Tuesday, October 29, 2013

We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us

The funny thing is, the Russians think we are engaged in a vast conspiracy to absorb every bit of the former Soviet Union.

Russia would like to rebuild the Soviet Union's territorial expanse. If only that was true that we had a grand plan to prevent that. The glorious team of rivals that President Obama guides is pulling the wagon apart by running in different directions:

While the State Department has been promoting Ukraine’s integration with Europe, Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission are on the verge of taxing, and effectively banning steel pipes, one of Ukraine’s key imports to America, partly at the behest of a company owned by Russia.

Critics say the conflicting policies by State and Commerce at this delicate juncture reflect strategic drift by President Obama.

"At a moment when the U.S. and the EU are encouraging Ukraine to resist Russia's economic bullying and take difficult reform steps to achieve an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU, a U.S. move to block Ukrainian exports contradicts U.S. interests,” said Robert Zoellick, the former head of the World Bank. “It's a frustrating example of policy incoherence."

Yeah, the word "competence" obviously comes to mind with this administration every week.

Tip to Instapundit. And apologies to Pogo.