Putin's Emboldened Action in Ukraine Is Not Because of Trump, but Because of Obama
By Scott Hounsell | Mar 03, 2022 5:45 PM ET
In the last several weeks as we have watched Putin command the Russian Army to action in invading Ukraine, many people have looked to Trump’s record with Putin as a time in which Putin became emboldened to action against their neighbor. Certainly, Trump’s talk on Putin has been at times sycophantic, something this author will not discount. However, referring to someone as a “genius” can carry with it, alternative meanings.
For instance, when it comes to people like David Axelrod or Rahm Emanuel, I can admire their genius within politics and hold them in utter contempt because of how they choose to use their gifts. Adolf Hitler was a genius as an orator, but a genocidal sociopath. I do not presume to understand Trump’s motivations in his less-than-polished statements about the Russian leader; however, I simply state that Trump can believe Putin is a genius and a sociopath. While I can think Trump is a genius in manipulating the media (and trust me… he is), I can disagree with him on things like increasing deficit spending and his lowest-common-denominator rhetoric.
When it came to Putin though, the left and the media (but I repeat myself) did their damnedest to tie Trump to Putin and Russia, despite the total lack of evidence of such a connection. Whether it was Russia-gate, in which Trump and his officials were never charged, or lofty stories of Trump and his behavior with Russian prostitutes, or even flat out fabrications, like was spun regarding Russian bounties on American servicemen in Syria, the media went to all lengths to make Trump appear weak against Putin and the Russians.
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https://redstate.com/scotthounsell/2022/03/03/putins-emboldened-action-in-ukraine-is-not-because-of-trump-but-because-of-obama-n531095
