re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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Keep talking shite bro and the marines will come for you, too

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where do you even find this crap?

ETA: Do you buy into the far more mainstream conspiracy theory that climate change is to blame for Maui?

It didn’t mentioned lasers or aliens… must be bullshite.

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Off-Camera, On-the-Record

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Zoom-only briefing

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ETA:

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We've identified which reporters would like to ask questions ahead of time.

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Well that certainly won't fuel any conspiracy theories.

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It's a valid complaint. Our government is broke. This conflict only affects us because we inserted ourselves into it.

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It really isn't; its perhaps the most disingenous argument of the anti-war crowd.

There are very few things everyone agrees are constitutionally mandated spending-- national defense, to some degree, is about the only thing we're fairly unified on.

For the expense of less than 3 months of Pentagon budget, we have essentially crippled our main geostrategic enemy of the last century, the one that aspires to make a multi-polar, post-American order.

That's about as legit as any spending gets, *especially* when it doesn't cost any American lives.

Even better, much of the Ukraine 'spending' is actually things that were already budgeted for, so its not like its 'extra cash in the red'-- its transitory accounting, moving items from a discard and disposal cost, to a shipping cost-- a benefit provided by the last Trump National Defense Act already scheduling these 'expenses' into the budget.

I will grant this:

Congress first passed Lend-Lease for Ukraine, with the understanding that the Biden Administration would use it, and then passed the bills for the military aid money.

And yet, the Biden Administration didn't use Lend-Lease at all. Everything that we sent to Ukraine was simply from the military aid money that was appropriated -- the drawdown authority and the USAI.

It's perfectly reasonable for Republicans to ask why equipment wasn't sent to Ukraine under Lend-Lease, equipment that could be returned to the US if it survived the war, or that Ukraine would ultimately owe us for.

Rep. Bacon and other pro-Ukraine Republican congressmen have a legit gripe that the money was authorized to help Ukraine win, and the Biden Administration has instead dribbled out aid and equipment in such a fashion as though the intention is not for Ukraine to win, but rather for Ukraine not to lose.

So, ultimately, I do believe that there's a legit argument that the Biden Administration has not properly used the taxpayer money that Congress appropriated, but this is obviously a very different argument from the one that our pro-Putin friends are making.

That argument is fair and nuanced, which is beyond the capability of most of the Pro-Putin people.

There are always several paradoxical situations in geopolitics, and one of them is that a stronger and more immediate aid package would have proven to be cheaper in the long-term than the current strategy. As it stands, we will see a few decades of increased defense spending as countries change policy. In the long-term, that combined defense spending is going to be several orders of magnitude bigger than a more aggressive initial policy.

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It’s not an either or situation.

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It should be more of one when the government is borrowing trillions of dollars.

Don't forget the easiest explanation for sending cash to Ukraine; self-aggrandizing politicians get to pat themselves on the back and feel good about "accomplishing something", while completely ignoring more complex domestic issues as a fix may not work and result in not getting re-elected.

The simplest solution is usually the correct one.

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sending cash to Ukraine;

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Ok

An example of misinformation / information operations: distractions.

Russian Mil Telegram channels are painting a very bleak picture of events and the potential for defensive collapse.

Magically, new topics are up for discussion.