by Stephen Lendman

Obama's legacy won't please him when independently written. He entered office promising "hope and change."

He delivered demagogic Big Lies, permanent wars on humanity, police state repression, and outlandish corporate favoritism at the expense of beneficial social change.

He appointed a rogue's gallery of scoundrels to top administration posts. John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are unindicted war criminals.

They're arguably America's most venal ever Secretaries of State. Their rap sheets fill volumes. They're neocon extremists masquerading as democrats.

So is National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Earlier, the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity said "she belongs in the big house, not in the White House."

UN envoy Samantha Power belongs there with her. She's ideologically over-the-top and then some.

She claims terrorism is what they do, not us. She calls US genocidal wars liberating struggles.

She considers turning one nation after another to smoldering rubble democracy building. Mass slaughter and destruction are called humanitarian intervention.

She and John Bolton arguably are Washington's worst ever UN envoys. She, Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton played leading roles in Obama's genocidal Libya war.

So-called responsibility to protect is code language for show no mercy. Wherever America intervenes abroad, mass slaughter, destruction, resource theft and human misery follow.

Power deplores peace. She supports every dirty war Washington wages or plans. She blames victims for US crimes.

Her Security Council rants are notorious - beginning-to-end bombast Big Lies and then some.

Including shameless Russia bashing. She takes full advantage to blame Putin for US/Kiev crimes in Donbass. At the same time claiming illegitimate US-installed Ukrainian Nazis are democrats.

On March 6, she was at it again. She fabricated more accusations about big, bad Russia - highlighting nonexistent "Russian aggression."

She called courageous Donbass freedom fighters "Russian separatists" and "terrorists."

At the same time, she supports Ukrainian Nazi thugs waging dirty war without mercy against their own citizens.

Washington bears full responsibility for arming, training, funding and unleashing them to crush Donbass democracy.

Throughout months of conflict, Russia did more than any other nation to resolve things diplomatically. Power lied saying "Russia has no credibility whatever."

Washington has none on major geopolitical issues - notably post-WW II.

Power irresponsibly reinvents history. She lied claiming Russian soldiers and heavy weapons operate in Ukraine. Or that Russia "annexed" Crimea.

She ignored near Crimean unanimity to reverse a historic error and return to Russia. They reject fascist hoodlums controlling their lives. Putin obliged their wishes - what any responsible leader would do.

Power lied claiming he seized Crimea "with the use of military force, the use of military aggression and military forces."

She ignored Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland admitting Washington spent more than $5 billion over the past 20 years for regime change in Ukraine - to replace its democratic government with pro-Western stooges, puppets America controls.

She lied claiming Russia and rebels violated Minsk ceasefire terms. Kiev forces spurn them multiple times daily. Rebels reported over two dozen Friday violations.

Junta thugs refuse to withdraw their forces as stipulated under Minsk. On March 6, the reliable Colonel Cassad web site headlined "The Fictitious Retreat."

Saying under OSCE or Ukrainian journalists' monitoring, "the Ukrainian artillery and 'Grads take off their positions and drive away from the front line."

"After this, in 3-5 km, they make a turn and return to the backup positions (typically, prepared in advance, which suggests a systemic nature of such maneuvers) near the front line."

"There they are additionally camouflaged and stand ready to open fire. Another level of masquerading this process is the retreat of mostly useless 100 mm 'Rapiers."

"The main efforts are focused on preserving heavy artillery and MLRS at the front" to be ready to resume fighting when ordered.

"The weapons that are being pulled back are concentrated to the west of Bugas and once everything that is necessary has been recorded on camera, the artillery returns, making a circle of sorts in the area of Bugas."

What's ongoing "shows perfectly well how the junta tries to deceive…" Ceasefire is shaky at best. It could unravel any time.

Kiev's violations suggest it. Don't expect Power to explain. It bears repeating. She consistently blames Russia and rebels for US/Kiev crimes.

DPR and LPR completed their weapons withdrawal as stipulated by Minsk. Power lied claiming otherwise.

