A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

Now this is interesting.

The media keeps repeating the same type of thing day after day. News sources have been telling us in various ways for two weeks that there will be no no-fly zone over Ukraine. We receive a daily barrage of the casualties in living color. There are continuous stories about the fleeing refugees. The fact that American troops will not be sent to Ukraine is reported daily.

Then we have the what-if's. Will Putin attack a neighboring NATO country? Will he use CBW? Is Putin committing war crimes?

With the round the clock reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine it is difficult to find something new and exciting.

Well, this might do for now. Russian drones are finding their way into NATO members.

CNN reports, "Last week, a drone flew more than 350 miles beyond Ukraine's western border before crashing in Croatia, a NATO member country. The drone was carrying a bomb, Croatian officials said, and it's still not clear whether it belonged to Ukrainian or Russian forces.

"Another drone recently entered the airspace of Romania, south of Ukraine. And on Tuesday, Ukraine's military said it shot down a Russian drone that had reentered Ukraine through Polish airspace.

"The trio of drone incidents has amplified concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine could spill over into NATO countries, even if unintentionally, forcing the alliance to decide how to respond -- if at all -- to incidents that occur inside its borders.

"US defense officials say the errant drones that entered NATO territory appeared to be largely inadvertent. Since the start of Russia's invasion, the US military has established a deconfliction line with Russia to reduce the risk of miscalculation and make sure the two militaries operating so close together don't inadvertently clash."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

We get some good news for a change.

ABC News reports, "Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs continue to fall amid a strong job market rebound.

"Jobless claims fell by 15,000 to 214,000 for the week ending March 12, down from the previous week's 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

"In total, 1,419,000 Americans — a 50-year low — were collecting jobless aid the week that ended March 5, down 71,000 from the week before that.

"Earlier this month, the government reported that employers added a robust 678,000 jobs in February, the largest monthly total since July. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.8%, from 4% in January, extending a sharp decline in joblessness to its lowest level since before the pandemic erupted two years ago."

3.8% unemployment is regarded as full employment.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Republicans are just plain stupid.

Their party leader lost reelection by over seven million votes then led an insurrection against our government. To this day he is telling his gullible followers that the election was stolen from him, and they believe it. Trump's Republican followers contribute heavily to his campaign fund because the failed President is the leading Republican Presidential candidate in the 2024 election. That alone is the definition of stupidity.

Then there is the self-destructive Republican lawmaker Rep. Madison Cawthorn. Apparently, he has given up on his House membership, or he is so stupid he is clueless about the ramifications of the spoken word.

CNN reports, "The North Carolina Republican infuriated members of his own party this week for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "thug" and the Ukrainian government "incredibly evil" -- comments that surfaced just days before Zelensky made a passionate plea to Congress on Wednesday for more help in defending Ukraine against Russia's bloody assault on the country."

"Madison Cawthorn has said he is here for PR and not legislating. I don't think he's a serious legislator," Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina told CNN. "I think he's more interested in throwing bombs than he is in actually trying to help the country."

CNN added, "Cawthorn's latest comments have put GOP leaders in an awkward spot -- just as they're trying to show a unified front against Russia and paint President Joe Biden as weak against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The remarks from a freshman firebrand with the ear of former President Donald Trump risks undermining their anti-Russia position, and critics have seized on Cawthorn's most recent behavior to accuse the GOP of echoing Kremlin talking points and acting sympathetic toward Putin.

Perhaps this will explain Cawthorn's actions.

As Vladimir Putin steered Russia toward an invasion of Ukraine, former President Donald Trump called the actions of the Russian president a product of "genius" and "savvy."

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine, of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump said.

“So Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force. We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. … I know him very well. Very, very well,” Trump added.

As further proof of their total lack of awareness, the forum's Republicans will not respond to the issues of this report. They may offer their opinion of the writer, however, but that doesn't count.

In other words, Republicans are unable to defend even themselves.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

As Vladimir Putin steered Russia toward an invasion of Ukraine, former President Donald Trump called the actions of the Russian president a product of "genius" and "savvy."

July 2018, "After face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump contradicted US intelligence agencies and said there had been no reason for Russia to meddle in the vote. Mr Putin reiterated that Russia had never interfered in US affairs."

Trump sides with Russia against FBI at Helsinki summit - BBC​

Here it comes. It is about time.

