[font size="3"]1. Why American Social Conservatives Love Anti-Gay Putin[/font]

by James Kirchick
August 1, 2013

Thirty years ago, American conservatives declared Russia the enemy. But now that Putin has declared war on gays, the religious right is in full support of its freedom-limiting tactics.

During the Cold War, there existed a no more reliably anti-communist constituency than that of religious social conservatives. The Soviet Union did not pose merely a national security threat to the United States, they argued, but “godless communism” endangered the very moral fabric underpinning of Western society. Opposition to religious liberty is inherent in communist doctrine (religion, Marx wrote, being the “opiate of the masses”) and communist forces and regimes have everywhere and always trampled upon religious freedom; from civil war Spain, where communist militias burned down churches and murdered priests, to the Soviet Union, which heavily restricted religious practice (churches were the “organs of bourgeois reaction,” according to Vladimir Lenin) and restricted Jewish emigration.

But now, in a strange twist of historical fate, many of those self-same religious conservatives who cheered wildly when Ronald Reagan denounced the “Evil Empire,” bare citing Russia as the world's foremost defender of traditional values. Their turnaround is oblivious to the country's broader political climate; after all, Russia today under the heel of President Vladimir Putin is arguably less free than it was in the late stages of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev. Rather, their newfound enthusiasm for the men inside the Kremlin has everything to do with the Russian government’s anti-gay crackdown, a crackdown they relish seeing take place here in America.

On June 30, Putin signed into law a now infamous measure banning “non-traditional relationships propaganda,” a catch-all term which legal experts say prohibits everything from gay pride parades to gay couples holding hands in public. ... Yet while human rights organizations and democratic governments have condemned the law (which, in the words of American ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, “contradicts the spirit of a democratic society"), several American religious conservatives have expressed support.

"Russians do not want to follow America's reckless and decadent promotion of gender confusion, sexual perversion, and anti-biblical ideologies to youth," Peter LaBarbera, of the outfit Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, proclaimed on his website.

read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/why-american-conservatives-love-anti-gay-putin.html






[font size="3"]2. (Putin) -- The object of the right’s affections[/font]

by Steve Benen
October 10, 2013

The more Russian President Vladimir Putin cracked down on gay rights, the more U.S. conservatives discovered a fondness for the Russian autocrat. Indeed, support for Putin among social conservatives and leaders of the religious right movement only seems to be growing.

But in recent weeks, the right’s embrace of Putin seems to have expanded well beyond social conservatives and anti-gay activists. Eric Boehlert reported on Friday on Republican media figures backing Putin with growing enthusiasm as U.S. tensions with Syria escalate.

Note that late last month, just hours before Obama addressed the nation regarding Syria, Matt Drudge bizarrely tweeted that “Putin is the leader of the free world.”

More recently, the Putin admiration society has been on full display all across the right-wing media landscape. On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh also seemed to side with Putin…. Limbaugh appeared to be impressed by the fact Russia had compiled a 100-page report blaming Syrian rebels for the chemical weapons attack, not Russia’s longtime ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Limbaugh told his listeners: “Now, I don’t know about you, but what does it feel like to have to agree with a former KGB agent?

-snip-

Pat Buchanan defended Putin after the Russian leader prosecuted a rock band that played songs Putin didn’t like.

read more: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/09/09/20403995-the-object-of-the-rights-affections






[font size="3"]3. Media, GOP forget Bush's feeble response to Russia-Georgia conflict[/font]





by Jon Perr
March 3, 2014

Proving once again that politics no longer ends at the water's edge, Republican leaders and many in the media have been lambasting President Obama's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the Washington Post editorial board charged that Obama's foreign policy is "based on fantasy," Senator John McCain and his Mini-Me Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called President Obama "feckless" and "weak and indecisive," an approach which "invites aggression."

Predictably, the memories of the administration's critics are short. After all, President Bush didn't roll back the Russian occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after Vladimir Putin's battering of Georgia in August 2008. Bush didn't lead an alliance of the willing to isolate Russia, undermine its economy, mine the Black Sea, provide defense guarantees and rush American military supplies to Tblisi. Instead, Dubya simply denounced Moscow's reaction using much the same language President Obama is deploying now.

read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/03/1281857/-Media-GOP-forget-Bush-s-feeble-response-to-Russia-Georgia-conflict






[font size="3"]4. George W. Bush Saw Putin's Soul While Conservatives Said Nothing[/font]

by John Amato
March 3, 2014

Conservatives have been bashing President Obama for telling Vladimir Putin to stay out of the Ukraine or consequences would follow. Funny how quiet they were when George Bush had a man-crush on him





Conservatives have been getting their freak on over the Russian/Ukraine conflict and attacking President Obama vociferously since he told Putin that there would be consequences if he invaded.

Marco Rubio offered a ghostwritten eight-point plan that the president should implement immediately.

John McCain described Obama as “naïve” about Putin’s ambitions “to restore the Russian empire”.

Charles Krauthammer claimed that Obama fails to understand that American inaction creates a vacuum.

