# Ukraine: "Obama runs for cover every time Putin raises his eyebrow" True or False? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957 "2014-02-22T16:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NotfooledbyW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@NotfooledbyW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotfooledbyW)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/1 "2014-02-22T16:42:15Z")
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/](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/02/21/how-ukraine-lost-control-over-its-destiny/) > [@](#): > > How Ukraine lost control over its own destiny By K.T. McFarland/ > Published February 21, 2014/ [FoxNews.com](http://FoxNews.com) Some excerpts from ‘of course its all Obama’s fault’ conservative Reaganite know it all: > [@](#): > > But today Ukraine is back in the grip of unprincipled and incompetent leaders, propped up by Russian overlords. The Ukrainian people have taken to Kiev’s Independence Square and cities throughout the country, demanding their government compromise or step down. Here’s the forlorn pining for Ronnie: > [@](#): > > The West seems powerless to help. But In the end, Ukraine because only Russia has the deep pockets, military muscle and staying power to prevail. Ronald Reagan must be rolling in his grave. Here’s the standard all Obama’s fault swipe: > [@](#): > > Is there anything American can do to save Ukraine? Only if President Obama steps up and offers financial relief, help with developing Ukraine’s energy resources, and stands up to Putin. While President Obama never shies away from spending money, it’s doubtful he would support fracking in Ukraine. _ **And we’ve seen time and again President Obama runs for cover every time Putin raises his eyebrow.** _ Sanctions won’t help, they would only push Ukraine further into Russia’s arms. Predictably, Obama has issued yet another threat about consequences of crossing lines, but nobody takes those threats seriously any more. > > On the other hand, Putin won’t back down. 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 … [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](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 [Ukraine parliament votes to remove president](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](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, … ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/2 "2014-02-22T17:57:21Z")
> [@NotfooledbyW](#): > > 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/](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/02/21/how-ukraine-lost-control-over-its-destiny/) 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 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/3 "2014-02-22T18:07:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > …You apparently think Obama’s threats against Syria forced Putin to fall into line - why doesn’t Obama do the same for Ukraine?.. Missed the part where he says this. Missed the part where he even so much as mentions Syria. Advise. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/4 "2014-02-22T18:22:44Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/5 "2014-02-22T18:27:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/6 "2014-02-22T19:06:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/7 "2014-02-22T20:43:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![NotfooledbyW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@NotfooledbyW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotfooledbyW)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/8 "2014-02-22T20:50:18Z")
> [@The\_Understander](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![NotfooledbyW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@NotfooledbyW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotfooledbyW)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/9 "2014-02-22T20:53:59Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Missed the part where he says this. Missed the part where he even so much as mentions Syria. Advise. Good point. I an sure that neither side in Ukraine used chemical weapons to kill innocent civilians? Or am I wrong about that? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/10 "2014-02-22T21:10:26Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/11 "2014-02-22T21:40:17Z")
Hey, that’s right, Putin is involved in both situations, so clearly those situations are precisely the same! ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/12 "2014-02-22T21:46:29Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/13 "2014-02-22T22:04:13Z")
> [@NotfooledbyW](#): > > 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. There is a thread about the Ukrainian events. I can understand how you missed it though, it’s entitled [Ukraine… your predictions?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=716436) Kind of hard to spot, eh? > [@](#): > > I want to know if there is anyone who can argue a respectable case on what KT McFarland has to say about anything. So is this thread about the Ukraine, or about K. T. McFarland? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/14 "2014-02-22T22:21:13Z")
Rants (and counter-rants) belong in The BBQ Pit. Off to a better home. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/15 "2014-02-22T23:01:58Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You have spent pages and pages arguing that Obama did this in Syria. Why does Obama not do it with Ukraine? > > Regards, > Shodan 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. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/16 "2014-02-22T23:23:22Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/17 "2014-02-22T23:23:50Z")
Putin put Bush under his spell with soulful doe eyes. Obama is sent running with a mere raised eyebrow. Clearly, Putin is a warlock. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/18 "2014-02-23T00:27:39Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/19 "2014-02-23T01:18:05Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957/20 "2014-02-23T06:46:02Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Putin put Bush under his spell with soulful doe eyes. Obama is sent running with a mere raised eyebrow. Clearly, Putin is a warlock. Bush stared into Putin’s soul, and look what happened. Like accepting an invitation to a cannibal luau. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-obama-runs-for-cover-every-time-putin-raises-his-eyebrow-true-or-false/681957.md?page=2)