The Post reports, "The House Jan. 6 committee has tried to recruit high-profile journalists to write its report about the attack on the Capitol, hoping to build a narrative thriller that compels audiences and is a departure from government reports of yore.

"Committee members and staffers are seeking to compile dramatic videos, texts and emails in a digital format that is easy to understand — and easy to share on social media. And they want to put together blockbuster televised hearings that the public actually tunes into.

"Their challenge: Making the public care deeply — and read hundreds of pages more — about an event that happened more than a year ago.

"They’ll attempt to do so this spring through public hearings, along with a potential interim report and a final report that will be published ahead of the November midterms — with the findings likely a key part of the Democrats midterm strategy. They hope their recommendations to prevent another insurrection will be adopted, but also that their work will repel voters from Republicans who they say encouraged the attack."

147 Republicans voted against certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election results.

The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results​

"If these radical, vicious, racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal, I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protests we have ever had in Washington, D.C., in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere because our country and our elections are corrupt," Donald Trump, Jan. 31, 2022.

It is expected that this is only the beginning. The DOJ is likely to initiate several investigations, and grand juries will be summoned. All this just in time for the November mid-terms.

Republicans are expected to gain control of Congress???

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Earlier I wrote. "The new assistance [from the Biden administration] will stop short of the no-fly zone or fighter jets Zelensky has said are necessary to sustain Ukraine's fight against Russia.

"Fighter jets!" Not Polish MiG-29's. There is no mention of MiG's in the entire article, and no mention of the courageous offer by the Poles whose country shares a common border with the war zone."

That article and a couple others emphasized that the media was reluctant to describe the aircraft as Polish MiG-29's. Through their generosity and courage, the Poles were willing to transfer 28 MiG's to Ukraine. The Biden administration refused to cooperate with the transfer.

Finally, someone is defending Biden and accurately described the fighters as Polish MiG-29's and the media obliged. That may be a first in terms of the past two weeks.

ABC News reports, "Sen. Dick Durbin on Sunday defended the Biden administration's decision to not facilitate the delivery of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine from Poland."

"There are other ways for us to provide surface to air missiles and air defenses that will keep the Russians at bay in terms of their aerial attack," Durbin, D-Ill., told ABC "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos. "There are other ways to do that that are consistent with the NATO alliance and would not jeopardize expanding this into World War III or even worse."

The first sentence suggests sending the MiG's will cause these "other ways" not to be provided. That is absurd.

Durbin then goes on to suggest Putin is dictating what the U.S. can do in this war. He is suggesting that Putin, who so far has been unable to defeat Ukraine in what is becoming a long war, will attack the NATO alliance because Biden approved of the transfer, causing World War III.

Who is in charge of what the U.S. does, Putin or Biden? Durbin answered that question. Putin, because, hypothetically, Putin may cause World War III.

Senator, Putin is not that stupid.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

That article and a couple others emphasized that the media was reluctant to describe the aircraft as Polish MiG-29's. Through their generosity and courage, the Poles were willing to transfer 28 MiG's to Ukraine. The Biden administration refused to cooperate with the transfer.

The concern is, many would think the issue concerns American fighters. Of course, that is not the case.

Ukraine desperately needs those MiG's, and the White House refuses to give them to the Ukrainians. Time is of the essence.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican states in the South have very loose laws when it comes to guns. Some do not require a permit, training, and have open carry, meaning one can walk down Main Street with an AR-15 or a Colt 45 strapped to the hip. It's the wild West again. Yippy, kai, aye ay.

On the front page of ABC News on the internet today, there were four articles concerning mass shootings. All four mass shootings occurred the Republican South.

The GOP wants its members to be stupid. The other day in Texas a driver lost control of his vehicle and killed nine members of a college golf team. The driver was 13 years old.

ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News, Headlines & Videos

Of course, if you access the web site after today, it will have changed. I told the truth, honest.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

It starts by discussing the issue.

CNN reports, "Europe will consider joining a US-led embargo of Russian oil this week as the West looks for new ways to punish President Vladimir Putin for waging his devastating war in Ukraine.

"At a series of meetings beginning Monday, EU leaders will discuss whether to dump by far the biggest supplier of oil to the region, having already committed to cutting Russian natural gas use by 66% this year."

This is a huge step for Europe. Its economy is dependent upon Russian oil, coal, and natural gas. The European Union currently depends on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas. Russia also supplies about 27% of oil imports, and 46% of coal imports.

