  What about letting other Eastern European nations join NATO?  What about some serious consequences in Russia’s client state of Syria? And we had and have many many more options. Where are they?

One can’t help but speculate that all this U.S. incompetence may not be purposeful on our dear leader's part …

Afterward: For more equivalent (but better put) analysis on this situation see: The Diplomad's Comments.

After Afterward: When I originally wrote this blog entry I suggested that Poland and the Czech Republic be admitted to NATO.  My bad! As it turns out, they are already members (along with Hungary) since 1999. So are the Baltic States ... see: Nato Membership ... which makes things a little dicey if Russia goes after one of them.