Obama/Putin: No Contest!

The buzz around Washington, D.C., is that we are entering a new cold war with Russia. My response: Don’t worry! Be happy! There is no new cold war. To have a cold war, two sides must realize they have conflicting interests and each must want their interests to prevail and be willing to compete.

As of now, Russia, under President Vladimir Putin, understands that. But he has no opposition in an America under our lame President Barack Obama. A cold war would actually be an improvement over what we have now, which is a global American retreat in the face of Russian and Iranian aggression.

During his Friday press conference, Obama tried to make flaccidity in the face of aggression look like strength. He was asked by one reporter to respond to critics “who say Putin is outsmarting you.” Obama offered this amazing observation: “This is not a contest between the United States and Russia.”

There is a germ of truth there. It is NO CONTEST when Russia acts in its own interests and Obama/Kerry/Biden retreat from defending our interests.

President Obama then went on to ask Russia “to be a responsible, effective actor on the international stage” and “share burdens with us.” Yes, he seriously said that as Russian bombers were pummeling U.S.-backed rebel groups trying to oust Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Lenin once famously said, “Thrust with the bayonet until you hit steel.” The Putin ancillary is, “I will thrust as long as I hit mush.”

Putin To Invade Syria?

Late last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued orders drafting 150,000 troops. Today there are unconfirmed reports that those forces are headed to Syria for a massive ground campaign to destroy ISIS.

Putin reportedly plans to retake Raqqa — the self-declared capital of the Islamic State in Syria. One unnamed source suggested Putin may also be moving to seize control of “oil and gas resources around Palmyra.”

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had wiped out an Islamic State headquarters using bunker-busting bombs. Think about that for a moment. It has been more than a year since President Obama announced military strikes against ISIS.

How is it that there was an Islamic State headquarters for Russia to bomb? Shouldn’t our bombing campaigns have already destroyed it? Unfortunately, the bureaucrat-led campaign against ISIS has our military fighting with one hand tied behind its back.

Don’t miss the message that is being delivered in the Middle East and around the rest of the world. Look at the difference between what Obama says and what Putin does. Have you read anything about the U.S. deploying bunker-busting bombs in the fight against ISIS? Russia’s bunker-busting bombs aren’t just blowing up the terrorists’ headquarters. They are also blowing up America’s credibility.

Chaffetz Jumps In

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) announced his campaign for speaker of the House [Sunday]. As we told you last week, Chaffetz blasted House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) clumsy comments about the Benghazi committee.

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Chaffetz reflected the frustration of many conservatives when he said: “The American public wants to see a change. They want a fresh start… you don’t just give an automatic promotion to the existing leadership team. That doesn’t signal change.”

Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) is also in the race for speaker. Webster challenged Boehner in January but received only 12 votes.

The Supremes Are Back

The Supreme Court beg[an] its new session [Monday]. There are several high-profile cases already on the docket involving the use of affirmative action in college admissions, public sector union dues and voting rights.

The high court is also expected to take cases involving state restrictions on abortion (the Texas law that closed several Planned Parenthood clinics) and another challenge to Obamacare’s contraception mandate.

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled 5-to-4 that closely-held businesses could not be forced to subsidize abortion-inducing drugs in violation of their deeply held religious beliefs. The court is expected to decide this term whether the Obama administration has done enough to accommodate religious organizations and non-profit groups that object to Obamacare’s contraception mandate.

Contrary to the previous term, in which conservatives lost major cases, court watchers expect the fragile center-right majority (Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Kennedy) to prevail in most cases this term.

But here’s something to keep in mind as we head into the 2016 elections: The men and women elected to public office nominate and confirm the justices who sit on the Supreme Court.

Currently, four justices are 76 years old or older. The next president and Senate will likely have the opportunity to radically alter the ideological balance of the Supreme Court.

This issue alone should cause every man and woman of faith to redouble their efforts to make sure all their friends and family members are registered to vote and informed about the issues impacting our culture.

Planned Parenthood Takes A Hit

I know many pro-life conservatives are frustrated by Congress’ failure to defund Planned Parenthood. But here’s some good news: The reputation of the radical pro-abortion group has taken a big hit.

Quinnipiac University has measured Planned Parenthood’s popularity over the past three years. In 2012, 55% of voters had a favorable opinion of Planned Parenthood, while just 22% viewed it unfavorably — a 33-point gap.

Today, that gap has narrowed to just five points: Only 43% of voters have a favorable view of Planned Parenthood, while 38% view it unfavorably.

Clearly, we are winning the public debate, and that is an important first-step toward defunding the nation’s largest abortion business.