Obama is weak because he's not a warmonger...

[Drunken Irishman]

To be sure, though, we haven't had many presidents whose first thought is to keep us out of war. Wilson, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Bush II and even Clinton were presidents who rarely hesitated to send us into battle. I can only think of two recent presidents who seemed to really err on the side of diplomacy - Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

I'm sure some here will disagree with this. That is fine. But from my perspective, Obama has worked to keep the U.S. out of new conflicts while also winding down two others. We feasibly could have had a handful of major U.S. conflicts under his watch - from Libya to Syria to Iran to now the Ukraine.

In each crisis, Obama has been called weak by the right.

Just as Jimmy Carter was in the 70s and Clinton in the 90s.

But I think America is finally waking up and realizing war is not always the answer.

[JI7]

1. yes, republicans lost any crediblity/trust they had on defense issues

the fear mongering does not work anymore.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Eisenhower ended the Korean War in six *months*

(and warned us about the Military Industrial Complex, demanded a 92% top tax bracket, added 10 million people to Social Security, etc.)

Obama will take six *years* to get out of Afghanistan, and does anyone think the situation there will be one bit better than if Obama had withdrawn in six months?

That being said, Obama seems to be doing roughly the right thing on Ukraine right now.

[Cha]

3. "weak".

[sheshe2]

4. Kick!

[2naSalit]

5. Interesting how

it doesn't take any brainz to be a reactionist warmonger but it does take intellect to negotiate complex problems/issues.

[ailsagirl]

12. Well put... Bravo!!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. Older white GUYS are the only ones bitching. But that's all they do about everything.

[JoeyT]

7. Yeah, but the right would call him weak

if he carpet bombed the entire planet until nothing bigger than a microbe was left alive. Obama: Soft in the War on Gram Negatives!

From what I can tell of the ungodly complicated situation in the Ukraine, I think he's doing the right thing.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. It's not REALLY that complicated.....

Part of the country wants to join the EU.

Another part has closer ties to Russia.

Putin is using the situation to show the world he's a macho, macho man.

[King_Klonopin]

9. If Obama doesn't decide to invade Ukraine in the next 15 minutes, he's a pussy!

The things said on Fux News are disgusting, and it approaches
the level of treason because it undermines the effectiveness
and authority of a sitting President. But they don't give a rat's
ass about anything except hurling shit bombs at Obama.

Tempered thought and considering alternative solutions = weakness.
Impulsive reflex to use the military to solve all foreign affairs = decisive leadership.

Gawd in Heaven, I hate those stupid fucking people !!!!!!!

[TheKentuckian]

10. I think it is mostly because he is not a TeaPubliKlan and is a Democrat.

There is no military action to take only a nutcase or a complete fool would attempt any such thing. I'm talking something shrub/Cheney wouldn't touch.

Trust me on this, there is no correct move for Obama with these folks. It really isn't about him.

If he was ready to go in guns blazing they'd call him a madman.

If he repositioned assets they'd say it was theatrics.

If he put forces in they'd say he was provoking the Russians.

If he calls for sanctions it will be a commie plot to prop up renewables.

If he does exactly what they say they will accuse him of leading from the rear.

If he ignores their nonsense howling they will say he doesn't listen and is acting like a dictator.

I could go on and on but this is just the basic play book for these folks now. There is no correct answer and seeking one as there were is a road to frustration.

The only "why" is that they are fucking irredeemable assholes, that's why.

[Hekate]

11. KnR. I think you put your finger on the problem they have.

[Cheese4TheRat]

13. Frankly, I prefer the strong, silent type.

Diaper soiling and tantrum throwing is so GOP.

[Kablooie]

14. He's not reckless. That's quite different from being weak.

It even indicates strength beyond someone who just dashes off into war without thinking.

-- But the right will say something negative no matter what the situation is.
They don't care about truth.
They only care about how much shit they can spew.

[Scuba]

15. Resorting to military action is not a sign of strength, but of weakness.

[bemildred]

16. To think Obama is weak, you have to think Bush/Cheney was strong. nt

[Pterodactyl]

17. To be fair, he did mong war in Libya.

[pampango]

18. The lament that he has to do "something" means something military in nature.

A diplomatic/economic response takes time to negotiate but is the only realistic way to bring pressure to bear on Putin. A quick military response ("something&quot might temporarily satisfy the militarists in the pundit class and republican party but would play to Russia's strength (big, close army) and make matters worse. Thankfully, Obama and the Europeans undoubtedly realize this.