She ludicrously said everything she reports is true. Hard facts expose her Big Lies.

Her spurious accusations of "Russian aggression" don't wash. She lied saying rebels hinder OSCE monitoring.

Its March 5 Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) report cited multiple instances of Kiev obstruction.

Rebels halted hostilities entirely - except in response to junta violations.

Its illegitimate UN envoy Yuri Segeev lied claiming 750 rebel ceasefire violations. Power disgracefully concurred.

She contemptibly criticized Russia's humanitarian efforts - the only nation providing Donbass residents with food, medicines and other life essentials. Washington provides nothing.

Power lied claiming Russian convoys enter Ukraine illegally - "denying international observers and border guards" the right to conduct "full and complete inspection(s) (of) contents."

False! Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin called her Big Lies "cheap information. (All) convoy(s) (were) thoroughly checked by Ukrainian customs and border control officers," he explained.

Kiev on orders from Washington wants aid entirely denied. They want Donbass residents starved to death. They want sick and injured residents denied medical treatment.

The want a humanitarian disaster to harm the greatest number possible. Ideally they want the entire area ethnically cleansed or its population totally annihilated.

They waged dirty war without mercy to accomplish their objectives. They didn't expect freedom fighter resistance able to batter Kiev forces.

Churkin suggested SC members read OSCE reports before commenting on conditions on the ground.

"One side of the conflict - the DPR and LPR - have already finished the (withdrawal) process," he said.

"We hope that Kiev will also follow and finally withdraw all its military vehicles from the line of contact."

"We count on it that this will help to create a climate of trust, and the armed provocations, coming as a result of singular violations of the ceasefire, will end."

Washington wants EU nations remaining firm against Russia. On Friday, their foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini resisted saying:

"The European Union today is extremely realistic about developments in Russia."

"But we will never be trapped or forced or pushed or pulled into a confrontat(ional) attitude."

"We still believe that around our continent…cooperation is far better than confrontation. We still argue for that."

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said EU policy aims for "a ceasefire (in Ukraine), not an escalation."

Americans haven't had war on their territory since the mid-19th century. European endured the horrors of two world wars.

Britain's Cameron marches in lockstep with Obama's worst crimes. Maybe Merkel, Hollande and others have second thoughts about the madness of risking war with Russia.

On the one hand, they're very much part of US-dominated NATO's killing machine. On the other, they want potential war on their territory avoided at all costs.

On Saturday, Der Spiegel magazine reported Merkel's concern about Washington trying to derail EU peace efforts in Ukraine.

Days earlier, NATO supreme commander General Philip Breedlove lied saying conditions in Southeastern Ukraine were "getting worse every day."

Last November, he turned truth on its head claiming "columns of Russian equipment, primarily Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defense systems, and Russian combat troops (were seen) entering into Ukraine."

OSCE monitor reports are polar opposite Big Lies emanating from Washington and NATO headquarters. German intelligence disagrees.

EU member countries agreed on increasing OSCE monitors to 500. According to Mogherini:

"The main point is obviously working to increase the number of selected and skilled people that can do the job."

The more observers deployed, the easier violations can be spotted.

Russia's upper House Federtation Council international affairs committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said Moscow may recognize DPR and LPR independence if no other options prove effective in resolving Ukraine's conflict.

Things seem headed in this direction. Donbass residents reject fascist rule. They want democratic freedom.

They're on their own to achieve it. They deserve universal support. Novorossiya independence may be the only way. Russia should recognize it straightaway. So should EU and other countries.

Peace depends on rejecting Washington's rage for war. Ending Russia bashing and illegal sanctions are good ways to start.

So is recognizing Donbass independence. It's a UN Charter, Article 1 universal right "based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of (all) peoples."

"Everyone (is) entitled to all" Universal Declaration of Human Rights "without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

They're universally recognized "on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty."

Donbass residents have a right to live free. Supporting them can help save EU nations from the scourge of war perhaps likely to destroy them altogether otherwise.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.