Rep. Mike Rogers says Putin is playing chess, Obama playing marbles. That's just to name a few of the many attacks that are flying at Obama just minutes after Putin moved into Crimea.

But when George Bush was in office and waxed poetically about Putin, they said nothing. What a shock, right?

read more: http://crooksandliars.com/2014/03/george-w-bush-putin-i-looked-his-eyes-and






[font size="3"]5. How Do Republicans Feel Now About Their Recent Hero-Worshiping Of Vladimir Putin?[/font]

by Justin Baragona
March, 3, 2014

I wonder if there are some Republicans and conservative pundits out there today who are having some regrets. Back in September 2013, there was a lot of turmoil and disagreement going around regarding President Obama possibly looking towards a military resolution to the crisis in Syria. Many Democrats and liberals were against any military action due to basic ideology and the fact that the nation was suffering through war fatigue. However, it appeared that conservatives were against it simply because of their hatred for all things related to Obama.

Therefore, when Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, many on the right rallied around the former KGB agent and asked that Obama follow Putin’s lead. In his column, Putin asked that the United States respect the United Nations and follow the advice of the Security Council (which Russia is a part of) and practice caution on any action related to Syria. Putin also stated that peaceful dialogue and diplomacy should be utilized first and foremost and that military action should only occur with a consensus of other nations.

At that time, you had members of the right-wing in this country go ga-ga over Putin. Pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, Erick Erickson and Sean Hannity were praising the Russian President for his stance. Other Republicans like Pat Buchanan and Ralph Peters claimed that Putin was providing the type of leadership that the US apparently lacked at that moment. Basically, if you tuned into Fox News or talk radio during that time, you got a whole lot of Putin hero-worshiping.

In fact, the hero-worshiping didn’t stop with Syria. After that, with the Winter Olympics fast approaching, many social conservatives took up the ‘Putin is awesome’ stance due to his country’s anti-gay laws. Therefore, after a while, you had the hawks and the religious right all joining hands and displaying their mutual affection for a man who had essentially become a dictator of his nation.

read more: http://www.politicususa.com/2014/03/03/republicans-feel-hero-worshiping-vladimir-putin.html







[font size="3"]6. Palin: Obama wears ‘mom jeans’ while Putin wrestles bears and drills for oil[/font]






by Travis Gettys
March 4, 2014

Palin also expressed her admiration for the Russian leader and the masculine self-image he projects in comparison to President Barack Obama.

“Obama, the perception of him and his ‘potency’ across the world is one of such weakness,” she said. “Lookit: People are looking at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil, they look at our president as one who wears mom jeans and equivocates and bloviates. We are not exercising that peace through strength that only can be brought to you courtesy of that red, white, and blue that only the strength of the United States military can do.”

She encouraged the U.S. president to take some sort of symbolic action against Putin.

“Obama instead has chosen to adopt this M.O. of ‘lead from behind,’ whatever the heck that means, I mean, because the rest of the world, looking for that shining city on a hill, looking for that country in which – that they can emulate – they’re not seeing that anymore, or in America because Obama’s weak leadership, leading from behind, which makes absolutely no sense,” Palin said.

read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/04/palin-obama-wears-mom-jeans-while-putin-wrestles-bears-and-drills-for-oil/






[font size="3"]7. The Delusions Of Sarah Palin: Putin’s Bear Wrestling vs. Obama’s Mom Jeans[/font]

by Mark at Newscorpse
March 4, 2014





Yesterday Sarah Palin demonstrated the world-class idiocy that has become the hallmark of her public persona. She pretended that she had predicted the current events in Ukraine, but her version of reality was unrecognizable to anyone who actually has a grip on it. To make matters worse, Palin popped in to Sean Hannity’s show to sop up some fawning validation from her Fox News colleague.

Hannity jumped in with praise for the phony Palin prediction, but it was Palin herself who dragged the whole segment into a pit of pitifulness. Her moronic stammering and belching of buzzwords was almost painful to watch (video below). She often didn’t even seem to know the meanings of the words she strung together, such as when she lambasted President Obama for weakness that she imagined in “the perception of him and his potency.” This may be the first time in history that a president’s potency has been discussed in public.

It went downhill from there, if you can believe it. In a non-sequitur response to a question from Hannity about whether Putin had designs on more than just Crimea, Palin lurched into an obviously prepackaged insult that she was determined to slip in, whether it was contextually appropriate or not. The alleged punch line went like this:

“People look at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil. They look at our president as one who wears mom jeans.”

Seriously? This is what passes for foreign policy analysis on Fox News? Palin didn’t bother to identify the people who she thinks look up to Putin. Most of the world sees him as an autocratic aggressor who is violating international law. There was no mention of the complexities of the regional dispute and ethnic division? Nothing about the pending sanctions or the suspension of G8 summit activities. Both Palin and Hannity failed to note the successful unification of the western allies against Russia’s aggression. Palin didn’t offer a single proposal of her own to resolve the situation. Nor did she notice that Obama’s proposals were in line with what every knowledgeable diplomat in the U.S. and our allies have had to say on the subject.

read more: http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=11600











[font size="3"]8. Rudy Giuliani: Unlike Obama, Putin is “what you call a leader”[/font]

by Elias Isquith
March 4, 2014




Appearing on Neil Cavuto’s Fox News show, Giuliani shared his thoughts on Russia’s invasion and de facto annexation of the Ukrainian province. Rather than blasting Putin for ignoring international law, the sovereignty of an independent neighboring country, and the rights of Ukrainians to decide their country’s future for themselves, Giuliani praised Putin for being what he called “a leader.”

