WarSclerotic

Off Topic: Kerry: Possible Sanctions Against Russia Not a ‘Threat’ Or Meant In a ‘Personal Way’ – The Washington Free Beacon.

(The folks at the Beacon don’t get it.
These are incredibly discreet threats, threatening incredibly discreet sanctions.
In fact, they are both so descreet that Putin will hardly notice.
If they have any effect Putin will have to ask himself what caused that effect.
Maybe someday he’ll discover that it was because of his behaviour. – Artaxes)

Sec. of State shows more weakness at London press conference

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
March 14, 2014 1:58 pm

Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized talk of possible sanctions against Russia are not a “threat” or meant in a “personal way” towards Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in a London press conference:

JOHN KERRY: We hope President Putin will recognize that none of what we’re saying is meant as a threat, it’s not meant in a personal way. It is meant as a matter of respect for the international, multilateral structure that we have lived by since World War II, and for the standards of behavior about annexation, about succession, about independence, and how countries come about it.

Kerry’s non-confrontational words appear to reinforce a report from The Daily Beast’s Josh Rogin which characterized the White House as “bracing” for the possibility of Russian retaliation to economic sanctions.

Former Bush administration official Elliott Abrams slammed the Obama administration earlier on Fox News for being “afraid” of Putin, arguing the Russian president lacks the ability to inflict significant damage on American interests:

This entry was posted on March 16, 2014 at 12:28 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.