(Great) "Obama Knows How To Win with Putin" by Mariusz Zawadzki at Gazetta Wyborcza

[applegrove]

Obama Knows How To Win with Putin

by Mariusz Zawadzki at Gazetta Wyborcza

http://watchingamerica.com/News/236104/obama-knows-how-to-win-with-putin/

"SNIP...................

Let’s cheer on the Americans, so that they choose someone as reasonable as Obama as their next president.

The Republican Mitt Romney — former Massachusetts governor and Obama’s rival during the last presidential elections — maintained during the electoral campaign that "Russia is America’s number one geopolitical foe." During the televised debates between the two candidates, he was mocked for this view. "The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back," the president said, "Governor Romney ... the Cold War’s been over for twenty years!"

Obama claimed then that the greatest threat to America was still terrorism. After the debate, The New York Times wrote that Romney’s comments "display either a shocking lack of knowledge about international affairs or just craven politics. Either way, they are reckless and unworthy of a major presidential contender."

In the last few days, Romney has on several occasions appeared on various talk shows, and in each he delivered the same message: "I told you so. Obama’s naivety knows no limits!"

***

Strangely enough, the president has not changed his mind and stubbornly continues to claim that he was right during the debate. Even if the "1980s are calling," he consistently and deliberately fails to pick up the phone.




...................SNIP"

[Benton D Struckcheon]

1. Europe in general has a far better view of Obama than what you get here.

Europe recognizes that the US has recovered from 2008 faster than they have, and the more sensible ones know it's because of the austerity imposed by the euro. They were also impressed with the speed with which sanctions were put on Russia for this Crimea invasion, and duly not impressed with the creaky way the EU had to go about it.
A bit of perspective from overseas helps sometimes.

[BeyondGeography]

2. A very clear-eyed perspective

From our Polish perspective, such a disregard for Russia and Putin seems highly nonchalant, but it should be borne in mind that Obama has a totally different perspective — that of the leader of a superpower. He knows that territorially vast Russia has exactly the same gross domestic product as territorially modest Italy — with a GDP eight times smaller than that of the United States. Moreover, following many prosperous years from rising energy prices, Putin’s economic model is beginning to stutter — at the moment, Russia’s economy is growing at the paltry rate of 1.3 percent annually.

In the last few years, the U.S. has spent seven times more than Russia on average. Money shows the real rapport de force. If a conventional conflict — i.e., without the use of nuclear weapons — were to break out on account of Crimea, Russia’s army would be smashed to pieces.

[Frustratedlady]

3. Boy, I wish we could get articles like that in the US.

Very interesting article and encouraging that they feel this way about OUR president. Too bad others don't follow suit.

[applegrove]

4. Maybe they'll see it now that it is translated.

[LittleBlue]

5. Go to eastern Europe, Ronnie Rayguns is a rockstar over there

Anyone who challenges the Soviet Union or Russia is a hero to them.

They don't have to live with Saint Ronnie's economic policies, all they know is that he opposed the USSR. It's the same with Obama.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Instead of stereotyping people, maybe you could tell us how the article is wrong

In so doing, maybe you could tell us how Mitt Romney was smart to elevate Russia as a threat in 2012, and how much better off we'd be with him in the chair right now, having to follow through on that rhetoric. Because that is what the article is about.

Maybe you could tell us, at the same time, how on earth Obama is impersonating Reagan now, by basically saying Russia isn't worth the time of day, as opposed to labeling it an evil empire.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. K&R

[lillypaddle]

8. Great article

definitely worth reading in its entirety.

[okaawhatever]

9. Excellent, cool headed analysis. nt