Leaked: Obama's Workout / Putin's Workout (This is embarrassing)

This is embarrassing.

Fun Video: Vladimir Putin reviews The Barack Obama Workout!

This came out last year, but I missed it.

Putin wags the nuclear dog...

Obama is weak. Putin knows it. 

Russia has threatened to use “nuclear force” to defend its annexation of Crimea and warned that the “same conditions” that prompted it to take military action in Ukraine exist in the three Baltic states, all members of Nato.

According to notes made by an American at a meeting between Russian generals and US officials – and seen by The Times newspaper - Moscow threatened a “spectrum of responses from nuclear to non-military” if Nato moved more forces into Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Russians told the meeting, which took place in Germany last month, that an attempt to return Crimea to Ukraine would be met “forcefully including through the use of nuclear force”.

The Russians need to put President Vladimir V. Putin's picture on milk cartons...or vodka bottles...

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has been missing from public for over a week.

MOSCOW — Where’s Putin?
The question obsessed Moscow and much of Russia on Friday, as speculation mounted as to why President Vladimir V. Putin had not been seen in public for more than a week.
He abruptly canceled a trip to Kazakhstan and postponed a treaty signing with representatives from South Ossetia who were reportedly told not to bother to fly to Moscow. Most unusually, he was absent from an annual meeting of the top officials from the F.S.B., Russia’s domestic intelligence service.
The rumor mill went into overdrive, churning out possible explanations from the simple to the salacious to the sinister. He had been stricken by the particularly devastating strain of flu going around Moscow just now. He sneaked off to Switzerland for the birth of his love child. He had a stroke. The victim of a palace coup, he was imprisoned within the Kremlin. He was dead, aged 62.
Dmitry S. Peskov, the presidential spokesman, treated all the health questions with a certain wry humor initially, coming up with new and inventive ways to say, “He’s fine.”
Yet, the fact that the story proved impossible to quash underscored the uneasy mood gripping the Russian capital for months now, an atmosphere in which speculation about the health of just one man can provoke fears about death and succession.
Keep reading…

Former Vladimir Putin adviser: Putin realizes that this politician is the most ineffective US president in entire history

Vladmir Putin senses Obama's weakness and is taking advantage:

Such a statement has been made by Andrey Illarionov, a former Vladimir Putin’s advisor. In an interview to a Polish portal “Plus Minus”, he evaluates and explains the policy of Russia, wPolityce news source writes.
“It is inevitable that the Russian intervention will take place. The only question is, when exactly. Russia had never concealed that, as it had started to destabilize the situation in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, as well as in Latvia and Bulgaria, long ago. I believe that in the next two years a culminating point of these actions is going to happen. Let us remember that exactly the same time is left until the end of Obama’s term. Vladimir Putin realizes that this politician is the most ineffective US president in entire history. He knows that he should use the weakness of Barack Obama before the next presidential election in the US as soon as possible,” the expert said.
Andrey Illarionov is convinced that if a more serious and powerful politician were in the White House, it would not be so easy for Vladimir Putin to pursue his aggressive policy.

Wounded Bear Update: Putin Cancels New Year Holidays for Government Officials

The Russian economy is in crisis because of falling oil prices. Fracking for the win.

Via NZ Herald:

Russia’s economy will shrink by around 4 per cent next year as a result of falling oil prices and ongoing financial turmoil, its finance minister has warned. Anton Siluanov said lower revenues would force the Government to increase its budget deficit and raid reserves to make up the shortfall.
His warnings came as President Vladimir Putin scrapped New Year holidays for Government officials because of the unfolding economic crisis.
“If incomes are lower and the main spending is fully financed, then we’ll have to use reserves and increase the deficit,” said Siluanov.
He said if oil prices stayed around US$60 a barrel the economy would contract 4 per cent and the budget deficit would be “considerably higher” next year.
“One year with a deficit isn’t so scary, the most important thing is to prepare future budgets,” he said. It came as Russia’s central bank said authorities had quadrupled the amount they would pump into the Trust Bank in the country’s second-largest bank bail-out.
Keep on reading…

Putin to West: "It's best not to mess with us."

Playing the nuclear card...

LAKE SELIGER Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces, backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's best not to mess with us."

Putin told the assembly, on the banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian takeover of Crimea in March was essential to save a largely Russian-speaking population from Ukrainian government violence.

