On Wednesday, NBC’s TodayShow brought in former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and heap praise on President Biden’s failed foreign policy. Given McFaul’s diplomatic tenure in Moscow occurred during the Obama administration and ended just prior to Vladimir Putin’s initial 2014 invasion of Ukraine, perhaps he wasn’t the best person to talk to about how to successfully counter Russian aggression.
“Well, let me ask you, are these sanctions that really bite? Does it go far enough? Should the U.S. have thrown everything it’s got right away at the first sight of an invasion?,”Savannah Guthrie, cohost of the show, asked McFaul during the exchange. Despite Putin’s complete defeat, the Democrat applauded Biden. “Well, I think they were good. It was a great start. The President was very strong yesterday, calling this an invasion for what it was…..So I thought it was the right response.”
Alluding to past appeasement of Putin – though without actually pointing a finger at the Obama administration – Guthrie wondered: “And from his perspective, for a moment, he [Putin] has taken some pretty big risks on the world stage and probably felt that he didn’t have much consequence. Do you think that’s how he views this situation?”
McFaul warned that he was not responsible for the appeasement.
Savannah, tragically, yes. He’s comfortable with war. He’s gone to war four times already as president and prime minister. Chechnya, 1999. Georgia, 2008. Ukraine invading for the first time, 2014. Syria, 2015. Every time, he won. So that tempts him, that emboldens him, tragically, to be – take this risky behavior. He thinks war is in his best interests.
Guthrie asked Guthrie if there was anything that could be done against Russia. “And so what does the U.S., what does the west, what does NATO really have to – to respond to this?”McFaul tried to free the Biden administration off its responsibility. “Well, tragically, let’s be honest, not very much. The President has said we’re not going to go to war with Russia over Ukraine. He has done, I think – you know, the cards he has in his hands, he’s played well.”
After touting “the sanctions that are coming,” “military assistance to the Ukrainians,” and “bolstered NATO forces on the front-line states,” McFaul still admitted: “But having said all that, that is not enough to deter Putin. Tragically, I think he’s gonna go in. He’s gonna go in big. And this will probably be the largest war in Europe since 1939.”
Guthrie thanked him for his analysis that there’s supposedly nothing Biden can do: “Ambassador McFaul, you’ve sat face to face with Vladimir Putin many, many times. Disturbing perspective, but a good one to have.”
Despite McFaul claiming that Biden had played his cards well in the Ukraine crisis, a new Gallup poll found only 36% of Americans approve of the President’s handling of Russia versus 55% disapproving. Naturally, the TodayThese results were never discussed in the show coverage.
This lame attempt to use an Obama administration official to cover for Biden’s disastrous foreign policy failures was brought to viewers by Google and Citi. This is your chance to fight back against these advertisers by telling them what you think about their sponsorship of such content.
The complete transcript for the segment on February 23, 2009 is available here:
7.10 am ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE Mr. McFaul was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia under President Obama. Mr. Good morning, Ambassador.
MICHAEL MCFAUL – Good to see you Savannah.
GUTHRIE : Is it really that these sanctions actually work? Are they enough? Should the U.S. have thrown everything it’s got right away at the first sight of an invasion?
MCFAUL : They were very good. It was a positive start. Yesterday’s President, who was quite strong in calling it an invasion as it was, was very clear. They were actually moving in the Ukrainian territory when those soldiers entered those separatist republics. It was my opinion that it was the best response. But he hasn’t thrown everything at them yet that they are planning because they expect that this invasion will escalate and they want to have something to do when it finally does escalate as widely as the President himself has already warned the American people.
GUTHRIE. Many people are wondering if diplomacy still exists. Is there any way Vladimir Putin can save face? Do they care?
MCFAUL: Well, first of all, he doesn’t care about face-saving. Who’s he saving his face in front of? It’s the Russian generals. It’s a dictatorship in Russia. He spoke second, and I listened. He gave an hour-long speech last night – or two nights ago by now. The speech was unnerving, it was lengthy, and it was filled with historical details. It basically was a justification for Russia to seize Ukraine, a country that he doesn’t believe should exist. And Ukrainians, as an ethnicity, he doesn’t think exist. They’re part of Russia. So I didn’t hear anything in that speech that suggested that he was interested in diplomacy.
GUTHRIE: And from his perspective, for a moment, he has taken some pretty big risks on the world stage and probably felt that he didn’t have much consequence. Do you think that’s how he views this situation?
MCFAUL: Savannah, tragically, yes. He’s comfortable with war. He’s gone to war four times already as president and prime minister. Chechnya, 1999. Georgia, 2008. Ukraine invading for the first time, 2014. Syria, 2015. Every time, he won. So that tempts him, that emboldens him, tragically, to be – take this risky behavior. He thinks war is in his best interests.
GUTHRIE: And so what does the U.S., what does the west, what does NATO really have to – to respond to this?
MCFAUL: Well, tragically, let’s be honest, not very much. The President has said we’re not going to go to war with Russia over Ukraine. He has done, I think – you know, the cards he has in his hands, he’s played well. Therefore, the Russian economy will not be able to withstand the new sanctions. Two, he’s given military assistance to the Ukrainians, that’s the right thing to do. You just mentioned that NATO troops were bolstered in the front-line nations, which is a clear indication of their intent to counter Russia. Despite all this, it isn’t enough to disarm Putin. Tragically, I think he’s gonna go in. He’s gonna go in big. It will likely be the most expensive war in Europe for over a decade.
GUTHRIE: Ambassador McFaul, you’ve sat face to face with Vladimir Putin many, many times. A disturbing view, but one that is worth having. Many thanks for taking the time to comment.
MCFAUL : Yes, I’m glad you were there.
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