Who Can Deal with a Madman?
After 23 years of dictatorship, has Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Waterloo?
Early Friday morning, Michael McFaul retweeted Russian investigative journalist Andrei Solatov’s tweet that in the three weeks since the beginning of the war on Ukraine, Putin has “humiliated” the director of his foreign intelligence service, placed two federal security service generals under house arrest and forced the head of Russia’s national guard fire his deputy.
McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012-14, responds, “Wow. This is significant. Splits in the ruling class is often one of the triggers of autocratic collapse.” … (Hat tip, Charlie Sykes at The Bulwark.)
As the U.S. and NATO resist Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls for a no-fly zone, the hope is Putin’s regime will collapse under its own weight. More John LeCarre than Tom Clancy.
Is Friday’s Russian missile attack on an aircraft maintenance facility near central Lviv, 45 miles east of the Polish border a sign of resolve, or proof of Putin’s desperation? Is he determined to directly involve NATO?
Meanwhile…
President Biden Friday had his first phone call with China President Xi Jingping since Russia’s invasion in order to put pressure on the Putin ally amidst fears Beijing instead will offer military equipment and aid.
Key to convincing Putin to agree to a ceasefire is allowing him to save face as Ukraine continues to fight back effectively. U.S. intelligence officials put the number of Russian soldiers killed in the war at more than 7,000, greater than the number of U.S. troops killed in various conflicts over the last 20 years, Newsweek reports. Other reports place the number of Russian dead at more than 10,000. Four of the 20 Russian generals in Ukraine have been killed since the war began February 24, though Putin has acknowledged just one killed, in a March 3 televised address.
Russia’s invasion is “basically frozen” on the ground, The Washington Post reports. The United Nations has confirmed more than 1,900 civilian deaths in Ukraine.
U.S. Politics Steps In …
“The Ukrainian president's speech before Congress was a triumph, cementing his hero status and showing off the kind of courage Americans are left longing for in this administration. Now, as the war enters its fourth week, voters are even more disgusted by the White House's response to Russia -- agreeing (in greater numbers now) that he's mishandled this crisis too.” —Tony Perkins, Family Research Council, March 17.
Yesterday a bill passed the House that will suspend permanent normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. It passed 424-8.
The eight are all Republicans:
· Andy Biggs (AZ)
· Dan Bishop (NC)
· Lauren Boebert (CO)
· Matt Gaetz (FL)
· Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA)
· Glenn Grothman (WI)
· Tom Massie (KY)
· Chip Roy (TX)
The Family Research Council sent out emails to Republican lawmakers as it is against the bill.
Punchbowl News writes:
“FRC complained the House bill modifies the Magnitsky Act. It would allow the Biden administration to ‘push a radical social agenda both here and abroad which is a problem for a host of reasons, not the least of which is emboldening other nations to target their citizens because they don’t believe the United States will oppose them,’ according to an email from the FRC.”
This pro-life organization needs to know that more than 100 living children have died in Ukraine.
Perhaps that sentence above should be modified: “Now, as the war enters its fourth week, voters are even more disgusted by the eight Congress members and the FRC’s response to Russia.”
They can’t have it both ways.
‘Moscow Rose’
Fox News’ American propagandist for Vladimir Putin and Russia, Tucker Carlson, argues “if (he, Carlson, is) a propagandist, so is Zelenskyy,” according to The Recount, which we presume assigns the loser of a newsroom lottery to regularly watch Tucker Carlson Tonight.
--Todd Lassa, Gary S. Vasilash and Charles Dervarics