He said continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists launched an uprising in April, was the result of a refusal by Kiev to negotiate.

Ukraine, and Western governments, accuse Russia of sending troops and armor to back the separatists in a conflict that has already killed over 2,000 people. Russia denies the charge.

"Russia is far from being involved in any large-scale conflicts," he said at the camp on the banks of Lake Seliger."We don't want that and don't plan on it. But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression towards Russia.

Report: Terrorist leaders in eastern Ukraine fleeing for their lives...

Putin has a lot of forces massed on the border. His cronies in Ukraine are losing in a big way.  Putin will have to throw in the towel or invade. I would say it's 50-50.

Massive flight of terrorists is observed in the gangs headed by Strilok, Chechen, Boatswain, Mozhovy, [all aliases] and other leaders,” he said.
“The pro-Russian militants are aware of their imminent defeat.  In Ukraine, they will be destroyed by the Ukrainian army. In Russia, they will be wasted as Putin ordered body guards to shoot all militants coming from Ukraine.
Moreover, Putin gave an order to kill the terrorists’ leaders [probably, to avoid their being tried by courts and shedding light on Putin’s atrocities]. There is information that FSB-GRU killer squad is to come to Ukraine soon to do the work,” Shkiryak said.

Friday Fun Video: Putin Sings 'Come Back Barry, When You Grow A Pair' - SPOOF Via RUSH

RUSH: Putin Sings 'Come Back Barry, When You Grow A Pair' - SPOOF 

Is Obama trying to kill Putin by causing him to laugh himself to death?

There just doesn't seem to be another rational explanation...

MOSCOW – 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.
It remains to be seen whether the sanctions will dissuade Russia from annexing Crimea, but one an early clue that they will not be effective came just hours later when President Putin signed a decree recognizing Crimea as an independent state, perhaps an early step towards annexation.
U.S. official have warned of additional sanctions for Russian action, hoping it will deter Russia from any further aggression towards Ukraine, but it didn’t appear to upset the often outspoke Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.[...]
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.”

Sad: 78 percent view Putin as strong leader; only 45 percent see Obama the same way

How embarrassing... 

Via Washington Examiner:

Maybe it is the photos of him posing shirtless on horseback, or his military push into Ukraine, but Americans in a new poll believe RussianPresident Vladimir Putin is a much stronger leader than President Obama.
A YouGov/Economist survey of 1,000 adults interviewed March 8-10 found that 78 percent view Putin as somewhat to very strong leader. Just 45 percent see Obama the same way. Worse, more Americans, 55 percent, view Obama as a weak leader.
The poll comes as the president is struggling with a response to Putin’s push into Ukraine and expectations that Crimea will break off and join Russia.
Keep on reading…

Russian Reset Update: Putin Test-Fires An ICBM

Putin wrestles bears shirtless. Obama rides a bicycle wearing mamma jeans. This isn't going to end well for us.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said it had successfully test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Tuesday, with tensions running high over its military intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region.

A U.S. official said the United States had received proper notification from Russia ahead of the test and that the initial notification pre-dated the crisis in Crimea. The Russian Defence Ministry could not be reached for comment.

The Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from the southerly Astrakhan region and the dummy warhead hit its target at a proving ground in Kazakhstan, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov told state-run news agency RIA.

After a week of getting schooled by Putin, Obama heads to the golf course for 27 holes...

 Obama didn't stand a chance against the former KGB master...


Via Politico:

After morning briefings on the crisis in Syria, President Obama played 27 holes at Andrews Air Force base, according to the White House. Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon, hosts of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” and aide Marvin Nicholson joined the six-hour golf game.

Amusing: White House Petition for Obama to give his Nobel peace Prize to Vladimir Putin

This petition only needs 1500 more votes and it runs to October 11, 2013. I can't wait for the White House response. 

Where as Mr. Obama made a sincere commitment to starting a war with Syria, engaging our military in unwanted conflict, and doing so without the support of his people we resolve that Mr. Obama should deliver the Nobel Peace prize given to him in 2009 to a man of Peace, the President of Russia, Mr. Putin. Where as Mr. Putin enabled the United States to avoid an unwanted and unwarranted military action he has brought us to the "brink" of peace.

