Ukraine: "Obama runs for cover every time Putin raises his eyebrow" True or False?

The BBQ Pit
1

One of the biggest goofballs on Fox News and elsewhere is KT McFarland who came out 20 hours ago with this:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/02/21/how-ukraine-lost-control-over-its-destiny/

Some excerpts from ‘of course its all Obama’s fault’ conservative Reaganite know it all:

Here’s the forlorn pining for Ronnie:

Here’s the standard all Obama’s fault swipe:

So KT made a prediction 16 hours ago that that Ukraine " is likely to fall back into the Russian fold," basically because Putin raised his brow and Obama cowered in fear.
Fox News needs to fire this fool McFarland once and for all. We are waking to this:

Ukraine protesters take Kiev without a shot as Yanukovich flees …

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-kiev-opposition-20140222,0,2157062.story

39 minutes ago … KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine’s capital fell into the hands of anti-government protesters Saturday morning.
Ukraine Protesters Take Kiev; President Says Coup - ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukraine-president-exits-kiev-protesters-22629…

23 minutes ago … Protesters took control of Ukraine’s capital Saturday, seizing the president’s office as parliament voted to remove him and hold new elections.
Ukraine parliament votes to remove president - USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/22/ukraine-protests-kiev-president/5723135…

56 minutes ago … Anti-government activists stand outside the Parliament in Kiev on Feb. 2. … Protesters take control of presidential palace and key sections of …
live updates - The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/22/ukraine-crisis-uncertainty-after-yanukovych-si…

6 minutes ago … This picture shows that the protesters had their own weaponry to use against security forces. Protesters pass by a catapult in central Kiev, …

2

So you agree completely with everything McFarland says, right? Or is the context supposed to tell us that this has nothing to do with Ukraine?

And why exactly doesn’t Obama have a cunning, masterful plan to force Putin to back down by issuing threats that nobody else will back up? You apparently think Obama’s threats against Syria forced Putin to fall into line - why doesn’t Obama do the same for Ukraine?

Regards,
Shodan

3

Missed the part where he says this. Missed the part where he even so much as mentions Syria. Advise.

4

While I don’t agree with everything that President Obama, I do see where he is taking a pragmatic approach to relations with Russia. The US simply has no cards to play in Ukraine. Even sanctions would help Russia regain influence rathe than punishing the nation’s leaders.

Fox News doesn’t seem understand “pragmatism.” To that network anything that politicians who they despise do is showing weakness, regardless if those “weaknesses” are real or simply Fox fabrications. That’s why Fox is useless for anything approaching rational political discussion.

5

The guy is welcome to be wrong about everything without losing his job at Fox News as far as I’m concerned. I prefer he make a good living lying to the gullible than be out committing securities fraud or something illegal that the government doesn’t prosecute.

6

Stop feeding the trolls.

The sane among us have no interest in what FOX thinks except that a significant minority of the population swallows what they defecate (that one’s for you, Martin Bashir) uncritically.

However, the insanity factor among what Roger Ailes spews (no matter the figurehead, it’s Ailes talking) gets attention. In an environment where the media, generally, is dominated by the right wing, the last thing that progressives, liberals, and moderates need to do is spend time giving them air time or attention.

As for the OP… yeah, complete and other blather from McFarland-Ailes. No surprise there. The main idea for FOX there is to plant a Someone Said regarding the sentence you bolded and underlined in the quote. Now that someone said it, it is a source in Fox World. Again, who cares?

Stop feeding the trolls.

7

Well, people are saying that this is another example of the cluelessness of Obama’s foreign policy. People are saying that, so it’s true. That people are saying that.

8

Have any trolls arrived? I thought it unusual that there was no thread started with the recent events in Ukraine making headlines. Sort if had another one of them coup d’états happen last night. Perhaps there is something to be said about it.

I want to know if there is anyone who can argue a respectable case on what KT McFarland has to say about anything. This is a case of a huge Putin fail. How do conservative talking heads (gossip heads in McFarland’s case) deal with a Putin fail after Putin has been on such a roll (supposedly)

Is KT now done riding that Putin horse since the Obama leading from behind horse has never been behind anyway? Obama is a full lap ahead now if you know what I mean.

9

Good point. I an sure that neither side in Ukraine used chemical weapons to kill innocent civilians? Or am I wrong about that?

10

You haven’t answered the question. Why hasn’t Obama done the same thing with Putin about Ukraine that he did with Syria - forced him to accept a deal by making threats that no one else takes seriously?

You have spent pages and pages arguing that Obama did this in Syria. Why does Obama not do it with Ukraine?

Regards,
Shodan

11

Hey, that’s right, Putin is involved in both situations, so clearly those situations are precisely the same!

12

I, for one, have no friggin clue what it means to run for cover when another person raises an eyebrow. It sounds like just a senseless dig that has no meaning at all. Why even debate it?

13

There is a thread about the Ukrainian events. I can understand how you missed it though, it’s entitled Ukraine… your predictions? Kind of hard to spot, eh?

So is this thread about the Ukraine, or about K. T. McFarland?

14

Rants (and counter-rants) belong in The BBQ Pit.

Off to a better home.

15

Oh for fuck’s sake don’t be more of an idiot than the idiot you’re arguing with. Everyone knows that you can drone/missile strike the Middle East but not Eastern fucking Europe. So one is much more obviously an idle threat than the other.

16

I, for one, don’t understand the Right’s fascination- dare I say love affair?- with Putin. With the previous President, even saying something bad about the administration was enough to derail your musical career, but now it’s simply accepted and even encouraged if you’re sponsored by Fox News. I guess if you hate the President enough, you can develop a fascination for the Russian head of state. Seems a little unAmerican to me, but who am I to judge?

17

Putin put Bush under his spell with soulful doe eyes. Obama is sent running with a mere raised eyebrow. Clearly, Putin is a warlock.

18

I find the Libya comments baffling. Why would Obama be honor bound to make the same mistake in Ukraine that he did here (albeit a mistake that ended in about the least bad way possible)? Things seem to be working out as well as could reasonably expected at this point without the US’s involvement (though as pointed out, there is scant little the US can do, even if we tilt things all the way into its favour) - although there is still the possibility of things turning south. One wonders if that isn’t the worrying thing to some people.

19

Exactly what is the beef? A pro-Russian government has fallen, the pro-western protesters have prevailed, Putin suffers a major embarrassment during his Olympics, the US didn’t spend a nickel or shed a drop of blood. I’m sure Dick Cheney would have sent in the tanks and been greeted as a liberator after making sure his company pocketed billions.

20

Bush stared into Putin’s soul, and look what happened. Like accepting an invitation to a cannibal luau.