By the same token, Russia's economy and state revenue is highly dependent upon energy exports, according to the BBC.

"Overall in Russia, oil and gas provided 39% of the federal budget revenue and made up 60% of Russian exports in 2019. The share of all fossil fuel revenue amounted to 14% of the GDP that year.

If the EU cuts off Russian energy imports, to say the Russian economy and government would be devastated would be an understatement.

So, European officials are talking about it.

"We have to discuss how we can support Ukraine even further, politically, economically, with humanitarian aid, security wise, everything is on the table. So we can ensure that we will do what we can to stop Putin and his aggression against Ukraine," Denmark's Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told reporters. "It's important with economic sanctions to continue along that track."

"I think it is unavoidable to start talking about the energy sector. And we definitely can talk about oil, because it is the biggest revenue to the Russian budget," Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

CNN continued, "Political opinion may be hardening in Europe as Russia steps up its attacks on Ukraine's cities, killing hundreds of civilians and forcing millions to flee their homes.

"Much will come down to countries like Germany, Russia's biggest energy customer in Europe, as well as others that buy a lot of its gas, such as Hungary and Italy.

"German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the country was "working at full speed" to end its dependence on Russia.

The United States can help. We are the number one oil producer in the world, and the United States became Europe’s largest source of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, in 2021. The U.S. is the leading producer of LNG in the world.

Our President is traveling to Europe this week for important talks with NATO leaders. It is safe to say he will have the leading role.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

There has never been a war with so much speculation as to what the enemy might do.

We might begin with Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief spokesman. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov was asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia's nuclear capability. Peskov replied, "if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be."

Considering the fact that, after four weeks, Putin has been unable to subdue Ukraine -- indeed, he may be losing ground -- there is this ludicrous speculation. If the United States okays the transfer of 28 Polish MiG-29's, Putin may regard that as escalatory. In other words, Putin will get upset with the United States and declare war on the 30 nation NATO alliance while struggling mightily in Ukraine. The Pentagon came up with that one.

Not to be outdone by his Pentagon chiefs and defense secretary, Biden came up with some speculation of his own. "President Joe Biden issued an urgent and ominous warning to American individuals and businesses Monday, when he said "evolving intelligence" suggests Russia might be planning cyberattacks against the US," CNN.

For the past two weeks, Americans have been subjected to still another scare. In its war in Ukraine, Russia, in desperation, might start using CBW. For the uninitiated, that stands for Chemical, Biological Warfare.

CNN reports still another scare. Tiny Belarus, Ukraine's northern neighbor, may join the war. "The US and NATO believe that Belarus could "soon" join Russia in its war against Ukraine, and that the country is already taking steps to do so." There are serious doubts the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is that stupid. He can see what is happening to Russian forces in Ukraine.

So much speculation, and it is all fiction.

So far.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Brussels, CNN — President Joe Biden departed Wednesday on one of the highest-stakes presidential trips in recent memory, a moment for the US President to assume leadership of a newly united West.

Biden headed to Europe today in an attempt to keep NATO allies and other European partners united against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.

CNN continued, "With fighting lasting nearly a month -- and Ukrainian forces unexpectedly holding Russia to a standoff -- Biden and other world leaders will seek to speed an end to the conflict."

This was not unexpected to those who knew the Ukrainian army -- in Europe, second in size only to Russia's army -- was larger than Putin's invasion force.

Putin and China will be watching, with the fate of Ukraine -- and Russia's place in the world -- hanging in the balance.

CNN reported, "And while Biden will command much of the attention this week, his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also plans to speak to -- and potentially pressure -- Biden and other NATO leaders.

"On Thursday, he plans to attend an extraordinary summit of all 30 NATO leaders, where he will discuss deterrence against Russia and "reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies," according to the White House.

"Throughout the meetings, Biden hopes to achieve "continued coordination and a unified response" to Russia.

"Biden has made working in lockstep with Europe a top priority, at times holding back sanctions -- such as on Russian energy [due to EU's vulnerability] -- to maintain that show of unity.

"He has also fastidiously tried to avoid a wider conflict, declining to send American troops to Ukraine or support a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over the country."

Maybe too much so in the case of 28 Polish MiG-29's, but that is another story.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Actually, this revelation is not surprising. Trump fired the man along with countless others during his reign.

