We almost never recycle art here. Largely because it is more fun to make new stuff. But this one of Joe from last Fall came to mind reading his stream of consciousness ramblings from his trip around the Russian periphery. (You can set the density of spew in the box and then ‘explode!’)
When CIA-apologist/water boy David Ignatius ran a July column arguing Russia was so weak that America held the transcendent hand in future negotiations we said nothing; better not dignify his AgitProp with additional meme circulation. A futile gesture. Like the swine flu, bad WaPo memes continue to circulate and mutate.
Such loony Neocon-lite thinking probably inevitably would blurt out of the Administration either during or immediately after Obama’s appropriately low key Moscow trek. We just didn’t expect it to be from Biden. The messenger transmutes any message into a cartoon. Naturally, today’s WaPo editorial/Fred Hiatt-Neocon stooge controlled Wurlitzer blares out supporting chords for Biden’s various provocations in Ukraine and Georgia. According to Joltin’ Joe, a weakened Russia will have to bend to the U.S.
Their banks? Screwed. Inherent ethnic core population? Declining. Broke? Beyond the telling of it. Biden thought he was talking about Russia. Actually his critique applied to the West in general and the U.S. in particular. (On the caucasian demographic issue, we won’t link to all the anti-liberal democratic White ‘baby-gap’ crowd in the U.S. You know where to find them). And if the perspective of Latinization and ‘Urbanization’ (how’s that for code word?) here is so alarming to that crowd, you can imagine what Steyn and his lessers are saying about Western Europe. Russia is playing the cards history and their policies gave ’em. We do the same. But don’t mock their pair of 5s just because you have twin 6s.
So remind us again, Hiatt-Ignatius-Biden-Neocons et al., how precisely can the U.S. extend a viable, credible, meaningful guarantee to go to war over Ukraine? That’s what NATO membership means. Never mind how far the Donets Basin is from the Atlantic foam. (Poland and Zbig must be thrilled — Poland is now the rear in the political theater of operations. Having spoken on and off with Zbig for twenty plus years his inner cynic likely could care less if the Ukes lose out in the end as a bargaining chip). Tell me, Joe, since I, too, know Scranton, how are you going to stand on a corner there and explain why a family’s only son has to go die for the Donbas or Ossetia? (Yes, remember, the birth rates are down in Scranton, too, Joe). They will think you are talking about a new GM brand at first, and who could blame them?
As far as clever diplomacy – Obama as Mr. Nice Guy and Biden and Hillary as the mastiffs playing the Medvedev/Putin game back, to us it just looks as the Russians noted: a gang that can’t shoot straight – with a pointed reference to the Warlord’s tenture. Biden’s babble was ill-timed, ill-placed and frankly idiotic. From a diplomatic and strategic point of view of American interests. If the Administration felt the need for such clumsy high profile posturing for client service to re-assure Kiev, then who’s the metropole and who’s the client here? One almost expected Biden to start quoting Bert Lance.
The Russians know what American professionals know (and Biden/Ignatius, etc. are not). Notwithstanding everything, in the end it all comes down to logistics. How many tons per day per American brigade to defend the Dniepr Bend. Or to liberate it. Or Tbilisi. A war on the World Island is not going to be won by American stand off kinetic fire. We don’t see viable logistics for sustained operations especially with Western Europe politically, economically and socially unreliable. Even assuming initial operational-level maneuver from CONUS directly to point of contact (something we tried and failed to do in Iraq) the loggies gotta get the POL, ammo, food and parts there. And while it is true the Russian stock is now more urban, educated and the regime unable to hurl without care millions to their deaths and overwhelm defenders, the Ukrainian-Russian nexus is far more highly motivating for them than for a kid from California — especially, gasp, — if he is ‘Latinized’ or ‘Urbanized’. The LOCs (lines of communications) are exponentially shorter for them, too.
Who knows? The way things are going, we may even get to see another Italian 8th Army flee a flank. This time ours.
How sad to see yet again more Warlord Lite with Obama. The Russians doubtless are taking a lesson from L’Affaire Cambridge Police and the August Recess car wreck. Even with a pair of 5s, they sense they can probably still take the pot.
Comment says
That Russian stunt – awesome
Comment says
Thanks Hunter – Seems true — Don’t wanna be too judgmental about Colin -cause we may act the same way if face with same financial opportunities – Just razzing the media for playing along
Dr Leo Strauss says
If Joe Biden doesn’t keep his trap shut, we will lose out on great cooperation like this:
http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/russian_sukhoi_pilot_ejects_for_hollywood_movie_at_mach_2.php
Will someone please tweet the Amcon folks and get them riled up that Hollywood outsourced a fighter demolition when there are plenty of American aircraft that could be destroyed and money spent on buying new Raybans for the warfighter?
Hunter says
Wow, Comment, that might be the most brutal thing I’ve read all week. Justified, but brutal.
Comment says
We missed Powell on Larry King, but caught some of the transcript:
Larry King: You know Colin – that UN speech was very effective – It moved public opinion – Liberals were saying “wow, even Colin Powell thinks Saddam is a threat …”
Powell: Thank you Larry – Yeah, but the funny thing is that I was selling a war I was against – a war that that was dreamed up by people I hate.
Larry King: Neocons?
Powell: Yeah – twerps and chickenhawks etc. I think I can say with pride that I sold their bad idea much better than they could sell
some of my ideas.
Larry King: A lesson for Skip Gates?
Powell: Yes – Skip should have swallowed his rage and instead be more cop than the cop. He should have volunteered to go to the station and supplied a urine or a stool sample without being asked.
Comment says
sglover – You expect too much!
Dr Leo Strauss says
The Brits love them some get the hell out of Afghanistan awesomeness, too. They’d be down big time for protracted war on the Ukrainian steppe for Randy Scheunemann . . .
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hXJgIDj7TqGDcuD9x3c9Lj3iNOmQ
sglover says
You disappoint me!
“Such loony Neocon-lite thinking probably inevitably would blurt out of the Administration either during or immediately after Obama’s appropriately low key Moscow trek. We just didn’t expect it to be from Biden.”
Err…. Why not? Can you cite even one episode in his career that suggests he anything other than a rather more pushy variant of the standard Dem hack?
I think I may have mentioned this here before, so apologies if I repeat myself), but… When Obama chose Biden and Clinton, he signaled (in big dazzling magnesium-bright letters) just how much Hope’n’Change he was really interested in delivering: Not much. Absolutely **nothing** fundamental. Cheney’s immortal words come to mind: “It’s our turn”.
Anyway, these instant Ukrainophiles seem to be fundamentally ignorant of their new crush. (Pretty much the norm for neocons and sclerotic Cold Warriors, eh?) Biden’s yammerings might play in Lviv, but I doubt very much that he’s sparked a “We Love America” fad in the whole eastern **half** of the country. Ah well — naysayers and defeatists kept whining that there were different flavors of Iraqis, Sunni and Shia or some such, and it’s not like that got in the way of our glorious victory in that part of the world, right?
Comment says
Biden is playing George Costanza to Obama’s Jerry Seinfeld.