The incompetence of this administration is boundless. First, the China virus, then the economy, then Afghanistan and now Ukraine.

It looks like there is going to be a war in Ukraine. Let’s take a look at what’s happening, if this is a good idea for Russian and what should we do about it.

 

It’s Going to Happen

Russia is going in to Ukraine and it could be at any moment.

• Russia has increased soldiers on the Ukrainian border. Between 170,000 and 200,000 soldiers are in attack position.
• Russia has not removed any soldiers from Belarus.
• There have been attacks by Russian-sympathetic soldiers at Ukraine from Crimea.
• The Russians have built MASH units and blood. This is not a sign that all this is a training exercise.
• The United States has issues warning to all businesses of all sizes to be prepared for cyber attacks.
• On Monday:
  • Biden agreed to meet with Putin in a summit. Putin said that wasn’t going to happen now.
  • Putin announced that the separate states are Ukraine are not independent states.
  • Putin stated that Ukraine should have never separated from the Soviet Union.
  • Putin puts Russian “peacekeepers” in eastern Ukraine in the separate states.
  •  In response, the United States implemented some sanctions.

David Martin of CBS News reported on Face the Nation:

NEWS: The U.S. has intelligence that Russian troops have received orders to proceed with an invasion of Ukraine. “The commanders on the ground are making specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sector of the battlefield,” CBS David Martin reports on @FacetheNation. pic.twitter.com/uKsfdWRQjV

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 20, 2022

Yep, looks like it’s going to happen and, if it does, it will be within a couple of days:

• 60% of Russian troops are on the Ukrainian border.
• Blood does not last forever. Why bring it if they’re not going to attack?
• The Olympics are over.
• Finally, this is what Russia does.

I want to point out that Trump is the only President in this century where Russia did not invade someone.

• Russia invaded Georgia under Bush.
• Russia invaded Crimea under Obama.
• Russia is going to invade Ukraine under Biden.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-russian-military-has-received-orders-now-to-proceed-with-the-invasion-of-ukraine-report-says

 

What Are We Doing?

Basically nothing. We should have done something by now to discourage Putin from attacking.

• We could have put sanctions on Russia.
• We could have armed and trained the Ukrainians better.
• We could have been an oil producer and been the main exporter of oil to Europe.
• We did none of it.

But we did the opposite. We emboldened Russia.

• We gave them the Nord Stream Pipeline for nothing. It brings in a billion dollars a day into Russia.
• Afghanistan was a disaster.
• We pulled out diplomats and military from Ukraine.
• We told our people to get out and we would do nothing for Americans who were stuck there after an invasion.
• This hands-off attitude is why Putin feels like, “why not invade Ukraine?”

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich questioned White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on potential sanctions against Russia, and why the United States would wait until after an invasion to implement them instead of right now.

Some things:

• A deterrent? What is deterring Russia?
• I don’t think this is a crazy question.
• I don’t think this is an accusation.
• Seeing Psaki get so defensive shows that she really doesn’t have an answer why something hasn’t been done right now.
• A ton of politicians and military veterans have said that there needs to be some deterrence. They have been saying this since the build up started.

The Biden administration did send Secretary of State, Antoney Blinkin to the United Nations to speak. He said:

I don’t know why he’s there:

• The United Nations is pro-Russia and anti-Democracy. We should have torn that building down and built a Starbucks on that valuable New York City land a long time ago.
• Russia has veto power so nothing is going to come about with this and it hasn’t when the U.S. bitched before.
• And even if something does happen, what is the U.N. going to do. Send a strongly worded letter?
• Worthless.

Kamala Harris also went to Munich to mean with NATO allies and President Zelinsky of Ukraine.

She said:

Some things:

• Worthless.
• Ben Franklin said, “Action speak louder than words.” Her words mean nothing.
• At least she got to go to Europe.

Then she threw together a word salad on Monday that made no real sense.

"I mean, listen guys…" pic.twitter.com/hnWOsOkShI

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) February 21, 2022

Here another one:

Q    But if Putin has made up his mind, do you feel that this threat that has been looming is really going to deter him?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Absolut- — we strongly believe — and remember also that the sanctions are a product not only of our perspective as the United States but a shared perspective among our Allies.  And the Allied relationship is such that we have agreed that the deterrence effect of these sanctions is still a meaningful one, especially because — remember, also — we still sincerely hope that there is a diplomatic path out of this moment. 

And within the context then of the fact that that window is still opening, altho- — open, although it is absolutely narrowing — but within the context of a diplomatic path still being open, the deterrence effect, we believe, has merit.

Completely incompetent and embarrassing.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/reporter-to-psaki-on-post-invasion-sanctions-so-youre-waiting-for-people-to-die-before-implementing-them
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/20/kamala-harris-munich-security-00010383
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/20/politics/blinken-ukraine-russia-cnntv/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/02/17/antony-blinken-united-nations-address-russia-ukraine-border-sot-vpx.cnn
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/02/20/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-in-press-gaggle-2/

 

What Do They Say?

There are a lot of folks that are saying that it’s too late. The United States and NATO have already sealed Ukraine’s fate.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

You’re telling me that it’s 100% that the war will start in a couple of days. Then what [are you] waiting for? … We don’t need your sanctions after the bombardment will happen, and after our country will be fired at or after we will have no borders or after we will have no economy or parts of our country will be occupied. Why would we need those sanctions then?

