Boris Nemtsov, We Barely Knew You, Cop Killer Bullets, and Congress

I have given up my Economist subscription, but they have yet to stop sending me a copy.  Each week I expect that to happen, but so far it has come.  I know it will not last.

But, it came last week and I got to read the obituary for Boris Nemtsov.  He was a great man for what he did not do.  He did not become an oligarch even though he was a very smart guy.  He was humble and aspired to have good government and a clean market economy.  He was the anti-Putin who worried that Russia is becoming a fascist state where if you don't agree with the government, you are killed.  And he liked to windsurf.

Boris Nemstov died too young, and I have no doubt that Putin is behind it somehow and that it will never be proven.  That is how dictators work.





Meanwhile, the NRA has fought and defeated a proposal to ban cop killer bullets.  You would think people who want the police to be safe (which is almost everyone) would be for this.  But not the NRA and not the GOP politicians that are scared of them.  They will bemoan the death of a policeman from a cop killer bullet (and it could have been the shootings in Ferguson, MO last night), but they will not act.  The way the NRA and the Heritage Foundation act today, it almost seems like they are trying to emulate Putin.




The Senate cannot pass a bill showing support for our efforts against ISIS because the Democrats think the authorization allows too much and the Republicans think it does not go far enough (and they don't want to be seen as supporting a policy that might fail because we are showing restraint).  I have two thoughts about this:  (i) Is it any wonder that Presidents don't want to go to Congress for authorization on International stuff?  Congress cannot do it's basic job and hold votes and they don't do anything quickly.  And they don't seem to care that they don't do anything.  Congress is disgusting;  (ii) What do you think Iran thinks about this?  Chaos in policy making, threats of policy retreat and disavowal, who would want to cut a deal with the U.S.

All I know is Iran is next door to Iraq.  Syria is next door to Iraq.  We took out Saddam Hussein who stood up to both of them and now the GOP is complaining that Iran is getting involved with the Shia led Iraqi anti-ISIS forces.  Only Muslims can defeat ISIS.  Widespread involvement of the U.S. will lead to jihadists pouring into Syria to kill Americans.  Civil Wars need to be settled by the locals and their neighbors.  There is only so much people with stretched supply lines can do.

Why can't the Senate agree on a bill that supports a prudent middle ground approach to fighting ISIS?   Are they responsible leaders or just leaders when it fulfills a need?  I suspect it is the latter.