Putin vs Obama…

Northern Ireland is playing host to a high-stakes sporting event: Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama will see verbal combat in a heavyweight bout. Neither one is John Wayne’s “Quiet Man.” Neither combatant likes the other. This time, Maureen O’Hara’s role will be played by Bashar al-Assad. The stakes are high because Russia and the U.S. have been posturing and fighting in the Middle East for over fifty years, and neither one has delivered a knock-out blow.

Proud Putin is between a rock and a hard...