The Grim New Reality
The invasion has now officially begun. Vladimir Putin wasn't bluffing. President Joe Biden's warnings that this was going to happen were not overblown or premature. Russia is redrawing the geopolitical lines in Eastern Europe and the rest of the world is going to have to adjust to the new reality. This is all very grim to contemplate, obviously. We are going back in time to the 20th century, when wars of aggression were a reality that killed untold millions. So it behooves us to look ahead to what this new order will mean, especially what it will mean militarily.
There are plenty of other aspects of this war worth discussing, of course. How the future plays out in Ukraine and the rest of Europe and here at home are all gigantic unknowns. There is the domestic political situation here in America, the domestic political situation in Russia itself, and the open question of what the Ukrainian people will do after Putin occupies their entire country and assumably installs some sort of puppet government. Will a resistance spring up and wage a guerrilla war against the occupiers? Will Putin crush all such resistance by the most brutal methods imaginable? Nobody knows what will happen, or how long the Russian occupation will exist. Then there is the question of what all the economic sanctions are going to achieve (both good and bad), and how much and how long this will impact Americans (especially at the gas pump). These are all important facets to what is going on now, but I'm going to set most of them aside for now.
The military implications of Russia engulfing Ukraine are beyond grim. Wikipedia has a free map of the region, although there is a better map in the Washington Post, in an article today that discusses how the lines of power are now going to shift:
Let's assume for a moment that Vladimir Putin succeeds in gaining full control of Ukraine, as he shows every intention of doing. What are the strategic and geopolitical consequences?
The first will be a new front line of conflict in Central Europe. Until now, Russian forces could deploy only as far as Ukraine's eastern border, several hundred miles from Poland and other NATO countries to Ukraine's west. When the Russians complete their operation, they will be able to station forces -- land, air and missile -- in bases in western Ukraine as well as Belarus, which has effectively become a Russian satrapy.
Russian forces will thus be arrayed along Poland's entire 650-mile eastern border, as well as along the eastern borders of Slovakia and Hungary and the northern border of Romania. (Moldova will likely be brought under Russian control, too, when Russian troops are able to form a land bridge from Crimea to Moldova's breakaway province of Transnistria.) Russia without Ukraine is, as former secretary of state Dean Acheson once said of the Soviet Union, "Upper Volta with rockets." Russia with Ukraine is a different strategic animal entirely.
This cannot be denied, when looking at either one of those maps. Russia alone only borders four NATO countries: Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Russia with Belarus (which it has already effectively made into a satellite state) doesn't add any countries to that list, although it does almost completely surround the Baltics. Adding Ukraine means Russia will effectively border three more NATO countries (Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania). There will shared borders between NATO and the Russian hegemony from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. And pay attention to that tiny slice of land between Lithuania and Poland (where the Baltic port city of Kaliningrad is), as the author goes on to point out:
The most immediate threat will be to the Baltic states. Russia already borders Estonia and Latvia directly and touches Lithuania through Belarus and through its outpost in Kaliningrad. Even before the invasion, some questioned whether NATO could actually defend its Baltic members from a Russian attack. Once Russia has completed its conquest of Ukraine, that question will acquire new urgency.
One likely flash point will be Kaliningrad. The headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet, this city and its surrounding territory were cut off from the rest of Russia when the Soviet Union broke up. Since then, Russians have been able to access Kaliningrad only through Poland and Lithuania. Expect a Russian demand for a direct corridor that would put strips of the countries under Russian control. But even that would be just one piece of what is sure to be a new Russian strategy to delink the Baltics from NATO by demonstrating that the alliance cannot any longer hope to protect those countries.
Indeed, with Poland, Hungary and five other NATO members sharing a border with a new, expanded Russia, the ability of the United States and NATO to defend the alliance's eastern flank will be seriously diminished.
Which is precisely what Putin wanted, all along.
Russia invading the Baltic states would obviously be the next step, if Putin is ultimately determined to rebuild the Iron Curtain. This is why they so eagerly joined NATO in the first place. Because they are now NATO allies, all the other NATO countries are sworn to protect and defend their territory under any circumstance. Which means if Russian tanks ever enter Estonia, the U.S. would be obligated to attack those tanks with U.S. forces. This wouldn't be another Cold War, it would likely be the start of World War III. Putin has already threatened any country that attacks Russian troops with a nuclear first strike. So what would happen if American bombers and jets are taking on Russian planes and tanks in Latvia?
What could prevent Putin from taking this step? That's hard to see. Perhaps occupying and pacifying Ukraine will take Putin a lot more time and a lot more soldiers than he now thinks. Right now he swears he isn't going for a long-term occupation, but Putin says a lot of things that aren't true, so that should be discounted out of hand. What percentage of his military forces is he willing to endlessly commit to holding onto Ukraine? That will have an impact on his expansionist dreams, because every Russian soldier needed in Ukraine is one fewer for any more military invasions. Russia will no doubt install a puppet government in Kiev, and may decide to eventually just completely absorb the entire nation into Russia itself. Such a move would not be popular in Ukraine, which has been moving in a pro-Western direction for years now. So whether Putin calls it a region of Russia or just a vassal state wouldn't really matter, since he'd still likely need a large occupying force to maintain control.
Of course, America would cheer on any resistance forces that do pop up in Ukraine, but supplying them with the weapons they will need to fight could be very risky:
Some analysts today imagine a Ukrainian insurgency sprouting up against Russian domination. Perhaps. But the Ukrainian people cannot be expected to fight a full-spectrum war with whatever they have in their homes. To have any hope against Russian occupation forces, an insurgency will need to be supplied and supported from neighboring countries. Will Poland play that role, with Russian forces directly across the border? Will the Baltics? Or Hungary? And if they do, will the Russians not feel justified in attacking the insurgents' supply routes, even if they happen to lie in the territory of neighboring NATO members? It is wishful thinking to imagine that this conflict stops with Ukraine.
This is a good point. This wouldn't be like the C.I.A. smuggling weapons to the mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation, it would mean the direct involvement of NATO in one way or another. Which Russia would label an act of war.
We've already seen what Putin is capable of. What he wants is pretty plain to see as well -- he wants a reconstituted Soviet Union, utterly subservient to him. He doesn't care one whit what the rest of the world thinks of these plans. World War II was preceded by Nazi Germany either annexing or seizing Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. History doesn't have to repeat itself, but it could. World War III might begin with Russia not just seizing Ukraine but also then attempting to conquer the Baltic states.
The world woke up to a grim new reality this morning. Russian aggression has taken a giant step forward -- or backwards, really, to a time when wars of conquest were always either a possibility to be feared or a reality to be fought. Vladimir Putin has taken the world to this brink, and he shows no signs of backing down. Many are saying we are about to enter a new Cold War, but Putin may just usher in the hottest of all wars imaginable.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
The invasion has now officially begun. Vladimir Putin wasn't bluffing. President Joe Biden's warnings that this was going to happen were not overblown or premature.
