There is no military scenario short of direct NATO involvement in a shooting war with Russia where Ukraine fulfills its “win” goals in full. This has been true for at least a year, probably 2 years. All we can do is extend that war and who wins by doing that? I don’t like it but it’s reality. Trump for once is not promising the impossible.
I’ve always said that winning depends on the definition of winning, but trading Ukraine-occupied Russian territory for Russian-occupied Ukraine territory is an option if we don’t concede to Russian demands before the talks start.
Beyond that, it would be a question of which side can outlast the other in the war of attrition. I’m not sure Russia would be the last man standing.
Wow, so much wrongness here I can't believe you're the one who wrote it! What am I going to say when Trump and Putin sign away half of Ukraine? First, that we have failed the Ukrainians, and second that this is just giving Putin time to rearm before he continues to march through Europe. If Hamas actually releases the hostages, I will say job well done. I suspect many of them are dead now. As for the courts, if they allow Trump to deny money that Congress had already allocated, then it's the end of the Republic as we know it. The words in the Constitution will have no meaning. And I look forward to watching future president AOC totally gut the department of defense, ICE, etc.
As for the premise that Trump is just keeping his campaign promises: fair point. Except that most of the people I know personally who voted for him swore to me that "Oh, he won't actually DO THAT." I argued with one of my oldest friends about the tariffs. He said he was voting for Trump because Harris would raise his taxes. I pointed out that tariffs are taxes. He said, "yeah, but Americans don't pay them." I responded that the costs would be passed on to us. He then insisted "yeah, but he won't actually DO THAT. This is all just a "negotiating tactic." I asked my sister what was going to happen when everything in Walmart was twice as high and she replied "Oh, he won't actually do that." Personally, I don't know anyone who voted for Trump to have RFK JR in charge of HHS, but here we are. And where are our mass deportations? We were promised criminal would be rounded up, but so far all we've seen are some guys picked up at church and Indians put on military jets in shackles. The big question is: how are his supporters going to react when they start dealing with the consequences of all of these kept campaign promises?
May I recommend avoiding Russian disinformation outlets?
Worth questioning is where exactly is Elon getting information on net-worth of non-elected officials/employees - especially as just the other day he said that he will put wrong info out (and of course we see him attack people for correcting him).
Fair points and I invite you to post your source(s) re: disinformation.
However, if Musk is wrong, if DOGE findings are misrepresented, if there is nothing to hide, why is Maxine Waters standing in front of USAID shrieking like a banshee?
'The thing is is that DOGE is not doing an audit: not a single employee is a forensic accountant. They're just grabbing random data and saying what they want, because they know a lot of people won't dig in any further. What's missing in all this is actual evidence.
RE Maxine Waters, are you implying or have evidence of something specific? If not, then the simplest answer re U SAID - besides the constitutional issues involved - is that there are US citizens employed by USAID that are being abandoned worldwide (which may end up as Benghazi on steroids) and that many people around the world will die because of these abrupt unplanned-for cut-offs.
Note: RFK Jr confirmed as HHS Secretary. May God have mercy on our souls.
I'm reminded of Orwell's observation that the quickest way to end a war is to lose it.
I'm not as concerned that Trump won't keep his promises as that he will when I consider what he has promised.
There is no military scenario short of direct NATO involvement in a shooting war with Russia where Ukraine fulfills its “win” goals in full. This has been true for at least a year, probably 2 years. All we can do is extend that war and who wins by doing that? I don’t like it but it’s reality. Trump for once is not promising the impossible.
I’ve always said that winning depends on the definition of winning, but trading Ukraine-occupied Russian territory for Russian-occupied Ukraine territory is an option if we don’t concede to Russian demands before the talks start.
Beyond that, it would be a question of which side can outlast the other in the war of attrition. I’m not sure Russia would be the last man standing.
Wow, so much wrongness here I can't believe you're the one who wrote it! What am I going to say when Trump and Putin sign away half of Ukraine? First, that we have failed the Ukrainians, and second that this is just giving Putin time to rearm before he continues to march through Europe. If Hamas actually releases the hostages, I will say job well done. I suspect many of them are dead now. As for the courts, if they allow Trump to deny money that Congress had already allocated, then it's the end of the Republic as we know it. The words in the Constitution will have no meaning. And I look forward to watching future president AOC totally gut the department of defense, ICE, etc.
As for the premise that Trump is just keeping his campaign promises: fair point. Except that most of the people I know personally who voted for him swore to me that "Oh, he won't actually DO THAT." I argued with one of my oldest friends about the tariffs. He said he was voting for Trump because Harris would raise his taxes. I pointed out that tariffs are taxes. He said, "yeah, but Americans don't pay them." I responded that the costs would be passed on to us. He then insisted "yeah, but he won't actually DO THAT. This is all just a "negotiating tactic." I asked my sister what was going to happen when everything in Walmart was twice as high and she replied "Oh, he won't actually do that." Personally, I don't know anyone who voted for Trump to have RFK JR in charge of HHS, but here we are. And where are our mass deportations? We were promised criminal would be rounded up, but so far all we've seen are some guys picked up at church and Indians put on military jets in shackles. The big question is: how are his supporters going to react when they start dealing with the consequences of all of these kept campaign promises?
Both Republicans and Democrats are likely to be exposed...
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doge-investigating-feds-whose-net-worths-have-exploded-after-samantha-power-bombshell
Expose all the rascals.
May I recommend avoiding Russian disinformation outlets?
Worth questioning is where exactly is Elon getting information on net-worth of non-elected officials/employees - especially as just the other day he said that he will put wrong info out (and of course we see him attack people for correcting him).
Fair points and I invite you to post your source(s) re: disinformation.
However, if Musk is wrong, if DOGE findings are misrepresented, if there is nothing to hide, why is Maxine Waters standing in front of USAID shrieking like a banshee?
'The thing is is that DOGE is not doing an audit: not a single employee is a forensic accountant. They're just grabbing random data and saying what they want, because they know a lot of people won't dig in any further. What's missing in all this is actual evidence.
RE Maxine Waters, are you implying or have evidence of something specific? If not, then the simplest answer re U SAID - besides the constitutional issues involved - is that there are US citizens employed by USAID that are being abandoned worldwide (which may end up as Benghazi on steroids) and that many people around the world will die because of these abrupt unplanned-for cut-offs.
non sequitur
What, like bringing up Maxine Waters wasn't one in the first place?
Thank you.
Of interest re: DOGE...
http://jewishworldreview.com/0225/Trump_Eisenhower.php
https://x.com/EkoLovesYou/status/1887301698814988567?mx=2