Putin will do the job

At least President Obama got something half right: He drew the red line in Syria and, as usual, failed. He has the red part right. He now has the Red Army in Syria. Russia has been a 60-year partner with the Assad regime, so why are we surprised Russian President Vladimir Putin would not take action to support his ally?

I would do the exact same thing Putin is doing to support his ally in the face of the most feckless and weak U.S. foreign policy. Putin is doing what leadership is: Taking advantage of a situation that has exposed a weakling and will continue to push the limits to achieve the designated goal: umm, maybe winning?

Let Putin take the lead, and I bet ISIS will be annihilated within a year. In the meantime, Defense Secretary Ash Carter can figure out not to stammer too much about how Russia is being “unprofessional.”

Here is what’s next: Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Carter will go to the United Nations to whine that Russia is unprofessional. Really. That’s all you got?

Steve Hintyesz

Spokane