Bob’s blog: standoff in Ukraine, Middle East peace talks break down

This week on Face the Nation, we'll keep you up to speed with the latest on the standoff between Ukraine and Russia. For analysis of the growing tension, we'll hear from Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn, a ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We'll also speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the breakdown of talks this week between Israel and the Palestinians.

This kind of economic deterrent can hurt Russia badly. But we're at a point where we have to ask the question: will that make any difference to Russian president Vladimir Putin? He seems bent on bringing old Soviet states along his border back under his firm control.

If the Russian army decides to move into Ukraine, there's no way that the Ukrainian army can oppose that. At this point we say we can't put military forces in there. But NATO and the United States are going to have to come to some agreement on how we can make these sanctions tough enough that that Putin will listen to us. So far, he seems undeterred by all of this.

Let's just hope that the president doesn't have to impose these sanctions. This is not a happy day, and it's not a happy week in the Obama administration. The crisis in Ukraine aside, the president found out last night that he's not going to get the trade deal that he wanted with Japan. It also looks like the middle east peace talks are down the drain, at least for a while. It's a very dangerous time in the world. There's no other way to put it.

Obama has not been able to get much done. After the midterms, Obama could very well be a lame duck, and others will be vying for his job. There's a good chance congress is not going to want to extend itself in support of the president. Of course, Congress hasn't done anything in months. They've basically shut down for the rest of the year. That's what is so astonishing about where we are at this particular time. Congress announced last month: no immigration reform, no tax reform, no entitlement reform - basically, nothing until they get past the election.

Last week, we were marking the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act that Lyndon Johnson passed. One of the things that's overlooked is that this happened during an election year. We' often say: "Nothing is going to happen. This is an election year." But things used to happen in election years. Somehow, we've moved to a different place. So when I say a dangerous time, I really mean a dangerous time. The intransigence adds to it.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, will be joining us Sunday to talk about her effort to end sexual assault on college campuses. Plus, we'll talk to former presidential candidate Rick Santorum about his new book "Blue Collar Conservatives" and what's ahead for the future of the GOP. Plus, our all-star panel will offer their analysis of the week's political news. We'll talk with Bobby Ghosh and Joe Klein of Time, Peter Baker of The New York Times, and Nia-Malika Henderson of The Washington Post.