Arm Ukraine

churchill on russiaI am not an expert on international affairs or military matters. I would rather consult with Captain Crowhill on this question, but CC understands what can and can’t be said to people like me (with no security clearance).

Anyways, this is just my opinion, based on the little that I know from following this story for the past week. And if Churchill couldn’t predict Russia’s actions, I’m certainly not going to claim that I can. Still … here’s what I’m thinking.

If you had asked me two weeks ago whether Ukraine should join NATO, I would have said no. It’s an unnecessry provocation. We have no clear national interest in Ukraine, and I don’t want my sons or yours dying to protect the place.

However, it’s become clear that Putin doesn’t need much provocation to go on a mad rampage. He invaded Crimea, and now he’s invading Ukraine, probably because in both cases he sensed weakness and a lack of resolve on the part of the west. Not exclusively from the U.S. (Obama and Biden), but they certainly contributed to the problem. Obama was a self-important amateur who thought he could bring about peace by being cool and saying nice things, and Biden is a doddering old fool who’s been wrong on every issue for his entire life, and is only barely functional now.

Trump is a gauche, loud-mouthed troublemaker, and I don’t like him, but at least he projected strength and resolve. Or, more accurately, compared to Obama and Biden he did. Which is a low bar. And for those of you who still don’t understand how anyone could have or can support Trump, look around. Set mean tweets on one side, and war on the other, and maybe you’ll start to get the picture.

Nobody can know what would have happened, but I suspect Trump would have armed Ukraine before the invasion.

The world is a harsh place, and weak men make hard times. People who cry over mean tweets and stupid stories about bleach should get back in their pajamas and stay in bed.

Putin wants to be a tough guy, so the west should get tough. We should ship as many arms into Ukraine as we possibly can.

It’s horrible to do this on the backs of the people of Ukraine, but Putin has to pay a steep price for his actions, and unfortunately it’s falling on them.

Have things changed to the point that we should admit Ukraine into NATO? Probably not, but that idiot in the White House makes concessions preemptively. Putting NATO membership back on the table might be a useful bargaining chip.

26 thoughts on “Arm Ukraine”

  1. I’m not against arming them. In fact, we have armed them. But I have my doubts that Trump would have come to Ukraine’s rescue. He was so obsequious to Putin that he might have told, sure, OK, invade and we’ll look the other way.

    1. I suppose it depends on what you mean by “come to their rescue.” I don’t believe he would have sent U.S. troops, but he did sell arms to Ukraine, in dribs and drabs, fits and starts.

  2. Daddy!

    Sorry; don’t think Trump would have taken a hard line against Putin. Guy who took Putin’s word against over our intelligence agencies? Go against his financial interests? Probably not.

    Whatever floats your boat.

    2. Remind me which issue it was where Trump took Putin’s word over the intelligence agencies, and who turned out to be right.

      1. Why don’t you look at the 2nd paragraph of the Mueller Report article on Wikipedia? Then look at what Orange Bozo said when he met Putin in July 2018. Like Sgt. Shultz, Putin says, “I know nothing,” and Orange Bozo said his good buddy Vlad said the Russians didn’t interfere and he believes them over all the intelligence agencies.

        Actually, unfair to compare Putin to Shultz. To Trump, that’d be fair. Putin is a cagey, vile POS.

        1. Yes, Trump was wrong to blanketly accept Putin’s word when he said there was no meddling. Russian has always meddled.

          But Trump doesn’t speak precisely, the way a lawyer would. Or, for that matter, the way most intelligent, honest people would. In his mind, “the meddling” at issue wasn’t some Facebook ads and other nonsense the Russians always do. The meddling at issue was the Russia hoax — i.e., that Putin was helping Trump get elected.

          That was not true. Russia meddled, but it wasn’t to help Trump, but to destabilize the U.S. in general.

          1. QUOTE: But Trump doesn’t speak precisely, the way a lawyer would. Or, for that matter, the way most intelligent, honest people would.

            That “excuse” again??? He was the president of the US and as such was accountable for his words. Interestingly, other presidents don’t get such a break when they haven’t spoken precisely.

            QUOTE: That was not true. Russia meddled, but it wasn’t to help Trump, but to destabilize the U.S. in general.

            With over 200 witness interviews and roughly 1 million documents reviewed, the nearly 1,000-page bipartisan Senate Intelligence report documents in detail the comprehensive campaign conducted by Putin and his proxies to seek influence within President Donald Trump’s campaign, help Trump win the 2016 presidential election and amplify polarization and division within American society. The report describes hundreds of actions by Trump, his campaign, and his associates in the run-up to the 2016 election that involve some degree of participation by Trump or his associates in Russian activity.

