I think he could have potentially swayed many American's that are dismayed with Obama if he hadn't finished with the american's aren't exceptional, we all are bit. But it would be wrong to think that this letter was addressed to the US, it was addressed to the world. Putin is trying to play the good guy, but it's a difficult role to assume when you've secured your position through corruption and criminal behavior for years. He may have made some valid points, but the man is not to be trusted. He doesn't care about consensus or justice, this is just posturing and it's damned good posturing. If we don't go to war Obama looks weak and if we do he looks like an aggressor in the face of Putin's olive branch. Brilliant. But hopefully the world remembers who Putin is.
from a pro-US-hegemony standpoint (the stance that the president and the warhawks must inevitably take), opposing Putin simply because he's Putin is pretty much the only thing one can do. it's not a matter of 'doofus', it's a matter of maintaining the perception of dominance. btw, Putin is definitely a bad person.
I get that warhawks have painted themselves into a corner--as they do. But since Putin does make some valid points, and since the warhawks refuse to acknowledge the validity of these points, they only show themselves to be dishonest and one dimensional. And yeah, he is a bad guy (should go without saying).
>And will look like doofuses in the process since they will be obviously wrong Wrong about what? Wrong about what Putin says or that Putin's acting in good faith of international law?
Right now, because the UN itself is not acting to enforce international law, that is what is making the world look weak. Forget Putin's assertions of international law in favor of Russia UNSC voting habits; international law has already been broken in Syria by the Assad regime because it has made use of chemical weapons against civilians.Denying their truth just because you don't want to appear weak