SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:17 P.M. ET: 

A VISITOR FROM THE WEST – It is announced that Secretary of State Kerry will visit Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, on Tuesday.  I guess he found out they have a good restaurant.  This is essentially a solidarity visit.  Like chicken soup, it can't hurt.  But we need diplomatic and economic action to put some heat on Putin.  There have been some hints.  American planning for the G8 conference scheduled for Sochi in June has been put on hold.   We should expect other steps this week.

GREAT MOMENTS IN BROADCASTING – From Variety:  "Russia’s state-controlled network Channel One has cancelled its live coverage of the Oscars in order to cover the crisis in Ukraine.  The channel was due to show the awards between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. Moscow time on Monday, AFP reported Sunday.  In a statement, Channel One said: 'Due to the large amount of news concerning the situation in Crimea and the Ukraine, and the audience’s rising interest in news programs, Channel One considers it impossible to air the Oscars ceremony for five hours, particularly in the morning.'  It added that the awards would be aired at midnight on Monday instead."  I suspect they simply discovered how boring it is.

GRAHAM ROASTS OBAMA – Lindsey Graham got it exactly right in a comment about Obama's foreign policy.  From the Daily Caller:  "South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham advised President Barack Obama to stop threatening 'thugs and dictators' like Russia’s Vladimir Putin on television, claiming that 'everybody’s eyes roll' every time he does."  That says it, doesn't it?  No one takes Field Marshal Obama seriously.  And his "get tough" moments are laughable.

March 2,  2014