Karl Rove: Putin Played Obama for a 'Sucker'

Russian President Vladimir Putin "played Barack Obama for a sucker" in the Crimean takeover, Republican operative Karl Rove says.

"Just over three weeks ago, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, told the president of the United States Russia has no territorial ambitions whatsoever in the Crimea. We will never annex it," Rove said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren." 

"And three weeks later we have a gigantic ceremony celebrating it. Vladimir Putin played Barack Obama for a sucker, and the president of the United States has done very little in return," he said.

Russians got the message very early in his presidency that Obama was the "supplicant," Rove said, pointing to one of Obama's first actions: unilaterally canceling missile defense agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic.

The Russians said, "We got something in return for nothing," Rove said, and they began looking for more opportunities.

"When you show weakness to Vladimir Putin, he takes advantage of it," Rove said.

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