Standing ovation for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for speaking truth to power on the matter of Vladimir Putin using a tactic today similar to one used by Adolf Hitler prior to the Second World War, when Hitler falsely claimed he was protecting German ethnic nationals in neighboring nations before attacking those nations.
You bet Hitler used that tactic. You bet Putin is using it today. You bet Clinton was right in saying it, and repeating this point for emphasis, which she did. You bet Putin noticed, which he undoubtedly did. And that's good for America, Europe, freedom and Ukraine.
Clinton never said Putin is like Hitler in planning to start a world war or creating concentration camps. It is not surprising that certain shallow, lazy and uninformed folks in the media, who know little about anything except short-term campaign tactics, gave inaccurate interpretations of what she said and then criticized her for saying things she never said.
This is why Clinton is by far the most powerful potential presidential candidate for 2016 and they are not. This is why Republican cheap shots against Clinton over Benghazi have totally failed. I repeated my views about Ukraine, Middle East peace and Iran in my latest column calling Secretary of State John Kerry the warrior diplomat. Today I would add the following: The U.S. should step back from "talks" with Putin and Russia, and immediately convene a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders, preferably within days at a place such as Warsaw, to finalize and announce strong, aggressive economic sanctions and other policies that will go into effect if Putin and Russia continue on their dangerous and illegal path.
Germany and Britain in particular should make it clear, at a summit with other democratic leaders, they will join the United States and others in strong economic sanctions if needed. The Russian attacks against Ukraine must not stand. The bogus and illegal Crimean referendum on seceding from Ukraine, now scheduled for within the month, must not stand.
Certain Republicans in Congress should stop taking political shots at President Obama or Clinton about the current crisis. By playing politics they help Putin and hurt America.
The U.S. and our democratic allies must now stand together, preferably in a preemptive Group of Seven summit, to send a message to Putin that we stand strongly together.