Jeb Bush for 2016 - The Bush vs. Clinton rematch

CNN - Politics: Reports from inside the Bush clan on the prospects of Jeb Bush running in 2016, the article notes the following, ".....in an exclusive interview with CNN, Jeb's brother, Neil, made it clear that his dad -- George H.W. Bush -- wants his son to run, ".

Lets Get Real:

So that is the choice faced by US voters, either a President Bush or a President Clinton.  This blog has come around to supporting Jeb Bush for the Republican Nomination in 2016, Governor Christie seems to have burned his bridges, sorry to easy a joke to miss, thus we are left with Jeb Bush, he is seen as the smartest of the Bush boys, the one that Bush 41 wanted to be President, the question that he will be asked on the campaign trail is what he thinks of the record of Bush 43 when it comes to Foreign Policy, while Clinton will have to deal with being Secretary of State in the 1st Obama Administration and its failure with Russia, and what if anything she achieved while in that post.    Also lets not forget that it was on her watch that the US Ambassador to Libya and three others were killed by terrorists, what was her role in D.C that night, why had she not placed more troops in Libya.   One wonders how the good relationship between President Clinton and Bush 41 could carry on in a tough Presidential fight, family is family after all, and you take power with the support of the voters. 

Pro Russian Protesters HOLD Hostages, - Ukraine Crisis Latest 2

Guardian: Reports the following from East Ukraine, " Pro-Moscow separatists...were holding a group of European military observers in the city of Slavyansk on Friday night, claiming they had been travelling with a spy for the Kiev government. ".

Lets Get Real:

The pro Russian separatists are either playing for higher stakes, or this was a mistake and the observers will be released, IF there is plan to take hostages this would be way for Russia to play the good guy, it would state in public they oppose such actions and get the hostages released, on the other hand taking hostages has been known to cause problems for the Oval Office, from Carter to Reagan.   In this case there are NO Americans but EU Capitals will be fearing this is a ploy to pressure on them not place more economic sanction on Russia.   One does recall when the Serbs in mid 1990's took UN peacekeepers as hostages, not the best day for the UN.   The result of this action will be interesting. 

Russian Jets ACTIVE in Ukraine Airspace - Ukraine Crisis Latest

BBC News: Reports the following on the developing crisis in the Ukraine, " The US says Russian military aircraft have entered Ukrainian airspace several times in the past 24 hours, amid rising tension in the east of the country. ".

Lets Get Real:

The Russians are testing, they are seeing how much they can get away with before the air force of the Ukraine reacts, they could be pushing the air force of Ukraine to take a shot, then use that as a reason to take the East of Ukraine, if NOT the whole of Ukraine.  Putin might not be in total control of the pro Russian protesters in the East of Ukraine, he would not be the first leader to lose control of an action once it has started.   This weekend will be interesting, the US, UK, France and Germany could impose tougher sanctions, of course this would hurt Russia and Western economy, will Russia wait or will it go in, the troops on the Russian and Ukraine border must be getting bored with the constant alert, Putin has a choice, either use them or lose the edge that Russia has at this moment.  The West could be holding its breath this weekend. 

How Mistakes in a Crisis can lead to conflict - Ukraine Crisis Latest 3

Telegraph: Reports on Russian aircraft close to UK airspace, " RAF Typhoons scrambled to Russian bombers..Quick-reaction fighters were scrambled to investigate two Russian military aircraft north of Scotland ".

Lets Get Real: 

Lets hope the Russian military is fully under the control of the Kremlin, one does not want to see some hotshot Russian airman try something while in the air and this can be miss read by a Western fighter, it could lead to serious mistakes and lead to another Cuban Missile Crisis. This is the risk that Putin is taking, the more he pushes the chance of something going wrong either on the ground or in the air, the West will react if A NATO Country comes under threat.   One would assume that Obama and Putin have a back channel envoy that they both trust who can tell the other that there are REAL red lines, otherwise a crisis in the Ukraine could get out of hand quite fast, there are native Russians in the Baltic States and Poland. 

The Russian Bear and its VIEW of the West - Ukraine Crisis Latest 2

Guardian: Reports the following from the Ukraine, " Russia warns it will respond if interests attacked in Ukraine...Russia accuses Ukraine and US of distorting deal in Geneva to defuse crisis as Moscow announces military exercises ". "

Lets Get Real:

It is interesting in the BBC Drama 37 Days, on the events leading up to WW1, the British Foreign Secretary states the World order can not work if the players can not even agree on night and day, no this blog is not stating we are heading for that end, one doubts that even Putin is that crazy or Obama has the backbone if it got there, but what we face over the next few days and weeks or years is the growing isolation of Russia, the return to a new Cold War 2, the policy of containment for the USSR WILL get a upgrade for Russia, the question is not what the West will DO, is what Putin will do, how will he react to the isolation, how will the international economy, will Russia cause problems in previous joint co - operation schemes with the US, such as Afghanistan and Space.   The BIG question is WHAT kind of action will Putin take in the Ukraine, will he go for the entire Country or just the East, how will the US and EU react, the Great Game just got a new round, interesting. 

New Russian Threat to the Ukraine - Ukraine Crisis Latest

BBC News: Reports the following, " Russia will respond if its interests in Ukraine are attacked, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, drawing a parallel with the 2008 Georgian war. "

Lets Get Real:

The Kremlin might be following a policy of boring people to death with this subject, either Russia gets off his backside and follows through with its constant threat or backs off, the Russian troops on the border between the Ukraine and Russia must be bored rigid with the on going alert, it is as if Putin is not quite sure of the reaction, he was sure that the West would not react with the Crimea, the Ukraine would be another matter, the World order after the fall of the USSR would become in to question, also this would bring Russia very close to Poland, an age old enemy, who happens to be part of NATO.   Even a limited strike on East Ukraine could backfire, the West of Ukraine would come under the protection of the West, thus moving the West closer to Russia, something Putin does not want, lets hope the master chess player has not out played himself in this case. 

Foul Murder in East Ukraine, Linked to Russian Protesters - Ukraine Latest

BBC News: Reports the following from the Ukraine, " Ukraine's acting president has relaunched military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east after two men, one a local politician, were found "tortured to death". ".

Lets Get Real:

The Geneva agreement is DEAD, the Russians are not leaving East Ukraine, President Putin sees this as his chance to reform the old Russian Empire, or a more limited USSR, he wants to go down in history as the man that bought back the glory to Russia after the fall of the USSR.   Thus it can be argued that Putin does not care about the sanctions of the West or what the Western media call him, he runs the media in Russia, that ALL that matters to him, the Oval does not have the backbone to help Ukraine and the military forces of the Ukraine are never going to be strong enough to defend its homeland.   Thus Putin has gained the Crimea and now East Ukraine all under the watch of President Obama, one wonders what history will say of the Obama Era.