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An unusual tweet caught my attention last night. Senator Marco Rubio posted a veiled reference to Putin as he said he wished he could share more but…

I wish I could share more,but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin

He has always been a killer,but his problem now is different & significant

It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago

Sure, anyone could see that Putin is a maniacal killer, a former KGB agent who is deluded with thoughts of a new day for the old Soviet Union, even before he invaded Ukraine. It must have been a huge surprise to find the kind of unwavering resolve coming from Ukrainians that has slowed his path to Kyiv and seizing control of Ukraine. The question is, is Vladimir Putin descending into mental decline now?

It is very unusual for someone like Rubio, privy to classified information, to be saying something so damning against a world leader without offering more context. Rubio is the vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a go-to person in Republican foreign policy discussions. Has he heard something in a closed session meeting from a spy or infiltrator that provides some evidence of the possibility of Putin’s mental decline? Perhaps we’ll learn more when the time is deemed appropriate.

One thing that is apparent is that the Ukrainians are fighting for their country and are having some success against Russian attacks. Putin doesn’t appear to have thought-out his strategy. His propaganda campaign to the Ukrainian people has failed spectacularly. Ukrainians have blown up their railroad tracks to deny Russians access into Ukrainian territory. Men and women are taking up arms and pledging to fight.

Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, posed on social media yesterday, holding a Kalashnikov rifle. She is doing interviews with cable news networks and stating that she is staying and fighting. She says it is her duty as a member of parliament.

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Rudik said today on FNC that she thinks Putin expected a “blitzkrieg” yet that is not what happened. She said to stay tuned for more surprises.

Rudik spoke to Fox News Saturday about the ongoing advance on Kyiv as Russian troops advance on the Ukrainian capital. Defensive forces have managed to keep the invading military – which includes tank columns – at bay, at least for the moment. Ukraine’s continued efforts have surprised officials around the world, many of whom did not expect the tiny nation to last against the Russian superpower.

“I’ve received messages from all the political leaders throughout the world, saying, ‘Yeah, Kyiv will fall this night,’ and watch us. We did not,” Rudik boasted. “We have more surprises coming for Putin’s army and the world how Ukrainians can stand for their country.”

“As of the last three to four hours, there has been no sirens and no going to bomb shelters, which is a rare case in Kyiv these days,” Rudik said. “Since the Parliament announced martial law, all in all there has been more than like 13 attacks on Kyiv, where the sirens were on and people had to go to the bomb shelters.”

Putin has underestimated the sense of duty displayed by Ukrainian elected officials, as well as private citizens. Most of all he has underestimated President Zelensky. The world is turning against Putin and it is possible Putin will fail in his mission. I’d like to believe that, anyway. Ukrainian civilians are pleading for help from Biden and from NATO countries. As I write this, it looks as though Germany has lifted its opposition to removing Russia from SWIFT, though no such news is coming from the White House. Biden is in Delaware this weekend.

Blinken announced more financial support for Ukraine’s defense today. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said defense aid will include anti-armor, small arms and various munitions, and body armor and related equipment.

“I have authorized, pursuant to a delegation by the President, an unprecedented third Presidential drawdown of up to $350 million for immediate support to Ukraine’s defense,” Blinken said Saturday. “This brings the total security assistance the United States has committed to Ukraine over the past year to more than $1 billion.”

This morning Rubio notes that Zelensky and Ukrainians are uniting Americans, and people around the world, against Putin.

Though it is hard to shake thinking about Biden’s long career and his historically wrong take on foreign affairs, let’s hope he can do better with Ukraine than he did in Afghanistan. Remember, it was former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates who served in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations who warned, “I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

Gates also said he didn’t know if Biden could be an effective commander-in-chief. He said he thinks Biden “had some issues with the military” as vice-president. So, there’s that.

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