It is said that even a broken clock is right twice a day, and so it is with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He's no squishy believer in individual liberty, but he has accurately assessed American foreign policy. Reported MSNBC:
"Sometimes it seems to me that America does not need allies, it needs vassals," the Russian prime minister said during a televised call-in show.
He said that Russia would like to be an ally of the United States but that "people are tired of the dictates of one country."
Unfortunately, in this case Putin is correct. Washington does prefer vassals to allies. And it isn't just Russians who get tired of being bossed around by the political hacks who populate America's capital.
Print 
PDF