Yeah, safe to say -at this point- Russia did it.

#BREAKING: Putin says airplane disaster would not have happened if Kiev had not renewed military operation against rebels in east Ukraine

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014

#BREAKING: Russia's Putin says Kiev bears responsibility for crash of passenger plane because it was brought down in Ukraine: RIA

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014

Remember this is NOT the first time Russia has shot down a passenger airplane and tried to deny it.   1983 KAL-007 took years before the “Soviets” admitted it.

MAJOR UPDATE – U.S. Intelligence confirm a surface to air missile was used to shoot down MH-17 Passenger Plane.

In addition a recent release of ground conversation between Russian groups and Ukrainian Rebel separatists friendly to Russia show they talked about shooting it down and discussed after:

Igor Bezler: We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakievo.
Vasili Geranin: Pilots. Where are the pilots?
IB: Gone to search for and photograph the plane. It’s smoking.
VG: How many minutes ago?
IB: About 30 minutes ago.

After examining the site of the plane the terrorists come to the conclusion that they have shot down a civilian plane. The next part of the conversation took place about 40 minutes later. (more…)

Marie Harf is rapidly making a name for herself. Unfortunately it might not be quite the name she had in mind.

Always proud of @statedeptspox; she deals in facts #attacksareabadgeofhonor

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) June 8, 2014

One of the more comical aspects to watching Hillary Clinton say her most significant accomplishment was she “rebuilt the image of the U.S. around the world“, is the abject ridiculous nature of the proclamation.   Intelligent folk will remember the 2010 State Dept WikiLeaks controversy which led to Hillary spending the better part of the following year apologizing to every head of State for the belittlement from her staff.

Then again, there’s always THIS little nugget she likes to keep tucked under the rug.

Apparently things haven’t changed much.   Today Secretary John Kerry took to twitter to defend his peeps yet again.

Always proud of @statedeptspox; she deals in facts #attacksareabadgeofhonor

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) June 8, 2014

This stems from Jen Psaki being called out by the international EU community for absurd statements around Ukraine. Despite the New York Times rising to her defense, *cough* “she’s being misinterpreted” *cough*.

[Psaki] has also been criticized for using the phrase “carousel voting” to describe the alleged rigged elections in the east of Ukraine, but later admitted she did not know what the phrase meant. [Carousel voting is a term to describe the practice of bussing voters from polling station to polling station so they can vote multiple times]. Russian state TV has even coined the term “Psaking” to describe someone as stupid and incompetent, according to Buzzfeed. (link)

Doesn’t it just give you a warm and fuzzy feeling to know the visible image of U.S. foreign policy is now: (more…)

Poland’s Lech Walesa is broadcasting a highly visible lesson, to the world stage, on what it means tell people the “Great and Powerful Oz” is nothing but a ruse.

Serendipitous as it is on D-Day, Lech Walesa provides some details as to what he shared during his meeting with President Obama:

“I said that I wished the United States would lead,” Walesa told Polish television about the encounter, which he said was not so much an upbraiding of the U.S. president as an “interesting” encounter. (link)

Many will remember this is not the first time Walesa has pointed out the naked weakness of Dear Leader Obama.

Alas, against the backdrop of current world events…. (ie. Obama is an inept dolt when it comes to issues of significance – see Syria, Iran, North Korea, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine, Russia, and that whole swapping Gitmo terrorists thing, et al) …quickly the protectors of the regime spring into action:

Denis McDonough, Ben Rhodes and Tony Blinkin clear the hall.  Susan Rice slams the door, stands atop the marble steps and yells to the somewhat stunned Munchkins.  “He didn’t say that, what he really said was”:

Lech Walesa on POTUS: While I was rather his opponent before, now I am a supporter. He has a great mind, and he is really a great politician

— Susan Rice -Archived (@AmbRice44) June 6, 2014

Lech Walesa on President Obama: Previously, I had a different opinion about him. I regret that, because I should have supported him more

— Susan Rice -Archived (@AmbRice44) June 6, 2014

As the crowd disburses the Blinkin shouts back into a now empty cavern:  “OK Dude, it’s safe to come out now“… (more…)

“I’m here to say on behalf of the president what I hope you already know: You can count on us. Period.   We do what we say, and we mean what we say.”

Well, unless you’re talking about Iran (Green Revolution we let get wiped out), Egypt (where we hurried in the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood), Syria (and that whole “red line” thingy), Iran again (the sanctions lifted so they can have a nuke), Israel (the target of the Iranian nuke), Ukraine (they really didn’t need the whole Crimea thing), Canada (and that pesky on-again/off-again election year keystone issue), South Korea (as we watch N-Korea fire missiles at them).   Other than that, you can count on us.  Maybe…..

Hey now,… “if you like your country – you can keep your country”.  “Period”.

(Via The Hill) Vice President Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure Romania that the U.S. would defend its borders amid concerns that Russia’s incursion into Ukraine could spread into other parts of Eastern Europe.

“I’m here to say on behalf of the president what I hope you already know: You can count on us. Period,” Biden said while touring a Romanian air base. “We do what we say, and we mean what we say.”

The borders of Romania, which, like Ukraine, is a former Soviet republic, lie less than 250 miles from Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Moscow earlier this year. (more…)

Someone, (probably a Russian infantry unit that had to scram because they are technically not supposed to be there), left a fully operational -albeit apparently stalled- BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicle in the middle of an intersection in Mariupol, Ukraine.

Abandoned.    Fully operational – but abandoned.

Apparently, curiosity got the best of the locals (who are probably sympathetic to the Russians who had to quickly disappear).   What happens next is not funny, but I’ll admit I just couldn’t stop laughing:

Watch the video.   With two precursor tips.  #1) Pay attention to the @50 sec. mark (duh, obviously).   But more importantly #2) listen to the person shout @1:05 (in English).

(more…)

Sevastopol, Crimea (CNN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on Friday to take part in Victory Day celebrations in Sevastopol, in what is his first visit to the disputed territory since Russia annexed it from Ukraine.

The President arrived in the port of Sevastopol by sea, in an event televised by Russian state TV, and watched while flanked by senior officers as Russian warships took part in a naval display in the Black Sea.

The military parades, held each year to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany, come amid soaring tensions in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are planning a weekend referendum on autonomy.  (continue reading)