America is renowned for many things that Republicans claim make it exceptional, and to be fair America is exceptional, but in no other area is this country special than its practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which its own behavior does not conform. Republicans have made hypocrisy their own particularly exceptional trait and their response to Russia’s threat of military intervention in Ukraine must certainly be their crowning hypocritical achievement. The only aspect of a majority of Republicans’ sabre rattling and demands President Obama abandon his “diplomacy first” policy that is not purely hypocritical is their apparent lust for war; otherwise they are rank hypocrites for condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a thug for defending Russia’s interests.
It was just thirteen years ago that America, under a Republican thug, launched a pre-emptive attack and invasion of a sovereign nation halfway around the globe to protect America’s interests; sadly American forces are still fighting in Afghanistan. Barely two years later, thug George W. Bush and his criminal administration lied to Americans, the United Nations, and the world to launch another pre-emptive invasion into another sovereign nation that the Bush administration claimed was to defend America’s interests as well as ferret out weapons of mass destruction that Bush, Cheney, and neo-con warmongers knew full well were non-existent. In both cases, neither Iraq nor Afghanistan attacked America or threatened its interests in the region or on American soil; a terrorist organization, al Qaeda, planned and carried out the attacks on America on 9/11.
Why then, after protestors in Ukraine pressured its president to flee resulting in chaos and instability in such close proximity to Russia have Republicans criticized Putin as a thug and demanded that President Obama take action to confront Russia for threatening to do what George W. Bush and America did on two separate occasions just little over a decade ago? Obviously, it is because they are hypocrites and regard America’s imperialistic tendencies under a Republican president the unquestionable privilege of an exceptional nation because they love wars.
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Republicans claim Putin is a thug for threatening to intervene in a sovereign nation’s internal affairs, and yet they condemned President Obama for not taking military action to intervene in Syria and Libya’s internal affairs as a result of protestors seeking to oust their nations’ leadership. As an aside, Republicans have never, not even once, called for American military action against Israeli aggression, land grabs, and interference in Palestine that demonstrates the level of hypocrisy inherent in Republican ranks. The same Republicans calling Russian president Putin a thug applauded Bush’s aggression as heroic and assailed any American failing to support Bush as a traitor who did not support the troops.
It is noteworthy that when America launched its wars of aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia did not threaten America with sanctions or expulsion from the Group of Eight major industrialized nations (G8) even though they opposed Bush’s invasion madness. In fact, Republicans were apoplectic when France criticized Bush’s invasion of Iraq and railed against the French childishly renaming French fries “freedom fries” to demonstrate their outrage that another nation opposed Bush’s invasion of Iraq. It is also noteworthy that about the only person currently in Washington who did not support the thug Bush’s invasion of Iraq is President Obama who, as an Illinois state senator, publicly opposed the invasion of Iraq.
Yesterday, Putin held in abeyance Russia’s right to invade Eastern Ukraine and reserved the right to protect Russians living in the region. Putin said the Russian troops stationed in Crimea, where Russia keeps its Black Sea fleet, have only been securing their bases and it is without doubt that America would take the same actions if instability in a sovereign nation threatened an American naval base. In fact, President Obama understands that Putin does have an vested interest in Ukraine’s internal affairs but said, “I think everybody recognizes that, although Russia has legitimate interests in what happens in a neighboring state, that does not give it the right to use force as a means of exerting influence inside of that state.” At least President Obama has been consistent in his position that no nation, including America, has the right to use military force against, much less invade and conquer like the thug Bush, a sovereign nation to exert its influence.
It is likely that the threat of sanctions and expulsion from G8 influenced Putin’s decision to hold off on plans to invade Ukraine, but it is just as likely it was the devastating economic consequences the Russian leader’s actions set in motion. On Monday, Russian stocks, bonds, and the rouble plummeted with the Moscow stock market falling 10.8% wiping nearly $60 billion off the value of Russian companies. Russia’s central bank spent over $10 billion of its reserves to prop up the rouble because investors freaked out over possible sanctions from the West as a result of Putin’s actions. President Obama said, “Over time this will be a costly proposition for Russia. And now is the time for them to consider whether they can serve their interests in a way that resorts to diplomacy as opposed to force.”
This is the second time in less than a month Republicans have revealed themselves as blatant hypocrites. Last month they belied their strongly-held ideology that government has no right to interfere with private businesses when Republican Senator Bob Corker and Tennessee Republicans intervened and interfered with Volkswagen employees to prevent the workforce from enjoying union representation. Now they are condemning Russian president Putin as a thug for doing far less than thug George W. Bush when he invaded not one, but two sovereign nations under the guise of “protecting America’s interests” halfway around the world and they have the audacity to demand a military confrontation to stop Russia.
A month ago Republicans heralded the “thug” Putin’s attack on gays as a thing to behold and a model for America to follow, and yet his Republican bona fides went out the window because he sent Russian troops to allegedly secure the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Republicans have still not condemned Bush, for pre-emptive war and invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, or acknowledged their culpability in supporting those still incredibly costly and deadly wars. In fact, Republicans have criticized President Obama mercilessly for not repeating Bush’s “thuggery” in at least three other sovereign Middle Eastern nations and now have the temerity to assail Putin as a thug. America is only capable of condemning Putin’s actions in Ukraine because President Obama has rejected Republican calls to intervene militarily in other nation’s internal affairs and because he “resorted to diplomacy as opposed to force” to affect resolution; something hypocritical warmongering Republicans will never comprehend.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
