Leon Panetta: “We are trying to make decisions. This is an issue, as you know, that has been out there for a long time; and we just…”

That’s too long, and it should have been brought back sooner.

Mr. Trump has always prided himself on being a dealmaker, pledging in his campaign that he would resolve such conflicts in the first few days of his presidency.

What Trump is trying to do in order to convince Putin to come to the table is not going to work if Putin senses weakness on the part of the United States.

But the facts speak for themselves.