Donald Trump’s decision to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin’s leadership skills relative to President Obama’s is getting a lot of attention, but what Trump actually said is much worse.
To be clear, though it’s an odd thing to say about an American adversary, just because you say that somebody has been a strong leader, it doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with what that leader’s actions. You could, for instance, state that Adolph Hitler was a very effective speaker, without actually endorsing the content of his speeches.
I’m uncomfortable with Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence’s statement that, “I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.” Or, as radio host and Washington Examiner columnist Hugh Hewitt put it, “Putin’s an evil man. POTUS a good but incompetent man. Putin has served his country’s national interest better.” But neither arguments are as bad as what Trump said in Wednesday night’s “Commander in Chief Forum,” in which Trump not only said Obama was a weaker leader, but he implied that Obama was just as morally bad as Putin, if not worse.
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