Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

Well, it's possible. Doesn't matter to me. Putin's behavior is so outrageous as to mobilize NATO ire where their commitment would be substantial to stop Russia from using Ukraine as a stepping stone to do the same to Poland for example. Why wait for the inevitable?

[Mike]

You don't have to convince me. Putin smells weakness and it should be the other way around given his army's dismal performance to this point.

Bottom line is the world is going to stand by and watch Ukraine get turned into a parking lot because they are not deemed worthy of meaningful support from the West. I'm not wired that way so its difficult to watch. Heard the Russians blew up a kindergarten today...

[THE_WIZARD_]

We have become a fucking joke on the international stage in just 14 months...

[Dr. Strangelove]

Really, Ronna Romney? All it took for oil to drop was Bush saying he wanted more drilling? It wasn’t the near total collapse of the American banking industry and recession that caused it?

[Mike]

LOL. The halcyon days of Bush 2008. JFC.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Progs gunna reach.

[Dr. Strangelove]

You don't have to convince me. Putin smells weakness and it should be the other way around given his army's dismal performance to this point.

Bottom line is the world is going to stand by and watch Ukraine get turned into a parking lot because they are not deemed worthy of meaningful support from the West. I'm not wired that way so its difficult to watch. Heard the Russians blew up a kindergarten today...

You think Putin is so PLEASED with how well this is going that he's going to actually attack NATO in the very near future? Because he currently has paid no price?

The economic sanctions we've put on them are worse than those on Iran or North Korea. Their economy is fucked. Thousands of dead Russians are going home to their villages, so many that they've actually had to admit the casualties are happening and conscripts (oops) have been used. He's desperate enough to now ask for SYRIA'S help in beating Ukraine.

I think this war is giving Putin a serious reality check as to the glory and competence of his inner circle and the Russian armed forces. I think he's less likely to attack NATO now, unless we attack him first. And I think China is less likely to attack Taiwan now and is having serious second thoughts about how competent their top ally is.

[Dr. Strangelove]

LOL. The halcyon days of Bush 2008. JFC.

One of the more hilarious things I've seen a politician say. What a way to spin a major recession. Oil prices are down 70%, you should be grateful for the President's bold actions!

[Mike]

You think Putin is so PLEASED with how well this is going that he's going to actually attack NATO in the very near future? Because he currently has paid no price?

The economic sanctions we've put on them are worse than those on Iran or North Korea. Their economy is fucked. Thousands of dead Russians are going home to their villages, so many that they've actually had to admit the casualties are happening and conscripts (oops) have been used. He's desperate enough to now ask for SYRIA'S help in beating Ukraine.

I think this war is giving Putin a serious reality check as to the glory and competence of his inner circle and the Russian armed forces. I think he's less likely to attack NATO now, unless we attack him first. And I think China is less likely to attack Taiwan now and is having serious second thoughts about how competent their top ally is.

No, I don't think he'll attack Poland or other eastern European countries after his conquest of Ukraine. I'm talking about expelling Russian forces from Ukraine.

[Da Geezer]

Jeff, I’m seeing new reports that Biden personally nixed the MiGs to Ukraine deal. There’s a WSJ article in my feed that is paywalled that suggests he backed down in light of Putin’s protestations. If you have access, I’d love a synopsis.

When I heard Blinken speak on Sunday, it sounded pretty solid that it was happening. Then Poland announced the plan and we backtracked, saying there was miscommunication. It’s starting to sound an awful lot like it was green-lighted and then Biden got cold feet at the last minute because of threats from Putin.

Our country is being run by children.

From the WSJ. I aim to please.

It turns out the U.S. decision to deny Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine is even worse than we wrote Thursday. The White House is now confirming that the decision went all the way up to President Biden, who vetoed the jet delivery lest it provoke Vladimir Putin and risk escalating the war.

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The logic seems to be that sending lethal anti-aircraft and antitank weapons won’t provoke the Russian, but 28 fixed-wing aircraft would. That distinction is hard to parse, especially when the Pentagon is also saying that the Ukrainians don’t need the jets because their other weapons are more effective. So sending less lethal aircraft will lead to World War III, but not arms that are really deadly?

The bigger problem is the message this fiasco sends to Mr. Putin about NATO. The essence of credible deterrence is making an adversary believe that taking certain actions will draw a response. By so ostentatiously not sending the fighters, and saying the reason is fear of escalation, Mr. Biden is telling the Russian what he doesn’t have to worry about. Instead of deterring Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden is letting the Russian deter the U.S.

This is becoming a pattern with the Commander in Chief. In Afghanistan he demanded a quick and dirty exit by a date certain lest he provoke the Taliban who had taken over the government. The result was an American humiliation that may have influenced Mr. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

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This month the Administration stopped the scheduled test of a U.S. nuclear missile after Mr. Putin issued a vague nuclear threat. The test had nothing to do with Ukraine, and Russia knew about it, but the Biden Pentagon stopped the test anyway. That’s another blow to the credibility of U.S. deterrence.

Meanwhile, Mr. Putin is escalating his Ukraine assault in any case. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov admitted Thursday that the Russians deliberately targeted the maternity hospital in Mariupol. Mr. Putin knows what NATO won’t do to stop him.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Chairman Poopypants has become Chairman Chickenpants....

[Dr. Strangelove]

Lavrov admitted they bombed the hospital because it had been taken over by "Nazis". Within hours the Defense ministry was back to denying that they had hit it at all.

Just as an aside, Lavrov is a joke. I don't like making comparisons to Nazi Germany but he's as relevant as Joachim Ribbentrop was once the war began. Talking with him's a waste of time. He's not a decision maker.

[Jeff Buchanan]

On the MIGs......there was rational thought over not sending those aircraft to Ukraine. The gist was (1) logistically hard. I already posted what logistics support tail is associated with sending a squadron + of old aircraft into a battle zone for (2) marginal battlefield gain.

The optics are bad. The administration's messaging on the decision was bad.The operational decision was a good one.

Look, like Mike, I'm not wired either to watch the tactical battlefield situation unfold. The Russian commanders are scum for carrying out war crimes at the behest of their superiors. You're fine with with this? I'm not. Definitely NOT.

It's morally offensive to stand on the sidelines and pretend none of the horrors in Ukraine are our concern because we are politically opposed to provoking the perpetrator. Nonsense.

Time's being wasted. NATO has a tactical advantage right now in terms of deployed airpower, carrier and land based. Russia possesses air defense, surveillance and electronic warfare capability in garrison but they didn't employ it. They will catch up by NATO dawdling. NATO has significant artillery counter battery capability. They can integrate with air power and have practiced that. The Russians are by all analysis shit at integration. They've absolutely failed at that in Ukraine.

You know what they say about wasted time and missed opportunities. The one saying that applies here is a stitch in time saves nine.

[Obi-Jon]

Time to tell Russia that a chemical/biological attack, or false flag operation, will bring a full NATO response. No longer should Putin control the conversation.

[Mike]

Thanks for the WSJ article, Geezer.