Image of the Day: Obama and Putin Seem Unhappy or Something...

I guess things aren't going well with the reset Obama promised...

US President Barack Obama (L) holds a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 summit at the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland,

Russian President Vladimir Putin endorses Obama's massive spying program...

Well, that settles it then...

Via WaPo:

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the massive U.S. surveillance programs, revealed last week by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, “generally practicable” and “the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.” His comments, made in a far-ranging interview to the state-backed news network RT, seemed to defend programs that have been deeply controversial in the United States and much of Europe, offering an endorsement that the Obama administration is probably not thrilled to receive.

He said of the New York city police response to Occupy Wall Street, in a comment that seemed consistent with much of his sympathy toward controversial U.S. programs, “That’s the way it’s done in the U.S., and that’s the way it’s done in Russia.” That’s not really true, of course – the United States doesn’t sentence people who sing anti-Obama songs to labor camps – but it is unlikely to convince many U.S. critics of NSA or drone programs.

“He told us nothing we didn’t know before,” Putin said of Snowden, apparently declining the opportunity to criticize the United States, a surprising move given his government’s sometimes stringent attacks on U.S. policy, for example during the recent controversy over American adoptions of Russian children. [...]

Actual Good News: Russia Willing To Cooperate In Chechen Terrorist Investigation...

Via Tumblr

The Russians really don't like Chechen terrorists and for a very good set of reasons...


 Ria Novosti reported:

United States and Russia might join efforts in the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings if the suspects’ ties to Russia are confirmed, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Saturday.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia has not yet received an official confirmation of the identities of two bombings suspects with reported family roots in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus, but signaled that Russia is open for cooperation with the U.S. in the case.

“As all the circumstances and details get cleared, I think, our intelligence agencies will be in conctact” over the case, Peskov said in an interview with Rossia 24 state TV channel on Saturday.

On Friday, President Obama thanked Putin for his condolences, and praised the close cooperation that the United States has received from Russia on counter-terrorism, including in the wake of the Boston attack that killed at least three earlier this week. Earlier on Tuesday, Putin offered Russia’s assistance in the investigation.

The only remaining suspect in the bombings, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was taken into custody late Friday after a massive manhunt which followed a shootout with police on Thursday night in which his brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan, was fatally injured.

Report: Twitter performing censorship for Russia's Putin...

Shameful if true...

Via PJ Media:

If you have been following the Internet crackdown underway in Russia, you will not be surprised to learn that Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin has recruited many websites — which are either terrified of his wrath or interested in currying his favor — to help crush and eradicate criticism of his government online.

However, you may be surprised to learn that one of those websites is Twitter.

The Moscow Times reported last week that — according to the Kremlin itself — for the past several weeks Twitter has been blocking Russian access to any tweets designated by the Kremlin as “extremist.” Twitter has also deleted at least one user account at the Kremlin’s request. On its applicable agency website (known by its acronym Roskomnadzor), the Kremlin praises Twitter’s management team for its “constructive position” in reconfiguring its website in a manner “acceptable to Russian side.”

Flexibility: Obama cancels final phase of a Europe-based missile defense system

Vladimir Putin and Russians are most happy about this decision...

Via NY Times:

MOSCOW — The United States has effectively canceled the final phase of a Europe-based missile defense system that was fiercely opposed by Russia and cited repeatedly by the Kremlin as a major obstacle to cooperation on nuclear arms reductions and other issues.

Russian officials here have so far declined to comment on the announcement, which was made in Washington on Friday by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as part of a plan to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors to counter North Korea. The cancellation of some European-based defenses will allow resources to be shifted to protect against North Korea. 

Aides to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said there would be no reaction until early next week, when they expect to be briefed by American officials.
Keep reading…

You may remember Obama told Dmitry Medvedev, in a 'hot mic' moment, he would be more flexible after the election...

Flexibility Alert: Vladimir Putin claims President Barack Obama is planning to visit Russia

 Putin must be drooling at the prospect...

The Weekly Standard:

Russian president Vladimir Putin claims President Barack Obama is planning to visit Russia, the outlet RIA Novosti reports.

"US President Barack Obama has confirmed plans to visit Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Russian president’s spokesman said on Tuesday," the Russian outlet reports. "Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Obama made the statement when Putin called a second time to congratulate the US president on his reelection."