True.
But, we may have to change the definition of 'immenent'. ;)
We will definitely have to change the meaning of imminent. Heh.
If the west is serious, China is the answer. Russia just penned a huge oil deal with China, which financially backs Putin up to survive sanctions, at least in theory. Threaten to stop all manufacturing in China from the west and they would probably change their tune. China is slowing down in it's growth and has a lot of debt. It's in a weak place at the moment. Loss of being the world's manufacturing center would likely crush China economically. Of course that would require principles over greed and be costly over the short term, so it would never happen...
You know, sometimes the themes for the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party just write themselves!
This coming Sunday night it will be:
Make love, not war!
:-)
Bashi[4],
Yep.
Freeze all assets in all banks by Putin and his inner circle. Forcibly shut down any bank that doesn't comply. This means you, Switzerland.
Sounds like a plan!
It seems to me that the key is the Baltic states. They are part of NATO. We, the U.S., are committed to defend them against Russian invasion. For the Russians to threaten nuclear consequences makes no more sense than it ever has -- nukes are nukes, and we can and will give as good as we get. Putin knows this, of course, and is just blustering with his nuclear threats.
More to the point: can NATO and we, the US as NATO's primary component, defend Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia from a Russian invasion? Technically, yes - we have to, or NATO means nothing and Poland, the Czechs and Slovaks, etc. might as well surrender right now.
Putin knows this. Nukes are not an option and never have been. Ukraine is not in NATO and can be swallowed up. Going past Ukraine to the rest of the former Eastern Bloc is not so easy given the NATO connection: Germany, France, Britain, and the US are all sworn to defend its membership. Putin, even if he takes Ukraine whole, will not have a real option of going further without declaring war on the United States and its allies. That will give him pause, and even stop him. I think.
Grim new reality, indeed. And, if Putin's forces are successful, then they will added a substantial length of border with NATO allies.
Something that would not have happened without a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Or, am I missing something?
JL,
Freeze all assets in all banks by Putin and his inner circle. Forcibly shut down any bank that doesn't comply. This means you, Switzerland.
Biden won't take that step.. He is not going to go after Putin directly..
What does THAT tell you about Biden??
Liz,
I am very disappointed in you...
I thought you were serious when you said you really wanted to clean up Weigantia and make it like it used to be..
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2022/02/23/republicans-want-to-raise-taxes-on-half-of-america/#comment-185757
It breaks my heart to learn you were simply exhibiting political bigotry... :(
The invasion has now officially begun. Vladimir Putin wasn't bluffing. President Joe Biden's warnings that this was going to happen were not overblown or premature.
How can this be!??
Military veteran cad explicitly stated that it was all a bluff.. That Putin wasn't really going to invade..
So, either the invasion isn't really happening..
Or cad is full of shit???
Which is it???
JMCT
. Putin knows this, of course, and is just blustering with his nuclear threats.
Yea... people claimed that a Ukraine invasion was just "bluster"...
You people never learn from your mistakes, eh??
More to the point: can NATO and we, the US as NATO's primary component, defend Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia from a Russian invasion? Technically, yes - we have to, or NATO means nothing and Poland, the Czechs and Slovaks, etc. might as well surrender right now.
NOW yer getting it.. Biden and the Democrats have so weakened NATO and the US, NATO means nothing right now..
That will give him pause, and even stop him. I think.
No, you don't... You really don't.. :^/
AS STATED before I sure was wrong predicting that this invasion wasn't going to happen. But I simply didn't think Putin would muck this up so badly.
Let's start with the big picture. Russia is huge and flat and hard to defend. Therefore for thousands of years -- from Mongols in the east to the Nazis in the west, Russia keeps getting invaded.
That's why Putin isn't remotely unique in Russian history for wanting to keep NATO as far away as possible. And for damn sure not on the Russian-Ukrainian border (bad enough the Baltic States, hello?)
So, as a Ukie-Murican I'm naturally pissed off about the invasion but I see this as recurring behavior for the Rooskies for which this NATO stuff is an existential threat, full stop.
Trouble is, Chechnya and Georgia proved that the Russian military is not as good as Putin thought. So while they've improved since the 2000s Ukraine is not the Ukraine of 2014. With 40 million citizens, now seven years of combat experience in Donbass and with the West now delighted (as in Afghanistan) to pour in the weapons and support, Ukraine will fight fiercely and resist until the Rooskies are vanquished. Better chance that Ukraine proves to be Putin's Afghanistan than that Putin successfully occupies and pacifies Ukraine, I say.
Putin really muffed this one. I bet he thought he could extract something significant from the West by talking his sabre and failing that decided whathehell and threw the dice.
BUT, ALAS Putin united a fractured NATO like nobody thought possible. He'll likely find out the 2022 Ukrainians considerably tougher than Chechnya or Georgia.
4 out of 5 dentists recommend tossing Russia out of the world banking (SWIFT) and energy markets and start hoovering up the couple trillion dollars of Putin/Oligarch bread outside Mother Russia.
The pain will be felt worldwide, yes. Gas will go up, inflation may stay up, the Repugs will blame Biden yada yada...
But Russia will effing collapse and the power centers in Russia will have no choice but to turn on Putin. Serve him up to the World Court. With unicorns.
And as far as all the OMG the Rooskies will be right on the Polish and Czech borders! worse case scenario stuff, yeah it's by no means desireable. But to assess the Russian actions, first ask yourself how cool would we be if the Rooskies were to station forces in Yucatan and Nova Scotia?
@rush,
Oh, you mean like when you were threatening to file a knowingly false report accusing a police officer of misusing his authority for personal gains?
As usual, you are speaking gibberish and bullshit..
Kick was correct. That photo of you is used by law enforcement, but not as an employee photo! IF it was only your military ID photo, why would you fear being extorted by it being released?
I made clear I had no fear of it being released.. I continued to post facts about vick being a homophobe and a racist...
She claimed she would release the photo if I continued to post bullshit about her..
I continued to post about her.. She didn't release the photo..
So, either she is lying and doesn't really have what she claims she has.. Or she concedes that I am NOT posting bullshit about her.. That she is, indeed, a homophobe and a racist...
Do you get it?? Or do I need to dumb it down for you any more??? :^/
@cad,
But Russia will effing collapse and the power centers in Russia will have no choice but to turn on Putin.
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
What makes you think you have ANY semblance of credibility here, cad??
Yer a PROVEN racist who throws around racist slurs left and right here in Weigantia..
You went on record SEVERAL TIMES stating that Putin was just bluffing.. That he wouldn't really invade...
