The Russian invasion of the Crimea isn't anything new, and it didn't begin with Obama's presidency. Remember that during the election of 2008, Putin sent troops into Georgia, ostensibly to protect the rights of a minority, but really to keep Georgia from charting a course that was too independent of Moscow.

Putin distracts his people from the corruption and oppression of his administration by making Russians feel proud again. He does this by bullying newly independent nations that used to be part of the Evil Empire.

Russia is still an imperial power, and it's still evil -- totalitarian and expansionist -- under the leadership of Putin. It just isn't Communist.

When Putin invaded Georgia in 2008, we had a weakened President. Bush had been strong, but by then it was clear that he lacked public support for any kind of military intervention.