Kind Words Indeed! Wounded White House Continues to Put Boot Into Russia

Sometimes the critical rhetoric of an adversary is a thousand times more revealing than the benevolent compliment of an ally. The White House seems to have run out of sensible things to say about Russia, and has resorted to comparing Russia with the USSR - a full 24 years after the Soviet Union collapsed.

While answering journalists' questions at the White House briefing on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest attempted to convince the reporters present that Russia does not play any significant role at the international arena.

White House Daily Briefing

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In an apparent failure to compare Russia with any other modern country, Earnest decided to turn to history. In doing so, he compared Russia with none other than the USSR, forgetting to mention that Russia was just one of the 15 member republics of the Union.

“The Cold War was characterized by two international superpowers who were in a sort of global test that was backed by the threat of the use of the nuclear weapons. The situation today is much different than that. Russia is no longer a superpower. I’ve observed in the last couple of weeks that the condition of the Russian economy is weak and further deteriorating,” the White House spokesman said.

“Russia does not have the same kind of influence around the globe that the Soviet Union once did. Russia does not have the kind of economic power that the Soviet Union was once able to flex. And clearly the relationship between our two countries has been significantly affected by it. Because in that time period the influence of the US has only increased and been enhanced, our economy continues to get stronger and it isn’t just good for the American people, but also enhances our international influence as well.”

“They are now the 15th-largest economy in the world, and they rank somewhere behind Spain.”

"Their economy is getting worse, and Russia is isolated in a significant way. Not just from countries in Europe, but, as they get further engaged in a sectarian quagmire inside of Syria, they're finding that the only friends that they have there to fight in a difficult fight with them is a floundering Syrian government and the Iranian regime," he stated.

The White House continues to put the boot into Russia, which is odd given that the two countries are effectively fighting on the same side in the war against terrorism. But while the Pentagon's efforts in the Middle East have been an unmitigated disaster, Russia has had spectacular success through developing and executing on a clear strategy, leading some analysts to the conclusion that Washington may be on the verge of losing the geopolitical initiative in the region.