Obama: President made correct decisions

Re: “Obama judged harshly by his own inner circle” (Michael Gerson column, 1-12).

I would disagree with the judgments made by President Obama’s critics.

Obama’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Crimea was unpopular with Americans but historically defensible in the view of most Russians. And, I believe, when Obama considered Crimean history and the terrible cost of open warfare between the U.S. and Russia, he calmly imposed significant sanctions on Russia.

Obama’s reaction to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine was also unpopular with Americans but, here again, it could be argued that Ukraine is historically part of Russia. After all, Kiev was once the capital city of Russia. Again Obama held the dogs of war at bay and imposed significant sanctions on Russia.

Finally, Obama’s critics pressed him to deploy thousands of America troops into the failed states of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, and the list grows longer. Realizing the madness of policing the entire Middle East, Obama remained calm and turned to diplomacy – agonizingly slow and compromising but superior to pouring American blood and dollars into the sands of Arabia.

All options considered, I would call Obama a success.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Obama: President made correct decisions."