Played, by Putin?

NOTE: The following is OPINION. It is the Point of View of the author and he alone takes full responsibility for the content therein

It’s amazing how much things can change in a matter of two weeks. Two weeks ago, right here in this blog, I felt certain that the United States would take some form of action against the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Something. Anything.

I felt certain that our nation’s leadership would step up and do the right thing, in the right way. Something. Anything.

Boy, was I wrong.

Our leadership dillied and dallied and danced around and further lost the support, and respect, of We, the People.

Two weeks ago, I said “We still have a pair.”

A few days ago, in an Op/Ed article posted by the New York Times, Vladimir Putin, aka ‘Vlad the Impaler’, President of the Russian Federation, said “No. You don’t.”

Son, where I come from, them’s fightin’ words.

Americans are angered over Putin’s Op/Ed, one that denies our ‘Exceptionalism.’

But Vlad the Impaler should not be the target of our anger. Rather, it should be directed toward the failed leadership we have been forced to endure under the Obama administration and the so-called ‘representatives’, both Liberal and Conservative, that only seek air-time on the various news outlets to further their own agendas.

We were promised ‘Hope and Change,’ and quickly saw politics as usual. We were promised ‘Transparency,’ while deals were made behind closed doors. We were promised a reduction in unemployment, as we watched it skyrocket to new heights, only just recently falling to the initial proposed “No more than eight percent.”

(And we don’t really trust those figures)

We were promised honesty and trust, as we are still calling for answers regarding the IRS targeting, NSA spying, and the Benghazi consulate attack.

We were promised competence and full disclosure, as we saw the underhanded, incompetent dealings of USAG Eric (the With) Holder, Janet Napolitano, and as Queen Hillary gave her infamous, flustered “What difference does it make?” response.

We were promised an effective government of, by, and for We, the People, and we saw it grow out of control and create something akin to a Socialist Welfare State, full of government intrusion, spying, and ‘strong-arm’ tactics against journalists and others that call into question some of governments’ actions.

Yeah, We, the People, have a right to be angry. We watched “Whose Red Line is it, Anyway” and came away disgusted with the Hawks that wanted to strike, simply for the sake of wanting to shoot something, and the Progressives that wanted us to, yet again, get involved in another nation’s internal issues, simply for the sake of introducing ‘Democracy’ to a culture that has never known the concept, in order to ‘feel good about ourselves.’

Too many factions in play and not enough reliable intelligence at hand.

So, not knowing what to do, because they have never done well with confrontation, Team Obama, along with the self-serving members of Congress, with first and goal, punted the Syrian ball, and it landed right in the arms of Vladimir Putin, who returned it for a touchdown.

The Two-point conversion was Putin’s Op/Ed that scored big time for the tyrannical megalomaniac.

The simple fact is that Vlad the Impaler played Obama and ‘Lurch’ Kerry like a Balalaika, and that should come as no surprise. Putin is a consummate politician, iron-fisted leader, and shameless self-promoter. Were he American, he would be likened to Donald Trump.

Putin’s Op/Ed was meant to anger us. It was meant to have us rise up and challenge his observation. One thing Russians respect, more than anything else, is strength of conviction.

The Obama administration, by failing to take any type of action to the use of chemical weapons is Syria, by first wanting to strike, then waiting, then consulting that ineffective entity known as the UN, then putting off a potential confrontation, placed American Foreign Policy directly into the iron fist of Vlad the Impaler.

The Obama administration has demonstrated nothing more than weakness and indecision in a situation that should never have escalated to the debacle it has now become, one that has shamed every single one of us who holds this nation dear.

Putin hopes that our anger will cause us to do something foolish. And we can only hope that cooler heads prevail, lest Vlad the Impaler come to be known as Vlad the Peacemaker.

Yes, We, the People, have indeed been played.

We’ve been played by those on the Right that screamed for military action, regardless of the American lives that would be lost.

We’ve been played by those on the Left that have demanded that government take care of them from ‘Cradle to Grave’, all the while seeking to aide nations that have never even given a simple “Thank you” in return.

We’ve been played by career politicians, both Conservative and Liberal, who seek nothing more than to add to their own feelings of ‘self-importance.’

To prove ourselves ‘Exceptional’ to the likes of Vladimir Putin, and other tyrants who really don’t deserve a second thought, we need to concentrate on what’s best for America first and foremost.

We need to, once again, become a strong nation.

A strong nation is one that has a strong economy. One that has a wealth of jobs, and manufactures quality goods for its own people, and exports to others that also want those goods.

A strong nation is not dependent on foreign oil or other energy sources

A strong nation considers the needs of its people first, before ever considering the needs of another nation.

A strong nation does not allow the vodka-induced opinions of frustrated Mixed Martial Arts wannabes to anger us.

We need to end ‘Foreign Aid’ to nations that are all too quick to turn against us. We need to stop unnecessary spending on stupid, wasteful government programs that benefit nobody but some ‘representative’s’ Pork-barrel.

We need to become self-reliant on energy, and utilize the abundant natural resources we have available.

We need to use our military to defend our borders, and protect American citizens here, and those stationed abroad.

We need to quit concerning ourselves with the turmoil of every other insignificant nation on this planet and only take care of what serves America, and We, the People, best.

Oh, and Vlad, in response to your statement that America is not exceptional, I’d like to leave you with an old Russian proverb my Grandmama told me when I was a wee Malchik:

“Вы можете совать спальный косолапый, но когда он просыпается, он по-прежнему будет быстрее и сильнее, чем вы.”

(You can poke a sleeping bruin, but when he awakes, he will still be stronger and faster than you.)

Si vis Pacem, Para-Frakin’-Bellum