Obama is Winning Versus Putin on Soft Power

Try not to laugh.

The White House conceded Sunday night that Russia had full operational control of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine, but senior U.S. officials painted the picture of a weak, soft Russian President Vladimir Putin who stood everything to lose from this point.

" This chapter has proven decisively that when it comes to soft power, the power of attraction, Vladimir Putin has no game," a senior Obama administration official said during a background briefing with reporters Sunday night.

"So he’s left with hard power. And it’s a very dangerous game to play in Ukraine because the Ukrainian people are not going to stand for it, and nor is the international community."

That was the White House's argument on Sunday. Though it said that Russia successfully sent in some 6,000 airborne and ground troops into region around Crimea, in what has the potential to be a larger invasion, U.S. officials said it showed a sign of weakness.