As one who used to see him in a somewhat positive light - I am utterly disappointed. I didn't think he was capable of such evil mayhem. And man I thought he was smarter than this - - he went in thinking it was easy - no different than the NeoCons George W to believe about Iraq. I also regret----that the West made so many indications re enlarging NATO. Heck - what would America do if China was gonna sign security gurantees and make Mexico weapon up? I wish there wa an attempt to say "Ok, No more NATO additions....but if you even look at someone the wrong way, every day will be NATO up all of your bodily cavities". Also curious - - Russia invades. - and their economy is shut down, their Big Macs are confiscated. China routinely steals American secrets, is OPENLY committing genocide in camps - - and of course, the S&P 500 Left isn't militant about it. So - - here we are. People dying. Kids. Geez. Oh well, Big Defense is in for a nice decade. More European 'nations' can be happy to get American security guarantees. (Yeah they seem to stop shouting imperial and bully when they need something) Then again - selective outrage, is a hallmark of discriminatory Europeans, and the sons of Europeans - America.

Anyhow, it's not like the early 2000s. And it's not like the mid-late 2010's. It's 2022.

In 2014 - - when Putin's poodle was in office, Putin took Crimea.

In 2022 -- with Putin's poodle in office.....Putin took more.

Isn't this better than Putin having cordial exchanges without President in the early 2000's or the late 2010's? Yeah it is. Cause we hate "Putin!!!" and the very arsenal we used to want to "freeze" is now at our disposal and the very "capitalism!" we bemoan gives us levers to pull.

Anyway - Putin makes a day trip.

apnews.com - Russia ukraine war

"Russia's Putin makes surprise trip to occupied Mariupol"

Hey, Premiere XI? Keep up the re-education camps. Your soulmates on the coasts of America will keep up Permanent Normalized Trade Relations - - but as they slowly realize the hole they are in they'll eke out a few tech transfer bans - - stuff they used to shout "isolationist! Protectionist!" about....