Ohio Gov. John Kasich employed some colorful rhetoric on foreign policy during Tuesday night's CNN debate, saying it was time the U.S. "punched the Russians in the nose."
"Finally, Hugh, in regard to Syria, understand that Assad is an ally of Iran who wants to extend that Shi'i radicalism all the way across the Middle East," he said. "He has to go. And for the Russians, frankly, it's time that we punched the Russians in the nose. They've gotten away with too much in this world, and we need to stand up against them, not just there, but also in Eastern Europe where they threaten some of our most precious allies."
Russian president Vladimir Putin's aggressive actions in the Middle East and the Ukraine and his partnership with rogue regimes such as Syria and Iran have made him a key subject of contention in American foreign policy discussions. Putin has been named the world's Most Powerful Person by Forbes magazine for three straight years.