"Basically Russia sees the crisis as an opportunity to increase its influence in the post-Soviet space," said Nikolai Zlobin, analyst for the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C., who meets regularly with Russian officials. "They think this is the right time to act."
Meanwhile, back in America, the left also believes the time is right for action - namely, to remake the empire into something less imperious and instead something more progressive, more enthusiastically liberal, more agreeable.
We - they - whatever, Obama and his minions won't win this confrontation, - not that it's us against Russia again, but it is us against a world view that Russia represents. You're a naive fool if you don't think Putin's sitting there in some corner office of the Kremlin watching Obama wander round the world giving these shallow, flowery speeches and saying to himself "I got this guy".
[understand I think all political speeches are 'shallow', and I'd suppose most politicians know this to be true, accept it as being just part of the game - my problem with O is that I think he believes his shallowness actually has depth - much like an actor who, in portraying a character of putative substance, comes to imagine himself as having acquired substance too - yes, I'm thinking of you, Sean Penn]
[an alternative scenario is that he sees his 'persona' as a means to get what he wants - in other words, he's a cold cunning bastard - in which case his chances of succeeding would be much improved - I wonder which scenario troubles me the most?]
