Putin's Russia may be trouble, but it is not necessarily wrong

Carly Fiorina must surely be barking mad. On September 30, the Republican presidential candidate opined that we should provide a counterattack against Russia in Syria. After Russian president Vladimir Putin began his bombing campaign against anti-Assad rebels in the Middle Eastern country, Fiorina told Sean Hannity of FOX News that we must be prepared to use force against Putin's forces if necessary.
"I believe we must tell the Russians that we will conduct and secure a no-fly zone around anti-Assad rebel forces that we're supporting," Fiorina said.
Hannity asked, "Does that mean we might use force against Russian jets?"
"Well, hopefully not," Fiorina replied. "But if it does come to that, I think we must be prepared."
Marco Rubio agreed. Bad enough that Rubio is a sell-out and hardly the conservative we all thought him to be, but he too wants to stand up to Russia? He'll risk the tipping point into World War III, with the Chinese and Iranians being brought into the mix, and to what end? To protect the rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad? Even Ben Carson, regrettably, is spouting nonsense regarding the need to weaken al-Assad along with fighting ISIS.
There is no "Syrian Free Army". It is a myth. It collapsed long before it could even dream of being effective. The Syrian Free rebels are a figment of fools' imaginations, namely the Obama administration and the gender-bending play generals that make up what's left of our military command structure.
Did you hear that we spent $580 million to train these so-called Syrian good guys? Do you know how many we have? Nine. I mean, God bless 'em. Seriously, though, dude. Nine men for 580 million smackaroos. So the U.S. has abandoned this "training" program in favor of supplying rebel leaders with weapons. Apparently, according to the Pentagon, American authorities have vetted them to ensure that they do not have links to Islamist groups. Like, gosh, Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra.
Last year, Stephen Gowans, in an excellent piece appearing on the Global Research website, wrote:

What separates the rebels in Syria that the United States and its allies arm, train, fund and direct from those it seeks to degrade and ultimately destroy is not a secular vs. Islamist orientation. Even the so-called 'moderate' rebels are under the sway of Islamist thinking ... The US-backed rebels coöperate with the Nusra Front, a branch of al-Qaeda operating in Syria, which the UN Security Council denounced this summer along with ISIS for their 'gross, systematic and widespread abuse of human rights' but which the United States has left out of its war on the Islamic State, even though its origins and methods are the same as those of ISIS, and its goals similar. Accordingly, the al-Qaeda franchise in Syria will continue to coördinate operations with CIA-directed rebels, unhindered by US strikes.

Yes, the U.S. has vetted these rebels. We aren't inspecting any of the tens of thousands of Muslim refugees invaders that the Obama administration is allowing into the country. But we've got a vetting policy in Syria? Don't even.
After three years of watching the United States and Obama's ineffective tip-toeing around the conflict in Syria, Putin was not going to wait anymore. He told America, in no uncertain terms, I'm getting involved, I will cripple the rebels in addition to ISIS—and we're going to secure some national interests while we're at it. After all, hasn't that been the end-game for you Americans?
I know that cynics can say that Putin is not really interested in saving Christians and Yazidis and that it's all about installing a new sheriff in town, an alternate power in the Middle East, a new, hegemonic world superpower taking the reigns. We can deal with and negotiate with Putin once we have a real president in the Oval Office. Putin will talk with and show respect for a strong American leader. Obama is anything but and Putin knows it, which is why he's making his move.
In his loathing for Barry Hussein, Putin is far from alone. I don't give a damn that he's a former KGB agent. The fact is, Mr. Putin is determined to not let al-Assad fall. In a strident speech he recently gave to the U.N., the Russian president asked, "Do you realize what you have done?" He was referring to the West's obsession with toppling dictators and trying to stamp democracy on the region. After encouraging the Arab Spring, and seeing what became of Libya after dispatching with Gaddafi, it is insane to try to do the same thing with Syria, he has argued.
Bashar al-Assad is not a nice man. He's a murderous weasel. But, bastard though he is, Putin is telling us, He's our bastard. Like him or not, he protects the Christian and Jewish communities in Syria. He is largely a secularist. He wants to fight radical Islamists. Putin has other reasons for supporting al-Assad, naturally, but that is irrelevant right now.
Let Putin and his Russia take over the fight. At least something is finally getting done to make some sense out of and restore some order in Syria. That was never going to, is never going to, and will never happen under the term of the big-eared bozo in the Oval Office. Putin is winning at chess while Obama struggles at checkers.
Have we forgotten that Russia has been tipping the FBI for a while now? They tried several times to warn us about the Tsarnaev brothers. The FBI thwarted many attempts by mainly Russian smugglers working in Moldova to give dirty bombs to Islamic groups. How did we find out about this? Why, our comrades in Putin's government.
Isn't it odd that the same country that called the Soviet Union a godless nation, which it was, is now being called out as a "godless sewer" by a former Soviet? A "Russian Insider" blog reports:

"Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a recent keynote speech. "Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation." In his state of the nation address in mid-December, Mr. Putin also portrayed Russia as a staunch defender of "traditional values" against what he depicted as the morally bankrupt West. Social and religious conservatism, the former KGB officer insisted, is the only way to prevent the world from slipping into "chaotic darkness."

How ironic. Say what you will about Putin and the political power structure in Russia, but the gay mafia isn't putting Christians out of business over there. And neither is there any kowtowing to the Muslim community. In fact, many Chechen leaders are backing Putin.
While Russia strategically and effectively bombs the stuffing out of ISIS and the anti-Assad rebels, sorting out yet another mess caused by lack of American and Western leadership, France is busy pursuing a war crimes inquiry against al-Assad as the U.S. bombs a hospital in Afghanistan run by Doctors Without Borders. Will there be any war crimes investigation for that? No, of course not, because Obama is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, you see!
The administration, with its cadre of puppet generals in tow, denied the attack happened. When that didn't work, they threw NATO under the bus. Then, eventually, they came clean and said "sorry". So that's alright then.
Americans have got to stop embracing the fallacy of "free Syrian rebels" and that any plan for combating ISIS has to be connected to toppling Assad. It is nonsense. Why are some Republicans so defensive of Obama's dumbfounded so-called strategy in Syria?  The rebels are not "our" guys; they are treacherous and will likely turn on us if they do manage to finish off Assad. Why are Fiorina, Rubio, and, to a lesser but certain extent, Carson, so beholden to a policy that seeks to remove Assad?
If we had a genuine president and a strong military, Putin would not have parked himself into this conflict along with his long-term strategic gains. Russia is not a strong country. Its economy is very weak.  Putin is puffing up himself up on fumes. Despite that, Putin is much more of a true leader than Obama has ever been.
It is alarming when the Russian state steps up to become the world's leading superpower, but it is equally alarming to hear presidential candidates speak like war hawks, dangerously naïve ones at that.
Time to sweep these neo-conservatives and their blind rah-rah patriotism/jingoism back under the rock. Their time has come and gone.