CNN reported, "Former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been caught off guard by the West’s united front deploying tough sanctions in response to the invasion of Ukraine — and that the Biden administration deserves credit for helping foster that unity."

“Putin perceived weakness and disunity,” McMaster, a retired Army lieutenant general, told CNN in a phone interview. “But what he got instead was an extremely high degree of unity.”

CNN continued, "Sanctions levied on Russia have left the country’s economy in tatters. The ruble is barely worth a penny, the Russian stock market has been shut for a month and Moscow is at risk of its first international default in more than a century."

“The Biden administration needs credit for the degree with which they fostered international unity against Russia, especially in economic and diplomatic realms,” said McMaster, now a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

McMaster called for Republicans and Democrats to come together to address Russia’s aggression.

“There should be no partisan divide on Ukraine. Nobody should use Ukraine to score partisan points,” McMaster said.

All of this contrasts sharply with McMaster's old boss.

President Donald Trump has long criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, frequently bellyaching that the international military partnership has been “very unfair” to the United States, and castigating American allies as deadbeats for, in his eyes, failing to pull their weight. However, it appears Trump’s attacks on NATO are more than bluster. Citing senior administration officials, The New York Times reported that at several points in 2018, Trump discussed withdrawing the U.S. from the international organization, a move that would effectively doom the 29-nation alliance and empower Russia, which has spent years seeking to weaken it. Vanity Fair

Trump did his best to weaken NATO, Russia's nemesis, as a favor to Putin who helped him get elected in 2016. Recently Trump labeled Putin a "savvy genius."

Today, Trump is the leader of the Republican Party and is the leading Republican candidate for President in 2024.

Republicans will not respond to this report. They rarely talk about what their party does, and the party's leader is a taboo subject. Educationally handicapped Republicans are losers and they want nothing more than to have a loser as President ... again.

Will we allow that to happen ... again?

Electing Trump's picks to Congress this November is nearly as bad.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Europe will consider joining a US-led embargo of Russian oil this week as the West looks for new ways to punish President Vladimir Putin for waging his devastating war in Ukraine.

ABC News reports, "Dozens of nations, including the United States and much of Europe, say they are united in seeking to “radically” reduce imports of Russian oil and gas after its invasion of Ukraine, while ensuring those efforts don’t fuel climate change.

"At a two-day meeting of the International Energy Agency chaired by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, governments floated a raft of ideas to cut energy use and tap new supplies of gas, oil and coal beyond Russia.

"Granholm said the Biden administration had pressed domestic oil producers to increase supply and that “there is a response by the oil and gas market." On the meeting's opening day, Granholm said the government told American energy companies to increase production “where and whenever they can, right now" and that the U.S. was doing its utmost to offer liquefied natural gas to countries seeking to wean themselves off Russian supplies."

Banning Russian imports of oil and gas must happen now, not a year from now. Ukrainian cities are being turned into wastelands as Putin is attacking civilian targets, and energy exports are the main source of revenue. Starve Russia and the attacks will end.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Ever since the advent of Donald J. Trump in 2016 the Republican Party is the party of fools, and they are being led by fools.

Case in point, the confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who has been nominated for the Supreme Court. A solemn occasion, of course, even if Republican Senators are making fools of themselves.

It would be laughable if it weren't so disheartening to see U.S. Senators act this way.

The Guardian explains, "At 2.54pm on the second day of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings that will determine whether she takes a seat on the US supreme court, the solemn proceedings took a nosedive into farce.

"Ted Cruz, the Republican senator from Texas, turned theatrically to an outsized blow-up of a children’s book, Antiracist Baby by Ibram X Kendi. Pointing to a cartoon from its pages of an infant in diapers taking their first walk, he asked Jackson: “Do you agree with this book … that babies are racist?”

“Senator,” Jackson began with a sigh. And then she paused for seven full seconds, which in the august setting of the Senate judiciary committee hearing felt like a year."

Viewers knew exactly what Jackson wanted to say, but couldn't because she respected the august setting. "Senator, you are a freaking idiot."

"Here she was, aged 51, with almost a decade’s experience as a federal judge behind her and, if confirmed, the history-making distinction of becoming the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court ahead of her. And she was being asked whether babies were racist?" The Guardian.

Flabbergasted, she finally was able to blurt out, “I have not reviewed any of those books,” she said. “They don’t come up in my work as a judge, which I’m respectfully here to address.”

