You Must Admit, the Logic is Solid

President Obama's dream of earning his Nobel Peace Prize already granted based on his potential has led him to talk to the Iranians about a nuclear halt that Tehran will never abide by even if it deigns to agree to it on paper. But that dead end might not be proven for years after the president retires from office. The president's dream could obviously end in perhaps the last place he though it would die--Ukraine.

Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union in exchange for guarantees of Ukraine's territorial integrity. And now Russia is poised to strip away Crimea from Ukraine's control. Worse, the logic of geography means Russia aspires to own all of Ukraine again as part of its empire.

So what's a weak nation to do when Russia claws at their door?

Go nuclear--again:

Ukraine may have to arm itself with nuclear weapons if the United States and other world powers refuse to enforce a security pact that obligates them to reverse the Moscow-backed takeover of Crimea, a member of the Ukraine parliament told USA TODAY.

The United States, Great Britain and Russia agreed in a pact "to assure Ukraine's territorial integrity" in return for Ukraine giving up a nuclear arsenal it inherited from the Soviet Union after declaring independence in 1991, says Pavlo Rizanenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament.

"We gave up nuclear weapons because of this agreement," Rizanenko said, a member of the Udar Party headed by Vitali Klitschko, a candidate for president. "Now there's a strong sentiment in Ukraine that we made a big mistake."

If Ukraine has to depend only on itself to protect its territory, how can it do so without nuclear weapons when Russia has them?

It would be a long and expensive path back to Kiev owning nuclear weapons. And I won't say that I look forward to nuclear proliferation any more than President Obama does.

But it is hard to say the lawmaker's logic is wrong.