As I write this late on Wednesday night, Twitter I showing videos of explosions in Ukraine, and the news media is reporting on convoys of Russian tanks crossing the border. Reuters is reporting Putin has given the invasion a green light and is demanding the Ukrainians surrender. It appears the invasion is not only on, but underway.
Oil hit $100 a barrel, gold is spiking, and futures are down on the news. (Of course, all of this could change by Thursday morning.)
We’ve been covering the potential war for almost three months. We’ll address the it again further in the future. Until then, just remember that on December 9, I posted this about Biden’s response:
We often say “We are not taking anything off the table.” This makes our enemies think twice. By taking a direct military response off the table, Biden may give Putin a green light.
A New Moment of Infamy?
I remember where I was when the Twin Towers fell. My parents remember Pearl Harbor. While this was no sneak attack, I expect we may one day all think back to where we were and what we were doing when the European ground war of the 21st century started. Of course, how memorable this war becomes depends largely on Putin. Will taking the Donbas region satisfy him, or does he seek to capture and hold all of Ukraine? Will he stop there, or will he push into Latvia, Poland, or Romania? If he does, that could open a serious ground war, one that could embroil much of Europe and all of NATO. Worse yet, it could potentially go nuclear.
There is no question that Putin wants to restore the former borders of the Soviet Union. Will he be satisfied taking little bites every few years, or does he want to take advantage of his relative strength in the region and take all he thinks he can get away with? Will the Ukrainian people fight back? Will there be an active resistance attacking the Russian supply lines? Will they sneak into Russia and Belarus to blow up all those helicopters sitting in neat rows? Or will the people shrug and get in line for new Russian passports?
Three Presidents
If there were any doubters, Putin has revealed his true colors. I don’t recall a leader who quite so blatantly said one thing and then did another. Putin may be a confirmed liar, but he also looks strong and in command. Biden, however, looks weaker. After telling the American People during the campaign that he could go toe-to-toe with Putin, he has been made to look like a bag of hot air. A deflated bag of hot air.
Ukrainian President Zelensky also looks foolish, having spent the past weeks denying that there was any danger of an invasion while begging the west for arms. He now blames the West for not supporting him better, but Ukraine has had years to prepare. We’ve known for months that Russian troops were being positioned around the Ukraine. What did he do to give his country a fighting chance? When you elect a comedian president, I guess you should not be surprised to end up with a president that is a joke.
