Today's European Issues on President's Mind-plus a Jim Kelly update

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Europe by the D-Day invasion,the President of the United States reflected on a number of controversies in Europe today,and also on the release of a US soldier,Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl,by Taliban militants in Afghanistan.We are at a point where Mr.Putin has a chance to get back in the lane of international law,said President Barack Obama at a Thursday press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Brussels,Begium.If Mr.Putin takes those steps,it is possible for us to begin to rebuild trust.The fact that some Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukrainian border does not mean we can afford three or four or six months of drift.
I have no doubt I'll be seeing President Putin at the D-Day observances.He and I have always had a businesslike relationship.I will be delivering the same message:Russia has a legitimate interest,but it's up to the people of Ukraine to make its own decision.The destabilising actions we now see,funded and encouraged by Russia,are unacceptable.If he continues undermining the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine,we will have no choice but to impose more sanctions,Mr.Obama indicated.*
On the issue of Scotland possibly leaving the United Kingdom,he noted that,from the outside at least,it looks as if the UK-Scotland union has worked pretty well,but ultimately that is for the people of Scotland to decide.As to Britain possibly leaving the European Union,it's important for us to know that Great Britain has a seat at the table of the larger European project.It's hard for me to imagine that project would go well without Great Britain.I'm sure the people of Great Britain will make the right decision.*
I'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in Washington,the President continued.We had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated,and we had an opportunity and we seized it,and I make no apologies for that.This basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind dates back to the beginning of the Republic.As Commander in Chief,I am responsible for these kids.I write too many letters to folks who don't get to see their children again.We don't condition whether we make the effort to get someone back,the President explained.*
Jim Kelly update:A large crowd of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly's friends and former NFL colleagues gathered in the Buffalo suburb of Batavia,New York Tuesday for the 28th Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic,the annual charity golf tournament of the Kelly for Kids Foundation.Jim is still in a Buffalo hospital recovering from six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recurrent oral cancer that has spread into his sinus area.
Jim's pain has subsided,older brother Dan Kelly said,but he will still need 6-8 weeks more rest after about another week in hospital,before he can be tested to determine how successful his treatment has been.
This year's tournament should raise more than 250,000 dollars,according to Dan.The Foundation has donated more than five million to regional charities since its inception.

The Syria Crisis:Insights and Policy

Senator John McCain,R-Arizona,said on Thursday that the President of the United States shared with him and Senator Lindsey Graham,R-South Carolina,his goals for military action against Syria:
1.To degrade Assad's chemical weapons capabilities.
2.To lend greater support to the Free Syria Army and those who seek to prevail.
3.To achieve a change in the battlefield to switch the momentum,which is thanks to Russian and Iranian equipment being flown in and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Unless Bashar al-Assad believes he is going to lose,it will be impossible to get him to negotiate.*
The classified briefing we got on Wednesday was excellent and answered many questions.*
The reason the American people are so opposed to miltary action against Syria is:
1.Americans are very sceptical because of Iraq.
2.The President mishandled it.
Americans don't understand this is a regional war.It's not confined to Syria.*
It's understandable there is oppositon to military action in Congress.There's no more important vote a Member of Congress will cast,Senator McCain pointed out.*
The Pentagon is developing a more intense option for an attack on Syria.This would involve strategic bombers such as the B-52 and B-2 stealth bomber,as well as cruise missiles launched from warships.Strategic bombers can fly from bases in the US and fire missiles at a distance from the target,so they would not have to fly over Syria itself.No final decision has been made.*
According to the BBC,the G20 summit in St.Petersburg,Russia has revealed a split among the nations attending over military action against Syria,which Russia itself strongly opposes.Taking Obama's side,British Prime Minister David Cameron said it would send an appalling message to Assad and others if the US failed to act.German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to wait until the UN weapons inspectors deliver their report,which could take weeks.