Why not ask Putin buddies to intervene?

What’s happening in Ukraine is awful, yet was totally predictable with an evil leader like Putin. 

The man is a monster, yet it’s amazing how certain politicians or celebrities are incapable of sound judgment and are totally blind to the true character of this Russian dictator and his desire to inflict harm on innocent people. 

Perhaps, should we ask these folks to intervene or negotiate with the ex-KGB chief, to get Russian troops out of Ukraine, but these guys, except for our ex-president, must be hard to reach for any kind of response or comment. 

I’m thinking of course about former President George W. Bush who in 2001, famously looked Vladi­mir Putin in the eye and peered into his soul: “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy,” Bush said in remarks he later regretted. “. . . I was able to get a sense of his soul.” 

Trump has probably no regret for what he said when Putin started his aggression against Ukraine: He praised his invasion as “genius” and called him “very savvy” for describing the troops aligned on the Ukrainian border as peacekeepers. 

Then there are also some of my famous countrymen, including actor Gérard Depardieu who is a fan of Putin. After getting caught for tax evasion in France, he hasn't stopped claiming that life is sweet in Putin's country. This new Russian citizen even goes as far as saying in a June 2015 issue of Vanity Fair: "I am ready to die for Russia because the people there are strong; I don't want to die like an idiot in France today.” 

Then there’s Jean-Claude Killy who was asked by Le Parisien newspaper as recently as February, 2018: “Are you still close to Vladimir Putin?” He didn’t hesitate a bit: “Yes, he is a real friend. I had lunch with him again on January 10 at the Kremlin. We play hockey, we go to the mountains, to Siberia, we go rafting… 

I worked with him for seven years preparing for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, in my forty-three trips there, he was practically always present, he was running the Games, we had more than sixty meetings in total. I appreciate the man, we often call each other, I know his family, his daughter…”

So, is there a chance these two Frenchmen might revised their flawed judgment on the man, or better yet have a sway on bloodthirsty Putin? I wouldn’t bet the farm on it!