Some things:

• Zelensky still is not convinced there is going to be an invasion. Kind of makes you wonder who’s right. More on that later.
• And, yes, what is the point of sanctions after an invasion.
• Ukraine feels alone right now.

Boris Johnson has said that if Russia invades, this will be the worst war since World War II:

“I’m afraid that that is what the evidence points to, there’s no burnishing it. The fact is that all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun.

“I’m afraid to say that the plan we are seeing is for something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945 just in terms of sheer scale.”

Some things:

• This could be the largest incursion since World War II. But we probably shouldn’t panic about that.
• I can understand why Europe is worries about a Russian invasion. They’ve been through this before.
• But I wonder, if things are really that bad, why isn’t Europe doing anything about it?
  • Germany doesn’t look like they are going to cooperate despite their words.
  • NATO wants nothing to do with this.
  • Other European countries, such as France, have been silent.
  • Poland doesn’t even want to take in Ukrainian refugees.
  • Let’s not forget that Ukraine still remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Ted Cruz had a great synopsis of the possible conflict. Why the Biden administration doesn’t get it, I don’t know:

“Putin has long wanted to invade Ukraine. Putin has been very candid, he has described the dissolution of the Soviet Union as in his view, the most disastrous geopolitical event of the 20th century. And his ambitions have long been to reassemble the Soviet Union. He yearns for what he sees as the days of Soviet greatness. If you’re going to reassemble the Soviet Union, the first and most important part is Ukraine, the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union, Putin has invaded Ukraine before.

“He did so in 2014, he invaded Crimea. But he stopped short, he didn’t invade the entirety of the country, and the reason he didn’t is because he needs Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Russia’s major export is natural gas and oil, and that natural gas goes right through the middle of Ukraine on pipelines. If he invaded Ukraine, he risks damaging or destroying that energy infrastructure, which would mean that he could not get his natural gas to market in Europe. Accordingly, the next year in 2015, Putin began building a pipeline called Nord Stream 2, an undersea pipeline that goes directly from Russia to Germany, designed to circumvent Ukraine so he could march into Ukraine and not risk getting his gas to market.”

Some things:

• This is nothing new. We knew about Putin for 20 years when he took the Presidency back from Medvenev.
• Russia couldn’t perform a full attack of Ukraine because the economy could not handle the financial aspect of the conflict.
• They also got their asses kicked by Afghanistan in a ten year war.
• But things have changed;
  • The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has shored up there finances a bit.
  • Through cyber attacks, Russia can incapcitate other countries.
  • God knows what they’re making from crypto currency.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/ukraine-president-we-dont-need-your-sanctions-after-the-bombardment
https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-blackburn-weak-and-rudderless-biden-emboldening-u-s-enemies-china-likely-to-take-taiwan
https://www.dailywire.com/news/british-pm-boris-johnson-warns-putin-planning-to-launch-biggest-war-in-europe-since-1945
https://www.dailywire.com/news/reporter-to-psaki-on-post-invasion-sanctions-so-youre-waiting-for-people-to-die-before-implementing-them

 

Will They Attack

There are several trains of thoughts about whether Russia will attack.

• Yes, they will:
  • Tactically, they can take Ukraine relatively easily.
    • They outman Ukraine 5:1.
    • Their military technology is far superior.
    • The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was built to not interfere with fuel export. Unlike the previous pipeline, it does not go through Ukraine.
  • Ukraine creates a buffer zone between Russia and Europe. This is a Soviet style strategy.
  • Ukraine was the bread basket for the Soviet Union. Russia may want that back.
• No, they won’t:
  • Strategically, holding Ukraine could be long, difficult, expensive and bloody.
  • Though an initial invasion could go easily, holding Ukraine could prove difficult.
    • All Ukrainian citizens are training in gorilla warfare.
    • There is an absolute hate for the Russians by the Ukrainians. This has all the reminders of Afghanistan. Ukrainian motivation.
    • No matter what, this is going to bloody.
  • Sanctions could hurt Russia in the long run.
  • Though unlikely, it’s possible Germany will go along with cancelling the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. I think it’s doubtful but it is possible.
  • Russia doesn’t have the economy for a long, drawn out conflict.
• There is also the chance that they are just trying to intimidate Ukraine with their presence or a smaller incursion to get Ukraine to change their government in something more Russia friendly.

As far as World War III breaking out, I doubt it. Granted, world wars have started from less and it could lead to a greater conflict in the future.

• Ukraine is insignificant on the world stage. It is corrupt and really provides nothing to the world.
• Russia has always wanted it, might get it, but will suffer.
• I believe Russia is overextending itself and weakening itself with an invasion.

I would rather look at why this is a number one news story in the world. Why Xi of China has given his blessing and why the United States is so worried about it.

Could it be:

• Russia is an ideological for to China and they want Russia weakend?
• Could it be that the Biden Administration is trying to deflect from all the problems at home?

Gee, I wonder. At least Biden found it important enough to cancel his vacation (again) to Delaware. He cancelled it at the last minute due to sme questions from the press. If Joe Biden doesn’t think it’s important enough to cancel vacation plans, why should we consider it important?