Dan Coats Wants War on Russia

The last time I criticized Senator Coats was on March 24, 2014, when I argued that he was senseless on Russia. He has a new op-ed confirming his senselessness on Russia. He now threatens to “bring Russia’s economy to its knees”. A fan of westerns might say “Them’s fightin’ words”. Sanctions like that invite counter-action, escalation and war. What has gotten Coats so upset? It’s the downing of MH17. Coats accuses Russia of shooting down that airplane:

“Some argue that the Soviet downing of Korean flight 007 in 1983 was an event that exposed the true nature of the Soviet regime, and hastened its decay. Similarly, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 reveals to any remaining doubters the nature of Putin and his brutal ambitions and ruthlessness.”

Coats is reckless on several counts. He is reckless to make such charges when there is no clear factual basis for doing so, reckless to propose a dangerous remedy, and reckless to think that such a remedy would achieve anything useful. He is filled with a hyper-righteousness that knows no geographical bounds. Apparently in his megalomania he thinks that he and the U.S. Senate have a warrant to punish the presumed perpetrators of every ill that they perceive.

Coats believes that Russia is on a totalitarian warpath seeking to conquer Eastern Europe and its former republics. Coats, forgetting the overthrow of the government of Ukraine and its replacement by unelected officials, claims that “Eastern Ukraine’s lawlessness is a direct result of Putin’s outrageous territorial aggression that has already severed an arm of Ukraine and threatens the entire country’s disintegration.” At least as much blame rests upon a central government that was unfriendly to its Eastern people and now is making war on this population by shelling population centers and using jet aircraft and rockets. Coats neglects to mention the Odessa massacre.

Coats continues to base his recommendations on myth: “Russia’s invasion of a neighbor and violation of sovereign borders…” Russia never invaded Crimea.

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6:19 pm on July 25, 2014