After chuckling dismissively at the idea of merely leveling sanctions against Russia in response to its transgression, Giuliani laid it out as simply as he could: “Putin decides what he wants to do, and he does it in half a day, right? He decided he had to go to their parliament — he went to their parliament, he got permission in 15 minutes.”

-snip-

“He makes a decision and he executes it, quickly. And then everybody reacts. That’s what you call a leader,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani next compared Putin’s decisiveness to President Obama’s leadership. In this regard, he found the American president lacking: “President Obama has gotta think about it, he’s got to go over it again, he’s got to talk to more people about it,” Giuliani joked.

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/04/rudy_giuliani_unlike_obama_putin_is_%E2%80%9Cwhat_you_call_a_leader%E2%80%9D/






[font size="3"]9. Conservatives Bash Obama, Forget GWB’s Man-Crush on Putin (Video)[/font]

by AATTP
March 4, 2014

If you think Republicans and conservative media are rallying around the President in this time of crisis, you’d be right – except it’s the wrong president.

There was a time when a Russian invasion made Fox News and other conservative voices shrug. But now that Obama is president, all the negative and hyperbolic rhetoric seems to be targeting the wrong guy. Who’s to blame for Putin’s treaty-breaking, international law-scoffing incursion into the Ukraine? Obama of course!

According to snarky neocon and Iraq war architect John Bolton, Putin’s actions prove that Obama “is not interested in American national security affairs.” Donald Rumsfeld told Fox viewers that Obama left a “vacuum for Putin to fill,” with Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy adding that Obama hasn’t done “much” to solve the situation.

Let’s not forget that George W. Bush’s man-crush on Putin is no secret:








read more: http://aattp.org/conservatives-bash-obama-forget-gwbs-man-crush-on-putin-video/







[font size="3"]10. The Increasingly Awkward Conservative Crush on Putin -- Mad about Vlad![/font]

by Isaac Chotiner
March 4, 2014

The reason for all this ancient history is the situation today in Ukraine, where an autocratic Russian leader who exudes manly vibes has ordered his armed forces into Crimea. It is unclear whether this move on Russia's part will prove successful, but, amidst uncertaintly among western leaders over what to do, there has arisen a new strain of the Burnham syndrome. Conservatives don't just see the west and President Obama as weak; they also seem envious of Putin's bullying. "There is something odd," Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote in New York magazine, "about commentators who denounce Putin in the strongest terms and yet pine for a more Putin-like figure in the White House."

Sarah Palin, for example, said this last night to Sean Hannity:

Well, yes, especially under the commander-in-chief that we have today because Obama's -- the perception of him and his potency across the world is one of such weakness. And you know, look, people are looking at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil. They look at our president as one who wears mom jeans and equivocates and bloviates. We are not exercising that peace through strength that only can be brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue, that only a strengthened United States military can do.

Put aside the syntax for a moment and ask: is there not a bit of envy here? Isn't Palin very clearly desirous of a tough-guy president who wrestles bears and drills for oil? (The swooning over Bush's landing on that aircraft carrier was a telling sign.) Now read Rush Limbaugh:

-snip-

Limbaugh continues:

Well, did you hear that the White House put out a photo of Obama talking on the phone with Vlad, and Obama's sleeves were rolled up? That was done to make it look like Obama was really working hard—I mean, really taking it seriously. His sleeves were rolled up while on the phone with Putin! Putin probably had his shirt off practicing Tai-Chi while he was talking to Obama.

Limbaugh quite clearly wants this kind of leader.

read more: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116859/putin-envy-and-american-conservatives






[font size="3"]11. American Conservatives Embolden Putin[/font]

conservativelogic101.net
March 5, 2014

There used to be a standard of conduct among politicians in this nation. Partisan politics should end at the coastline. This simply means you don’t attack your President when he is on the world stage facing a potential crisis.

Both sides have violated this unwritten standard from time to time, but republicans have broken the bar on this occasion. Republicans have acted like giddy school girls mocking and berating the President over Putin and the crisis in Ukraine. They called his conversation with Putin weak, soft, and cowardly. The GOP blasting of Obama’s handling of the Ukrainian crisis is a carbon copy of the same smears they’ve issued time and time again against him on the issues of national security and foreign policy.

With righteous indignation, the republicans have dusted off the script on every foreign policy crisis that has arisen since Obama first took office. From Somalia to Afghanistan, from Syria to Iran and of course Benghazi, each time they just change the names and use the same talking points. He’s weak, indecisive, and soft, and always there is the charge that his alleged weakness somehow puts the nation at risk. The Ukraine is no exception. Obama is being lambasted from the right for not taking any of a plethora of actions. Boycott the Sochi summit, eject Putin from the G8, suspend trade talks, create isolation and of course, slap any and every other imaginable sanction on Russia.

