“Putin nurses a grudge, because what he says is that at the end of the Cold War, when Russia was flat on its back, we walked all over them. And we did it because they were weak. Technically he has a point. We pushed the borders of NATO right into the former Soviet Union. We denounced [sic, renounced] the ABM [anti-ballistic missile] treaty and so on and so forth. We didn’t do it to weaken the Russians; we did it because we thought it was useful. But - that gnaws at him.”
-Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser to President George H.W. Bush.
I see. So, "technically," he's right, we "walked all over them," by expanding NATO, renouncing ABM and "so forth." Could you elaborate on "so forth?" I move for a statement of particulars on "so forth." Not that expanding NATO and renouncing ABM is insufficient walking all over them. And, "we did it because they were weak." I see. So we kicked them when they were down, "technically?" We did NOT do those things to weaken Russia? Why, because they already were weak, gotcha. We did it, those things because they were weak AND "we thought it was useful." Move for statement of particulars on how we thought it was useful.
Damn Putin. All that "gnaws at him," can you believe that guy?
-Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser to President George H.W. Bush.
I see. So, "technically," he's right, we "walked all over them," by expanding NATO, renouncing ABM and "so forth." Could you elaborate on "so forth?" I move for a statement of particulars on "so forth." Not that expanding NATO and renouncing ABM is insufficient walking all over them. And, "we did it because they were weak." I see. So we kicked them when they were down, "technically?" We did NOT do those things to weaken Russia? Why, because they already were weak, gotcha. We did it, those things because they were weak AND "we thought it was useful." Move for statement of particulars on how we thought it was useful.
Damn Putin. All that "gnaws at him," can you believe that guy?
