Men Will be Boys: Tit for Tat; Honor is the Paramount Concern; Honor for Honor

Ohh.. Ahhh.. Oh ... Obama trumped up his response to the Russia takeover of Crimea with actions and threats of further actions.

The New York Times posted Obama’s Statement on New Sanctions Against Russia.

I will spare you the sap of Obama's address. But interested parties can see US sanction fact sheet here: Ukraine-Related Sanctions.

Are Sanctions Enough?

Fox News asks Is it enough? Obama imposes sanctions on Russian officials over Crimea.

Faced with calls for a swift and stern reaction to Russia's threatened annexation of Crimea, President Obama wielded his executive pen Monday morning, slapping seven in Vladimir Putin's inner circle -- but not the Russian president himself -- with sanctions freezing their U.S. assets.

But almost immediately, some criticized Obama's response as not being enough to change Putin's course.

"The crisis in Ukraine calls for a far more significant response from the United States. Today's Executive Order could be an important part of that response, but sanctioning only seven Russian officials is wholly inadequate at this stage," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement.

McCain also took to Twitter to urge military aid for Ukraine. "Incredibly Pres Obama's stmt didn't mention military assistance to #Ukraine, a sovereign nation that's been invaded by #Russia," he wrote.

Whenever you are looking for war-mongering sap, rest assured McCain is the number one place to look. Short of launching an all-out military attack on Russia, nothing could appease McCain.

Russian Deputy PM Laughs at Obama’s Sanctions

In response to sanctions a Russian Deputy PM Laughs at Obama’s Sanctions.

Russia’s deputy prime minister laughed off President Obama’s sanction against him today  asking “Comrade @BarackObama” if “some prankster” came up with the list.

The Obama administration hit 11 Russian and Ukrainian officials with sanctions today as punishment for Russia’s support of Crimea’s referendum. Among them: aides to President Vladimir Putin, a top government official, senior lawmakers, Crimean officials, the ousted president of Ukraine, and a Ukrainian politician and businessman allegedly tied to violence against protesters in Kiev.

Rogozin, a friend of actor Steven Seagal,  took to Twitter to tweak Obama, tweeting  he thinks “some prankster” came up with the sanctions list

In a later tweet addressed to “Comrade @BarackObama,” he asked, “what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn’t think about it?”

Another Russian on the sanctions list, Vladislav Surkov, also seemed unconcerned.

Surkov, a top Putin ideologue often called the Kremlin’s grey cardinal, reportedly told a Russian newspaper, “It’s a big honor for me. I don’t have accounts abroad. The only things that interest me in the U.S. are Tupac Shakur, Allen Ginsberg, and Jackson Pollock. I don’t need a visa to access their work. I lose nothing.”

Honor for Honor

This is a rare case of US-Russia "honor for honor". Not only is Vladislav Surkov honored, so is senator John McCain.

McCain Honored

Please consider the Daily Beast report Russia Will Sanction U.S. Senators

Putin is set to respond to Obama's sanctions of Russian officials with his own list. Several U.S. Senators and officials will be banned from visiting Russia, including Sen. Dick Durbin.

Putin is expected to release his retaliation list as early as Tuesday and while the final list is still being crafted, it will include top Obama administration officials and high profile U.S. senators, in an effort to roughly mirror the U.S. sanctions against Russian officials and lawmakers, according to diplomatic sources. At the top of the list in Congress is Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who recently co-authored a resolution criticizing Russia’s invasion of Crimea.

Durbin’s inclusion on Putin’s list would mirror Obama’s naming of Valentina Matvienko, the head of the upper chamber of the Russian Duma. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are not expected to be on the Russian sanctions list.

UPDATE: Durbin told The Daily Beast in a statement Monday: "My Lithuanian-born mother would be proud her son made Vladimir Putin’s American enemies list."

Sen. John McCain, who traveled to Kiev last weekend to meet with Ukrainian leaders, told The Daily Beast that he expects to be on the list and is happy about it.

“You think I’m not going to be on it?” McCain said. “I would be honored to be on that list.”

There you have it. McCain is honored and so is Vladislav Surkov.

Will Sanction Stupidity End Now?

Will the stupidity end with "honor for honor"?

Let's hope so, but I doubt it. McCain and his war-mongering consortium will pressure Obama for more sanctions. If Obama obliges, Russia will respond "tit for tat".

Freeze Russian assets in the US and Russia will freeze US assets in Russia. Hmmm. What country do you think will fare worse in that trade?

But what if Russia cuts off Europe's supply of natural gas?

Men Will be Boys

Clearly we cannot concern ourselves with such things as a European gas shutoff. After all, it's Europe at risk, not the US. More importantly, we all know "honor is the paramount concern".

The saying goes "boys will be boys". I propose "men will be boys".

It's a matter of honor.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com