Republican pundit Pat Buchanan thinks he and Russian President Vladimir Putin might be kindred spirits.
In a column published Tuesday on the conservative website TownHall.com and entitled “Is Putin One Of Us?” Buchanan praised the Russian leader’s opposition to same-sex marriage and suggested it shows Putin might be a “paleoconservative.”
“In the culture war for mankind’s future, is he one of us?” Buchanan wrote.
Citing statements made by the Russian leader, Buchanan wrote that it’s clear Putin thinks equating “traditional marriage and same-sex marriage” is akin to equating “good with evil.” Buchanan lauded the position as “moral clarity” on Putin’s part.
“President Reagan once called the old Soviet Empire ‘the focus of evil in the modern world.’ President Putin is implying that Barack Obama’s America may deserve the title in the 21st century,” wrote Buchanan. “Nor is he without an argument when we reflect on America’s embrace of abortion on demand, homosexual marriage, pornography, promiscuity, and the whole panoply of Hollywood values.”
Buchanan went on to note Putin was not wrong in his assertion that the “new immorality” has been “imposed undemocratically” because “abortion and homosexual acts” were legalized in this country by “unelected justices.”
In conclusion, Buchanan pointed to global opposition to gay rights, including the recent reinstatement of a law criminalizing gay sex in India as evidence Putin is speaking for many around the world.
“While his stance as a defender of traditional values has drawn the mockery of Western media and cultural elites, Putin is not wrong in saying that he can speak for much of mankind,” Buchanan wrote.
