Barack Obama issued a threat to Russia and Vladimir Putin on the front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post, crying that he will attack Russia in some unspecified fashion for interfering, as he put it, in the recent American presidential election in order to elect Donald Trump. Without producing a shred of evidence that Russia and Putin did any such thing, the Obama Intelligence Agencies flatly refusing to tell the Congress just what evidence they have, and telling through the Congress the American people, as is their constitutional duty, Obama struts in the newspapers that he has had enough and is willing to start a war with Russia, no doubt out of pique that Donald Trump is about to unravel the unconstitutional actions of his predecessor. It is not the strong we must fear, but the weak, like Obama, who by thumping his chest may get a lot of people killed. Fortunately, Obama has never backed up his threats, and so we are probably safe. But are Obama’s threats to trigger a violent reaction from the Russians due to weakness, incompetence, or malice?

As the Red Queen said to Alice
There is such a thing as malice
That is often seen as stark stupidity
But in truth it may be cunning
Competence not in the running
And it all comes down to rank cupidity
Now to some it may seem funny
To ascribe it all to money
But cupidity can mean a craving for
The respect the weak desires
So he scowls and kicks the tires
And he makes believe he’s totting up the score
Making threats that grace the pages
Of the papers causing rages
To erupt where he believed his act would lead
To the backing down of stronger
Men who will refrain no longer
In allowing little Barack to proceed
In charades of angry power
That grow silly by the hour
As Barack clenches his fist and stamps his feet
While the Red Queen says to Alice
I don’t want to be too callous
But this little man can’t see when he is beat