The entire time they claim that every action Obama has taken in the past has somehow led us to this point. Putin is doing this because Obama’s perceived weakness has emboldened him. America is no longer viewed as strong. McCain calls him feckless. Lindsey Graham, of course, blames it on Benghazi. Hey someone was bound to. Republicans call Obama a king, a tyrant and a dictator in one breath, and call him weak and ineffective in the next. They praise Putin for his leadership and decisiveness, while decrying our President for his inability to do the same.

I submit to you that this is more damaging than anything the President’s alleged inactions could ever do. If Putin is truly emboldened by his belief that America is weak, it isn’t anything Obama has or has not done. It is the fact that republicans tell Putin, through American media, every day, that he is a true leader and Obama is weak and indecisive. It is because time and time again they deride our president as soft on foreign policy and praise Putin for his ability to make timely and strategic decisions. The right loves to bestow victory on Putin over a President of these United States they claim to love so much. OF COURSE Putin is emboldened!

read more: http://conservativelogic101.net/american-conservatives-embolden-putin/






[font size="3"]12. Tea Party Propaganda Promotes Division At Home, Unity In Russia[/font]

by Greg Miller
March 5, 2014

Josh Rogin of The Daily Beast made an appearance on MSNBC’s All In on Monday. The Tea Party released his quotes to promote the aspect of weakness from our nation’s chief executive. Tea Party officials took it upon themselves to push their agenda by attempting to make our President seem like he has lost all credibility with foreign nations as well as, blur the lines of how foreign policy should be approached.

When analyzed, the Tea Party would be comical in their comments if they weren’t so irresponsible and dangerous. Demonstrating the lack of depth in both thought and character of those who would call themselves patriots. But, then again, the Tea Party isn’t really about patriotism is it?

Tea Party propaganda.

-snip-

Tea Party hypocrisy is the reality.

The Tea Party adding their own commentary to Rogin’s quotes only exacerbates the ridiculousness.

"Rogin noted that the seemingly directionless foreign policy under the Obama administration had created ‘a perception of a lack of leadership.’”

Uh, no it doesn’t. Tea Party assertions of a “seemingly directionless foreign policy” lead the reader to believe Obama and his administration have no idea what they’re doing. The only perceived lack of leadership is being done by, and promoted for, those who oppose team blue. They want you to believe you have no leader. In order for the Tea Party to succeed, all other political strategies must fail. It’s that disgustingly simple.

The reality is, most in the public eye believe John Kerry’s role as Sec. of State has been brilliant. Exactly the way the country should be conducting itself. Kerry talking tough publicly while Obama gives Putin a way out on a public stage and dealing with him privately through a series of extended phone conversations. But Rogin, the Tea Party and the right has to add ...

read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/03/05/tea-party-obama-weak-russia-ukraine/






[font size="3"]13. Traitorous Republicans Rally Around Wrong President as Russia Meddles in Ukraine (Videos)[/font]

progressivepopulist.org
March 5, 2014

After 5 years of unforeseen criticism and obstructionism, the Republicans finally found cause to rally around the president in the wake of Russia’s adventures in the Crimea region of Ukraine. As the leader of one of the world’s super-powers, he has been put into a dicey situation – how to deal with what he views as a violation of international laws by Russia.

As such, the president needs both parties to rally behind and support whatever decision he ends up making in dealing with Russia.

And the Republicans have done just that!

Finally, the party of “no”, the party which candidly admitted during President Obama’s first term that their main goal was to make him a one-term president, and the party that has hurled nearly every insult known to man his way and obstructed most everything he has tried to accomplish while in office has stopped criticizing him for once and is actually supporting him! Amazing!

Well, except for one little problem. The Republicans are not rallying around the black guy. No sir, no way.

They are rallying around a different president. A tough-talking, mean-looking, steely-eyed, muscle-bound, ex-military, homophobic white guy who, thanks to a black belt in judo, is a certified bad ass.

And he is a Christian, who recently characterized America as a “godless” nation that has turned away from Christian values.

Yeah, that would be Vladimir Putin, president of Russia.

Putin and the Republican party have become strange bedfellows of late.

read more: http://progressivepopulist.org/2014/03/05/traitorous-republicans-rally-around-wrong-president-as-russia-meddles-in-ukraine-videos/

videos:





















[font size="3"]14. GOP’s pathetic Putin debacle: How their foreign policy politicking backfired[/font]
From Sarah Palin to Lindsey Graham, the right's posture on Russia has revealed the movement's biggest flaws

by Brian Beutler
March 5, 2014

-snip-

What happened next would vindicate Palin the same way a small spike in the price of gold six years from now will vindicate Glenn Beck. Obama beat John McCain in a landslide and Russia didn’t invade Ukraine. Russia continued to not invade Ukraine through Obama’s first term, during which it ratified a new bilateral treaty with the U.S. committing to a dramatic reduction in the size of its nuclear arsenal. After Obama’s reelection, Russia, again, didn’t invade Ukraine, and proceeded to not invade Ukraine for over a year, until internal developments (which Palin somehow omitted from her 2008 warning) gave Putin a pretext and incentive to invade Ukraine, at which point he ordered troops into Crimea.

