"Obama on Russia: 'Large countries don't bully'"

[applegrove]

Obama on Russia: 'Large countries don't bully'

By Kevin Liptak and Eliott C. McLaughlin CNN

http://www.wesh.com/national-news/obama-on-russia-large-countries-dont-bully/30910662

"SNIP....................



NEW DELHI (CNN) —The military option is out, President Barack Obama said Sunday, but the U.S. will be looking at all other options to "ratchet up the pressure on Russia" on the issue of Ukraine.

"We have no interest in seeing Russia weakened or its economy in shambles. We have a profound interest, as I believe every country does, in promoting a core principle, which is: Large countries don't bully smaller countries," Obama told reporters.

Speaking in New Delhi after a lengthy flight on Air Force One, Obama said Sunday he will "look at all the additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation."

On Monday, Obama will be the first U.S. leader to headline India's annual Republic Day parade, a colorful military spectacle featuring marching bands, dancing and lots of heavy machinery rolling down the stately Rajpath Boulevard.



...................SNIP"

[JonLP24]

1. LOL

Who does more bullying than the US?

[Cha]

2. The President is speaking for himself.. not the past bullies.

[JonLP24]

5. I'm not sure his hands are clean

Certainly putting oil sanctions on Iran would qualify as a larger country bullying a smaller one but in any case, Russia must be scratching their heads after being told that from the US of all countries.

[Cha]

6. The President is trying not to have the Sanctions on Iran..he wants to negotiate without them. And,

he's opened up Cuba, recently.

President Obama isn't a bully.. but, he's not going to let anything run over us, either.. if he can help it.

[JonLP24]

7. He was there when more sanctions were put on

the countries that are allowed to import from Iran want more oil & the price of oil & other factors are why reversing course was the option but it wasn't the best example, just the most obvious. More often & more likely the US is still in the business helping governments bully its citizens which too some extent looks like it is going to happen in Ukraine while Russia allies & military supports the Pro Russia side of Ukraine.

On edit - I shouldn't say original but continued sanctions

[applegrove]

10. The threat that keeps the president up at night is Pakistan. It has nukes. Nukes that could

get into the wrong hands. I don't think pressuring Iran, which also wants to be a right wing nuclear Islamic state, is bullying. It is security. And by bullying we are talking about a country taking something because they can. The USA has foreign policy for sure. But they don't take stuff or destroy it because they can.

[polly7]

11. Iran has signed the NPT and has called for a nuclear-free ME.

Iran has the same right to nuclear energy as does Canada - they lack sufficient refineries to keep up with the energy demands of the population, as well as the right to nuclear-medicine. They're a very smart people, if they'd wanted nukes they'd have created them years ago - like Israel (but those are still secret, I think).

[applegrove]

13. With his popularity at over 50% it would not be amusing to

come across supporters of Obama on a democratic site. If that amuses you you should be roaring with laughter while here.

Funny how supporters gravitate towards a supportive website....... how people have their leader's back. Wait, that's not funny. That is normal. When did you get let out?

[JonLP24]

16. The situation in Ukraine

is far more complex than Russia trying to take something because they can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_revolution

[on point]

3. Right! So US never bullies others?? LOL

One best clean example I can think of is Bush bullied many smaller counties into contributing small pittance military teams (sometimes like 10 people) by threatening to withhold payments to them if they didn't, so he could claim Iraq War crime was 'supported' by the world.

Or threatening Palestine with sanctions if they don't stop trying to become a state

The list of countries the US has bullied is probably endless!!!

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. Did he say that with a straight face?

[malaise]

9. ROFL

I was screaming ' he said what'?

[LittleBlue]

14. We're the biggest bullies on earth

Hopefully this was some sort of attempt at comedy

[840high]

15. What? lol

[sibelian]

17. Oh... my fucking god.

There needs to be an award system. There really does, like the Razzies or something.

What the unbelievable FUCK?

He said WHAT?

Why did he stop there? Unambitious! Why not pull a face at Russia's surveillance programmes as well? Or their incarceration rate? Or their nationalism? Or the number of incidents of police brutality? Or the paucity of critical analysis in their media?

[JI7]

18. if it was Israel people would be reacting differently

yet when it comes to Russia and many others people feel like we can't criticize them.