memeorandum: Putin plays with fire in Ukraine (The/Los Angeles Times)

7:50 AM ET, March 4, 2014

Top Items:

Michael Cohen / Guardian:

Don't listen to Obama's Ukraine critics: he's not ‘losing’ - and it's not his fight — The ‘do something’ pundits rear their heads. Just like they did on Iraq, Afghanistan and every other crisis of US ‘credibility’ — The armchair class is certain that Putin is winning and Obama is losing.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Michael J. Totten's blog, caintv.com, Liberal Values, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, The Monkey Cage, Financial Times, Bloomberg View, Crooks and Liars, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Dish, Hullabaloo, Washington Post, Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative and Hot Air

Simon Shuster / TIME:

4 Reasons Putin Is Already Losing in Ukraine — As Russia's Ukraine power play reaches boiling point in Crimea, there are clear signs a Russian invasion may be a disaster for its architect, President Vladimir Putin — Even a week ago, the idea of a Russian military intervention in Ukraine seemed farfetched if not totally alarmist.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, News Desk, Christian Science Monitor, The Dish, Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Wall Street Journal and kyivpost.com, more at Mediagazer »

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Obama, the feckless tyrant — President Obama is such a weak strongman. What's more, he is a feeble dictator and a timid tyrant. — That, at any rate, is Republicans' critique of him. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Obama's critics pivoted seamlessly from complaining about his overreach …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Bret Stephens / Wall Street Journal:

Stephens: Anatomy of a Feckless Presidency — Gone are the days when the American president was capable of articulating the American interest. — V ladimir Putin seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula on Thursday, and Barack Obama delivered a short statement about it on Friday.

John Judis / The New Republic:

“We Are Speaking Very Loudly. We Are Carrying a Small Stick.” — Dmitri K. Simes on why Russia isn't taking the U.S. seriously — Dmitri K. Simes is the president of The Center for the National Interest and publisher of the foreign policy journal The National Interest.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Federalist and The Agonist

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

GOP Congressman Thinks Putin Is Being “Demonized” In The U.S. — California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said he doesn't support Russia taking military action in Ukraine, but “that doesn't mean Putin and pro-Russia forces in Ukraine are in the wrong.” — Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher …

Discussion: Althouse

Katherine Miller / BuzzFeed:

14 Insane Moments From RT's Coverage Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine — We watched so you didn't have to. — On Saturday, Russian forces effectively seized the Ukrainian region of Crimea. Formerly known as Russia Today, RT is a Kremlin-funded television network.

Discussion: RedState

Sky News:
Russia And China ‘In Agreement’ Over Ukraine

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

USA Today: Putin's power grab gets lame response: Our view

The / Los Angeles Times:
Putin plays with fire in Ukraine

Discussion: Fox News and Washington Examiner

Politico:
Harry Reid: Get Europe on board before punishing Russia

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, ABC News, Washington Post, Guardian, The Daily Caller, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press and Mediaite

CNN:
Tensions rise in Crimea amid report of Russian ultimatum

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, US Department of State, nato.int, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller and GlobalPost, more at Mediagazer »

Josh Rogin / The Daily Beast:
Inside Obama's Plans to Squeeze Russia

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The New Republic, The Week, Hot Air, National Review, Guardian and Forbes

Louis Charbonneau / Reuters:
Russia: Yanukovich asks Putin for Russian military in Ukraine

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and kyivpost.com

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
McConnell Vows a Senate in Working Order, if He Is Given Control

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hot Air and National Review

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Obama warns Russia of political, economic ‘isolation’

Discussion: Politico

Michael Hirsh / National Journal:
In Ukraine, Obama's Biggest Test

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite and Right Turn

Brian Beutler / Salon:

GOP finally goes too far on Obamacare: Why the 50th repeal vote is not the charm — This week you're likely to read stories and headlines suggesting that House Republicans will be voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act again, or are approaching their 50th Obamacare repeal vote or some variation thereof.

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:

New ObamaCare delay to help midterm Dems — The Obama administration is set to announce another major delay in implementing the Affordable Care Act, easing election pressure on Democrats. — As early as this week, according to two sources, the White House will announce a new directive allowing insurers …

Discussion: Fox News and Jammie Wearing Fools

Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:

Candidate Stockman Threatens Jail To Anyone Who Publishes His Mugshot — Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) says he's been vindicated. — The Texas conservative's underdog Senate campaign on Monday published a defiant statement, claiming that Stockman has “grounds to file criminal complaints” …

Discussion: stockman2014.com and The Daily Banter

Miranda Blue / Right Wing Watch:

Steve King: Being Gay Is ‘Self-Professed Behavior’ That Can't Be ‘Independently Verified’ — Rep. Steve King of Iowa joined Des Moines' WHO TV yesterday to discuss Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's veto of a bill that would have strengthened the ability of businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

Discussion: Gawker, Mediaite and Towleroad News #gay

WHOTV:
THE INSIDERS: Iowa Congressman Steve King

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and The Raw Story

Karl Bode / Techdirt:

Keurig Will Use DRM In New Coffee Maker To Lock Out Refill Market — The single coffee cup craze has been rolling now for several years in both the United States and Canada, with Keurig, Tassimo, and Nespresso all battling it out to lock down the market. In order to protect their dominant market share …

Discussion: The Verge and KDVR.com

Manu Raju / Politico:

Scott Brown: Attacks are prodding me to run — Scott Brown has been barraged by Democratic attacks as he decides whether to run for the Senate in New Hampshire. — Those attacks, he says, are only encouraging him to get into the race. — In a brief interview on Monday …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Baton Rouge news, sports and entertainment …:

Police: Dad encouraged encounter — The pastor of a Baton Rouge Baptist church was arrested Saturday on accusations he raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled woman who had sex with the pastor at her father's request, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.

Discussion: Americans Against the … and The Raw Story

RealClearPolitics Video Log:

Krauthammer: Obama Admin Calls Climate Change Greatest Threat, Shocked Russians Are Interested In Territory — CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: It wasn't the weakness of Europe that precipitated all of this. And it wasn't Obama's flinching on Syria. When Putin had to make a calculation whether to go into Ukraine …

Discussion: Hot Air

Nicholas Kulish / New York Times:

South African Athlete Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charge — PRETORIA, South Africa — As Oscar Pistorius went on trial on murder charges Monday, a neighbor of the South African double amputee track star described hearing “bloodcurdling screams” shortly before Mr. Pistorius's girlfriend was shot and killed.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Bloomberg View