Distractions

Russia understands well the art of distraction. Heard about Russian missiles moving around Europe, or perhaps new political maneuvers in Russia? Whatever, background noise all of it, a reminder that in baseball no one stairs at the center fielder unless he is doing the moonwalk when the ball is actually bouncing towards 3rd base.

The missiles are the moonwalk, while 3rd base is in the Ukraine. This looks like early planning for a future Ukraine scenario to me.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France said Tuesday that Moscow had been issuing Russian passports in Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based. “We all know that they are handing out Russian passports over there,” Mr. Kouchner said in an interview with Kommersant, a Russian online newspaper. The government of Ukraine has said it wants the fleet to leave the Crimean base in Sevastopol when its lease runs out in 2017. But the Russian naval authorities have indicated that they want to retain the base. Mr. Kouchner said Russia might try to make advances in Crimea after the success of its military operations in Georgia in August.

Those silly French, always being warmongers with warnings like that. Maybe not, keep in mind this is how it started in Georgia too. This has the look and feel of "preparing the battlefield."

Now go back and read what Joe Biden said. Biden was absolutely right, and I contend this is one of those four or five scenarios he was talking about.