I trust Biden's experience and instincts on foreign policy. But neither he nor Dems in general know dipsh&t about good messaging! It is way past time to stop telling Putin he can take anything but NATO. Perhaps he could say something like "We're with our NATO allies and when they go in, we go in." We don't always need to "lead" in every…
I trust Biden's experience and instincts on foreign policy. But neither he nor Dems in general know dipsh&t about good messaging! It is way past time to stop telling Putin he can take anything but NATO. Perhaps he could say something like "We're with our NATO allies and when they go in, we go in." We don't always need to "lead" in every sense of the word; that's just hubris. Europe is much more at risk than we are, still. But we DO need to lead. And not be cowards in the face of another murderous ruthless Russian thug (or an American one for that matter). I assume much is going on behind the scenes. But the messaging is still not a good one and doesn't pacify anyone.
BTW, the idea that we are not yet in World War III is ludicrous! Putin declared WWIII before he entered Ukraine and has declared it daily ever since! We may not be at war with HIM but HE is at war with US, and the EU and NATO and everyone living in anything like a democratic country!!!!
BTW Part II, he will cross NATO boundaries with abandon as soon as Ukraine ceases to exist, because he still has seen no consequences, no guardrails, no willingness to stop him. (Sound familiar? Tyrants are tyrants.)
BTW Part III, in any other sane country, Tucker Carlson would be Off the Air until the war is over! Including in Russia, as Putin has just shown the world!
One had to laugh when Carlson asked something like "has Putin tried to get me fired?" Of course, if Tucker was in Russia, had anywhere near the audience he has here, and he opposed Putin's regime like he opposes Biden and the Democrats, he'd have far more to worry about than getting fired. He'd end up with ricin pellets in his morning coffee.
Which is why I don't understand why, whenever one of these so-called "journalists" asks why they should hate Putin, or is confronted with someone who asks, the answer isn't obvious. Why did Bill O'Reilly just let it go at "Putin's a killer" when Trump responded "we're not so innocent". For Christ's sake - *he* *murders* *journalists*!!! How hard is it to come up with that rejoinder?? You'd think Bill might have something of a personal interest on that point.
Putin has seen consequences, guardrails and great willingness to stop him. He did not before, when he invaded Crimea in 2014, but now he has seen all of that. NATO is supplying huge numbers of state-of-the-art weapons to Ukraine, which have killed thousands of Russian soldiers and stopped the convoys. NATO and other countries have paralyzed the Russian economy. I do not think Putin anticipated any of this. He would be crazy not to be deeply worried about it. If he has not been stopped cold, he surely realizes that he has got himself into deep trouble, and there is tremendous willingness by other countries to stop him. Even if he defeats the Ukrainian army and occupies the country, he must know that his troubles will continue, and the sanctions will continue.
Putin is asking the Chinese to sell him armed unmanned aircraft (UCAV). He must be desperately in need of advanced weapons to make such a request. I do not think there is the slightest chance the Chinese will sell him anything like that. They know they may have to fight him someday. He must be at wit's end to make such a foolish request, and to reveal his own military weakness. He is facing consequences, and he must know it.
I trust Biden's experience and instincts on foreign policy. But neither he nor Dems in general know dipsh&t about good messaging! It is way past time to stop telling Putin he can take anything but NATO. Perhaps he could say something like "We're with our NATO allies and when they go in, we go in." We don't always need to "lead" in every sense of the word; that's just hubris. Europe is much more at risk than we are, still. But we DO need to lead. And not be cowards in the face of another murderous ruthless Russian thug (or an American one for that matter). I assume much is going on behind the scenes. But the messaging is still not a good one and doesn't pacify anyone.
BTW, the idea that we are not yet in World War III is ludicrous! Putin declared WWIII before he entered Ukraine and has declared it daily ever since! We may not be at war with HIM but HE is at war with US, and the EU and NATO and everyone living in anything like a democratic country!!!!
BTW Part II, he will cross NATO boundaries with abandon as soon as Ukraine ceases to exist, because he still has seen no consequences, no guardrails, no willingness to stop him. (Sound familiar? Tyrants are tyrants.)
BTW Part III, in any other sane country, Tucker Carlson would be Off the Air until the war is over! Including in Russia, as Putin has just shown the world!
One had to laugh when Carlson asked something like "has Putin tried to get me fired?" Of course, if Tucker was in Russia, had anywhere near the audience he has here, and he opposed Putin's regime like he opposes Biden and the Democrats, he'd have far more to worry about than getting fired. He'd end up with ricin pellets in his morning coffee.
Which is why I don't understand why, whenever one of these so-called "journalists" asks why they should hate Putin, or is confronted with someone who asks, the answer isn't obvious. Why did Bill O'Reilly just let it go at "Putin's a killer" when Trump responded "we're not so innocent". For Christ's sake - *he* *murders* *journalists*!!! How hard is it to come up with that rejoinder?? You'd think Bill might have something of a personal interest on that point.
Putin has seen consequences, guardrails and great willingness to stop him. He did not before, when he invaded Crimea in 2014, but now he has seen all of that. NATO is supplying huge numbers of state-of-the-art weapons to Ukraine, which have killed thousands of Russian soldiers and stopped the convoys. NATO and other countries have paralyzed the Russian economy. I do not think Putin anticipated any of this. He would be crazy not to be deeply worried about it. If he has not been stopped cold, he surely realizes that he has got himself into deep trouble, and there is tremendous willingness by other countries to stop him. Even if he defeats the Ukrainian army and occupies the country, he must know that his troubles will continue, and the sanctions will continue.
Putin is asking the Chinese to sell him armed unmanned aircraft (UCAV). He must be desperately in need of advanced weapons to make such a request. I do not think there is the slightest chance the Chinese will sell him anything like that. They know they may have to fight him someday. He must be at wit's end to make such a foolish request, and to reveal his own military weakness. He is facing consequences, and he must know it.
Thank you for this perspective. Much appreciated. I do hope you are correct about this.