Well, IIRC, the Ukraine also gave up its nuclear stockpile following a 1994/5/6 agreement with NATO. In exchange for territorial integrity, independence, etc., of course. . .

The question is now what the USA/NATO will do about it, if they should at all.

US? Nothing, Not capable of doing anything. But....we wouldn't want Washington to start actually keeping promises anyway...as cold as it is now, it would really suck if hell froze over, too.

Funny how you criticize Obama and Washington as if the two were one and the same...

What about Rand "No Intervention, At All, Ever!" Paul?

Or, hey, any of the other members of Congress?

I don't know if you've heard, krellin, but there are 3 branches of govt in thus country...

So why do you seem to think all the blame falls on one--

Because that's an easy target and requires absolutely no thought whatsoever and nothing in the way of real dialogue aside from bravado and bluster and a few other choice words beginning with b?

(Well, at least that's right up your alley...say, since they got rid of Glenn Beck, FOX has been intolerable, but not quite as entertainingly batshit insane...why don't you apply as an anchor? You'll fit right in!)

Really.

Tell me what a Republican would do differently.

Go on.

I dare ya. I double dare ya. I double-dog-Tarantino-dare ya.

Give me something one of those GOP congressmen would do differently in this conflict between the Putin Who Would Be Stalin, fascist antisemites and the poor schmucks caught in between?

Hm...extremists on the far right...and the extremist on the far left is named Putin...

Guys...

Has the world gone meta on us here? If so--

YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT UKRAINE!

Obi - as usual, you are simply a moron. I've never talked about Rand Paul - pro or con - so what the fuck is your problem, moron. OBAMA is President. Obama helped disarm the Ukraine and the US and now OBAMA is trying to play tough guy on the block, you stupid retarded moron.

You know, that whole Commander in Chief thing. That whole wagging his finger at Putin thing....fucking idiot.

Why do you have such a hard-on to defend incompetence?

As for Fox News....again, fucking moron. Did I link to Fox? I DON'T EVEN GET Fox, because I don't waste $100 a month on fucking cable.

God....if you are goingto bitch at me, at least make it a legitimate bitch, you whiny little cunt.

The US should not intervene. Ukraine has a lot of formerly Russian land inhabited mainly by Russians, the sneaky sneaky soviets used their loved tactics of drawing up new borders containing many Russians to influence internal affairs in Ukraine.

@ILN -- It isn't just a matter of whether or not the US "should" intervene. The fact is, we have a bumbling asshole in the White House who years ago helped disarm the Ukraine, with the promise that the US *would* protect them....i.e. that implies intervention. You have a bumbling incompetent in the White House that is tearing down our military, while simultaneously rattling his empty sheath wondering where the fuck his sabre is, and scratching his head in wonder when nobody listens to him.

Despite the Libtard fantasy of talk making for world peace (not that you believe this ILN - I"m not implying that) that fact of the matter is that we live in a world that is still ruled by the aggressive use of FORCE.

Obama *almost* seems to grasp this concept, because like any thug he likes to make threats....almost understanding that you need force to enforce your will....but he's also a coward, unable to make the tough call, and is such an arrogant piece of shit he actually believes that his charisma will carry the day.

His impotence is not just a danger to the Ukraine, it is a danger to the entire globe, for wherever there is a wanna-ba-tyrant that used to keep his follies in check for fear of the might armed forces of the US, there are now Tyrants making plans.

The Middle East is destabilizing.

South America is destabilizing in parts.

Northern Africa is destabilizing.

These are all areas where, like it or not, the might of the US was once enough to pretty much keep people in check....and thus keep people from slaughtering one another.

The greatness of the US is that, like it or not, the killing we have done was for the *morale* purpose of preventing killing on a much larger scale. This is one of those simple truths that Libtards reject....again, because they deny reality, and think good thoughts bring about a kind world....as the bully pushes them, yet again, into the mud puddle.

Obama is a danger to this *entire* globe,and THAT is the problem with his idle, pathetic threats.

Wish wish is the sound of the pentagon wishing we still were the world's greatest military, not the sound of our sabers slicing through the air anymore.

"and Putin is laughing his ASS off..."
The only question is, which Putin

Yes....both.

"Why do you have such a hard-on to defend incompetence?"

I'm not defending Obama here AT ALL--he deserves some flak over this, YES!

I'm just saying there's MORE flak to be shot around, however...

Why are you shielding or ignoring the incompetence-I'd argue the impotence--of Congress on foreign intervention?

They didn't intervene in Syria, and I still maintain we should have...

They're not pushing for intervention here, and all the while--

http://news.yahoo.com/big-power-talks-ukraine-crisis-little-progress-003521587--business.html

"Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia on Thursday and its Moscow-backed government set a referendum within 10 days on the decision in a dramatic escalation of the crisis over the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula."

Vlad Putin's EMBARRASSING the United States. Completely.

Embarrassing Obama AND Congress.

Both houses. It's disgusting.

So I'm not asking for LESS blame, my dear krellin...

I'm calling for MORE!

Imagine the catastrophe if Obama hadn't got rid of all those weapons from what is now a incredibly volatile region.

