President Trump is under assault for his posture toward Russia and Vladimir Putin. This is true even as American presidents are fully within their prerogative to establish working relationships with world leaders, and President Trump most certainly deserves the same opportunity.
None of what has incited controversy should be seen as altering the view that Russia is a competitor that will take advantage of any weakness.
Recall in 2001 when President George W. Bush said he found Putin to be “very straightforward and trustworthy” and he “was able to get a sense of his soul.”
Then there was President Obama’s hot mic moment with outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, telling him that Putin should give him more “space” and that “after my election, I have more flexibility.” No less unforgettable was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presentation of a “reset button” to the Russian foreign minister.
Despite these exercises in diplomacy, Putin has been emboldened. So much so, even after Bush saw his soul and Obama was afforded flexibility, Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea.
President Trump is acting as any president would, but his administration faces new challenges with Russia. Russia is fighting the Islamic State in Syria while also factoring into the debate on North Korea and Iran. All the while, Putin makes no apology for defending Russia’s interests.
Neither does President Trump when it comes to our own. This was underscored by the missile strike in Syria that occurred without Putin’s knowledge or consent.
Now a recent meeting in the Oval Office with a Russian diplomat is inciting new fears, even though it in no way shifted the U.S.-Russia relationship — just as Presidents Bush or Obama were unable to influence Russia through their own diplomatic endeavors.
If anything, President Trump is demonstrating a willingness to work with Russia but only to a point. A more accurate presumption should be that President Trump might not care too much what Putin thinks when it comes to putting America first.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
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Congressman Hunter's piece was originally posted in USA Today.
Comments 2
“President Trump is under assault for his posture toward Russia and Vladimir Putin.”
Once in a while, we see an opening sentence so disingenuous we can stop reading right there.
Read slowly, Congressman For Now Hunter: President Trump is under assault because a foreign adversary actively interfered in our democratic election process, and the President may have obstructed justice through a series of overt acts intended to hinder or foreclose proper investigations into that interference.
The American people expect and deserve a full accounting of the methods and extent of Russian meddling, including whether there was improper contact with members of the Trump campaign, transition team, and/or administration.
If President Trump has nothing to hide, he’s doing a lousy job of acting like it.
If the current administration has less flexibility to make nice with Russia, the blame lies not with Democrats, the press, or the deep state. Put the blame where it belongs, on the man who decided to act with naked aggression against our founding principles: Vladimir Putin. Something is very rotten in Denmark when an administration complains about an inability to befriend a country that just attacked us.
Trump is useful idiot!