RUSH: We’re gonna get to the Ukraine business, it’s gonna be the focus here. That happens to be the soap opera story. Actually, it’s not the soap opera story. This is Putin running rings around us. There’s no question what’s going on here. Vladimir Putin’s reassembling the Soviet Union. And this is something — I’ve got the sound bite — I predicted this back in 2008. And all the smart money in Washington, inside the Beltway — we’ve got these sound bites, too — they’re shocked that Putin is trying to reassemble the Soviet Union. They can’t believe it.

Even Lurch — this guy, John Kerry, is shocked that Putin is actually conducting a ground war. Listen to this. Grab number 17. Let’s just get this out of the way ’cause I think it’s hilarious and it is indicative of how just outclassed we are. We’re clueless. This generation of leaders is literally clueless about our enemies. Remember something you were taught early on in this program. The purpose of any military is to kill people and break things. It’s not to advance anybody’s social agenda. It’s not a laboratory for the left’s social ideas or playgrounds. It is to kill people and break things, and the second rule is that the aggressor in any conflict sets the rules. And if they violate an existing rule book, then so be it. The aggressor sets the rules, and right now, Putin is setting the rules.

I went back and did some research. In 1979 when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, ’79, ’80, they did it at Christmastime, when we were all distracted. Putin goes into Ukraine, after, by the way, colonizing Georgia. They got Georgia back now. Remember Shalikashvili and South Ossetia? Well, they got Georgia back and they’re marching now. And when did Putin do it? He sent the troops in during the Olympics that he hosted, that NBC televised and the world was watching. And then after that he continued this buildup last night during the Oscars. That is strategy. What it means to me is, in just that regard, if Putin actually made strategic decisions based on the American people being distracted it tells me that Putin believes that American public opinion still matters, in terms of impacting American leadership.

https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/03/03/clueless_american_leaders_shocked_by_putin_s_attempt_to_reassemble_soviet_union/