GOP Mostly Unhappy with Obama’s Ukraine Response
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — Republicans are not holding back their frustration with President Obama over his response to the Russia incursion into the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
Appearing on the Sunday talk shows, GOP lawmakers essentially said that Russia President Vladimir Putin feels like he can do whatever he wants because Obama doesn’t back up tough talk with action.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the administration’s harshest critics, alleged that the U.S. has “a weak and indecisive president that invites aggression.”
Graham went on to tell CNN’s State of the Nation, “President Obama needs to do something. How about this: Suspend Russian membership in the G-8, in the G-20, at least for a year, starting right now, and for every day they stay in the Crimea, add to the suspension.”
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, used a schoolyard analogy to describe the current situation, saying, “Putin is playing chess and I think we are playing marbles, and I don’t think it’s even close.”
However, Rogers stopped short of recommending military action to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine, saying, “Sending more naval forces to operate in the Black Sea is really not a very good idea, given that we know that that day has long passed.”
That sentiment was echoed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who told CBS’ Face the Nation that sanctions against Russia, rather than a military response, is the best course of action at the moment.
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of the House Foreign Affairs Committee seemed less willing to start a confrontation with the White House in his appearance on ABC’s This Week. The Illinois lawmaker suggested the real enemy is Russia, which he said has made itself a pariah to the rest of the world.
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