The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Klitschko Might Take On Putin And Win

Posted on | February 23, 2014 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

Who is Vitali Klitschko? As a result of his having lived in Germany and having a sports medicine related doctorate, it turns out Mrs. Other Smitty has actually had a conversation with the fellow. Talk about a small world. Given that Vladimir Putin has a black belt, I’d nominate Klitschko to go a few rounds with Vlad. Can’t think of any other world leaders who’d not leave the ring in a body bag. Vitali promises to be an interesting figure to watch.

Elsewhere, Stacy noted earlier that Yulia Tymoshenko was freed. More from Fox:

Tymoshenko, the long-jailed blond-braided heroine of Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution, left imprisonment on Saturday after the Ukrainian parliament voted to decriminalize the charge on which she was convicted.

She increasingly appears to have the upper hand in the political battle as to who will be the next leader of Ukraine, winning the backing Sunday of a leading Russian lawmaker and congratulations from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. senators on her release.

Tymoshenko’s name circulated Sunday as a possibility for acting prime minister pending May 25 presidential elections, but she issued a statement via her party Sunday asking her supporters not to nominate her for the position.

She may want to focus her energies instead on campaigning for president and building up strength after her imprisonment. She spoke to an excited crowd of about 50,000 in Kiev’s Independence Square Saturday night from a wheelchair because of a back problem aggravated during imprisonment, her voice cracked and her face careworn.

And the Crimea has come out in favor of Russia, an unsurprising move:

Crimea, the only chunk of Ukraine where the revolution has failed to take hold. Connected to the mainland by two narrow passes, this huge peninsula on the Black Sea has long been a land apart, an island of Russian nationalism in a nation drifting toward Europe. One of its biggest cities, Sevastopol, is home to a Russian naval base that houses around 25,000 troops, and most Crimean residents identify themselves as Russians, not Ukrainians.

If five years of U.S. foreign policy implosion is any indicator, we can expect #OccupyResoluteDesk to offer the same vigorous backing to the Ukrainians that was afforded the Green Revolution in Iran. If the no-talent rodeo clown ever met a strongman he didn’t like, I’m unaware of it.

Two months into the 100-year anniversary of WWI, we’ve got unrest in Ukraine, Venezuela, and Thailand. Pray for peace.

Finally, via Twitchy:

Category: Ukraine

Comments

8 Responses to “Klitschko Might Take On Putin And Win”

  1. DaveO
    February 23rd, 2014 @ 6:31 pm

    How many battalions of the Bratva does Klitschko have compared to Putin?

  2. smitty
    February 23rd, 2014 @ 8:00 pm

    Irrelevant to my point about hand-to-hand combat.

  3. DaveO
    February 23rd, 2014 @ 10:13 pm

    Who would keep the match fair and the ring clear of sniperfire?

  4. K-Bob
    February 23rd, 2014 @ 10:59 pm

    Blue helmets!

  5. cmdr358
    February 23rd, 2014 @ 11:03 pm

    Yeah right. They’d be to busy eating popcorn and enjoying watching the fight.

  6. K-Bob
    February 24th, 2014 @ 1:19 am

    …when not busy molesting the local teenage girls.

  7. Adjoran
    February 24th, 2014 @ 4:48 am

    Putin has a habit of “dealing” with opposition that falls somewhat short of what we in the West consider a fair fight.

    The progress, such as there has been, in Ukraine has been the product of diplomacy by Poland, Germany, and France. Any “partition” of Ukraine is a victory for Putin and his new Russian Empire.

    It is just such situations the deterrent effect of a strong and resolute American policy could tip the balance toward a peaceful and just solution. Unfortunately, we have the inept, feckless, and spineless Obama who has already captitulated to Putin on Syria and Iran and is ready to bend over forwards for him on command.

    1063 days, and counting.

  8. @KathieGriffin 360? | Regular Right Guy
    February 24th, 2014 @ 3:39 pm

    […] Klitschko Might Take On Putin And Win […]