Undaunted, largely because he was clueless, Cruz chose to focus on critical race theory (CRT), the years-old academic theory that had become the latest conservative hot-button issue in Texas.

Trying desperately to be patient with the mindless Senator, "Again, she stressed, this was a subject that had absolutely nothing to do with her work – or by implication, the job of a supreme court justice."

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, who had stomped out of the hearing earlier wrongly accused Jackson of having called George W Bush and the former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld “war criminals.”

Marsha Blackburn, Republican senator from Tennessee, asked Jackson whether she could “provide a definition for the word "woman."

According to The Guardian, Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican in the judiciary committee, promised at the start of the hearings, there would be no “spectacle” or “political circus” coming from his side of the aisle.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

An extremely interesting situation has manifested itself in Ukraine. It is, indeed, a hopeful sign. The Russians have been forced to readjust their priorities.

The Times reports, "Russia signaled a possible recalibration of its war aims in Ukraine on Friday as the Kremlin faced spreading global ostracism for the brutal invasion, hardened Western economic punishments and a determined Ukrainian resistance that appeared to be making some gains on the ground.

"A statement by Russia’s Defense Ministry said the goals of the “first stage of the operation” had been “mainly accomplished,” with Ukraine’s combat capabilities “significantly reduced,” and that it would now focus on securing Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Russia-backed separatists have been fighting for eight years."

"The Defense Ministry statement was ambiguous about further possible Russian territorial ambitions in Ukraine, where its ground forces have been mostly stymied by the unexpectedly strong Ukrainian military response.

"But on a day when President Biden was visiting U.S. soldiers in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the statement suggested the possibility that the Russians were looking for a way to salvage some kind of achievement before the costs of the war they launched a month ago became impossibly onerous.

"While Russia “does not exclude” that its forces will storm major Ukrainian cities such as Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and the capital, Kyiv, the Defense Ministry statement said that taking them over was not the primary objective."

Of course, the comments made by Russian authorities, particularly hard-pressed Putin, should be taken with a grain of salt. What is happening on the ground is far more important.

Because he is not stupid, it is entirely possible that Putin now realizes he made a serious mistake. His country is paying severely for that mistake.

So are Ukrainians.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Ever since the advent of Donald J. Trump in 2016 the Republican Party is the party of fools, and they are being led by fools.

The unrelenting stupidity of Trump Republicans never ceases to amaze.

The Post explains, "Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pressed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in a series of urgent text exchanges in the critical weeks after the vote, according to copies of the messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News.

"The messages — 29 in all — reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and President Donald Trump’s top aide during a period when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to negate the election results.

"On Nov. 10, after news organizations had projected Joe Biden the winner based on state vote totals, Thomas wrote to Meadows: “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!...You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.”

This amount of absurdity from the wife of a Supreme Court Justice takes your breath away.

When Meadows replied to Thomas on Nov. 24, the White House chief of staff invoked God to describe the effort to overturn the election. “This is a fight of good versus evil.” Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it.”

The Post added, "The messages, which do not directly reference Justice Thomas or the Supreme Court, show for the first time how Ginni Thomas used her access to Trump’s inner circle to promote and seek to guide the president’s strategy to overturn the election results — and how receptive and grateful Meadows said he was to receive her advice."

Ever since the advent of Donald J. Trump in 2016 the Republican Party is the party of fools, and they are being led by fools.

It is difficult to accept that, for a short period of time, these people were in charge of our federal government. Shame on us.

Will we allow that to happen again?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Once again, in an attempt to create excitement, the media is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Our President goes in for plain talk. He speaks the truth, often stating the obvious such as declaring Putin a war criminal. That is refreshing and should be encouraged. There should be more of that from politicians, but that will never happen.

So, what does the media do when our President speaks the truth? They create a scenario where our lives are being threatened, in this case a nuclear war or World War III.

The Times explains, "President Biden delivered a forceful denunciation of Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, declaring “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” as he cast the war as the latest front in a decades-long battle between the forces of democracy and oppression."

Immediately, there was an uproar on the front page. "Is the United States calling for regime change in Russia? Does this mean there will be a conflict between American and Russian forces?"

Of course, the White House had to jump in, making matters worse, “The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region,” a White House official told reporters. “He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”

The media made hay with that one, often making our President look like an idiot when all he did was speak the truth. What Putin is doing is a war against humanity. He should not be in charge. That White House official should have kept his mouth shut.

