Let's be clear about this: Russia is invading Ukraine right now.

[ColesCountyDem]

"There are two things happening between Ukraine and Russia right now. First, Russian and Ukrainian leaders are meeting in Belarus to negotiate a peace deal in the Ukrainian conflict that Russia insists it has nothing to do with. Second, Russian military forces are crossing the border into Ukraine in what is clearly a hostile invasion and act of war. That includes Russian artillery, Russian tanks, Russian-trained irregular forces, and even uniformed Russian soldiers who have admitted on camera that they are Russian military ordered to invade by their commanders.

But the first piece of that is obfuscating the second. Getting Russia to agree to a peace deal on Ukraine requires lots of careful diplomacy, and that means that no one wants to formally acknowledge Russia's invasion of Ukraine, even though Russia is definitely invading Ukraine right now. That's how you have even the more hawkish figures in the Obama administration making statements like this:

/snip/

When is a Russian invasion of a neighboring country an incursion and an escalation, but not actually an invasion? When acknowledging that is in an invasion would complicate diplomacy to the point that ending the invasion could become much harder.

But there's more behind this confusion than just careful diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin learned a crucial lesson from Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last year, when the latter got away with using chemical weapons against his own people...."

More: http://www.vox.com/2014/8/27/6069415/lets-be-clear-about-this-russia-is-invading-ukraine-right-now

[TwilightGardener]

1. It remains to be seen if Assad really got away with anything.

Maybe getting the chem weapons out of the way was, intentionally or unintentionally, good preparation for what may follow soon. My sense is we're ultimately NOT going to be helping him if we go into Syria. Putin is just grabbing whatever he can get now, by open force, because his "rebellion" has mostly gone awry. Now it's a salvage operation, like Crimea was: take something of value, quick!

[Duckhunter935]

2. Yep, been that way for a while

And now the Putin people have all gone very quiet. I guess they are waiting for RT to come up with a new excuse.

[Major Hogwash]

3. Robert Parry said that Washington suffers from "group think" when it comes to Ukraine.

Just 3 days ago.

Guess just what hit the fan . . . Robert Parry's credibility!!

[joeybee12]

4. If it's not in the RT, it can't be true...

Sarcasm, of course, Putin is scum and he's getting away with this shit.

[moondust]

5. Like a good neighbor...

Pooty Poot is there.

Russia needs more land. No really!

BIGGEST COUNTRIES:

Russia: 17,075,200 km2 (6,591,027 mi2)
Canada: 9,984,670 km2 (3,854,082 mi2)
United States: 9,631,418 km2 (3,717,727 mi2)
China: 9,596,960 km2 (3,704,426 mi2)
Brazil: 8,511,965 km2 (3,285,618 mi2)
Australia: 7,686,850 km2 (2,967,124 mi2)
India: 3,287,590 km2 (1,269,009 mi2)
Argentina: 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,019 mi2)
Kazakhstan: 2,717,300 km2 (1,048,877 mi2)
Algeria: 2,381,740 km2 (919,352 mi2)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 2,345,410 km2 (905,328 mi2)
Mexico: 1,972,550 km2 (761,404 mi2)*
Saudi Arabia: 1,960,582 km2 (756,785 mi2)
Indonesia: 1,919,440 km2 (740,904 mi2)
Sudan: 1,886,068 km2 (728,215 mi2)
Libya: 1,759,540 km2 (679,182 mi2)
Iran: 1,648,000 km2 (636,128 mi2)
Mongolia: 1,564,116 km2 (603,749 mi2)
Peru: 1,285,220 km2 (496,095 mi2)
Chad: 1,284,000 km2 (495,624 mi2)

[ColesCountyDem]

6. And Eskimos need more snow.

Seriously.