The Issue: President Obama’s decision to put off a strike on Syria and consider a Russian plan.
I find it fascinating that the Obama administration actually believes Vladimir Putin and Russia are going to save the day (“Putin, Unedited,” Editorial, Sept. 13).
Why the sudden turnaround? The Cold War never ended; it was simply put on hold. When the Berlin Wall came down and President Reagan meet with Mikhail Gorbachev, it was simply a matter of time before the Big Bad Bear raised its head again.
This administration gave them that chance. Our current foreign policy is a joke, and everyone knows it — especially Putin. He’s sitting in Moscow laughing, waiting for our president to make his next mistake. The problem is he probably won’t need to wait too long.
The next president will have a lot of damage-control to do based on what the Obama administration is doing.
Bob Robustelli
Stamford, Conn.
The cat-and-mouse game between the United States, Russia and Syria reminds me of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Except that back then, we had a promising president.
Matt Engel
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Red line, then no red line. Serious consequences, then an unbelievably small attack. Ignore Congress, then seek its approval.
Obama wasn’t kidding when he told the Russians he’d have more flexibility after the election. The president is obviously seeking the “Gumby” vote.
David Stevens
Bloomingdale, NJ
In light of what has been transpiring with Bashar al-Assad and chemical weapons, it seems as though Obama is less respected than Putin.
Assad would not dare challenge Putin, but practically ignores Obama. The United States, with its feckless leadership, is no longer the power it once was in the eyes of the world community.
This does not bode well for our future.
Chuck Eckstein
Brooklyn
I can’t stand Putin, but you have to give it to him — he is always outsmarting Obama.
Obama isn’t in his league and is completely outclassed.
What we have here is one very smart commie outsmarting a very dumb commie. Unfortunately for us, we have the dumb commie.
Ed Coft
Killeen, Texas
Putin is calling the shots. It is the logical consequence of Obama’s radical-left background, the central belief of which is American muscle in the service of morality is a bad thing.
Whatever one’s position on the advisability of “the shot across the bow,” it’s clear that America, with Obama as commander-in-chief, is being scoffed at and humiliated. And the idea that the United Nations would be capable of rounding up Assad’s chemical weapons is absurd.
Putin enabled Obama to put off the almost certain defeat he faced in Congress on Sept 11.
We can’t begin to imagine what Putin’s favor to Obama will cost us in the future. A clear path to Iranian nukes is a sure bet, for starters.
David Rabinovitz
Brooklyn
Obama has more flexibility now. On a world stage with Putin, he defiantly folded like a cheap chair. Flexible or weak-kneed?
John van Acken
Bellerose
It should be apparent to all that Obama drew the proverbial red line in sand.
He let himself be played by Putin.
Now he is at an impasse — he has to give in to the demands of an enemy who calls himself a friend in public but arms our enemies behind our backs, or he has to save face by attacking a warring country where both sides hate American democracy.
Gregory Topliff
Warrenville, SC