[CRedskinsRule]

I will let it go after one last statement, because it seems like you don't really want to believe there are other ways to handle this.

my last statement:
The US President has a bully pulpit like no other in the world, and the assets to assess rapidly occurring events with amazing efficiency. In THIS case, an unarmed, civilian, aircraft flying along a well known flight path, shot down with anti aircraft missiles, that bully pulpit should have been used to initiate specific responses - several of which I outlined. I don't care if it's a republican president, a democratic president, or a libertarian president. Our position in the world and the office of the Presidency demands that we have more than a Hallmark card response. We didn't see that in THIS case, which happens to be under President Obama's watch.

my last "specific responses":
-- Emergency meeting with National Security Advisors and top congressional members from both parties
-- Televised national unity speech that outlines concerns for air traffic safety, and use of anti-aircraft rockets against civilian flights
-- Send FAA advisors to Ukraine today and make a public show that they either are being allowed on site immediately or question why not.
-- (privately yesterday, and assuming the yes answer announce first thing this morning) offer US AWAC monitoring over Ukranian Air Space. It does put us at a small risk, that someone might shoot an AWAC down, but it sends a HUGE message that commercial airspace is important to the US. Even Offer joint missions with Russia if the President decides to do that, I remember when Reagan offered to share SDI with Russia, sure it's not likely they will accept the offer, but you are leading not reacting.
-- Call for the UN to authorize IMMEDIATE peacekeeping troops
-- Reiterate that Crimea is part of Ukraine sovereign territory.

The US could have done any or all of these things without any risk (except the AWACs) of a shooting war between Russia and the US, and it would have presented a far different path then one where your adversary sees you attending a partisan event, with no notable response to such an egregious act.