But who can remove Putin from power? The U.S.? Of course not. NATO? That would start World War III.

Now we get to the crux of the matter.

For the past month it has been made quite clear to every American that President Biden, as our Commander-in-Chief, has absolutely no intention of using Americans in this conflict. Biden is not about to send the 82nd Airborne into Moscow in an assault on the Kremlin to make a regime change. That is ludicrous, and the media knows it.

Our President knows that the only people who can remove Putin from power are the Russian people, the Russian oligarchs, and the Russian military as they note what is happening to their regiments and the mighty Russian army.

President Biden was speaking to the Russians, concerning the Russian leader and the harm he is doing to Russia.

Will the media every say that? Hell no, it takes all the fun out of it.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Putin has now come up with a new angle.

CNN reports, "Ukraine’s military intelligence head says Russian President Vladimir Putin could be looking to carve Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea.

"Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency, said Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin’s war was now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said."

“There is reason to believe that he is considering a 'Korean' scenario for Ukraine. That is, [Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine.”

Budanov said Russia remained intent on establishing a land corridor from the Russian border to Crimea, and said he expected to see an attempt to unite Russian-occupied territories into a single entity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday he would consider dropping Ukraine's requests for full NATO membership — a key Russian demand — in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees, AP reports.

 

[Nostra]

 

[Sandy Shanks]

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
*******************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 6, 2021

The Times reports, "A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.

"The judge’s comments marked a significant breakthrough for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which had laid out in a civil filing the crimes it believed Mr. Trump might have committed as it weighs making a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

“The illegality of the plan was obvious,” wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. “Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.”

"The Justice Department has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation of the Capitol assault but has given no public indication that it is considering pursuing a criminal case against Mr. Trump. A criminal referral from the House committee could increase pressure on Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to do so."

While we are on the subject, the reader will be amazed at this. This guy is truly unbelievable.

At a campaign rally in Georgia over the weekend, the former President, again, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The smartest one gets to the top,” Trump told the crowd. “That didn’t work so well recently in our country. But they ask me, ‘Is Putin smart?’ Yes, Putin was smart. And I actually thought he was going to be negotiating. I said, ‘That’s a hell of a way to negotiate, put 200,000 soldiers on the border.’”

Trump is the leader of the Republican Party, and many Republicans seek and enjoy his endorsement. Trump is the leading Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024,

 

[Sandy Shanks]

“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.

There is a reason why the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, helped Donald Trump become President in 2016. Trump makes Richard Nixon look like a choir boy, and his malicious attacks on American democracy just keep on giving.

“The smartest one gets to the top,” Trump recently told a crowd in Georgia. “That didn’t work so well recently in our country. But they ask me, ‘Is Putin smart?’ Yes, Putin was smart. And I actually thought he was going to be negotiating. I said, ‘That’s a hell of a way to negotiate, put 200,000 soldiers on the border.'”

Now there is more evidence this man should face a jury of his peers in criminal court, assuming Attorney General Merrick B. Garland actually does something. Trump is obviously hiding something. The reasons why are patently obvious.

CBS reports, "Internal White House records from the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol that were turned over to the House select committee show a gap in President Donald Trump's phone logs of seven hours and 37 minutes, including the period when the building was being violently assaulted, according to documents obtained by CBS News' chief election & campaign correspondent Robert Costa and The Washington Post's associate editor Bob Woodward.

"The lack of an official White House notation of any calls placed to or by Trump for 457 minutes — from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. — on Jan. 6, 2021 means there is no record of the calls made by Trump as his supporters descended on the U.S. Capitol, battled overwhelmed police and forcibly entered the building, prompting lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to flee for safety.

"The records show that Trump was active on the phone for part of the day, documenting conversations that he had with at least eight people in the morning and 11 people that evening. The gap also stands in stark contrast to the extensive public reporting about phone conversations he had with allies during the attack."

Trump thinks he can do anything he wants to do. The rules don't apply to him.

It’s extraordinary that, more than 14 months on, new details of efforts by Trump and those around him to subvert President Joe Biden’s victory are still emerging. It’s also ironic that this threat to American democracy is being further exposed while Washington leads an international effort to save freedom in Ukraine, which is under much greater assault from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump still seems to hero worship. CNN

As is their custom as shown by this thread Republicans will not deal with the issues contained in this report. They avoid talking about their own party, and Trump is to be avoided at all costs irrespective of the fact that he is the leader of their party.