According to Charles Krauthammer, President Putin of Russia sees himself in very historic and transformational terms : "He can already see the history textbooks: Catherine the Great took Crimea, Vlad (the Great?) won it back. Not bad for a 19th-century man." I don't know if he is "Vlad the Great" but President Putin is like the offensive coordinator who keeps throwing the long pass and scoring.  He's concluded that the other side does not have much of a pass defense.  He keeps throwing and scoring. There is one more piece to putting the empire together.  It is Cuba, the island 90 miles away from the US and a very nice warm spot for the Russian Navy to go around the world. How does he get Cuba back?  The answer is money and Putting has plenty of that these days.  .  First, he goes to Raul Castro and offers a lifeline. Cuba needs credit and would literally love "a sugar daddy" again. Second,...(Read Full Post)