Your claims of military service are in the trash can.. PROVEN to be complete and utter lies...
Why should ANYONE take ANYTHING you say, seriously..
@cad,
The pain will be felt worldwide, yes. Gas will go up, inflation may stay up, the Repugs will blame Biden yada yada...
And here again, you are caught in more bullshit...
You have stated for the record that inflation will go down in time to save the Democrats at the mid terms.
NOW you are saying that inflation will go up..
You REALLY need to stop spewing yer ignorant bullshit, cad...
This offers the opportunity for Joe to rally the Western world, crush or severely limit Russia's power, get payback for 2016 along with voting them entirely out of Ukraine, including Crimea. With unicorns.
No really, this is entirely doable if Joe channels his inner Russian Chess Champion.
Russia-Ukraine war: Biden promise to restore world order collapses as global chaos reigns
Biden promised that, if he was elected, Putin's days of 'trying to intimidate' Eastern Europe were over
The way candidate Joe Biden told it on the campaign trail, things were simple: elect him president, and the world order would return to one in which America was not to be crossed.
"The world does not organize itself. American leadership, backed by clear goals and sound strategies, is necessary to effectively address the defining global challenges of our time," Biden's campaign website asserted. "In order to lead again, we must restore our credibility and influence. From day one of a Biden administration, other countries will once again have reason to trust and respect the word of an American president."
And he also talked tough about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Vladimir Putin doesn't want me to be President. He doesn't want me to be our nominee. If you're wondering why - it's because I'm the only person in this field who's ever gone toe-to-toe with him," Biden's Feb. 21, 2020, tweet read.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-promise-restore-world-order-collapse-russia-global-chaos
We now come to learn that Biden is EXACTLY who Putin wanted to be POTUS..
Because Putin knew that Biden and the Democrats would weaken the US Military and weaken NATO to the point that Putin can do whatever he wanted...
And here we are...
The Democrat "adults" are in charge now...
And they have made a complete and utter mess of the world and of this country...
It's a bona fide FACT that Putin was cowed and did nothing under President Trump...
It was only when Biden and the Democrats thru fraud and cheating, took over the government that we now have a belligerent Putin who is taking over Eastern Europe to rebuild and reconstitute the old USSR...
THIS is Biden's legacy... Biden beget the resurgence of the Soviet Bear...
And ya'all think that ALL of this will blow ever in time to save Democrats at the mid terms????
BBBBBBWBBWWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
This is EXACTLY the down side of legalizing marijuana... Ya'all have been smoking it WAAYYY too much and it's turning yer brains to mush... :^/
@cad
This offers the opportunity for Joe to rally the Western world, crush or severely limit Russia's power, get payback for 2016 along with voting them entirely out of Ukraine, including Crimea. With unicorns.
No really, this is entirely doable if Joe channels his inner Russian Chess Champion.
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
cad, yer a moron.... Biden doesn't HAVE an inner Russian Chess Champion...
Biden is barely able to maintain an inner tiddly-winks champion...
Putin is going to chew Biden up and then spit Biden out..
Ironically, that might actually make Biden a bit smarter..
THIS is Biden's "Inner Russian Chess Champion" in action..
It started with a humiliating American exit from Afghanistan, in which desperate Afghans clung to departing American planes only to fall to their deaths, the safety of American soldiers was dependent on Taliban fighters, and American civilians were stranded in the country after their president broke his promise not to leave them behind.
ANYONE who believes that Biden is going to come out of this smelling like a rose is a complete and utter moron who doesn't have 2 brain cells to rub together..
This is a COMPLETE disaster for Biden and the Democrats..
I honestly did not think it possible... I honestly thought that things had hit rock bottom for Democrats in November..
But now it looks like Biden and the Democrats are going to plunge to new lows...
Biden is already looking at President Trump's approval numbers with envy...
It's going to be fascinating how far below President Trump Biden's numbers will fall..
Grim new reality, indeed. And, if Putin's forces are successful, then they will added a substantial length of border with NATO allies.
Something that would not have happened without a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Or, am I missing something?
Yes, Liz.. You are missing something..
No, Putin is not adding a substantial length of border with NATO...
He is adding a substantial buffer zone with NATO..
You are probably too young to remember what things were like, militarily, under the old USSR...
Eastern Europe were satellite nations.. Ostensibly countries in their own right, but were completely controlled by Mother Russia..
Crimea annexation notwithstanding, today's Russia doesn't want to ABSORB Ukraine or Poland or Estonia or Latvia or Lithuania..
Putin wants to use them as a shield, just like in the days of the USSR...
So, Putin is not creating new borders with NATO.. Putin is putting shields between NATO and Russia...
And Biden is letting Putin do that with nary a fight...
And Biden and the Democrats have so weakened this country, this country's military and NATO, that Putin is going to get away with it..
THAT is Biden's legacy..
And, you can bet that, when the GOP take the House and Senate....
Biden's actions in Afghanistan and Biden's inaction in Eastern Europe will figure prominently in Biden's impeachment...
And, when China sees how lackluster and cowed Biden is by Putin, you can bet that the time Taiwan has left as an independent country can be measured in weeks...
And ALL of this is happening as the backdrop of the coming mid-term elections..
Honestly.. Does **ANYONE** HONESTLY and TRULY believe that Democrats are going to maintain their hold on Congress??
ANYONE?? Well, we know cad believes that... But cad is a racist, a homophobe and a moron so everyone can easily discount that..
Seriously, people.. Ya'all REALLY need to come to grips with the fact that Democrats are sunk... They are going to be totally wiped out.. It's going to be an Extinction Level Event for the Democrat Party...
Hay cad??
Where did ya go??
You were so mouthy and then you disappeared...
Why is that???
Run along and hide, you racist....
Lucas: Biden lacks Trump’s punch, and Putin knows it
That will teach Joe Biden to hug a thug.
Whatever you think of Donald Trump, he never would have allowed Vladimir Putin to run circles around him, which is what Putin has done to hapless Joe Biden.
And he certainly would not have appeased Putin and given the Russian president everything he asked for from the START treaty to greenlighting Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, without getting something in return. All Biden got from Putin was grief.
Trump is a businessman and that is what businessmen do. They do not give things away without getting something in return. He is also a bully who knows how to deal with other bullies.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/02/24/lucas-biden-lacks-trumps-punch-and-putin-knows-it/
Putin knew he could walk all over Biden and the United States and NATO...
And now Putin is proving that to the world...
The only thing bullies like Putin understand is a bloody nose, metaphorically speaking, but Biden has no punch. He is a veteran Washington politician who made a career of going along to get along. Trump demanded respect; Biden seeks to make nice.
Putin is a tough former KGB operative with blood on his hands. And unlike Biden and other Western leaders, Putin has a vision, and that vision is to force former Russian provinces like Ukraine back into the bosom of Mother Russia, whether they like it or not.
