John Cornyn: “the former leader of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, once said: You probe with bayonets: If you find mush, you push.…”

“the former leader of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, once said: You probe with bayonets: If you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw. Well, apparently, the current Russian President subscribes to this same point of view. President Putin has made no secret of his desire to restore the former Soviet Union. In 2005, he declared: The [demise] of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century. ``The [demise] of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century,'' he said in 2005. He went on to say: As for the Russian people, it became a genuine tragedy. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens and countrymen found themselves beyond the fringes of Russian territory. So perhaps we should not have been surprised when, in 2008, Russia invaded Georgia--that is, the country of Georgia. Then, when it came to a global response, the Russian President found mush, so he pushed. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time since the end of the Cold War, taking its Crimea region. Once again, President Putin found mush, so he pushed. Today, more than 100,000 Russian troops are massed along the Ukrainian border. An invasion could happen at any moment. This impending crisis raises a fundamental question for the freedom-loving countries of the world: Will President Putin be met with mush or steel?…”