Friedman vs. Putin: Who’s the Drunk?

Okay, you be the judge. Here’s Tom Friedman in today’s NY Times (Putin Blinked):

The crisis in Ukraine never threatened a Cold War-like nuclear Armageddon, but it may be the first case of post-post-Cold War brinkmanship, pitting the 21st century versus the 19th. It pits a Chinese/Russian worldview that says we can take advantage of 21st-century globalization whenever we want to enrich ourselves, and we can behave like 19th-century powers whenever we want to take a bite out of a neighbor — versus a view that says, no, sorry, the world of the 21st century is not just interconnected but interdependent and either you play by those rules or you pay a huge price.

Got that? Russia, bad. United States, good. Is Friedman idiotic? In a word: yes. Tougher question: Does he reflect the views of the American media and the gullible American public?

Here’s Vladimir Putin, also in the NY Times, last fall:

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

So, who makes more sense and who is the more sober of the two, Friedman or Putin?

So, what if Friedman does indeed reflect the view of the American public? Do we have a sober Russian leader faced with an America that’s drunk with power?