But that’s only knee-high levels of derp. The rest of it comes from other Republicans, who reverse engineered the crisis and miraculously found that its catalysts all happen to substantiate their previously held obsessions and grievances — and from a handful of journalists #slatepitching or getting taken in by this spin.

For Palin it’s Obama’s moral equivalence, but for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., it’s Benghazi; for Rudy Giuliani it’s that Obama lacks Putin’s impressive testicular fortitude (see Syria), and for much of the GOP, it’s Obama’s inability to understand geopolitics as well as that foreign policy redoubt Mitt Romney.

Most of this is just cheap point scoring. Having slowly realized they can’t fault Obama’s response to Russia’s invasion, they’ve retreated instead to attributing the whole thing to one or another of Obama’s perceived, but unrelated weaknesses or failures.

read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/05/gops_pathetic_putin_debacle_how_their_foreign_policy_politicking_backfired/






[font size="3"]15. Insane Right-Wing Website Poll: Would Putin Make a Better President Than Obama?[/font]

by John Prager
March 6, 2014




Conservative lie-rag The Daily Caller has released an URGENT NEWS POLL, folks! Since this is so urgently urgent, we thought it might be nice if you folks help them out a bit! The poll asks (are you ready for it?) “Who would make a better President? Obama or Putin?”

Given the right’s recent man-crush on Vlad, we know what the results will be…BUT, if we make sure all of our friends, neighbors, cows, chickens, and second cousins stop by to vote we may be able to irritate them with the response their poll receives.

While we all eagerly await the results of an imaginary Putin/Obama race in Conservativeland, Huffpo took a pro-active approach to the matter: they asked CPAC attendees! Here are just a few of the responses they received.

read more: http://aattp.org/insane-right-wing-website-poll-would-putin-make-a-better-president-than-obama/






[font size="3"]16. Jon Stewart: Fox News Pundits Obsessed With Shirtless Putin[/font]

by Catherine Taib
March 7, 2014

Jon Stewart is starting to think that Fox News pundits are a little too obsessed with Russian Vladimir Putin's naked chest.

The "Daily Show" host exposed the conservative media for what they really are Thursday night: shirtless-Putin lovers. He was baffled that whenever Fox News describes Putin, very often the contributors seem to focus on his tendency to go shirtless, wrestle bears and drill oil, while they slam President Barack Obama for wearing "mom jeans."

"What a great talking point that mom jeans thing turned out to be,” Stewart said. "By tomorrow it will be, 'Putin once smacked the teeth out of a great white shark and made it blow him while Barack Obama just sat there wistfully wearing Capri pants and a baby bonnet."

Stewart called out one pundit in particular who compared Putin to his mother during an interview, and another who stated that "Russia has a real leader."

"The weirdest thing about this isn't Putin invading Ukraine--you expect a crazy guy to act crazy," Stewart said. "The weirdest thing is seeing conservatives in our country point at the crazy guy and go 'I'll have what they're having.'"

Watch the video for the full clip on "The Daily Show."

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-6-2014/big-vladdy---semi-delusional-autocrats

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/jon-stewart-fox-news-putin-shirtless-obama-mom-jeans-daily-show_n_4919517.html






[font size="3"]17. Media Criticize Obama's Florida Trip, Ignore Bush Vacation During 2008 Invasion Of Georgia[/font]

by Alexandrea Boguhn
March 9, 2014

Despite President George W. Bush taking a vacation during the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, the media ignored Bush's trip while questioning the appropriateness of President Obama's weekend trip to Florida during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Fox's Wallace Questions "Optics" Of Obama "Playing Golf In Florida." During a Fox News Sunday interview with former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, host Chris Wallace asked Gates "in terms of optics, do you think it's helpful for President Obama to take the weekend off in the middle of what you call a crisis to be playing golf in Florida?" (Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Sunday, 3/9/14)

-snip-

WSJ's Peggy Noonan Says Obama's Trip "Startles" Her. On the March 9 edition of ABC's This Week, panelist and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan expressed her discomfort with Obama's trip, using it to push claims of Obama's perceived weakness in the eyes of Putin:

NOONAN: I have been struck, actually -- when it comes to criticizing President Obama -- he, it doesn't seem to me in some respects, is acting like there is an air of crisis or urgency here. He's sort of off for the weekend in a way that startles me in the middle of a crisis. Look, you can always criticize an American president. Particularly on this case, I suppose you can say that Putin did not do what he did because of the American president, but Putin sometimes makes make his moves when he perceives an American president to be weak. He did that in '08 at the end of the Bush era when Bush was weak, he's doing it as he reads Mr. Obama now. (ABC, This Week, 3/9/14)

read more: http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/03/09/media-criticize-obamas-florida-trip-ignore-bush/198421






[font size="3"]18. Called Out: Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates Nails Fox For Obama Hypocrisy (Video)[/font]

by Josh Kilburn
March 9, 2014

FOX “news” is known for a lot of things. News, honesty, integrity, and dignity are not among them. Whether it’s repeated lies about Obamacare, their distortions of history, or the Benghazi Chorus, they hammer President Obama any chance they get. Last Sunday, Chris Wallace sat down with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and attempted to get Gates to join in the Obama bashing – attempted being the keyword.

