How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Whatever the Hell It is the Leader of the Free World is Doing

Maybe it just doesn't matter that Vladimir Putin is forcing his will on Crimea. Crimea river, perhaps. Maybe the Leader of the Free World is right and we shouldn't be viewing the world through an 80s prism. Maybe Walter Russell Mead is worrying too much:

Bashar Assad will surely be watching Ukraine closely over the next few days and weeks. Much is at stake for his main patron there. . . .

It’s not just Assad: Ayatollah Khamenei is also carefully watching events in Ukraine. Russia has consistently supported Iran in its conflict with Israel and the West, and Putin’s resolve in the face of widespread international condemnation is surely heartening for Tehran.

Even beyond the Middle East, certain world leaders are paying close attention to how President Obama plays out this crisis. China, as we wrote earlier today, is sure to consider Washington’s response in Ukraine as an indicator of how the United States would react to increased Chinese aggression in East and Southeast Asia. North Korea too. And don’t forget, our allies are also watching: if push comes to shove on Iran, Israel will remember these days.

Maybe it's all good and the strength that our President projects through his very essence is sufficient to make the world a better place:

You're an animal baby, it's in your nature, just let me liberate you

I just need to get over my mossbackitude. Setting red lines that don't mean anything is cool, it's just the Robin Thicke version of foreign policy. Offering imaginary repercussions is how the game should be played -- smart diplomacy, I believe is what it's called. I am trying to get my mind right on this. Really.