And Joe Biden has given Putin a window of opportunity to make that vision, or at least a part of it, a reality.
Biden, in his war on fossil fuel, early on shut down the Keystone XL pipeline and reversed Trump’s oil drilling policies. Yet, in a gift to Putin, Biden removed U.S. sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline that allowed it to be completed. This pipeline will bring additional energy into Germany, a NATO ally. He got nothing in return.
Biden and Putin worked a deal together..
And now Putin OWNS Biden....
On Tuesday Biden, as part of his sanctioning of Russia for invading Ukraine, re-established the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Had he not removed them in the first place, he might have given Putin second thoughts about invading Ukraine.
Nevertheless, in just a year, Biden has turned the U.S from an energy independent nation into a country that now imports oil from Russia.
Now, in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, Biden, to avoid responsibility for his failed energy policy, is already blaming Russia for the higher gas and energy prices that Biden’s policies initiated.
What he should have said in his Tuesday remarks in response to Putin was to order the reopening of the Keystone pipeline as well as a relaxation of his anti-oil drilling policies in the U.S. That would have caught Putin’s attention.
Instead, his weak response to Putin’s aggression is a signal to NATO, Putin and the world that Biden has written off Ukraine. It is another gift.
It is Putin who is calling the shots, not Biden. Putin is the strong horse. He has Joe Biden’s number.
Biden got played by Putin.. Biden is continuing to get played by Putin..
Putin OWNS Biden...
Pure and simple...
In May, following a Russian cybercriminal attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which shut down parts of the east coast, Biden brought the issue up with Putin during their Geneva summit.
While Putin rules with an iron fist and can hear a piroshki hit the carpet in St. Petersburg, he denied having any knowledge of the attackers.
Rather than telling Putin to stop the attacks, Biden incredulously gave Putin a list of 16 U.S. infrastructures that are off limits to Russian cyberattacks.
Although he did not say it, you could almost hear Putin chuckle and ask, “You mean everything else is on the table?”
Then Putin and the world witnessed Biden’s reckless, humiliating and deadly abandonment of Afghanistan last August and the unnecessary death of 13 U.S. soldiers at the Kabul airport. The whole operation was an unnerving sign of U.S. abandonment and retreat.
“If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay to get them all out,” Biden falsely promised as he turned tail.
Finally, there was Biden’s signal — whether a slip up or not — that “a minor incursion” into Ukraine by Russian forces would be treated differently from a major invasion.
Putin no doubt took this as a sign that he could get away with taking over the two Russian-speaking provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, which he did.
Pretty much Biden handed over Ukraine to Putin... Pure and simple...
Now, the only real question remains... Will Biden throw Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia under the bus as well....
Biden isn't really thinking this thru...
Biden has adamantly REFUSED to commit US Forces to defending Ukraine...
Biden made one of the most BONE-HEADED military moves he could have made with that statement..
Even worse than the bone-headed move he made in Afghanistan by giving up the ONLY strategic asset in the TOP...
Biden gave Putin the opening that Putin needed to waltz into Ukraine...
So, Ukraine will soon belong to Putin...
So, then Putin must be thinking, "Biden was afraid to commit US troops to protect Ukraine... It's likely that Biden won't commit US Troops to protect Estonia or Latvia or Lithuania..."
Does ANYONE here honestly believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine??? SERIOUSLY!??
No, of course not..
Does anyone here HONESTLY believe that Biden will commit US troops to protect Estonia or Latvia or Lithuania?? What with the mid-terms coming up???
No, of course not..
So, what we are looking at is the return of the USSR Bear....
OR...
A real World War III, complete with nukes..
And it all happened on the Democrats' watch....
Figures...
I dropped in too early, it seems. Oh well.
On another, more exciting note..
Tomorrow, I'll be rocking an ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Motherboard with a Core i5-11600K 11th Generation 6-Core Core 12-Thread - 3.9 to 4.9 GHz PC and a top o the line RTX 3060ti FTW3 Video.. Kick ass Gamer!!! :D
And we'll have our new Jacuzzi installed this weekend...
Life is, indeed.... Good.. :D
I dropped in too early, it seems. Oh well.
So, yer just going to concede how wrong you were in comment #8??
That's OK...
I accept your concession..
Yer dismissed... :D
Russia-Ukraine war: Biden promise to restore world order collapses as global chaos reigns
Biden promised that, if he was elected, Putin's days of 'trying to intimidate' Eastern Europe were over
The way candidate Joe Biden told it on the campaign trail, things were simple: elect him president, and the world order would return to one in which America was not to be crossed.
"The world does not organize itself. American leadership, backed by clear goals and sound strategies, is necessary to effectively address the defining global challenges of our time," Biden's campaign website asserted. "In order to lead again, we must restore our credibility and influence. From day one of a Biden administration, other countries will once again have reason to trust and respect the word of an American president."
And he also talked tough about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Vladimir Putin doesn't want me to be President. He doesn't want me to be our nominee. If you're wondering why - it's because I'm the only person in this field who's ever gone toe-to-toe with him," Biden's Feb. 21, 2020, tweet read.
But just over 13 months since President Biden took office, the post-Cold War world order is on the verge of crumbling altogether.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-promise-restore-world-order-collapse-russia-global-chaos
Congrats, Biden voters..
THIS is what your lame ideological hate and bigoted based votes brought us.... :^/
It started with a humiliating American exit from Afghanistan, in which desperate Afghans clung to departing American planes only to fall to their deaths, the safety of American soldiers was dependent on Taliban fighters, and American civilians were stranded in the country after their president broke his promise not to leave them behind.
King of the hill
The global order now resembles something closer to a worldwide version of king-of-the-hill. Russia is waging a violent invasion of Urkaine – despite Biden's assurances that, if he was elected, Putin would no longer bully Eastern Europe.
"Putin knows that when I am president of the United States his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate the United States and those in Eastern Europe are over," Biden said in October 2019.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressed Tuesday on Biden's promise that Putin would no longer seek to "intimidate" Eastern Europe, but she denied that Biden's guarantee had fallen short.
"I would look at it, actually, from the prism of: The United States and President Biden has rallied the world, rallied Europe to stand up against the efforts and the actions of President Putin," Psaki said.
Except the world is not "rallied"... Germany is in Putin's back pocket.. The sanctions that have been imposed are milquetoast at best and completely ignore Putin himself..
This is to keep Germany from bolting the alliance..
Russia is MUCH BETTER prepared to withstand sanctions than it was in 2014... So, these sanctions will not have any bite whatsoever...
So, what will Biden do then?? He has already stated that he won't commit US Troops to the TOP...
As usual, Biden and the Democrats have painted themselves into a corner..