Wallace began the interview by pointing out that Gates has defended Obama in the past (likely to poison the well), then asking Gates about a comment he’d made in January, when the former Defense Secretary criticized Obama for “setting the red line at chemical weapons” – a statement the president made in 2012 that has come back to haunt him again and again regarding Syria and now, apparently Ukraine. Wallace asked Gates whether or not Obama’s refusal to “fire the pistol” – as Gates was quoted saying in January of this year – had emboldened Putin. Gates responded by pointing out that a number of different things were at play regarding the crisis in the Ukraine:

… I think Putin is very opportunistic in these arenas. I think that even if we had launched attacks in Syria, even if we weren’t cutting our defense budget; I think Putin saw an opportunity here in the Crimea, and he has seized it. … The ousting of [Ukraine's former president] Yanukovych was a big strategic set-back for Putin. And I think it’s testimony to how skillful he is, how agile he is, that he’s tried to off-set that by the seizure of Crimea, and throwing this whole situation into a very different light.

Gates also scored a shot against the Chickenhawks and their “Obama is showing weakness by not starting World War III” rhetoric, in saying, “My own view is that, after all, Putin invaded Georgia when George W. Bush was president. Nobody ever accused George W. Bush of being weak or unwilling to use military force.”

read more: http://aattp.org/called-out-former-defense-secretary-robert-gates-nails-fox-for-obama-hypocrisy-video/






[font size="3"]19. Palin Urges Tougher Approach Towards Putin[/font]

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke," says former Republican vice presidential candidate.

by Elad Benari
March 9, 2014

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin suggested on Saturday that only the United States could stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AFP reported.

Palin, who spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), offered unsolicited advice to President Barack Obama on containing Russian aggression, saying that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke."

-snip-

On Saturday, Palin attacked what she called a feckless Obama foreign policy that she said has helped embolden Putin. Palin’s running mate in 2008, Senator John McCain, made similar comments last week at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington.

Failing to show peace through strength has allowed some "very, very, very bad dudes (to) gain ground," said Palin at CPAC.

read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/178256#.Ux9b7c5AdyU






[font size="3"]20. Obama, Bush, and Putin Walk Into a Vacation Home...[/font]

by Rude One
March 10, 2014

Oh, dear, oh, dear. It seems that our mom-jeans wearing President Pansy has gone scuttling away on a "vacation" while Russia does...something...really, who knows at this point...with the Crimean region of the Ukraine. Seems that after he and his wife, First Lady Nutrition Queen, did some speaking in Florida, they planned to spend the weekend in Key Largo, golfing, relaxing, doing shit that people do.

-snip-

Turns out that it's the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas. You remember that place. The one that seemed to have endless piles of brush that needed clearing, like a brush hyrdra that kept multiplying. Yeah, Bush is speaking from the ranch on August 16, 2008 because Texas is awesome in August. He was talking about his former man-crush, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian invasion of Georgia, the country, not the state, although both have lots of brush.

Now, the point here is not "Oh, hey, look, all presidents take vacations." There's always gonna be some fuckin' crisis or other. It's not "Oh, hey, these days a president can do a lot of presidentin' from other places." (Obama was on the phone with world leaders relentlessly from Key Largo.)

It's this: President Obama is back in Washington, DC, today. Bush stayed at that brush-bedeviled wasteland of a vacation home until nearly the end of August, most of the time that Russia was at war with Georgia. A search of Nexis shows not a single news report in 2008 that criticized Bush for his vacation during the crisis. Fuck, you can hardly find anything that calls Bush's Crawford sweatfest a "vacation" because by that time, it described a large percentage of his presidency.

This time, with Obama, not so much. Double standard? Delusion? Or just more of the outrage of diminishing returns we're all subject to, like the jackals of the right-wing anger machine are heroin addicts who need more and more of that sweet, warm shit in the veins in order to feel anything?

read more: http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2014/03/obama-bush-and-putin-walk-into-vacation.html






[font size="3"]21. Republicans Have Found Their Dream Leader and His Name Is Vladimir Putin[/font]

by Rmuse
March 10th, 2014

Now it is becoming clear that Republicans are on the verge of finally, at long last, finding an archetype of everything disparate 21st Century conservatives stand for who is part George W. Bush, part evangelical freak Mike Huckabee, and part neo-con Dick Cheney rejecting the rule of law. There is some division among Republicans who cannot quite decide if they want to fight Vladimir Putin or fornicate with the Russian, but one thing is clear; conservatives think he is a “real leader” and lust for a Republican president like Putin.

