Kerby Anderson

All the talk about possible collusion with Russia sometimes obscures the need for us to think clearly about Russia. In particular, I am talking about the leadership in Russia not the Russian people. The Russian people may be very nice, but their leader (Vladimir Putin) is another story. Colonel Allen West asks a good question. When did Russia become a threat? Most everyone considers it a threat now, but where were these critics just a few years ago? He reminds us that just after President Obama’s secretary of defense announced a massive reduction in the army, Russian-back separatists overran Crimea. This was followed by the invasion into Ukraine. He also asks that if Russia was such a great threat, why did President Obama in an off microphone moment whisper to the Russian president that he would have more flexibility after his reelection? And don’t forget that during that same period of time, Secretary of State John Kerry criticized Mitt Romney for saying that Russia was a threat. Allen West concludes that Russia only “became a threat when it served the progressive socialist left and their liberal progressive media allies’ purpose.” So let’s step back from politics and see if we can look at Russia with some objectivity. First, it is worth mentioned that both George W. Bush and Barack Obama thought they could establish friendly relations with Vladimir Putin. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even brought a “reset button” to a meeting with Russian leaders. None of that worked out as they intended. In the final days of his presidency, President Obama was expelling Russian spies from this country. Second, we need to understand that Russia poses a threat. The editors at National Review writing about cyber security said, “a more realistic view means recognizing that Russia is not interested in an alliance against other nefarious actors; it means recognizing that Russia is one the nefarious actors.” I’m hoping the administration and Congress figure this out soon.