A corner, no matter WHICH way they turn, is going to be the wrong way to turn..
Biden and the Democrats are the MASTERS of creating LOSE-LOSE situations...
This is simply another example of that..
But there IS a light at the end of the tunnel.. And that is the FACT that Democrats are going to lose so badly in November that when the GOP takes over in Congress they will have some HUGE majorities with which to fix all the mess that Biden and the Democrats have created...
Hay... Don't take MY word for anything..
Let's hear from a notoriously loyal Democrat Party water carrier, THE ATLANTIC...
High Ideals Crash Into Realities for Biden Administration
In Biden’s mind, a conflict with Russia takes the form of a clash of dueling systems—an ideological clash described in his “Interim National Security Strategic Guidance.” Although he wanted to contain Russia, he also sought to refute Putin’s notion that the West has become too decadent to mount a credible defense of itself. Or as Biden wrote in the introduction to his strategy, the underlying purpose of American foreign policy is to prove that democracy is “not a relic of history.”
If those sentiments are to have any meaning, he has no choice but to come to Ukraine’s, and democracy’s, defense—to disprove the strongman’s assertion about democracy’s weakness. While he’s explicitly ruled out sending troops to Ukraine, he’s also planning on arming an insurgency. What form will this take? Will the U.S. send military advisers? What risks will the U.S. take to deliver arms to Ukrainian fighters? If Putin is bent on provoking NATO into a wider war, will Biden join it? These are dreadful questions, where high ideals crash against terrifying realities, and they will define the Biden presidency.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-far-will-joe-biden-go-to-stop-putin/ar-AAUg1cG
As Biden proved beyond ALL doubt in Afghanistan, he is a moron when it comes to military and foreign policy matters..
"Joe Biden has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."
-Odumbo SecDef Robert Gates
Putin knows this and Putin was ecstatic when Biden and the Democrats cheated and frauded their way into power..
And now Ukraine, this country and the world are paying the price for that...
Michale quoting Bob Gates:
"Joe Biden has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."
-Odumbo SecDef Robert Gates
Right. Said the Russian expert Gates, who himselft got Russia wrong. :)
Bad example, Michale. Hehehehehehe
Let's discuss.....
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2022/02/23/republicans-want-to-raise-taxes-on-half-of-america/#comment-185757
... first
Then we can see how wrong Robert Gates has been..
Trump Knew How to Handle Putin. Biden Has No Clue.
It took only one year for our fearless leader to plunge us into chaos on a global scale.
When Donald Trump sought the presidency, however, Democrats whose liberal turn had consigned the Cold War and the Kennedy Cuban Missile Crisis to derision suddenly decided that Russia and Putin actually could be useful to have as a “world’s worst problem” on some level. At least enough so that, if handled masterfully, Russia and Putin could be converted into electoral allies to help Hillary Clinton at the polls. Suddenly, Democrats said Russia was our most fearsome antagonist, with Trump treasonably in cahoots. We all know the sordid tale: Clinton cash, the Perkins-Coie law firm, Fusion GPS, the Steele Dossier, Strzok and his lover Page, Comey and FBI corruption, leaks to the New York Times via a Columbia law professor, John Brennan, McCabe — the whole fetid, putrid lot of them. All bit players in a Clinton–Media Academy Award entry “The Russia Hoax.” At its core, Trump was in bed with Moscow, from political corruption to other sprinkled rumors, and Putin now supposedly had the goods, compromising him forever.
https://spectator.org/putin-biden-trump-hunter-obama-hillary-nato-zelensky-impeachment/
Funny how ya'all claim it was President Trump who was in bed with Putin..
Then Biden and the Democrats cheat and fraud their way into the White House and their first official act is to approve Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline..
While at the same time, killing the US Keystone pipeline.. In one fell swoop, Biden and the Democrats killed US leadership in the oil export field, totally demolished US independence from foreign and Russia oil and gave Putin a HUGE strategic and PR win...
This is FACT...
NOW we see Biden letting Putin run all over Ukraine..
So, the FACTS clearly show that it's Biden who is Putin's puppet..
We experienced two years, 448 pages, and $32 million of Mueller. In short order, we found that Mueller found nothing, depleting chunks of his reputation and cognition along the way. There had been no Trump–Russian collusion. The Great Russia Hoax instead had been a Clinton hoax on the American people, perhaps the most egregious political crime in American history. That chapter remains open, exposed now to John Durham and later to historians. Clinton corruption will be remembered alongside Harding, Buchanan, LBJ, and as some prefer regarding Watergate.
And all of Clinton/Democrat machinations will come out bit by bit in the lead up to the November Mid Term elections.. And Democrats will be relegated to VERY Minority Party status for likely the remainder of my lifetime..
How sweet it is...
During the Trump years, Democrats’ Resistance fixated over Ukraine and never-ending pipe dreams of ousting America’s duly elected chief executive. Hunter Biden, a crook and drug addict, was paid $50,000 monthly to sit on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Though greasy, crude, and oily, he knows nothing of fossil-based crude oil, sweet or otherwise. Though full of natural gas, he knows nothing of fossil-based gas. And he knows nothing of Ukraine. As we learned of Hunter, who since has moved onto painting for dollars and seems destined for more greatness as various grand juries take countless hours of testimony from women with whom he has consorted, he has done well financially as a member of the Biden Crime Family. Strange that the boy he denied fathering — until he conceded — was not named Rico.
Apparently, the apple does not fall far from the corrupt and greedy tree.... :^/
We know three things about Putin and Ukraine, and whether Zelensky is going to end up killed or locked in the Gulag for the rest of his life, and whether more Ukrainians next will die at Putin’s initiative than have been slaughtered since Stalin mass-murdered as many as seven million during the Holodomor with the active and criminal assistance of New York Times Russia bureau chief Walter Duranty:
1. None of the present mess happened when Donald Trump was president.
2. Vladimir Putin played by the rules of international comity throughout the Trump years.
3. Biden came in, demonstrated his and Antony Blinken’s foreign affairs chops in Afghanistan, and the whole house of cards came crashing down.
President Trump had leashed Putin....
Biden took off the leash and let Putin run amok...
And now Ukraine is paying the price for Biden and Democrat incompetence...
This was predictable from an incompetent who, in but one year, has presided over a complete breakdown of the social order. America successfully was rehabilitating from four Obama years of rot and decay, and Biden proved transformative, introducing chaos marked by America suffering a severe nationwide collapse in urban law and order, a parallel breakdown at the southern border, historic inflation and economic dysfunction, a racial-based social cacophony that has undone racial harmony that reigned — seemingly permanently — only a few years before, a cultural collapse in public education that sees children brainwashed to worry about personal pronouns and whether they are in correctly gendered bodies while being taught lies in history and corrupted math. Quaere whether Puerto Rico even would accept statehood if proffered by Democrats now.
