Marco Rubio knows the responsible thing for a senator to do at a time of international crisis -- take to the media and try to score points against the president -- so he's written an opinion piece for Politico Magazine titled "8 Steps Obama Must Take to Punish Russia." First recommendation:
President Obama should speak unequivocally and call this what it is: a military invasion.Are we seriously going to play this game again? Wingnut Rumplestiltskin? We've been playing the post-9/11 version ever since Obama became a presidential candidate. Obama won't say we're at war with Al Qaeda and its ideological allies! He won't say "jihadist" and "Islamist"! He won't say "war on terror"! He'll say "terrorism" and "extremism," but he won't say "Islamic terrorism" and "Islamic extremism"! It's "wingnut Rumplestiltskin" because apparently the key to solving all global problems is using the exact booga-booga words right-wingers want to hear -- say them and everything magically works out.
But if Obama does use the phrase "military invasion," he'll still be an appeaser because he didn't say "coup." Or "dictator." Or "tyrant." Or "Stalinist." Or whatever. The secret word is always something Obama didn't say, or didn't say fast enough, or said but didn't say in one particular statement. It's a game, needless to say, that he can't win.
