STEVE DOOCY: The news this morning is that Putin is flexing his muscles, demanding that U.S. warplanes leave Syria. The United States has come back in the last hour or so and said 'we're not going to do anything.' Clearly it's a power grab over Syria but it sets up what we're talking about. Putin versus Obama. How do you analyze those two gentlemen?
KEITH ABLOW: Well, listen, Steve, it's so much easier to flex your muscles when you're not an apologist for your nation, when you really believe your nation has manifest destiny or that the ruling party, or the small group ruling the country should be exercising power. So Putin is free. He's free to do things in the world to assert himself. President Obama has a much different agenda. He's very strong, but his strength is exerted in -- in resisting American advances around the world. In asserting that we don't have the right to influence other countries. So there's a core difference. Both people may be strong, but President Obama doesn't believe that we should exert our influence around the globe. I don't think he believes that our values at home have been the ones we should cling to.
DOOCY: But we're the superpower, and Russia is the wanna-be superpower influencer, whatever. And yet it looks like -- you look at the last week, Putin has kicked our butt.
ABLOW: That's right. A sense of intention, psychologically, a belief that you have the right, and are right on the face of the Earth to achieve things is a very powerful equalizer.
DOOCY: Sure
ABLOW: You can't both be restrained and an apologist and be achieving things in the world. Now by the way, President Obama is achieving what he wants. He wants us to not be present in terms of influence. He wants to fundamentally change the values of this country.
DOOCY: Yeah
ABLOW: He's doing it.
DOOCY: Absolutely. It's part of his legacy. And real quickly speaking of his legacy he wants to open up Cuba so Obama versus Castro, real briefly. Give me your analysis on these two.
ABLOW: Both men -- both men would put America in retreat. Fidel Castro and President Obama, the America I know, what I was raised with, my values, both men agree, those things should be in retreat and shouldn't be as present on the face of the Earth. They're good friends.
DOOCY: Whew. Well he wanted as part of his legacy to open up, you know, relations with Iran, and to open up relations with Cuba, and both those things have happened.
