Former German chancellor Schmidt criticizes West's Russia policy.

[JackRiddler]

38. Okay then, but then Obama is also self-appointed.

Insofar as they execute a foreign policy that is secret (not announced, not debated in public, therefore not democratic) and do so by covert means (a.k.a. hostile action, a.k.a. political war by whatever name, by definition illegal in the country in which it is done), they are self-appointed geostrategists, even if they were elected to office. Election is not a carte blanche to define "U.S. interests" in secret and devise a secret policy. No body of government in the U.S. had a public debate about spending taxpayer funds to support overthrowing the prior Ukrainian government (which is what Nuland is discussing in the videotape). It was not found by a majority of the parliament that this is the country's interest, or that hostile covert action should be taken. (Not that this make it right, either, but it would at least have the veneer of democracy and rule of law.) So it's rogue, a parastate action, even if the parastate includes the president. Even if it's a "good" idea in the first place, even if it actually is a "U.S. interest." Obviously that is also not so. It's an interest of a segment of the U.S. ruling class and otherwise a burden on Americans who get no benefits from the resulting natural resource and arms constracts and debt/tribute payments, and who later will be surprised and puzzled to discover that they have new enemies they never heard of. (Why, o why, do they hate us? It must be for our freedoms!)