Putin vs. Obama: Friend or Foe?

Dear Mr. President,

Either Vladimir saved your butt or pulled the rug out from under you. While you were making plans for war he was making plans for peace. I never thought I’d see the day when a Russkie president was more diplomat and peacemaker than a Nobel Peace Prize winning U.S. president. The NYT published an op-ed by him in today’s paper: “A Plea for Caution From Russia.” It made Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) “want to vomit” (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/12/putin-op-ed-author-ketchum-nyt) but along with self-serving bullshit, Putin speaks some serious truths that need to be heard. That international law will be undermined if “influential countries…take military action without Security Council authorization.” That there are “few champions of democracy in Syria…but more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists.” That attacking another country for any reason except self-defense is a violation of international law and an act of aggression. That “military intervention in foreign countries has become commonplace for the U.S.” And that “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.” Putin is a ruthless, wily autocrat but he has stopped a military attack on Syria, a clear act of aggression by the U.S. and a violation of fundamental international law, and for that I applaud him. As a counterweight to Putin’s op-ed, the Times ran a page 1article (”As Obama Pauses Action, Putin Takes Center Stage”) to discredit his newfound diplomacy, pointing out his aggressive moves to “stamp out a growing protest movement and silence competing and independent voices…locked up illegal immigrants in a city camp, kept providing arms to the Syrian government…and gave refuge to Mr. Snowden.” How does this differ from crushing the Occupy movement, arresting Jill Stein so she would not appear at the presidential debates, prosecuting and harassing journalists, locking up whistle-blowers and arming rebel fighters in Syria? (Giving refuge to Snowden was a humanitarian act.) Finally, he hits at the root of our hubris and ignorance in his criticism of your speech Tuesday night: “I…disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the U.S.’s policy is ‘what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.’ It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation….We are all different, but… we must not forget that God created us equal.”