Republicans, conservative pundits, and evangelical fanatics have lined up behind their prototypical conservative Putin, and contrary to what some may think, it is not solely because they hate President Obama they have spent no small amount of time comparing to the Russian president. This past week Fox News strategic analyst Ralph Peters was effusive in praising Russia he asserted “has a real leader, while our President is incapable and unwilling to lead.” Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani could barely contain his enthusiasm for Putin and said “Putin decides what he wants to do and does it in half a day. He makes a decision and executes it quickly and everybody reacts. That’s what you call a real leader.”

Another conservative pundit praised Putin because “he likes to hang out with his shirt off and tells the West if you mess with me I’ll kill you all.” Even half-term, half-wit Sarah Palin compared the conservative’s hero with President Obama and said, ”people look at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil, and our President wears mom jeans and equivocates.” Another Fox analyst said, “In Putin, you’ve got a big strong guy, muscular and shirtless on a horse who wrestles tigers, while the President wears mom jeans.” It is unclear why conservatives are obsessed with mom jeans, whatever they are, but it is likely to compare President Obama’s diplomacy first foreign policy with a big shirtless leader who subscribes to the George W. Bush foreign policy of pre-emptively invading sovereign nations; the conservative’s idea of a “real leader.”

However, as much as Republicans are enamored with Putin’s rapid decision to invade Ukraine without going to the United Nations or a reason other than he wanted to, it is the religious right that would install Putin as America’s theocratic dictator tomorrow if they could convince Americans to amend the Constitution to allow a Christian foreigner to rule America. The religious right regards Putin as their archetypical leader because he made it Russian policy to do what Christian fanatics yearn for in America; crackdown on gays and make Christianity the state religion. In fact, Christians anointed Putin the “defender of the Christian civilization” or as Christian zealot Bryan Fischer asserted, Putin is “the lion of Christianity, the defender of Christian values, the president that’s calling his nation back to embracing its identity as a nation founded on Christian values. To ever think we would get to the day that Russia would be more advanced spiritually than the United States. I mean, it’s just staggering to see what is happening to this country.”

read more: http://www.politicususa.com/2014/03/10/republicans-dream-leader-vladimir-putin.html






[font size="3"]22. To Conservative Russia with Republican Love[/font]

by Quiet Mike
March 10, 2014

Russia has become very conservative in the last twenty years, Republicans must be drooling with jealousy

When Russia was known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it was a secular, liberal paradise in all its extremes. It was the definition of big government with its socialized medicine, education system and economy. Conservatives hated the “Evil Empire” as Reagan called them. The Soviet Union was the complete opposite of what conservatives valued. My, how things change.

As Jason Jones pointed out a couple weeks ago, the red scare has become a red state. After the IMF encouraged Russia’s economic shock therapy of the 90’s, Republicans have unknowingly found a model American conservatives can look up. Thanks to a black president in the White House, they’re also praising Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.

-snip-

If you asked most conservatives or Republicans about the separation of church and state, they would likely say they’d want Jesus’ spokesperson in the oval office. Again, Republicans must be in awe of the borderline theocracy that exists in Russia. In a land where religion was banned outside of home and church not too long ago, it may surprise you that religion, particularly Orthodox Christians, now rule the land. Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christian rose from 31% to 72%.

-snip-

It’s hilarious to see conservative politicians and pundits call Obama a socialist dictator while praising Putin’s leadership. Even before the events in Ukraine, Pat Buchanan praised the Russian leader’s opposition to same-sex marriage and asked “Is Putin one of us?” Whether he is or not, since the intervention in Crimea, Republicans of all stripes have praised Putin’s leadership:

read more: http://quietmike.org/2014/03/10/conservative-russia-republican-love/






[font size="3"]23. War Criminal And Serial Stupid Decision Maker Dick Cheney Won’t Stop Giving Terrible Advice About Ukraine Crisis (Video)[/font]

by Ned Twyman
March 10, 2014

Is anyone really surprised that former Vice President and war profiteer Dick Cheney is disappointed in current President Barack Obama’s growing record of avoiding armed conflicts? The torture enthusiast and accidental friend shooter appeared on Face the Nation yesterday to express his displeasure to guest host Charlie Rose. He criticized the current administration for taking military action off the table in regards to the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine. He told Rose:

“I worry when we begin to address the crisis, the first thing we do is take options off the table. In the sense of saying ‘no military.’ [Obama] seems to operate that way most of the time. There are military options that don’t involve putting groups on the ground in Crimea.”

He went on to advocate restarting the ICBM defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic, which was abandoned a few years ago as part of an agreement with Russia. He also recommended offering equipment and training to Ukrainian forces, as well as participating in joint military exercises in the region. He also voiced his disapproval of Obama’s handling of the situation in Syria:

“We have created an image around the world, not just to the Russians, of weakness and indecisiveness. The Syrian situation is a classic. We got all ready to do something, a lot of the allies signed on, at the last minute Obama backed off.”

read more: http://aattp.org/war-criminal-and-serial-stupid-decision-maker-dick-cheney-wont-stop-giving-terrible-advice-about-ukraine-crisis-video/






[font size="3"]24. Former Bush Defense Secretary Denies GOP Rhetoric Against President Obama’s Stance On Crimea[/font]

progressivepopulist.org
March 10, 2014

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, appearing on Fox News Sunday, dismissed arguments that President Obama’s handing of the Syrian conflict emboldened Putin. Conservatives have been blaming President Obama’s “weak” foreign policy for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Crimea. Gates also pointed out the the Russian president invaded Georgia during the George W. Bush administration.

