Putin's Power Play

During a press conference last week, President Obama said that Russia's Vladimir Putin was acting in Syria "not of strength, but out of weakness." If Mr. Putin gets any weaker, he may end up controlling the entire Middle East!

Multiple reports today indicate that Putin has deployed shock troops known as the Spetsnaz into Syria. These troops are "extremely aggressive and highly trained."

According to one account, they earned "a terrifying reputation . . . conducting seek-and-destroy missions against jihadis . . . in Chechnya." They have been ordered to Syria to wipe out opposition to dictator Bashar al-Assad "by any means."

Those cheering Russia's war against ISIS may be missing the bigger picture. Putin is establishing a beachhead in the Middle East and emasculating our president in the process.

For example, twice now Russian jets have flown into Turkish airspace. The first time may have been an accident. But twice? This is not just Turkey's problem. Turkey is a NATO ally. Putin is probing the West, thrusting the proverbial bayonet as long as he finds mush.

By the way, the Obama Administration announced a major trade deal yesterday, but trade deals are just pieces of paper unless the U.S. Navy is protecting shipping lanes and guaranteeing the free flow of goods around the world.

Radical Islamists Target Christians

Here's a story to keep in mind the next time the media starts hyperventilating after Pamela Geller comments about radical Islam.

Allow me to introduce you to the Hussain family. Nissar, his wife, Kubra, and their six children converted to Christianity. Since then, their lives have been miserable.

Their neighbors accuse them of blasphemy. Their children have been bullied at school. They have been assaulted in the streets. Their home and their car have been repeatedly vandalized.

The Hussain family has moved twice to avoid this persecution by the local Muslim community, but not in the Middle East. No, they are being driven out of their home in Bradford, England.

Of course, much, much worse is happening to Christians in the Middle East. ISIS recently crucified three Christians, including a 12 year-old boy, and beheaded eight others. Such atrocities have become commonplace in parts of Iraq and Syria -- as has the silence of our State Department.

The experience of the Hussain family in England should be another stark warning that Western societies must take their immigration and refugee policies far more seriously.

As I have repeatedly argued, we are literally importing anti-Semitism and anti-Christian bigotry, which is widespread throughout the Muslim world. Yet, anyone who dares to sound the alarm is accused by the left of being a bigot.

By the way, in the aftermath of the Oregon community college shootings, in which Christians were reportedly targeted for their faith, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey encouraged fellow Christians to arm themselves. In a Facebook post, Ramsey wrote:
 

"The recent spike in mass shootings across the nation is truly troubling. Whether the perpetrators are motivated by aggressive secularism, jihadist extremism or racial supremacy, their targets remain the same: Christians and defenders of the West. . . .

"I would encourage my fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to think about getting a handgun carry permit. I have always believed that it is better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it. Our enemies are armed. We must do likewise."

Not surprisingly, liberals were highly offended by this commonsense advice. One Tennessee legislator essentially accused Ramsey of inciting a religious war.

Rep. John Ray Clemmons said that Ramsey's comments "reek of fear mongering and religious crusading." Clemmons added, "Things have never ended well when any leader has asked people to take up arms in the name of their religious faith." Tell that to the jihadists who are committing genocide against religious minorities around the world.

Poll Position

Several polls have been released in recent days with some interesting results. For example:

A national Investor's Business Daily poll, one of the most accurate polls in recent election cycles, finds Dr. Ben Carson leading the GOP primary race with 24%. Donald Trump is second with 17%, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio with 11%. No other candidate received double-digit support.
 

• A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds that the Iowa GOP caucus is essentially a two-man race between Donald Trump (24%) and Ben Carson (19%). No other candidate received double-digit support.
   
• The same poll found more of a competition in New Hampshire: Trump 21%, Fiorina 16%, Bush 11%, Carson and Rubio 10%.
   
• In the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton continues to dominate national surveys. The Investor's Business Daily poll found 42% of Democrats supporting Clinton, with Vice President Joe Biden second at 22%. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was third with 18%. But state polls show a very different story.
   
• The NBC/Wall Street Journal Iowa poll found Hillary Clinton clinging to a narrow five-point lead: Clinton 33%, Sanders 28%, Biden 22%.
   
• In New Hampshire, Sanders leads by 14 points: Sanders 42%, Clinton 28%, Biden 18%, according to the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.