It's simply AMAZING how bad Biden and the Democrats completely and utterly decimated this great country...
A whole litany of good things happened under President Trump...
And Biden and the Democrats took less than a year to utterly undo all the good and put America well on it's way to being a 3rd world shithole..
The ONLY saving grace is that by doing so, by being SOOOO incompetent and anti-American, Democrats have PROVEN what they are all about..
Democrats have showed this country their true colors... Incompetence.. Stupidity... Greed.. Bigoted... Racist..
Now all of America knows what Democrats are all about..
And they will vote accordingly in November...
None of this — no real Putin problems — existed from 2016 to 2020. Trump knew how to handle Putin, as he did the North Korean dough boy, the Arab Muslim countries that joined the Abraham Accords, the American economy and overcoming unemployment among Blacks, Hispanics, and women. Trump got the Mexican border controlled, supported ICE and other law enforcement, promoted historically Black universities and colleges, achieved a more racial issues–free society, advanced energy independence, and promoted religious freedom. For all his occasional bluster and disquieting personal flaws, Trump led outstandingly with excellence. He did not push secret-code buttons starting nuclear war. He did not conduct a single chaotic evacuation overseas nor initiate a single war, even as he killed Qasem Soleimani, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Hamza bin Laden, and Abu Hasan al-Muhajir like dogs.
President Trump was and is a true American leader...
Biden is a senile and dementia-ridden fool...
Leftist pundits all predicted he would set the Middle East aflame if he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved America’s Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over Golan, deemed Jewish towns and villages throughout Judea and Samaria legal if Israel’s Supreme Court deemed so. The experts said Trump’s Twitter storms with Kim Jong-un would result in nuclear holocaust starting in Seoul. That his import tariffs would generate an international trade war causing world-wide recession. And, yet, we look back on 2016 through 2020. History judges Trump quite well. As for CNN’s favored presidential successors — Andrew Cuomo, Michael Avenatti — not as well.
There are ONLY two winners in the Biden/Democrat attempt at leading.
Obviously, Putin... Putin will likely win in his goal to rebuild the old USSR empire..
Because Biden and the Democrats are completely impotent to stop Putin..
The other winner??
Jimmy Carter...
Carter is now the SECOND worst US President in the history of the country...
Putin was playing Biden all along
The U.S. president and his aides thought they could manage Putin. Their calculations were dead wrong.
For more than two decades, Joe Biden has disliked and distrusted Vladimir Putin, even claiming the Russian didn’t have a soul.
And yet, for the past year, Biden tried repeatedly to reason with the steely-eyed strongman.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/putin-was-playing-biden-all-along-00011555
Biden got played like a fiddle..
Putin would NEVER have been able to do this under President Trump...
Biden’s appeals to Putin’s geopolitical ego didn’t work. Neither did threats of sanctions, words of condemnation, emotional appeals on human rights grounds, deployments of U.S. troops to NATO countries and weapons to Ukraine, or the relatively united front put forth by the United States and its allies. Even an unusual tactic employed by the Biden administration — publicizing significant amounts of intelligence about Putin’s plans — didn’t stop the dictator.
And actions that might have — maybe — changed Putin’s calculus, such as deploying U.S. troops to Ukraine itself, were not ones Biden would consider.
For Biden and his team, it is a deeply frustrating moment. Their strategy toward Russia has largely failed, despite their effort to adjust it over time to account for Putin’s stubborn moves. The Ukraine attack and the risk of a larger war in Europe also bodes ill for the administration’s ability to focus on other priorities going forward, in particular the challenge of a rising China.
Not to mention that ANY hope of ANY domestic victory for Biden and the Democrats died when the first Ukraine casualty was killed..
The License To Cheat bill that Democrats wanted??
Gone...
Build Back Broke?? Not even whisper of it is still viable..
Hell, even Biden's completely racist SCOTUS nominee might not even come to pass...
Between now and November ALL we are going to see is images from the front lines in Ukraine and John Durham's filings that will inch ever closer and closer to Hillary Clinton herself..
Then, of course, there will be the utter decimation of Roe V Wade and other SCOTUS rulings that will pummel Democrats deeper and deeper into the ground...
THAT is what Democrats have to look forward to for the next 9 months..
On Thursday, Biden doubled down on the existing strategy, unveiling more sanctions, deploying more U.S. troops to Europe and promising more diplomacy to keep America and its allies unified. He warned that “Putin’s aggression against Ukraine will end up costing Russia dearly economically and strategically. We will make sure of that. Putin will be a pariah on the international stage.”
At the same time, Biden dismissed questions about whether he’d fully appreciated Putin’s thinking. “I didn’t underestimate him,” he insisted.
But even some supporters of the Biden administration beg to differ.
Biden is completely clueless as a leader.. Putin is going to run rings around Biden...
In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, U.S. and European efforts to isolate Russia through sanctions will likely lead Moscow to lean on Beijing for trade and other economic relations. A solidified China-Russia bloc could then exert significant pressure on other countries to align with it or to at least stay neutral.
At the same time, if Putin’s gambit in Ukraine succeeds, China might apply some of its lessons to its long-standing desire to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control. China views the democratically run island as a breakaway province and it has been increasingly aggressive toward it in recent years.
The United States is a major supplier of weapons to Taiwan, but it has a policy of “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to the question of whether it will militarily intervene to defend the island if China attacks. How the United States responds to Ukraine is sure to weigh on Chinese leaders’ minds as they consider how to deal with Taiwan.
On Thursday, Biden declined to comment on whether he was urging China to isolate Russia, even as China has criticized the U.S. sanctions on Moscow.
Biden also acknowledged that it could be some time before the new sanctions he’s imposing on Russia have any serious effect, despite their historically tough nature.
“Let’s have a conversation to see if they’re working in a month,” he said.
So, Biden wants to wait a month.. How many thousands of Ukraine's citizens will die while Biden waits around to see if the sanctions will hurt Russia??? :^/
And we already know that the sanctions won't work.. Putin can simply rely on China to pick up any slack that the sanctions cause...
Only 2 things will have ANY impact on Putin's actions in Ukraine..
And Biden is too scared and cowed by the progressive wing of the Democrat Party to do those things...
The other winner?? Jimmy Carter... Carter is now the SECOND worst US President in the history of the country...
just when i'm about to start taking you seriously again, there's this silliness. out of 45 presidents, historians have ranked carter 26th, which is right smack dab in the middle. although there's some debate about which takes the prize, the two worst by FAR are andrew johnson and james buchanan. that much is barely up for debate. third worst is probably franklin pierce, and after that is donald j. trump. as to whether or not biden also sinks to those historical depths, i guess we'll have to wait and see.
