excalibur
Diamond Member
- Mar 19, 2015
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Well, we know that Hunter got millions from the wife of the former mayor of Moscow a while back.
Imagine the response if Trump had been the one to waive sanctions against a Putin ally, as the current administration is doing.
Only a few months ago, the Biden administration argued that Nord Stream 2, a proposed natural-gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany, was “a bad deal” that “exposes Ukraine and Central Europe.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki had noted at the time that any new pipeline carrying the fossil fuel on the continent “goes against Europe’s own stated energy and security goals.”
This week, Axios reports that President Biden is set to waive sanctions against a major company building the pipeline — as well as its CEO, Matthias Warnig, a former Stasi agent and a Putin, er, associate. Setting aside a debate over the usefulness of waivers, the muted reaction to the lifting of sanctions once again exposes that the Russian collusion hysteria that enveloped the media and political conversation for nearly five years was a contrived effort to spin a lie.
The Democrats have shamelessly fluctuated on Russian policy. And it is not only that many of the same officials crafting Biden’s foreign policy mocked Mitt Romney for warning about Russian geopolitical threats. Even before Obama asked Vladimir Putin’s flunky Dmitry Medvedev to “transmit” his promise “to Vladimir” about “flexibility” on missile defense, the United States had already canceled the sale of American missile-defense systems to our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic. It was Obama who spent two years trying to kill the Magnitsky Act. It was Obama who allowed Russia to operate with impunity in Syria to protect the prospects of the Iran deal. It was Joe Biden, not Comrade Trump, who championed the “reset” and capitulated to Russia on accession to the World Trade Organization. “President Obama has made Russia’s W.T.O. membership a top priority for U.S.-Russia relations in 2011,” the White House explained.
All of this was forgotten when the media decided that American democracy had been stolen by a smattering of Facebook ads and some Twitter bots. As this went on, the Trump administration opened up the sale of lethal weapons to Ukraine — including anti-tank missiles. It was Trump who reinstated Patriot-missile defense-system sales to Eastern Europe and continued to impose sanctions and other measures. It was Trump who refused to extend a one-sided arms-control agreement. Biden is now seeking a five-year extension.
Now, perhaps it’s in the best interests of Germany to build a natural-gas pipeline and in our best interests to stay out of Europe’s energy decisions. I tend to think so. If Germany is comfortable securing fuel from a Russian kleptocracy, who are we, a nation now willing to empower the theocratic oil-producing regime in Iran, to lecture them?
Imagine the response if Trump had been the one to waive sanctions against a Putin ally, as the current administration is doing.
Only a few months ago, the Biden administration argued that Nord Stream 2, a proposed natural-gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany, was “a bad deal” that “exposes Ukraine and Central Europe.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki had noted at the time that any new pipeline carrying the fossil fuel on the continent “goes against Europe’s own stated energy and security goals.”
This week, Axios reports that President Biden is set to waive sanctions against a major company building the pipeline — as well as its CEO, Matthias Warnig, a former Stasi agent and a Putin, er, associate. Setting aside a debate over the usefulness of waivers, the muted reaction to the lifting of sanctions once again exposes that the Russian collusion hysteria that enveloped the media and political conversation for nearly five years was a contrived effort to spin a lie.
The Democrats have shamelessly fluctuated on Russian policy. And it is not only that many of the same officials crafting Biden’s foreign policy mocked Mitt Romney for warning about Russian geopolitical threats. Even before Obama asked Vladimir Putin’s flunky Dmitry Medvedev to “transmit” his promise “to Vladimir” about “flexibility” on missile defense, the United States had already canceled the sale of American missile-defense systems to our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic. It was Obama who spent two years trying to kill the Magnitsky Act. It was Obama who allowed Russia to operate with impunity in Syria to protect the prospects of the Iran deal. It was Joe Biden, not Comrade Trump, who championed the “reset” and capitulated to Russia on accession to the World Trade Organization. “President Obama has made Russia’s W.T.O. membership a top priority for U.S.-Russia relations in 2011,” the White House explained.
All of this was forgotten when the media decided that American democracy had been stolen by a smattering of Facebook ads and some Twitter bots. As this went on, the Trump administration opened up the sale of lethal weapons to Ukraine — including anti-tank missiles. It was Trump who reinstated Patriot-missile defense-system sales to Eastern Europe and continued to impose sanctions and other measures. It was Trump who refused to extend a one-sided arms-control agreement. Biden is now seeking a five-year extension.
Now, perhaps it’s in the best interests of Germany to build a natural-gas pipeline and in our best interests to stay out of Europe’s energy decisions. I tend to think so. If Germany is comfortable securing fuel from a Russian kleptocracy, who are we, a nation now willing to empower the theocratic oil-producing regime in Iran, to lecture them?
What Does Vladimir Putin Have on Joe Biden? | National Review
Imagine the response if Trump had been the one to waive sanctions against a Putin ally, as the current administration is doing.
www.nationalreview.com