Amid Russian airstrikes, a Putin craze takes hold in Mideast
BEIRUT (AP) — Amid the ornate walls of Damascus’ famed Omayyad Mosque, preacher Maamoun Rahmeh stood before worshippers last week, declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin a “giant and beloved leader” who has “destroyed the myth of the self-aggrandizing America.”
Posters of Putin are popping up on cars and billboards elsewhere in parts of Syria and Iraq, praising the Russian military intervention in Syria as one that will redress the balance of power in the region. SOURCE
Is Vladimir Putin a hardline Communist at heart? Probably so.
For 16 years Putin was an officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991.
Is Vladimir Putin a great leader of the Russian people and has he improved their lot in life substantially? I would have to say yes, at least according to the following link.
During Putin’s first premiership and presidency (1999–2008) real incomes in Russia rose by a factor of 2.5, while real wages more than tripled; unemployment and poverty more than halved. Russians’ self-assessed life satisfaction also rose significantly.
And this link.
As Russia’s president, Putin and the Federal Assembly passed into law a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. As Prime Minister, Putin oversaw large-scale military and police reform. His energy policy has affirmed Russia’s position as an energy superpower.
Has Vladimir Putin made Barack Hussein Obama look like an ineffectual fool, buffoon and all around *girly-man*? Yes he most certainly has!
While Russia has risen under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, be that good or bad, the fact remains; Russia is now the preeminent power in the world as we, the United States have been laughed at, made fun of, devalued and have lost nearly ALL respect on the world stage due to a combination of the ineptness of Barack Hussein Obama, the Democratic and Republican Parties and their all-around inability to agree on ANYTHING and advance the United States back to its once esteemed position of unquestionable world leadership.
The Russian leader is winning accolades from many in Iraq and Syria, who see Russian airstrikes in Syria as a turning point after more than a year of largely ineffectual efforts by the U.S.-led coalition to dislodge the Islamic State militants who have occupied significant parts of the two countries.
Putin has made Obama, and his idea of U.S. military strategy and tactics look ridiculous in Asia. I say this with great sadness, but I have to believe that at least some of it goes back to what is referred to as *Charlie Wilson’s War* and is being done to return the damage incurred by the breakup of the Soviet Union after they were forced out of Afghanistan.
The reactions underscore that while the West may criticize Putin for supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, there is some relief in the region at the emergence of a player with a coherent — if controversial — strategy.
Do I believe Vladimir Putin is a great leader? Not really, I believe he is a dictator that is feared more than respected and he has used that fear to get what he wants and as an aside, he helped the Russian people.
Do I believe Barack Hussein Obama is the most disastrous person to ever hold the office of President? Yes I do, I believe it with all my heart, much akin to Nero and the story of how he fiddled as Rome burned.
Would I want to live under the thumb of a Russian leader and his style of leadership? Absolutely NOT, but it would be a welcomed relief if we, the people of the United States, had a leader with the courage to actually LEAD and make decisions, not excuses, and one that had the political and business acumen necessary to bring this nation back to a position of greatness.
That is NOT going to happen until Obama is gone and depending on the election of 2016 and whether the Dems win or the GOP runs a Milquetoast candidate, we may continue to lag FAR behind as a formidable world power for many years to come.
This whole war in the Middle East reminds me of Vietnam. At least Nixon had a slogan for surrender, “Peace with Honor”. We haven’t won a war since WW II.
You can’t win a fight with one arm tied behind your back.
Get our four prisoners back from Iran and let Israel bomb the hell out of their nuke sites and be done with it.
It’s Putin’s war now.
While we’re downsizing our military to it’s lowest levels, Russia is building theirs up. We are rapidly loosing our air superiority over Russia. Those incidents of Russian warplanes crashing we’ve read about recently is due to rigorous training. They’re not screwing around. Here’s what one USAF General has to say about it: http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/16/air-force-general-russia-has-closed-the-air-superiority-gap/
The key here is that one of these men is demonstrating strong leadership skills. One of these men is not afraid to make hard decisions. One of these men is not operating under a politically correct, deadly set of “Rules of Engagement.”
One of these men isn’t really a man.
Fred, I don’t know if you think about the new world order that Bush 41 spoke of, or the impact that TPP and the related side agreements that are not being made public but I believe now, more than ever before that b o and our congress are letting this happen, and not for our benefit. Islam is certainly a fly in the ointment and confirms the Cloward and Piven strategy to cause enough chaos to warrant government response of the military variety. Our country, in my opinion has no business in the affairs of Syria. In fact, I thought at some point that assasination of the leaders of other countries was not politically correct any more. Assad is painted as a tyrant but tyrannical toward whom? How would our government respond to forces fighting our military with the intent of overthrowing and executing our president ( even b o)? I see the advancement of islam as the root of the problems in the middle east and only it’s complete defeat is the answer. History is repeating itself as far as islamic aggression is concerned and anyone who has researched the wars involving muslims can see that they are somewhat peaceful until they have sufficient numbers to start trouble. I know Putin has a motive to protect Russia’s naval base but he has a supreme dislike for rag heads. The muslim will never be peaceful because the koran teaches fidelity to allah, not man made law. This is why the states are passing laws to enforce our laws and not include foreign law in making decisions. Our country will not survive with muslims in our government. I think Putin knows this and is grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
I certainly don’t think Putin would mourn the demise of the USA, and if we don’t dump Obama soon, he may get what he wants…And depending on the next election and who the GOP runs, he may get his wish anyway…
For all the good and bad with Vladimir Putin, he has the gonads President Reagan had. We need a leader if this type again.
BTW, thank you for that graphic, came in very handy… 😛
Capt Ron, there is no Reagan here. The closest may be Cruz People — much of the GOPEE — consider Cruz to be too bombastic and insufficiently Politically Correct. Cruz, also, is smart as hell. Sadly, he didn’t come off extremely well in the last debate. That said, at this point, I don’t see Cruz acquiring the nomination. I think we’ll have to consider the reality of an actual Trump installation. Trump at this point beats Hillary but, in the latest Fox poll, so does Fiorina. If Biden enters the race, along with Sanders, I think Hillary won’t be the Dem nominee. People would vote for Biden due to the emotive affect of his son’s recent passing and the passing of his wife and daughter in a 1972 traffic accident. People would vote for Sanders because they want more of their own Free Cheese and they don’t care how it’s paid for. That’s the Dem field, a moron and a Socialist — not to forget the cold liaress.
Tonight’s debate should be interesting.
I want to see how Hillary reacts under actual questioning. Of course, because it’s CNN, they’ll all be pitched softballs.
BZ
Tonight’s “debate” should be interesting.
There, I fixed it.
Pol Pot is the type of regime America backs. Russia doesn’t. They blow them types of regimes to pieces. These are the same women stoning to death beheading mujahedeen we were told to support in the 80’s. It’s interesting isn’t it? When Russia go into Afghanistan they are a evil oppressor subjugating a peaceful people, but when America does it they are spreading democracy and freedom. Don’t get me wrong I’m not anti American. I owe Americans I’d be speaking German now if it wasn’t for Americans. Stalin is long gone. Russia is free and democratic. They have no goals of world conquest. The world needs to move on and let old wounds heal.