Obama, Putin And Ukraine 

The Obama Administration is attempting to ratchet up the pressure on Russia in response to the Ukrainian crisis. Yesterday the Pentagon announced that it had "put on hold all military-to-military engagements between the United States and Russia." Russian agricultural officials have been blocked from attending a trade meeting in Washington. 

A $1 billion emergency loan package was announced this morning, and Secretary of State John Kerry is in Kiev today. French officials are warning Russia that it has until Thursday to withdraw its troops or face sanctions from the European Union. 

Vladimir Putin seems unfazed. Speaking to reporters this morning, Putin suggested that the Obama White House is clueless, saying, "I think they sit there across the pond in the U.S., sometimes it seems … they feel like they're in a lab and they're running all sorts of experiments on the rats without understanding consequences of what they're doing." 

Yesterday we reported that the United States signed a treaty with Ukraine in 1994 guaranteeing its sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine giving up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal -- a massive deterrent against potential Russian aggression. But Ukraine gave up more than just that. 

In 2005, Barack Obama made his first overseas trip as a United States senator to Ukraine in an effort to convince that country to destroy massive stockpiles of convention weapons too. 

"Vast stocks of conventional munitions and military supplies have accumulated in Ukraine," Obama said. "We need to eliminate these stockpiles for the safety of the Ukrainian people…" 

I wonder just how safe the Ukrainian people feel today trusting Obama's assurances. 

By the way, the left-wing magazine New Republic now thinks Mitt Romney might have been right when he labeled Russia "our number one geopolitical foe." 

U.S. Troops In Drag? 

Here's another reason why Putin may not be very worried about the United States. While Russian troops were seizing the Crimean Peninsula this weekend, some U.S. soldiers at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, were putting on makeup, dresses and wigs for what may have been the first drag show on a U.S. military base.

Four hundred tickets were sold for the drag show, a fundraiser for "OutServe," which promotes homosexuality in the military. A Stars and Stripes news article noted that the sold-out show was "a sign of the times within the military." If the show is a "sign of the times," the times are decadent. 

Netanyahu Pushes Back 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States yesterday to news that Barack Obama was expecting major concessions from Israel in order to keep the peace process moving forward. During their meeting at the White House, Obama pressured Netanyahu, saying, "Some tough decisions are going to have to be made."

Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed back, telling Obama, "The Israeli people expect me to stand strong against criticism and pressure." Referring to the so-called "peace process," Netanyahu said, "Israel has been doing its part, and I regret to say that the Palestinians haven't."

While Obama is bogged down with the crisis in Crimea, the prime minister reiterated that his primary concern remains a nuclear-armed Iran. Mr. Netanyahu told Obama: "Iran calls openly for Israel's destruction, so I'm sure you'll appreciate that Israel cannot permit such a state to have the ability to make atomic bombs to achieve that goal. And I, as the prime minister of Israel, will do whatever I must do to defend the Jewish state." 

Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a powerful address before the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. Mr. Netanyahu reminded the audience of a central fact that cannot be ignored in any discussion of the peace process: The Palestinian Authority, with which Israel is supposed to negotiate, has never accepted Israel's right to exist. 

So, Prime Minister Netanyahu called on the Palestinian leadership to make what should be a very easy decision: 
 

"Ladies and gentlemen, peace is Israel's highest aspiration. I'm prepared to make a historic peace with our Palestinian neighbors -- a peace that would end a century of conflict and bloodshed. … Just as Israel is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state, the Palestinians must be prepared to recognize a Jewish state. 

"President Abbas, recognize the Jewish state, and in doing so, you would be telling your people, the Palestinians, that while we might have a territorial dispute, the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own is beyond dispute. … In recognizing the Jewish state, you would be finally making clear that you are truly prepared to end the conflict. So recognize the Jewish state. No excuses, no delays, it's time."

God In Hollywood 

As homosexuals are coming out of the closet all over America, a few Christians evidently decided to come of the closet in Hollywood. And they chose the most high-profile event of the year to do it -- the Oscars.

After winning the Oscar for Best Actor, Matthew McConaughey thanked God for his success. McConaughey said, "First off I want to thank God, because that's who I look up to. He's graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand." 

When Darlene Love accepted the Oscar for Best Documentary, she burst out singing, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." Meanwhile, "Son of God" shattered expectations, bringing in more than $25.5 million to finish second on the box office charts this weekend.