Joe Biden, a President for the New Cold War

[Synthaholic]

Praise from a rightwing Opinion columnist at the rightwing Wall Street Journal.

No paywall on this article.

Joe Biden, a President for the New Cold War​

In one way, the 79-year-old NATO adherent is the right man for his times.​

Mr. Biden has a few flaws but he was a child of the Cold War and, unless I’m mistaken, has surprised and discombobulated Vladimir Putin with his un-Obama-like response to renewed tensions over Ukraine, including, on Monday, whipping a German chancellor into line. By sending military supplies to Ukraine, by deploying troops to Eastern Europe, by preparing sanctions, the Biden administration has orchestrated a set of signals that even Mr. Putin can’t misinterpret.

*snip*

Mr. Biden hasn’t committed U.S. troops to Ukraine itself, but this I now think would smack of desperation, and seems unnecessary. The U.S. and NATO don’t need to lift so many fingers to make Mr. Putin realize he can’t afford the risk.

Whatever the Russian leader is thinking, he hoped to find the U.S. and its allies weak and divided. This is proving a bad bet so far. From a larger perspective, it’s easier to say what Mr. Putin wants than how he hopes to get it. He wants to be a U.S. client, spared any too-fervent support for democratic forces in Russia or its neighborhood. He could play the equal while, in truth, being a nuclear-armed Mobutu whose insecurities and vanity we patronize because it’s less trouble than not patronizing them.

When he finally broke his silence on Ukraine last week, Mr. Putin’s key words, which he repeated for French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, concerned the strategic but awkwardly situated peninsula his forces seized from Ukraine in 2014.

For a short-term boost in patriotic rah-rah, for a simulated victory for Russia’s “historic” interests, he created a headache for himself that can only get worse. He all but admitted as much: “Let’s imagine Ukraine is a NATO state and they start this operation [to retake Crimea]. So now do we have to start a war against the NATO alliance? Did anyone think about that? I don’t think so.”

The person who forgot to think was Mr. Putin.

 

[tyroneweaver]

one problem. There are US troops in Ukraine.

 

[Synthaholic]

A little more...

If he proceeds now with the threatened and pointless war, his hand would be strengthened by Russia’s newly accumulated $600 billion in foreign reserves. But these funds can’t buy needed imports if the imports are embargoed by the West; they can’t be used to settle claims levied against overseas Russian assets, including oil cargoes, if banks are prohibited from receiving the funds.

He needs computer chips. He needs inputs for his oil industry and Russia’s military that Russia has no capacity to produce. China might be willing to provide inferior substitutes but at a price, and only if Xi Jinping believes there is an upside to backing the Russian horse, which he may begin to doubt.

 

[BlindBoo]

one problem. There are US troops in Ukraine.

The Ruuskies aren't stupid enough to attack them.

 

[SavannahMann]

The Ruuskies aren't stupid enough to attack them.

History teaches us this lesson. Never bet against stupid.

The Japanese knew they had no way of beating the US in an all out war. Yet they started the war, and expected to be able to negotiate an end to the war with favorable terms. It was stupid to start a fight you couldn’t win, but they did it anyway.

History is replete with examples of someone doing the stupid assed thing. Thinking they could control the outcome perfectly. It is in fact, the way most Wars are started. Someone thinking they can control the outcome, and all the variables, to win.

But it isn’t just warfare. It is life, it is business. IBM didn’t believe that there would ever be a market for computers in homes. Apple was a nonsense company, that suddenly started turning huge profits and incredible sales. IBM was stupid. They decided they needed to compete after all, and instead of taking the time to create a device with totally proprietary items, they used off the shelf items, and software, and in a couple years, had IBM clones using the same hardware and software, for a lot less money.

Within a decade, nobody was buying the IBM PC’s, but the IBM PC’s had a lions share of the market.

Never bet against stupid.

 

[SavannahMann]

I joined the Army during the tail end of the Cold War. We didn’t know it was the tail end of anything. We were still training day and night to fight the unstoppable Russian Steamroller. We knew they had greater numbers, and our only hope was tough training, and technology.

When the Berlin Wall fell, it was a shock to both sides. Nobody expected it in the West, nobody expected it in the East. It wasn’t for a few years later that we discovered the truth. Reagan had been more right than we had ever imagined. Reagan had spent the Russians into the crapper. They had to keep up, and they couldn’t.

