Republicans mocked for Putin warnings now say: 'Told ya so'

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Did Sarah Palin predict the Ukraine crisis back in 2008?

Former vice presidential candidate says Obama is not exercising 'peace through strength'

Several prominent Republicans are claiming "told ya so" in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea, after having predicted such aggression and tensions years ago, only to be mocked by the media at the time.

Among them are the past two Republican presidential nominees, and former VP nominee Sarah Palin.

"I could see this one from Alaska," Palin wrote on her Facebook page last week. "I'm usually not one to Told-Ya-So, but I did."

Now that Putin has sent forces into the disputed peninsula, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle largely agree on how to approach the stand-off -- with sanctions and other penalties, but not U.S. military force.

But both Palin and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney were shunned for their warnings in 2008 and 2012.

Romney, during the 2012 campaign, took flak for calling Russia "without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe."

The New York Times' editorial page and others ridiculed Romney for the comment.

President Obama, in a presidential debate, tried to zing his GOP rival for the alleged gaffe.

"The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years," Obama quipped.

Romney stood by his claim.

Palin, for her part, said in 2008 that after Russian troops invaded disputed territories in Georgia, then-Sen. Obama's alleged "indecision" would encourage Putin "to invade Ukraine next."

Foreign Policy magazine called this "extremely far-fetched."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during his run for the presidency against Obama in 2008, also used a debate to warn about Putin's Ukraine plans in light of the Georgia conflict.

"Watch Ukraine," McCain said. "This whole thing has got a lot to do with Ukraine, Crimea, the base of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. And the breakdown of the political process in Ukraine."

Obama, at the time, did not dispute McCain's characterization.

On Tuesday, McCain told Fox News: "I predicted this, and although I'm very saddened by it, I'm not surprised."

In the wake of the conflict in the Crimean Peninsula, other lawmakers have reprised their warnings about several policy moves by the Obama administration, including the decision to pull back on a missile defense plan with Poland and the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, members of the House Intelligence Committee are now questioning intelligence assessments they received before Russia's invasion which apparently said the Russians would not advance into Ukraine.

Fox News has learned one assessment said that while Russian troops had amassed on the border and had the ability to go in, it appeared they would not. Another assessment concluded the Russians would not advance.

Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, a member of that committee, said Wednesday he's "ticked" about the intelligence community's forecast and doesn't think members were given all the information.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.