            Fast forward…in August 2020, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned about foreign interference in the 2020 election: “We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment…some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” it observed.”

            https://www.lawfareblog.com/collusion-reading-diary-what-did-senate-intelligence-committee-find

            1. It honestly astonishes me how people with Trump Derangement Syndrome think. Honestly.

              1. LOL! What’s astonishing is you and others give credence to a fake syndrome. Makes one wonder.

              2. My definition of TDS would be people who

                1) Are ok with Trump withholding congressionally approved aid so that Trump could get dirt on his political opponent.

                2) Ok with trying to overturn certified election results.

                3) Ok with the management of Covid… it’s contained…it will just disappear… HCQ is a miracle cure…bleach? … UV light … going against his own experts in CDC…basically more concerned about re-election than the good of the country.

                His #1 campaign promise: Will build a wall. Is there a wall? Trump derangement syndrome is still supporting him. Even Ann Coulter abandoned him here.

                #2 campaign promise: End of Obamacare and replacement of Obamacare with a better plan. Anybody EVER see this plan? No? Are you surprised?

                TDS is supporting this fraud.

              3. Don’t forget…supporting the rally cry of …”Drain the swamp” from the “law and order” guy….while in actuality the Trump administration was riddled with “swampy” ethics issues (e.g., 22 officials investigated for nearly 100 violations, multiple staff resignation due to scandals, Hatch Act violations, Emoluments Clause violations, email-handling violations, excessive lies, etc.).

              4. It honestly and totally astonishes me how Trump supporters are able to look past his insanely horrible character flaws and see something “good” in him.

              6. I am always up for re-evaluation, but rationality keeps driving me to the same conclusion.

    3. Add to that the fact that Trump gave Putin a free hand in Syria and expressed utter contempt for the NATO alliance. No way he would ever balk against his Russian idol, the last great hope of white supremacy.

    1. Robertson… in a great feat of prophecy … who said basically every world event was setting the stage for Armageddon, now says this really could be it. Yeah, duhh…. Don’t know if it has anything to do with anything in the Bible, but yes, WWIII is on the horizon and Russia nukes went on alert. Can’t he just die?

  4. Puhhhleezzzze…the notion that Trump would have acted against Putin’s interests is laughable. What happened to all of Trump’s bravado during the Ukraine-Russia Kerch Strait incident, on his watch as president? Trump always expressed bluster on Twitter, but the day of the event…crickets! Oh, and he was on Twitter that day, but none of tweets had anything to say about the incident. When he finally spoke, he said… “ We do not like what’s happening either way. We don’t like what’s happening, and hopefully it’ll get straightened out.” Now THAT’s scary stuff…I’m sure Putin was shaking in his boots!

    Interestingly, congressional members from both sides of the aisle were pressuring Trump to take a tougher line on Moscow after an incident. It was Congress that authorized the government to provide Ukraine with air defense and coastal defense radars, naval mine and countermine capabilities, and littoral-zone and coastal defense vessels as part of the 2018 defense policy bill.

    As well, Trump drew criticism for his reluctance to condemn Russia over its seizure of Crimea, among other topics. So, what does Trump say now that Russia has taken this latest step…he praises for him being a genius.

    So, tell me again about how rough and tumble Trump would have been relative to Putin’s actions. I always enjoy a good fairytale.

    1. You catch Eddie Haskell reaching into the cookie jar. “What are you doing, Eddie?” “Oh, getting a cookie for you Mrs. Cleaver. I hope you like it.”

      That story is Oct 1, 2019. Telephone call with Zelenskyy was July 25, 2019 where he withheld aid for dirt on Biden. Whistleblower report made in August, story breaking big in September. So, now he’s the hero of the Ukraine nation.

      Are people something enough to believe Corporal Bonespurs is going to be tough and was always supportive of Ukraine? I suppose…

      1. Yes, it’s true that Trump delayed some aid because he wanted Zelensky to give him dirt on Hunter Biden. IOW, he didn’t delay the aid because of Putin — he delayed it for political advantage in the election. But the aid still went through eventually, and Putin didn’t like it.

        Trump is no hero. But it’s ridiculous to call him Putin’s stooge when he sent weapons to Ukraine.

        1. What’s ridiculous to believe is Putin wouldn’t act because Trump was such a strong man.

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