Not necessarily something to be proud of, but this blog may have finally found common ground with Senator Lindsey Graham.

Politico reports that Graham has told President Obama to stop the idle threats about “costs” and “consequences”, and to regain some credibility by taking real, tangible action in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that President Barack Obama needs to “stop going on television and trying to threaten thugs and dictators.”

“It is not your strong suit. Every time the president goes on national television and threatens [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin or anyone like Putin, everyone’s eyes roll, including mine,” the South Carolina Republican said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Graham’s own starter for ten:

“President Obama needs to do something,” Graham said. “How about this: Suspend Russian membership in the G-8 and the G-20 at least for a year, starting right now and every day they stay in Crimea after the suspension. Do something.”

This intervention is just a condensed version of the critique and suggestions made earlier by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who also places the emphasis on concrete actions rather than new ways to scold from the sidelines:

This is a critical moment in world history. The credibility of the alliances and security assurances that have preserved the international order is at stake. If Putin’s illegal actions are allowed to stand unpunished, it will usher in a dark and dangerous era in world affairs.

To his credit, President Obama has taken some of this advice – John Kerry is being dispatched to Kiev as an initial show of solidarity. William Hague is heading there too. That’s a good start. But it is the more tangible displays of disapproval that are now required most, from Britain, America and everyone else.

That means boycotting the Paralympic Games, freezing the overseas assets of Russian regime officials, and booting the country out of all international organisations such as the WTO and the G8. Revoking some visas and cancelling all intergovernmental cooperation on everything would also go some way to showing that Russia cannot behave in this way and expect to remain a respected part of the international community.

And if Putin retaliates by turning off the gas supply? Well, maybe the governments of Britain and Europe should have paid more attention to their energy security.