Rev. Blackmouth,

I spoke too soon about Putin wanting a shootin' war. He doesn't; nobody with half a brain or more wants war with the U.S. I agree that Obama is no obstacle to Putin's intentions. Obama is a complete fvck up in foreign policy/diplomacy unfortunately. Definitely not acting like a brainiac. Sorta' reminding me of some of Bush's gaffes.

I don't know that Putin wants to re-establish all of the former Soviet Union, but it looks like it's in Russia's national interest to retain resource rich and strategic locations like Georgia and Ukraine. Unkraine has the major Black Sea port on the Crimea, and many of the major oil and natural gas pipelines connecting Russia to Europe run through Ukraine. All important assets to the Russian mafia that runs Russia.

T.J.,

Good summary. What do you know about Ukraine? Have the Crimeans always been Russian? Or did it gradually become so over the USSR years? My limited understanding is that Ukraine has never been a single united entity by culture or ethnicity, so divisiveness is normal there. Do you know if that is correct?

Sg