JL
Biden to name Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court, keeping pledge to pick Black woman
Biden to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, is judge for US Court of Appeals for District of Columbia
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-supreme-court-nominee-ketanji-brown-jackson
A completely racist selection.. She is nothing but an Affirmative Action hire.. A token...
The fact that she is selected from only TWO PERCENT of the selection pool makes it statistically impossible that she is the best quality pick for the seat...
If Jackson has even a MODICUM of self-respect and integrity, she would turn down the offer..
But she is a Progressive.. Which means she has no self-respect or integrity...
Michale
12
Military veteran cad explicitly stated that it was all a bluff.. That Putin wasn't really going to invade..
Lots of military veterans thought it was a bluff for all kinds of various reasons that would obviously be way outside of the range of "military expertise" that you've displayed on this forum.
So, either the invasion isn't really happening..
Or cad is full of shit???
It wasn't MtnCaddy whose actual military expertise was made perfectly clear for all eternity until the end of time with this nugget of war "wisdom":
*
It was 13 that died under Biden, so "yer" the obvious moron, and it takes a special kind of "so stupid it burns" ignorance to be so clueless about a theater of war like Afghanistan that you'd make such a stupid claim!
Your so-called level of military expertise is thereby established. Why would MtnCaddy or anyone else care what this level of bone deep ignorant military expertise had to say about anything relating to any theater of war?
"Yer" a moron, Mike. Common sense? I see none coming from you. Military expertise? I can't stop laughing!
You've made such an impression here with your pathetic level of "military expertise," I will never be able to stop laughing at your ignorance on full display and archived herein.
So if "yer" looking for someone to troll about military ignorance: "Yer" the idiot.
there's this silliness. out of 45 presidents, historians have ranked carter 26th, which is right smack dab in the middle.
Fair enough.. The worst president in my life-time...
Feel better?? :D
as to whether or not biden also sinks to those historical depths, i guess we'll have to wait and see.
We've waited and we've seen..
Biden's approval numbers are already lower than President Trump's approval numbers..
President Trump's approval was at 41.9 at this point in his presidency..
Biden's approval is at 41.3...
We came, we saw, Biden lost... :D
So, JL... Since yer here....
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2022/02/23/republicans-want-to-raise-taxes-on-half-of-america/#comment-185757
Liz has gone radio-silence so I know where she stands...
Hizhuk tan-tor ha
Your thoughts???
as to whether or not biden also sinks to those historical depths, i guess we'll have to wait and see.
The mere fact that Biden's numbers are even CLOSE to President Trump's is enough of an indication how badly Biden has scroo'ed up..
Or, was it your hope that Biden would meet Trump'esque standards when you voted for Biden??? :D
Key Inflation Gauge Highest Since '82, and War Could Make Worse...
Key inflation gauge hit 6.1% in January, highest since 1982
WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.1% in January compared with a year ago, the latest evidence that Americans are enduring sharp price increases that will likely worsen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The figure reported Friday by the Commerce Department was the largest year-over-year rise since 1982. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core inflation increased 5.2% in January from a year earlier.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-prices-inflation-e44ad9b2088aa352015868a4f6b17785
So, inflation is the worst it's been in DECADES...
And Biden allowing Putin to invade Ukraine is going to make it worse..
And yet, there are STILL morons who believe that Democrats will be just fine in the coming midterms..
BBBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA
MtnCaddy
14
AS STATED before I sure was wrong predicting that this invasion wasn't going to happen. But I simply didn't think Putin would muck this up so badly.
No worries. I promise you that you weren't the only veteran who had that belief.
Putin really muffed this one. I bet he thought he could extract something significant from the West by talking his sabre and failing that decided whathehell and threw the dice.
I bet he thought there'd be zero casualties in a country the size of Ukraine over a long period of time. Now that would be bone-deep-level stupid!
4 out of 5 dentists recommend tossing Russia out of the world banking (SWIFT) and energy markets and start hoovering up the couple trillion dollars of Putin/Oligarch bread outside Mother Russia.
Nice analogy... dentists. Won't be easy to put that toothpaste back in the tube, now will it?
But Russia will effing collapse and the power centers in Russia will have no choice but to turn on Putin. Serve him up to the World Court. With unicorns.
Meanwhile, Trump and the gullible rubes will still be praising Putin.
Nice post. :)
Like cadet bone spurs, who wanted to pull out of NATO, held aid to Ukraine hostage for political favors, took Russia's word over the entire US intelligence apparatus and could not put together an international coalition if his life depended on it as most world leaders thought him a clown would have done any better. Trump would have been a disaster. His only plus was that Putin enjoyed the constant salad tossing...
What a joke. I wonder if this is the death knell of Trumpism. In times of war no one likes those who suck up to the enemy. And Trump, Carlson, Jones and others have been doing just that. Seditionists and traitors the lot, fuck those guys...
Well, no one wants to talk about cad's blatant racist comments, eh??
Well, let's see what Democrats have to say about silence in the face of racism..
Silence is not merely complacency; it is an endorsement of racism
schwabe.com/newsroom-news-silence-is-not-merely-complacency-it-is-an-endorsement-of-racism
Well, look at that.. Sounds like this person is saying that SILENCE GIVES ASSENT....
Silence in the face of racism IS racist... Hmmmm
Let's see what else we can find..
White silence on social media: Why not saying anything is actually saying a lot
cbsnews.com/news/white-silence-on-social-media-why-not-saying-anything-is-actually-saying-a-lot/
Yes.. Silence in the face of racism DOES indeed say a lot about the people who are silent..
And none of it is good... :^/
Silence is Racism
global.cornell.edu/about/global-antiracism/silence-racism
Silence in the face of racism..
IS racism...
Well, it seems clear to me..
Those who refuse to condemn cad's racism... Are COMPLICIT in that racism..
Those who are silent and do not condemn racism.. Are racists themselves...
That is the message of Democrats everywhere...
Kinda makes ya'all think, eh? :^/
Racist slurs... Homophobic slurs... THAT is what Weigantia™ has become.....
And ya'all whine and cry about a few excessive comments.. Yet completely and totally accept racist and homophobic slurs...
:^/
Well, it certainly is clear who has the moral high ground in Weigantia™
Elizabeth Miller
37
Bad example, Michale. Hehehehehehe
You were expecting more from a guy whose so-called military expertise made the asinine claim that zero soldiers were killed in Afghanistan over an 18-month period of time at the end of Trump's presidency? Rhetorical question.
I can't stop laughing at the rube-like gullibility and total lack of common sense (let alone military expertise) this actually proves!
