With New Russian Sanctions and "Unprecedented" U.S., German, French and British Response to Russian Provocations Will Trump Haters Now Conceded He's Not Putin's Puppet Or Will They Attack Trump for Going Too Far to Counter Russia?

My bet is on the latter since the left has always had a soft spot for Russians!

When President Reagan called the Soviet Union was an "evil empire" and announced that the United States, in agreement with our allies, would be putting intermediate range nuclear missiles in Europe to counter earlier Soviet moves the left went bonkers. They said Reagan was a warmonger who would start World War III and they played directly into Soviet plans by fighting Reagan every step of the way.

Then comes Trump who was initially seen as ambivalent, if not soft, on the Russians and suddenly the left changed it's tune. Some, like Karen Tumulty at the Washington Post wrote that Russia's inept attempt to interfere in U.S. elections was "an act of war nonetheless, a sneak attack using 21st-century methods." Right up there with Pearl Harbor.

While it's heartening to see some on the left suddenly take the threat from Russia seriously I wonder how many of those currently fretting over Russia laughed with Obama at Romney when in a presidential debate Obama declared that concern over Russia was an 80's thing. Obama sneered that "the 1980's are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

We are told by those who have suddenly become cold warriors that President Trump is "Putin's Puppet" but the evidence would suggest that title belongs to Obama. Least of all because of his hot mic comment to Russian President Medvedev to "tell Vladimir I'll have more flexibility after the [2012] election." Perhaps some of the newly minted Russophobes would like to share that video with Special Prosecutor Mueller. Smacks of collusion to me!

Which brings us back to today. The Trump Administration announced tough new sanctions on Russia for cyber attacks. Associated Press reports:

AP:U.S. national security officials said the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies had determined that Russian intelligence and others were behind a broad range of cyberattacks beginning a year ago that have infiltrated the energy, nuclear, commercial, water, aviation and manufacturing sectors.
...
The accusations and accompanying Russian sanctions were the most severe yet by the Trump administration in connection with hacking and other efforts to sow discord in America’s democracy and compromise its infrastructure.

If Trump was Putin's Puppet would the Kremlin really be playing dirty like that?

Trump joined with key European allies the United Kingdom, France and Germany in what the Sun newspaper called an "unprecedented" joint response to the nerve agent attack in the United Kingdom.

Statement from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on the Attack in Salisbury
The White House
March 15, 2018

We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, United Kingdom, on March 4, 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the United Kingdom police and emergency services for their courageous response. This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. It is an assault on the United Kingdom’s sovereignty and any such use by a state party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all. The United Kingdom thoroughly briefed its allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the United Kingdom’s assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia´s failure to address the legitimate request by the government of the United Kingdom further underlines Russia’s responsibility. We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should, in particular, provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behavior. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council to uphold international peace and security.

U.S. cooperation with our allies in countering Russian aggression. Just how long will it be before the Trump haters take Russia's side?