W Bush sent his statement, where is Obama's? Not only does he bear substantial responsibility for this catastrophe for blundering with Putin and in Syria, but he would also have influence in the Biden admin.
To "both sides" this, is Lindsey Graham really saying this wouldn't happen with Trump in office?! If so, only because Putin would let Trump destroy NATO for him, as Trump said he would do in his 2nd term! The GOP doesn't need a spin doctor, it's needs a psychiatrist.
Obama did release this statement just now, thanks to those who let me know. The good: noting the need for sacrifice in this fight. The bad: only mentioning sanctions, not the arms that Ukraine desperately needs asap.
Many don't seem to grasp that Ukrainian victory in this war is the only way we aren't doing this again and again, at greater risk and cost. Stop listening to people who keep getting Putin wrong. Make sure Ukraine can fight and win.
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On Thursday, Germany invaded Ukraine. So did the Netherlands, Italy, France, UK and every other country that has funded Putin’s war machine for the past decade. Now they must help save Ukraine from the monster they helped create. My op-ed: nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…
Ok, after years of warnings were ignored and hearing "Garry, you were right!" all damn day today, I'll repeat what I said in 2014: Stop telling me I was right and listen to what I'm saying now. My recommendations follow: 1/5
-Support Ukraine militarily, immediately, everything but boots on the ground. All weapons, intel, cyber.
-Bankrupt Putin's war machine. Freeze & seize Russia's finances & those of him and his gang.
-Kick Russia out of every intl & financial institution. PACE, Interpol, etc 2/5
-Recall all ambassadors from Russia. There is no point in talking. The new unified message is "stop or be isolated completely".
-Ban all elements of Putin's global propaganda machine. Turn them off, shut them down, send them home. Stop helping the dictator spread lies & hate.
3/5
Putin's Achilles heel is that he and his mafia keep their money, assets, and families in the free world they say they despise. This helped them spread corruption, but it also gives tremendous leverage--if we're finally willing to use it.
While sanctions & asset seizures and the rest are still vital to isolate Putin's rogue regime, they won't save Ukraine now. 10 years ago yes, in 2014 and maybe even a month ago. But now more direct support of Ukraine is needed urgently.
Letting Putin crush Ukraine and murder thousands of innocents in a European war of conquest will redefine the world order. So would stopping him. We choose by action or inaction which world we want to live in.
What is preventing the US from launching its "overwhelming" sanctions now, other than cowardice and corruption? What do they need from Putin? To store Iranian uranium as part of the deal? What?
As I always feel obliged to do when Putin violates another agreement or norm, I ask to hear from his many appeasers through the years, as he turned Russia into a police state, murdered & jailed my colleagues, and makes war.
Putin's forces on Ukrainian soil is, and always has been, an invasion. But watch how Western leaders try to weasel out of their promises by saying it's anything else. Remember they called Crimea "an unauthorized landing".
We can call Putin's invaders "peacekeepers" if he calls the billions in assets to be seized from him and his cronies "charitable donations".
We need a children's textbook for the media:
WRONG: "President Putin to send peacekeepers to breakaway regions of Ukraine."
RIGHT: "Russian dictator formally announces annexation of additional Ukrainian territories after 8 years of military occupation."
Putin’s speech became raving, a screed of ahistorical grievances and delusions, the myth of Russian humiliation. The focus on NATO and the US is because big bosses need the biggest enemies and Ukraine won’t do. But Ukraine must suffer for Putin’s incompetence and viciousness.
No one should bother deciphering this garbage. Putin wants conflict because he needs conflict. He must distract from his failures in Russia, destroy any democratic model nearby. He looked around to see if anyone with the power to stop him would use it, and they all declined.
Years of Western blather about the Minsk agreements and diplomacy and Putin, as he knew he would do all along, just spat on them and said Russia is taking more Ukrainian territory by force. Let’s see the “swift and firm response” the US and allies promised.