“My own view is, after all, Putin invaded Georgia when George W. Bush was president. Nobody ever accused George W. Bush of being weak or unwilling to use military force,” Gates, who served as Defense Secretary for Presidents George W. Bush and Obama remarked. “So I think Putin is very opportunistic in these arenas. I think that even if — even if we had launched attacks in Syria, even if we weren’t cutting our defense budget — I think Putin saw an opportunity here in Crimea, and he has seized it.” Gates told the Washington Post last week that the GOP lawmakers should “tone down” their criticism and “try to be supportive of the president rather than natter at the president.”

Some of President Obama’s harshest conservatives critics have argued that it is his perceived “weakness” on the global stage has given Putin the space to move Russian troops into Crimea. “We have a weak and indecisive president” and that “invites aggression,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said last week. “Putin is playing chess and I think we’re playing marbles,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee claimed, adding that Russia is “running circles around us.”

During his appearance, Gates also dismissed criticism of Obama’s weekend vacation. “I’ve seen this happen year after year, president after president. President takes a day or two off and plays golf. Doesn’t matter whether it’s President Obama or the first President Bush going fishing. I think you’ve got to give these guys a little time off, you know, mostly they are working 20 hours a day.”

read more: http://progressivepopulist.org/2014/03/10/former-bush-defense-secretary-denies-gop-rhetoric-president-obama-stance-crimea/






[font size="3"]25. MUST WATCH: Highlight Reel of Vladimir Putin Doing Macho Things[/font]

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has a very colorful history of doing 'macho' things in public.

A video has surfaced chronicling many of these activities.

The scene opens on a gymnasium where Putin is shown performing karate, slamming competitors to the mat.

The video cuts to a meadow, showing Putin (shirtless, of course) riding a dark-colored horse, with mountains and a pond in the background.

He then moves to the water, butterflying through a lake, and later fishing and scuba diving.

Then, there's a tiger...

video at http://nation.foxnews.com/2014/03/03/must-watch-highlight-reel-vladimir-putin-doing-macho-things









[font size="3"]26. Vladimir Putin Wins CPAC Straw Poll For The 2016 Presidential Election[/font]

Every year at CPAC, a straw poll is held to see which candidate supporters and attendees would like to see run for president. The contenders are a tight crew with Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Ted Cruz, and even Sarah Palin. However, this year, there was a write-in candidate that overwhelmingly stole the spotlight and the win for the 2016 spotlight. It seems the winner of the 2014 CPAC straw poll for President of the United States was none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. He actually won by such a clear margin, that many are considering prematurely dropping out of the race.

“He stands for everything we believe in,” said Rand Paul. “Small government, and low taxes.”

Sarah Palin said, “He’s just so gosh darn manly. I mean golly, did ya see his scrumdittelyumptious biceps on there giant dog. He’ll be a great president. He’s not at all like the tyrannical, do-nothing, weak leader dictator we have in the White House right now. Good ole Vladdy will stand up to our foreign invaders, and make sure everyone has their rights.”

We here at Free Wood Post tried to explain that President Putin is actually the tyrannical one advocating large government. He is also a huge proponent of minimizing rights, including speech. We then had to explain that Putin is actually oligarchical and a former KGB agent, unlike President Obama.

Conservatives overwhelmingly replied, “but did you see how strong and decisive he is in taking away those rights, and how masculine he looks. Oh, and war… he loves war… and we love war.”

read more: http://www.freewoodpost.com/2014/03/07/vladimir-putin-wins-cpac-straw-poll-for-the-2016-presidential-election/

I have a feeling I'll be adding to the collection in the days to come. The Republicans just can't help themselves. (What will Rudy, Sarah, and Lindsey say next!)

OMG this is probably one of the Greatest Compilations of Teabagger/Rightwing idiocy ever put together by a DUer.

I have bookmarked and can't believe no one else has recced this.

Probably because it takes a long time to load and we have mostly become instant gratification thread monkeys.

Perhaps you can change the subject line to read : "WARNING: Loads slowly but worth every second"

Or "A Bit Slow to Load but lots of Ammo for Democrats Contained Within" or "You'll Laugh; You'll Cry, But You'll have to wait 30 seconds to Load it all!"

Incredible collection. Thank you for taking the time to find all these for DUers. I enjoyed every one.

Thank you again

As the crisis continues, and Republicans continue engaging in crazy talk, I'm sure I'll have more material to add to the collection. So as you say, I might want to place a warning in the subject line.

Or perhaps I should delete the first REPLY -- the articles section, http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024646679#post1 -- and make it its own thread. Having one thread for toons and graphics and one thread for articles might make it easier; each would load more quickly.

I'll consider it this afternoon when I do my update.

thanks again

nt

nt