Politics Thread

[Xville]

So what is the alternative? A continued bloodbath that ends with Russia eventually taking the whole country. The mistake was the change in US energy policy that gave Russia the ability to arm itself again. That genie is out of the bottle.

It’s a good question with no easy answer. I believe that in the end Russia won’t stop trying to take it completely over regardless.

Not you per say but there are those on the board that clearly have zero clue about putin’s beliefs and thought processes

[XU_Lou]

So what is the alternative? A continued bloodbath that ends with Russia eventually taking the whole country. The mistake was the change in US energy policy that gave Russia the ability to arm itself again. That genie is out of the bottle.

Bingo! You make too much sense to be on this board sometimes...

[Strange Brew]

It’s a good question with no easy answer. I believe that in the end Russia won’t stop trying to take it completely over regardless.

Not you per say but there are those on the board that clearly have zero clue about putin’s beliefs and thought processes

They can try however the US did learn a whole lot about Russia’s conventional military capabilities. Which is not that impressive. That said, we did figure out pretty quickly that the M1 Abrams needs an overhaul/replacement. Also, the A-10 “Warthog” is getting a major upgrade as well as a result.

[XU_Lou]

Who is William J. Burns?

William J. Burns was the director of the CIA during the Biden administration. He also served as U.S. deputy secretary of state under Obama. He speaks fluent Russian as well, as he also served as the ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008.

Back in 2020, he published a book called "The Back Channel".


For those of you have forgotten history, have ignored it, or are plainly trying to re-write it, you might try to learn a little from a person that has far more expertise than anything being presented on this board:

In "The Back Channel", Burns "directly contradicts the argument being proffered by the administration he now serves. In his book, Burns says over and over that Russians of all ideological stripes—not just Putin—loathed and feared NATO expansion. He quotes a memo he wrote while serving as counselor for political affairs at the US embassy in Moscow in 1995. ‘Hostility to early NATO expansion,” it declares, “is almost universally felt across the domestic political spectrum here.” On the question of extending NATO membership to Ukraine, Burns’ warnings about the breadth of Russian opposition are even more emphatic. “Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all redlines for the Russian elite (not just Putin),” he wrote in a 2008 memo to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “In more than two and a half years of conversations with key Russian players, from knuckle-draggers in the dark recesses of the Kremlin to Putin’s sharpest liberal critics, I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in NATO as anything other than a direct challenge to Russian interests.” "


* At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders asserted that Ukraine would eventually join NATO

* In 2014 Russia invaded Crimea

* On April 15, 2021, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Melnyk said that if Ukraine is not allowed to join NATO, his country might have to reconsider its status as a non-nuclear weapon state to guarantee its defense. On February 19, 2022, a few days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky renewed such sentiments, suggesting that Ukraine could view the Budapest Memorandum as invalid should its security assurances not be met.

* At the June 2021 Brussels summit, NATO leaders reiterated the statement made at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Ukraine would eventually join NATO

* In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine


Bottom line: Yes, the history between the two countries is very complex, but this war clearly didn't have to happen. You can make a strong argument that Russia was provoked. The corrupt elites in the US and Europe wanted this war - for the own personal gain. Was any effort made on our part (or Europe) to stop this in the last 3 years? No. Why?

[bobbiemcgee]

Today's irony ....trump celebrating black history month

[XU_Lou]

Today's irony ....trump celebrating black history month

Irony? Weren't the Dems the party of slavery?? LOL!

[waggy]

Awesome

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1893386883444437415

[paulxu]

Just think of the thousands of US soldiers (federal employees) in countries around the world, without email, who suddenly resign.

MAGA

[Muskie in dayton]

Just think of the thousands of US soldiers (federal employees) in countries around the world, without email, who suddenly resign.

MAGA

Yes, that’s who they are needing an explanation from. Let me guess - CNN? You are an absolute ass clown.

It’s telling that the smallest drop of accountability makes them scream like a 2-year who had his candy taken away.

[Muskie in dayton]

Today's irony ....trump celebrating black history month

…and here’s Bobbie with the “Trump is racist” trope. Everyone with a functioning brain is on to this hoax. But hey, this tired old crap is why Trump won, so please, carry on.