March 3, 2014

NOT my brother (nation)'s keeper

Why are all the warmongering conservatives jumping on the president's use of diplomacy (which in this case is a nice way of saying "scolding") in the Ukraine situation? Do they WANT us to go to war with Russia? Do they want to send troops into Sebastapol? They make it seem like if one belligerent country pulls a douche-move (like invading a sovereign nation) then the United States is obligated to come over and kick some ass. Like we're all of a sudden Ukraine's big brother meeting the bully at the bike racks after school.
No. Maybe back when Lindsay Graham was not ridiculous and the Bushes were spreading democracy throughout the world one armored tank at a time, we were perceived as policeman of the world's democracies. But we have more than a few problems on the home front that will not be helped by military outlays in obscure Black Sea nations whose populace (in reality) favors Russia over the West anyway.
If the Republicans in Congress aren't complaining about how Obama is so weak in the face of Putin's invasion (by invitation only), they are busy ranting about the out-of-control spending on crazy stuff like a livable minimum wage and food stamps for military families. Apparently, we should be spending all revenue on bombs and guns to show Putin how "manly" our nation is.
I am thrilled that we are backing further and further from the idea that every time there is an uprising somewhere, we need to toss in some military aid. That really hasn't worked well for us since the 1960s.

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