Another sign that he's well ontop of current events.

Much as I hate to agree with krellin, SYnapse--

While I don't entirely disagree with your point, I DO think the administration should have and now NEEDS to take a far, far stronger stance on Putin (and I'll say Putin and not "Russia," I still think that, perhaps, the idealism surrounding the idea that the US and Russia could become partners in democracy over time isn't unwarranted, but that's a pipe dream as long as Putin's in office. In the same way I'd rather criticize Netanyahu for his encroachment on the West Bank rather than Israel, since the latter CAN elect a leader who'll work with the PLO and establish peace in the region, but the former's just doing everything he can to scuttle those talks.)

But back to the present situation, much as I'd still support Obama over either a McCain/Palin or Romeny/Ryan ticket (I can't say either of those options sounds better to me), I think the administration deserve some criticism for not taking a harder line against one of the more dangerous elements in Eastern Europe right now and, just as importantly for the US, a man who is presently undermining the United States' position on the international stage--

Simply put, Obama's ten times the human being Putin is (and you can decide for yourself if that's praising Obama or showing just what a low opinion I have of Big Bad Vlad) but unfortunately, Putin's ten times the international schemer Obama is at present, and he's outmaneuvered Obama on a series of issues, including Syria and now this.

That being said, I ALSO again think that Congress deserves a good deal of blame as well--it's a LOT easier for a Commander in Chief to, well, command when he has a united front behind him, and with the disgusting division in Congress, frankly, I think their squabbling's a strong supporting factor in why Obama's been so ineffectual in some of his foreign policy.

Putin, by contrast, strong-arms his way to get what he wants.

I'd rather have our system than theirs and Obama over Putin as a leader, but it must be admitted Putin's harsher, less-democratic system is winning the international battles right now, and I think that we need to address this division and weakness between parties before we can present a UNITED States' response that will be effectual.

"Imagine the catastrophe if Obama hadn't got rid of all those weapons from what is now a incredibly volatile region. "

Yes, it is much better when people's freedoms are removed from them at gunpoint without the capacity to defend themselves.

funny thing about humans - many of them are *willing* to die for causes such as freedom and liberty...It tends to only be the self-absorbed Libtards among us that don’t believe there is any cause worth sacrificing your life…which is odd, because they often seem hell-bent on controlling others lives…

Bottom line, If Obama wants to talk the tough talk, them he better have both the balls and the military ability to back it up. He has neither. A tough talking weakling is actually more dangerous than a quiet coward -- because someone may not know the coward is ineffectual, but Obama has clearly demonstrated that he is *zero* threat to any tyrant who wishes to make evil in the world.

@obi

One of the problems of the Obama administration is that they don't even seem to *believe* that this is actually happening.

They seem unable to fathom that Russia could do what they did: a de facto partial occupation of a European country. Kerry's statement that this is a "19th century move" is symptomatic of the problem the administration has.

It's really not a 19th century move. Power politics is very much Russia 2014. The Soviet government at least still had some official principles along the lines of equality for all. This government really is only interested in power and Obama and his incompetent administration will have to start reformulating their foreign politics around this absolute.

I'm fairly certain that *all* of you have forgotten when Romney warned of Russian aggression durign the campaign, and Obama mocked him, and all the fucking Libtards (with their heads in the sand next to Obama) cheered Obama on for his brilliant whit.

I'll also point out that Palin has also warned of Russia in the past.

Seems like the only people that have a clue are...wait for it...NOT fucking Libtards.

"I'm fairly certain that *all* of you have forgotten when Romney warned of Russian aggression durign the campaign, and Obama mocked him, and all the fucking Libtards (with their heads in the sand next to Obama) cheered Obama on for his brilliant whit."

I thought this was just a krellin fantasy story... but I googled it... and it actually happened :D

Of course it did. Libtards and the Libtard media, of course, naturally ignore this sort of truth.

And, yeah...that whole mess in Syria...which Obama has ignored and deflected and finally turned over to (Ahhh ha ha haha!!!) Putin to take care of...THAT was an issue Republicans were concerned about, too....and then Obama is re-elected, Assad uses chemical weapons...etc etc.

Obama is a danger to the entire world.

If you look at all these events, from Obama pressing Ukraine to give up its nukes as a senator, to falsely promising security, to deriding Romney from calling Putin's Russia a threat and ultimately to stand idly by while Russia annexes the Crimea, one could argue that Obama *was* the Manchurian Candidate :D

A lot of people say that. When a guy is elected to office who promises to "fundamentally transform the nation"...well, that means you want to turn it from something it was - a great, wealthy, powerful nation that (in any eyes) spent it's blood and wealth to benefit others often, to what???,,,,A nation that is barely capable of taking care of itself.

Unfortunately for the United States, historically speaking, whenever it retreated from the world, the world drew it right back in :-)

No, not unfortunately. Our interaction with the world tends to benefit all, with stability, increased standard of living, fewer asshole tyrants, etc.

But we go through these cycles of self-destruction...somewhere down the road is an election in which the American people will be fed up with another failed attempt at extreme Libtardism, and we will strongly swing back to the right, until we fuck that up, too...