After over three decades of covering Russia, I leave in despair.

[orwell]

1. The Russian people are complicit in this...

...just as we were in backing our war criminals in Iraq.

I never understood how US citizens rallied around liar Bush in his incessant march to war with Saddam. The whole spectacle was appalling to me. The night we invaded I stood on a street corner in my tiny rural town holding up a sign condemning our actions. People drove by and jeered at me. I lost many friends that night. I couldn't understand how people could not see that we were going to war on lies.

We were complicit as the Russians are complicit now. We were all swelled with pride watching the spectacle of military greatness, the type of "shock and awe" only a superpower can visit on a vastly inferior opponent. Flags waving. Chest puffed out with pride. The great liberators!

And we re-elected him after it was painfully clear that the whole thing was a setup. We compounded the problem by our inability to admit that hundreds of thousands of people were dying for our imperial deceit and hubris.

Well the Russian people are in that same space. They followed this tyrant into the abyss because it gave them pride. Make Russia Great Again. Liberate the poor Ukrainians.

It's the same old tale, told by the same old men. And it seems to work every damn time.

We have met the enemy...and he is us.