But it was awfully nice of Mike to provide yet another of his Mike Metric moments that proved Trump was the failure by Mike's own measure. Stupid but nevertheless nice. :)
putin is being evil, no other way to say it. he's invading without provocation, and failure to answer forcefully will be met by more of the same in other former soviet bloc countries. biden may have marketed himself as a grown-up compared to the toddlers who ran the place before him, but in this situation our president needs to exercise a little more muscle.
Michale
58
Well, no one wants to talk about cad's blatant racist comments, eh??
Already addressed it. Enough said.
No one here can help it if you're a liar and/or ignorant poon with obvious reading disabilities.
Moving on. :)
Taliban calls on Russia and Ukraine to end the crisis through “peaceful means”.
https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2022/02/25/taliban-russia-ukraine-crisis-peaceful-means/
Well, if the Taliban demands peace...
biden may have marketed himself as a grown-up compared to the toddlers who ran the place before him, but in this situation our president needs to exercise a little more muscle.
Funny how those "toddlers" were able to reign in Putin and force him to behave..
If that's an example of how "toddlers" lead....?????
Then I guess this country needs more "toddlers" in charge..
And, of course, by "toddlers" you mean strong leaders... :^/
nypoet22
60
... but in this situation our president needs to exercise a little more muscle.
I would definitely be interested to know what makes you believe you are privy to the facts regarding the "muscle" that Biden might be exercising. Do tell. :)
BashiBazouk
57
Like cadet bone spurs, who wanted to pull out of NATO, held aid to Ukraine hostage for political favors, took Russia's word over the entire US intelligence apparatus and could not put together an international coalition if his life depended on it as most world leaders thought him a clown would have done any better.
Yes, yes, yes.
Trump would have been a disaster. His only plus was that Putin enjoyed the constant salad tossing...
Trump has been tossing that salad since 1987 after he returned from a trip to Moscow.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ilanbenmeir/that-time-trump-spent-nearly-100000-on-an-ad-criticizing-us
Why would the trained monkey suddenly stop being a mouthpiece for Russia now? Rhetorical question.
And now from the ONLY OFFICIAL unbiased and objective news source for Weigantia™
Will Russian Invasion of Ukraine Embolden China?
With a reconnaissance plane in tow Thursday, a small fleet of eight fighters deliberately probed disputed airspace before scrambled jets scared them away, an air-to-air episode that may be part of the larger international epoch which President Biden frequently describes as one of “democracy versus autocracy.” But these weren’t Russian fighters. They were Chinese.
The incursion is not unusual; China frequently tests the air defenses of Taiwan. But this minor aggression occurred against a bleak global backdrop: Russian tanks are rolling across Ukraine, and while the United States rallies world opinion against Moscow, China won’t even call it an invasion.
For the moment, however, the White House would rather look past a deepening China-Russia partnership and not connect any dots.
“Are you urging China to help isolate Russia?” a reporter from Reuters asked the president. In the East Room of the White House, Biden replied, “I'm not prepared to comment on that at the moment.” Neither was his press secretary. At least not in any detail.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/02/25/will_russian_invasion_of_ukraine_embolden_china_147249.html
Like Putin, Xi knows that Biden is week. That Democrats are incompetent and, militarily, are more concerned about diversity in the ranks than fighting ability..
You can bet that China will make a move on Taiwan sooner rather than later..
@kick,
i can't claim knowledge of the Western military preparations i haven't seen. If they exist even though I haven't seen them, then feel free to enlighten me. If they're being kept intentionally secret, perhaps now (or two days ago) would be a good time to let the cat out of the bag, in case full scale invasion could have been prevented.
@m,
by "toddler" i mean impulsive and prone to temper tantrums and magical thinking. such as, "if i were president, this wouldn't have happened." of course it would, only our government would be cheerleading the invasion rather than imposing sanctions.
JL
by "toddler" i mean impulsive and prone to temper tantrums and magical thinking.
You mean "magical thinking" by making the US completely energy independent??
You mean "magical thinking" by having the LOWEST unemployment of black and hispanic Americans EVER??
You mean "magical thinking" by the BIGGEST civil rights boost for black Americans since Democrats fought tooth and nail against the civil rights acts of the 50s and 60s??
You mean "magical thinking" by the BIGGEST rights and aid boost for native Americans EVER??
You mean "magical thinking" by moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and then brokering the Abraham Accords, the BIGGEST peace deal between Israel and Arabs in the 60s???
Is THAT the kind of toddler "magical thinking" you are referring to??
"if i were president, this wouldn't have happened." of course it would,
It's a bona fide and established fact that Putin behaved himself with President Trump in office..
You remember the LAST time Putin invaded Ukraine... Oh yes.. Under Odumbo...
Apparently it's only DEMOCRATS who can't keep Putin in check, eh?? :^/
Oh yea.. One more thing..
Silence is not merely complacency; it is an endorsement of racism
http://schwabe.com/newsroom-news-silence-is-not-merely-complacency-it-is-an-endorsement-of-racism
Aww.. look Michale has finally become a BLM supporter. Welcome to the fight!
...or did you not read the article you posted...
nypoet22
67
i can't claim knowledge of the Western military preparations i haven't seen. If they exist even though I haven't seen them, then feel free to enlighten me.
They exist even though you haven't seen them.
If they're being kept intentionally secret, perhaps now (or two days ago) would be a good time to let the cat out of the bag, in case full scale invasion could have been prevented.
Two days ago? *smile*
The efforts at prevention of what's transpiring in Ukraine have been ongoing for many multiple months... the little picture.
As for the big picture, what we're witnessing now regards far greater than prevention of democracy in Ukraine. Liz is dead on accurate in [9] that if Putin were successful he'd be the catalyst for the creation of an even more substantial border with NATO allies than has existed for years, something that would never have happened absent his invasion. Putin has been working to discredit world order for decades, sow discord and cause chaos, split Western alliances, and dismantle democracy in the United States in favor of authoritarianism, and he now has the leader of an American political Party whom he helped install in his back pocket.
Enough said. Just promise me you'll continue connecting the dots of recent American history and not lose sight of the big picture. :)
Q: If Trump were president, this wouldn't have happened?
A: Correct. Trump would have rolled over and allowed Putin whatever he wanted.
Q: How would that differ from Trump's past actions without consulting the Pentagon or Congress that benefitted Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey?
A: It would not.
Mike
68
You mean "magical thinking" by having the LOWEST unemployment of black and hispanic Americans EVER??
*laughs*
That definitely qualifies as "magical thinking."
You might want to check those unemployment numbers again, Imbecile. We judge former Presidents by the numbers they came in with versus the numbers they went out with.
FUN FACT: Donald Trump is the only president in the last 80 years to net job losses during his presidency. Record losses across all races, definitely including Blacks and Hispanics.
Joshua,
It is critical that NATO and the EU and the rest of the West remained absolutely united - and that goes double for when the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine becomes more muscular.