This column was to be about Bob Dole.
He was a WWII hero grievously wounded to the point of losing the use of his arm. Bob Dole ran for Congress as a Republican from Kansas. He served honorably for 36 years. He unsuccessfully aspired to the presidency.
We should all honor Bob Dole. My favorite Bob Dole quote resulted from his being castigated by his Republican Party colleagues for supporting more funding for the passenger rail Amtrak.
Knowing that his colleague – Democratic Senator and now-president Joe Biden – took Amtrak home to nearby Maryland, Dole said, “More funding is the best way to get Joe Biden out of here every night.”
Another quote was his answer to a question on Meet the Press. He was asked if he always answered questions with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
His response was “probably not.”
Classy, just plain classy. May he rest in peace.
One of the many critical issues facing our leaders today is the massing of Russian troops near the Ukraine border. A similar crisis happened in 1962, when Nikita Khrushchev sent an armada of ships loaded with nuclear missiles to Cuba after the CIA-led Bay of Pigs invasion debacle.
We mobilized our Strategic Air Command bombers and massed our own troops in South Florida. President Kennedy warned the Soviet premier of dire consequences and blockaded Cuba. Khrushchev backed down and the nuclear crisis was averted.
Was this a total victory for President Kennedy, or was there more to the story? The answer is that the Soviet leader wanted our nuclear missiles out of neighboring Turkey. We did not want it known that we had missiles there. So backstage, we agreed to secretly remove our missiles if the Russian armada was turned away. That is what happened and the Cuban Missile Crisis was ended.
So, why does Putin want to recreate the crisis nearly 60 years later? The complex answer is that he wants to lead a world power and return Russia to its former
glory. He also wants to control Europe by being the major provider of natural gas. His Nordstrom pipeline is finished but awaits regulatory approval. He also does not want the Ukraine to join NATO which is a real possibility.
The many economic sanctions imposed on Russia since their last Crimea and Ukraine adventure have been harmful and caused suffering to the population but, not to the leaders. The question is what backstage negotiations will find the solution that allows all the key players to declare victory without military actions by Ukrainian supporters?
Let us all hope in this season of goodwill that these solutions are found.
Failure to do so has only dire consequences for the entire world.
Roger Carlton writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. He is a resident of Lake Santeetlah and can be reached via email, rcarlton57@hotmail.com.