Some time later, we had a guest at Fort Bragg. A Russian Paratrooper came and visited our unit, to exchange information with new allies. He was stunned by our troops. He could not believe that Privates were taught to read maps. He couldn’t believe that Maps were not classified. He couldn’t believe that our Privates were trained to the level of Sergeants in the Russian Army.

The Russians trained their Army to the status of Drones. You go where we say, and do what we say. We knew that of course, but we didn’t realize that their troops were ignorant of anything we considered basic knowledge for even a half assed soldier.

Now, they know how well our Army is trained. They know how the war will go. They might win, but it will be expensive. A Pyrrhic victory. The only question is what will Putin see as the overriding vital facts. If he believes it is war or death, it will be war. At least with War, there is a chance, if only a slim one.

 

[MarathonMike]

Biden is the worst possible example of who we should have as President. A career politician with zero integrity, no connection with the real world and no common sense. His incredible bungling of the Afghanistan withdrawal has created a strategic and humanitarian disaster that keeps getting worse. I've been watching this idiot for decades and I still can't believe he bumbled and stumbled his way into the White House. It speaks volumes for our failed political system.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

That was a hilarious article. It is satire at it's finest.

 

[JWBooth]

Joe Biden, a President for the Absolutely Unnecessary New Cold War​

There, fixed it.

 

[Donald H]

Finally it's becoming obvious that Russia never did intend to invade Ukraine.

 

[Donald H]

Trump most likely wouldn't have started the trouble under the cover of Nato that could lead to war allout world war.

However, allowing the deal between Germany and Russia on Nordstream2 would have almost certainly caused a military and Pentagon crisis situation for America.

The situation can't de-escalate until that deal is halted. Or the deal is completely in place and the gas is flowing.

Maddow made the mistake of claiming that the pipeline was Russian/Putin aggression against Ukraine and Europe.

 

[Donald H]

Joe Biden, a President for the Absolutely Unnecessary New Cold War​

There, fixed it.

That did fix it. Making a comparison between America's border and foreign borders is bullshit.

This is Cold War brinkmanship to the extreme.

Nordstream2 going forward is the straw that will break Nato's back in Europe and hence the reason for Nato finally destroyed as it becomes obvious that it's only a tool for US aggression.

Biden could be the president that's held responsible!

 

[B. Kidd]

Mika and Joe Scarborough mutually masturbated over this article today on Morning Joe.

 

[Obiwan]

You know, I remember when the Cold War ended (in 1991), and the Magical Muslim Communist Faggot couldn't fuck things up enough to bring it back (with 8 years in office)...

I have to admit, the Idiot-in-Chief has exceeded all expectations by ending 31 years of relatively peaceful coexistence in barely over a year!!!!

 

[g5000]

Putin invaded Georgia with no interference from the West.

Putin took over the Crimea with no interference from the West.

So now he thinks he can invade Ukraine without consequence. The West is proving him wrong.

It's Hitler and Poland all over again.

Xi is cheering on Putin to gain some insight as to what would happen if he invaded Taiwan.

 

[Obiwan]

Putin invaded Georgia with no interference from the West.

Putin took over the Crimea with no interference from the West.

So now he thinks he can invade Ukraine without consequence. The West is proving him wrong.

It's Hitler and Poland all over again.

Xi is cheering on Putin to gain some insight as to what would happen if he invaded Taiwan.

Maybe the Fucktard would have a hissy, and tax hardworking Americans to pay for the crackheads' drugs....

After all, those free crack pipes won't load themselves!!!!

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[g5000]

Maybe the Fucktard would have a hissy, and tax hardworking Americans to pay for the crackheads' drugs....

After all, those free crack pipes won't load themselves!!!!

MSN

www.msn.com

Um...wrong topic.

 

[Obiwan]

Um...wrong topic.

Not wrong at all....

We all know where Hunter's Daddy's priorities are....

Drugs and money....


When he can tear himself away from sniffing and molesting underage girls (and the family dogs) long enough!!!!

 

[B. Kidd]

Putin invaded Georgia with no interference from the West.

Putin took over the Crimea with no interference from the West.

So now he thinks he can invade Ukraine without consequence. The West is proving him wrong.

It's Hitler and Poland all over again.

Xi is cheering on Putin to gain some insight as to what would happen if he invaded Taiwan.

What's the consequence??

 

[Obiwan]

What's the consequence??

If Sleazy Joe has any say, buying a few of Hunter's crack-induced paintings should just about cover it!!!