OBAMA'S NATURE, AND OUR PROBLEM – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  Several people have said to me that they can't recall a period more packed with major international news stories, all of them frightening.  That may be true, but we had a preview of what would come right before the last presidential election.  From Andrew Malcolm at IBD:   

Who knew 35 months ago what Barack Obama really meant when he "secretly" pleaded with Russia's Dmitry Medvedev for patience and space so he could steal the 2012 election and gain more "flexibility"?

"On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space," Obama said with a brotherly arm pat, noting 2012 was his last election. Medvedev responded, "I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

It was long thought that Obama's gaffe, caught on an open mic during one of those frequent summits national leaders feel the need for, dealt only with the Democrat giving away more to Russia on missile defense.

But Obama has elongated the nuclear "negotiations" with Iran to no end and Russia's benefit. Obama slapped sanctions on Russia that have surely hurt the Russian economy but produced zero effect on that country's relentless military destabilization of Ukraine.

And Obama has dithered more than a year now, with many more months to come apparently, over providing vital defensive weapons for Ukraine's elected government to fight Russian-backed insurgents. Obama's Codewords: Strategic Patience. Dmitry and Vlad are no doubt appreciative.

Obama talked with the Russian leader Tuesday and, according to the White House, the American threatened to raise the costs for his Ukraine intervention. Economic sanctions have not worked there or in Iran, so more of them will?

Such phone call accounts do not include the other leader's response, which was likely "LOL."

COMMENT:  Very well said.   One of the problems here is that Obama comes from a political class that has all but banned the word "victory."  I remember the reaction of that crowd when Reagan said that his strategy was, "We win, they lose."  The chattering class was aghast.  Such crudeness.  Such lowbrow rhetoric.  Why, he sounds like a movie actor.

And of course he was right.

February 11, 2015