The US should NOT assassinate Putin, even clandestinely.
If the military pulled a coup in Russia or someone in the government assassinated him - that would be Russia’s business/problem.
I mean, it won’t solve a ton of problems. It might get Russia out of Ukraine, but it would still probably be an authoritarian regime run by oligarchs and what ever strong man is in line.
Oh to have that lever of bliss…
If Trump were to run for president again, Sen. Graham would backtrack on this recent commentary and say he was joking or had too many bath salts or whatnot.
But nobody was talking about the US assassinating him…? Even this guy was talking about someone on Putin’s team doing it. Why do people always feel the need to bring the US into every discussion… 
Because the US has a history of it? And having a government official say it out loud makes one worry that leaders in back rooms are talking over it as an option.
Yes, the US has a history of it (like every other country out there), but so what? Still nobody was talking about it.
I’m sorry if my reaction is inappropriate, but honestly I’ve had it with people constantly bringing up the US even when nothing being discussed has actually anything to do with the US. Yes, the US has done bad things, but that is not relevant in this case whatsoever. This is not about the US and how bad it is. Nobody was talking about the US assassinating Putin. Nobody even mentioned the US until well, the comments happened. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
(For disclosure: I’m Hungarian and yes, this thing is happening on my figurative doorstep. It’s insanely upsetting and my patience is in tatters.)
Mr. Putin, I would take that very personally. If you feel the need to respond in kind, I understand.
Personally, I hope you are right and the US DOES NOT have anything to do with.
My experience is, people bring up the US getting involved, because way too often the US gets involved.
Honestly, in my experience it happens because way too many people have problems understanding that the world doesn’t revolve around the US, and the US is not responsible for everything that happens. Other countries and their leaders have their own agency and can and do act on their own accord following their own agenda and not because the US is pulling their strings or provoking them or whatever. Putin is one of those leaders.
It just frustrates me so much because constantly pointing fingers at the US is exactly what Russian propaganda is doing and is encouraging people to do. “Hmmm, was it really Russian ‘aggression’ or was it actually self-defense because :NATO::CIA::Neo-Nazis backed by the US::insert any other US-blaming buzzword here::” “Oh sure, it’s bad when Russians are fighting off Neo-Nazis in territories that should belong to them, but when the US does ::listing bad things US has done:: it’s OK!” etc. This is all misdirection and relativizing (and often outright lying), and I’ve seen so many Americans fall for it - not because they want to misdirect and relativize, but because they just can’t get out of the box they’ve put themselves in as Americans and unwittingly fall victim of confirmation bias.
(Also, this propaganda is flexible. In my country where “public” media is spewing Russian propaganda it’s the same but with “Brussels”, blaming the EU and the NATO. Really it’s just a game of filling in the blanks with whatever words the target demographic is most likely to react to.)
You can confess! That’s a lot better than most Conservatives these days.
you have many valid points, but consider -
1 - the US is currently headmanning the sanctions gambit (at least vocally)
2 - it was a US Senator who suggested assassination.
Kinda hard to ignore the connection between the US leadership suggesting assassination, and people the world over will associate that act with the US Govt if it occurs.
1 - I think that’s just a perspective thing. Where I am, it looks like the EU is doing most of it, with heavy support from the US.
2 - again, to anyone outside the US it’s a random American politician saying things that pretty much everyone else says. It has no more weight than “random paper runs article suggesting Thing X”. In my neck of the woods people have been openly discussing Putin getting assassinated for ages. Now if it had been Blinken or Biden or someone on that level, sure, that might have been newsworthy, but this person? really, who is this person, I mean in terms of political weight and power? He’s a nobody and his word is worth about as much.
Perspective is the key word here, I think.
Precisely. Ben Rhodes made this point on PSTW. Basically, while the useful idiots he placed in high positions are out buying luxury flats in London and filling the Mediterranean with super yachts, he and his inner circle have kept their investments entirely domestic and used the oligarchs as an international money laundry. The “Fortress Russia” mentality is about more than the military hardening borders, it’s also about ensuring that the inner circle is protected against all external forces.
Fiona Hill had a brilliant assessment of this on Colbert the other night.
I would prefer to see him captured and hauled off to The Hague, but that is even less likely to happen. This would not be a bad outcome, and I would celebrate if it happened. And I should add, this doesn’t change my pre-existing and ongoing disdain for Lindsay Graham in any way shape or form.
Assuming it comes soon enough to prevent further catastrophe, this is the only good outcome. And also the least likely.
Yep; if Russia drops a nuke on themselves, it is still pretty likely to fuck a bunch of global shit up.
I can’t imagine opposing this but supporting, say, a no fly zone over Ukraine. If you’re willing to shoot at a rando pilot, shoot Putin.
Not going to lie, I kind of feel the same way. I’m not a sitting US Senator though and I’m not tweeting it. I mean Putin’s had how many people thrown off buildings or pushed down empty elevator shafts? Now he’s threatening nuclear Armageddon? I wouldn’t lose sleep if there was some sort of successful “black orchestra” type thing that happened inside Russia.
I agree that perspective is the issue. FYI, he’s not just any American politician; this shitbag has been a vocal and influential hard right member of congress who has served on just about every important committee for the better part of three decades. He’s pushed for every ill-informed piece of US military action you can think of. So while I get that you would have no idea or care about who he is (jealous!), here in the US just hearing him suggest this in the abstract is infuriating because it’s exactly the sort of thing that will make the American right, Fox, OAN, etc. start pushing for us to do it.
Saw this the other day & thought of Our Rob:
