Blame Biden

[WyattEarp]

Ask yourself the question as to why he did not do it under the long Obama tenure??

As usual you cannot comprehend that the Intel Agencies stated that he was planning this for years. Expecting a Trump victory in the 2020 Elections and Trump then giving him a smooth ride all the way.

Remember that Trump also screwed up the NATO that had no more of a leadership when he was the POTUS!!

So, think before you comment or tell us what would Trump do differently if he was the POTUS once Putin invaded Ukraine!!

Beaver, this all conjecture. You are stating something you read or heard as fact.

Remember Russia invaded Crimea under Obama. Obama could have armed the Ukraine and sent them to defend their borders. The Ukraine situation is not as simple as you are painting it from an American political perspective.

If Russia took the Crimea without much Western backlash, you set up the precedence that the predator can chew more off the prey without concern. In any event as I said above, the European Union is taking the lead on the effort to debilitate Russian aggression.

 

[bver_hunter]

Beaver, this all conjecture. You are stating something you read or heard as fact.

Remember Russia invaded Crimea under Obama. Obama could have armed the Ukraine and sent them to defend their borders. The Ukraine situation is not as simple as you are painting it from an American political perspective.

If Russia took the Crimea without much Western backlash, you set up the precedence that the predator can chew more off the prey without concern. In any event as I said above, the European Union is taking the lead on the effort to debilitate Russian aggression.

If Russia took over just Crimea under Obama, then why on earth did they not do the whole job and also annex the Donbas region then? Of course Wyatt you always have come up with your own presumptions. The Crimea takeover resulted in some severe sanctions, and that is why they had to be more prepared for the new round of sanctions. But remember that The EU nations became more dependant on Russian oil and Gas. That is why Putin expected to use it as a noose around the necks of these nations, but did not expect such resistance from Ukraine, or the scale of the sanctions from several other nations besides the EU. Again if Ukraine is not a NATO nation then all that NATO can do is support them with arms, something that probably would not have occurred if Trump was the POTUS!!

 

[WyattEarp]

If Russia took over just Crimea under Obama, then why on earth did they not do the whole job and also annex the Donbas region then? Of course Wyatt you always have come up with your own presumptions. The Crimea takeover resulted in some severe sanctions, and that is why they had to be more prepared for the new round of sanctions. But remember that The EU nations became more dependant on Russian oil and Gas. That is why Putin expected to use it as a noose around the necks of these nations, but did not expect such resistance from Ukraine, or the scale of the sanctions from several other nations besides the EU. Again if Ukraine is not a NATO nation then all that NATO can do is support them with arms, something that probably would not have occurred if Trump was the POTUS!!

You bring up Russian natural gas, but which President opposed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline imposing sanctions and which President waived them? It doesn't fit conveniently in your narrative so it is ignored

I'm not in the camp of blaming Biden for the war. I just don't see any clear pattern that one President had a better handle on Putin than another. Perhaps Angela Merkel shares more blame than any U.S. President.

By the way, please explain to me what my presumptions are because that seems to be a meaningless point without specifics. I merely pointed out that Russia was gobbling up pieces of the Ukraine for eight years going back to Obama. We know that is a fact. But then you want me to try to explain why Putin pursued that strategy. I don't know Beav. It's a fact. What else can I tell you?

 

[WyattEarp]

Someone who claims to be engaged in US politics and doesn't know Crawford or Boebert is....well...shocking.

I guess I do know Lauren Boebert is kind of hot in a sexy librarian way. And I know now, the guy's name is not Madison Crawford, but rather it's Madison Cawthorn. But besides that, they're not really a big deal down here. Perhaps they are attracting a lot of Canadian fans.

As for Illinois, it's striking to me that just last week the state saw Moody's boost its debt rating for the second time in a year. That doesn't sound like a state having financial troubles or may not be able to pay its obligations.

press-release

Press Releases

www.illinois.gov

We could spend all day looking at the financial situation of each state, or their rankings on things like education, healthcare and literacy. It may not shock you to know that most of the Democrat states have a high per capita income, better schools and healthier balance sheets...

I believe you brought up Kansas' financial condition after tax cutting Republicans were in charge. Illinois is in close to the worst financial condition of all 50 states if not the worst. I'm not sure how Moody's goes about raising a state like Illinois' credit rating. I suspect they look at how long the State can kick the can down the road. So they reward Illinois for being able to kick it down a bit further.

Anyway, Illinois has a mountain of debt and has to increase revenues. The State is at the point where higher tax rates do not bring the revenue as hoped. It slowly, but consistently erodes the tax base. Illinois just hangs on and the State lags the Nation.

This credit rating increase for Illinois is like being excited about getting a room upgrade on the Titanic.

 

[toguy5252]

I think have said you thought Biden was doing a good job. I think your politics influences your view and your postings. Even though I didn't vote for Obama, he did a relatively good job in providing leadership. I don't think Biden is viewed that way. Come November there will be a referendum on Biden's leadership. Don't make no difference what you and I think and say.

I don't think Trump will be a major factor other than perhaps some primaries in already very Conservative districts.

I do think Biden is doing a relatively good job. Is it perfect? No. there was only prefect POTUS in history although he was impeached twice and is likely to be indicted in NY (I could go on). having said that it is undoubtedly true that not necessarily my politics ( I am Canadian) but my values influence my views of the relative performance of any POTUS. I also agree that Joe does not inspire the same kind of confidence that BH did.

Your hero will be a major factor in the most primaries and in the general because it is likely that he will insert himself in to them to maintain his grip on the party.

 

[WyattEarp]

I do think Biden is doing a relatively good job. Is it perfect? No. there was only prefect POTUS in history although he was impeached twice and is likely to be indicted in NY (I could go on). having said that it is undoubtedly true that not necessarily my politics ( I am Canadian) but my values influence my views of the relative performance of any POTUS. I also agree that Joe does not inspire the same kind of confidence that BH did.

Your hero will be a major factor in the most primaries and in the general because it is likely that he will insert himself in to them to maintain his grip on the party.

Trump's my hero? I think Biden's your schmoopie.

 

[bver_hunter]

You bring up Russian natural gas, but which President opposed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline imposing sanctions and which President waived them? It doesn't fit conveniently in your narrative so it is ignored

I'm not in the camp of blaming Biden for the war. I just don't see any clear pattern that one President had a better handle on Putin than another. Perhaps Angela Merkel shares more blame than any U.S. President.

By the way, please explain to me what my presumptions are because that seems to be a meaningless point without specifics. I merely pointed out that Russia was gobbling up pieces of the Ukraine for eight years going back to Obama. We know that is a fact. But then you want me to try to explain why Putin pursued that strategy. I don't know Beav. It's a fact. What else can I tell you?

You say that you do not see any clear pattern with respect to either Biden and Trump handling Putin, then what is your point? When the Russians were massing the troops at the border with Ukraine, did Biden called Putin a "Genius" for doing so? Despite the intel agencies stating that Putin was going to invade Ukraine, Trump still kept on praising Putin that was echoed by his cronies from Fox such as Tucker who was condemning Ukraine for whatever reason!! All I am stating is that Putin planned this invasion and was not expecting a change of POTUS at the Whitehouse. Remember that The Russian influence in the Middle East such as Syria rose under the Trump Presidency. That is where Russia were concentrating all their efforts and all Trump did was to withdraw the troops from that region. Once Russia propped up Assad in Syria, he then concentrated his troops along with some of the mercenaries along the Ukraine border. Trump did nothing to help out the Syrians opposed to Assad and even threw the Kurds under the bus after they were the pivotal force in defeating ISIS. So that should be enough of reasoning as to why Putin expected an easy stroll through Ukraine to cease whatever he wanted although it was supposed to be "Peacekeeping Forces" in the Donbas region. Also remember , the chaos that NATO was in and how broken it became under Trump. Biden reunified it and collectively they have been aiding Ukraine!!

 

[WyattEarp]

You say that you do not see any clear pattern with respect to either Biden and Trump handling Putin, then what is your point? When the Russians were massing the troops at the border with Ukraine, did Biden called Putin a "Genius" for doing so? Despite the intel agencies stating that Putin was going to invade Ukraine, Trump still kept on praising Putin that was echoed by his cronies from Fox such as Tucker who was condemning Ukraine for whatever reason!! All I am stating is that Putin planned this invasion and was not expecting a change of POTUS at the Whitehouse. Remember that The Russian influence in the Middle East such as Syria rose under the Trump Presidency. That is where Russia were concentrating all their efforts and all Trump did was to withdraw the troops from that region. Once Russia propped up Assad in Syria, he then concentrated his troops along with some of the mercenaries along the Ukraine border. Trump did nothing to help out the Syrians opposed to Assad and even threw the Kurds under the bus after they were the pivotal force in defeating ISIS. So that should be enough of reasoning as to why Putin expected an easy stroll through Ukraine to cease whatever he wanted although it was supposed to be "Peacekeeping Forces" in the Donbas region. Also remember , the chaos that NATO was in and how broken it became under Trump. Biden reunified it and collectively they have been aiding Ukraine!!

Beaver, this above is a narrative. It is not a factual account. It is the manipulation of facts to create a story. It is a very thoughtful opinion, but it can't be validated because you would have to know what Putin was thinking.

1. When I drop in on Fox News commentators, they are generally pushing the "don't get U.S. troops involved" agenda. It is a very popular message with the audience. Like what they say or not, they are there to get ratings. It has nothing to do with an affinity for Putin.
2. Trump's election chances were badly hurt by COVID. Other than a few states, the race was not that close and certainly those close states races were a surprise. Why would Putin wait for another election where your odds are 50% at best?
3. Oil prices started spiking in the autumn. Prices in October hit levels not seen since 2014. It's possible he thought oil price hikes were his best chance to avoid sanctions on Russian oil industry. Remember "Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country."
4. I thought Russia went into Syria when Obama was President. I don't remember Obama doing a whole about it. The Kurds have been fucked by many Presidents and the European Union. Did you decide to ignore the Turks? A NATO country with a strong position about Kurdish nationalism.
5. Biden reunified NATO? Huh? The Russian army invading Poland's neighbor reunified NATO. Some NATO countries are aggressively arming the Ukrainians. It would appear the countries closer to Russia are make a big contribution. I've read the biggest NATO country Germany is dragging its feet. Britain always steps up.

Beaver no offence, please tell me you are under 35. You get to a certain age and you see how difficult it is for the United States to navigate through the labyrinth of world affairs. You realize the U.S. President only has so much control over global events. Sometimes there is no easy position for the U.S. and the West.

 

[bver_hunter]

Beaver, this above is a narrative. It is not a factual account. It is the manipulation of facts to create a story. It is a very thoughtful opinion, but it can't be validated because you would have to know what Putin was thinking.

Wyattie, What did I state above that is not factual? This whole invasion of Ukraine was not an overnight saga, or something that Putin decided at the snap of his fingers. The Intel agencies had warned months before about Russia's unusual military drills at the border.

1. When I drop in on Fox News commentators, they are generally pushing the "don't get U.S. troops involved" agenda. It is a very popular message with the audience. Like what they say or not, they are there to get ratings. It has nothing to do with an affinity for Putin.

The majority of the Americans want The US Government to prevent the Russians from annexing or defeating Ukraine. If Russia wins and takes over the whole of Ukraine, of course they will blame Biden for it and not Russia. Now Biden and NATO have clearly stated that they do not have any intention of deploying ground forces or even no fly zones in Ukraine:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/26/biden-ukraine-lloyd-austin-victory-aid/

2. Trump's election chances were badly hurt by COVID. Other than a few states, the race was not that close and certainly those close states races were a surprise. Why would Putin wait for another election where your odds are 50% at best?

We all know that Trump's handling of the COVID Pandemic was a disaster. But that was not the real reason why he lost. Trump was a very divisive figure, that clearly polarized the nation. It was not a vote for Biden but one that was against Trump that won it in the end. No wonder that both Biden and Trump won record number of votes, as the Americans turned up in record numbers.

3. Oil prices started spiking in the autumn. Prices in October hit levels not seen since 2014. It's possible he thought oil price hikes were his best chance to avoid sanctions on Russian oil industry. Remember "Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country."

We know that oil prices have not reached the levels of 2008 when they were around $150 per barrel. Well like I already mentioned the Russians are using their stranglehold on their oil supplies, expecting that The EU Nations will either step back, support them or remain neutral. They did not expect the scale of the sanctions so much so that they implemented a policy that their oil had to be purchased in Russian Roubles. Again even nations like Poland and Bulgaria refused to comply with Russian demands. Russia has cut off the oil supplies, however, those nations do not seem to be ruffled by it as they have hit back by purchasing from other sources.

4. I thought Russia went into Syria when Obama was President. I don't remember Obama doing a whole about it. The Kurds have been fucked by many Presidents and the European Union. Did you decide to ignore the Turks? A NATO country with a strong position about Kurdish nationalism.

False, as Russia was only supplying arms and ammunition to Syria from 2015. This is after the USA and EU condemned Assad for his relentless bombing of Rebels wanting a more Democratic Elections. It was only at the end of 2017 did Russia commit to sending in troops to prop up the Syrian Government. Yes under the Trump tenure. Yet Trump had a very cozy relationship with Putin. Obama meanwhile was helping Iraq to combat ISIS and even getting the Kurds to align with The USA in this respect. Of course ISIS were retreating then, but then Trump comes on and takes the credit when ISIS were finally defeated, thanks to the Kurds!!

5. Biden reunified NATO? Huh? The Russian army invading Poland's neighbor reunified NATO. Some NATO countries are aggressively arming the Ukrainians. It would appear the countries closer to Russia are make a big contribution. I've read the biggest NATO country Germany is dragging its feet. Britain always steps up.

Beaver no offence, please tell me you are under 35. You get to a certain age and you see how difficult it is for the United States to navigate through the labyrinth of world affairs. You realize the U.S. President only has so much control over global events. Sometimes there is no easy position for the U.S. and the West.

Obviously, you do not keep up with the times. Biden visited NATO in June of 2021, and even then there were concerns raised about Russia's intentions against Ukraine. Read and learn:

Biden Meets with NATO Secretary-General before the Brussels Summit | NATO News

[ad_1] Jens Stoltenberg will visit Washington to discuss the agenda including security challenges and cyber attacks from Russia. Prior to the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels on June 14, US President Joe Biden will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House. White House...

quebecnewstribune.com

Clearly Biden had promised to bring NATO back as a unified organization during his 2020 campaign. Can you imagine what Trump's stance would have been after his praise for Putin and even at the Helsinki summit making that bold claim as to why would he believe his own Intel over Putin's Gospel truth? We know that Germany is very dependent on Russian Oil and Gas. They have had to move cautiously all along, however, with nations like Poland and Bulgaria showing Putin the finger, Germany has decided to step up:

Germany agrees to send heavy weapons to Ukraine after major policy U-turn

Germany has agreed to deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday, a move that underscores a major shift in its approach to providing military help to Ukraine.

www.cnn.com

 

[toguy5252]

Trump's my hero? I think Biden's your schmoopie.

View attachment 141116

I have no idea what that is but yes having observed him for many years I do respect him and his service. And no I do not think he is perfect and yes he has made mistakes and done things I disagree with.

 

[WyattEarp]

.....We all know that Trump's handling of the COVID Pandemic was a disaster. But that was not the real reason why he lost. Trump was a very divisive figure, that clearly polarized the nation. It was not a vote for Biden but one that was against Trump that won it in the end. No wonder that both Biden and Trump won record number of votes, as the Americans turned up in record numbers.

...........We know that oil prices have not reached the levels of 2008 when they were around $150 per barrel. Well like I already mentioned the Russians are using their stranglehold on their oil supplies, expecting that The EU Nations will either step back, support them or remain neutral. They did not expect the scale of the sanctions so much so that they implemented a policy that their oil had to be purchased in Russian Roubles. Again even nations like Poland and Bulgaria refused to comply with Russian demands. Russia has cut off the oil supplies, however, those nations do not seem to be ruffled by it as they have hit back by purchasing from other sources.

False, as Russia was only supplying arms and ammunition to Syria from 2015. This is after the USA and EU condemned Assad for his relentless bombing of Rebels wanting a more Democratic Elections. It was only at the end of 2017 did Russia commit to sending in troops to prop up the Syrian Government. Yes under the Trump tenure. Yet Trump had a very cozy relationship with Putin. Obama meanwhile was helping Iraq to combat ISIS and even getting the Kurds to align with The USA in this respect. Of course ISIS were retreating then, but then Trump comes on and takes the credit when ISIS were finally defeated, thanks to the Kurds!!

.......Clearly Biden had promised to bring NATO back as a unified organization during his 2020 campaign. Can you imagine what Trump's stance would have been after his praise for Putin and even at the Helsinki summit making that bold claim as to why would he believe his own Intel over Putin's Gospel truth? We know that Germany is very dependent on Russian Oil and Gas. They have had to move cautiously all along, however, with nations like Poland and Bulgaria showing Putin the finger, Germany has decided to step up:

Germany agrees to send heavy weapons to Ukraine after major policy U-turn

Germany has agreed to deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday, a move that underscores a major shift in its approach to providing military help to Ukraine.

www.cnn.com

Beav, I don't know if you are messing with me or you will argue anything to try to make your thesis stick that Putin thought Trump would win again and was waiting to invade until after the election.

First off, I just presented information that doesn't fit into your thesis. My general point is you made a box and you are only filling it with selective facts. I don't want to stray off into other discussions regarding the information I presented. If it's wrong make your case, but an objective statement is that Putin was benefiting from a seven year high in oil prices. There is very tight supply. You can try to obfuscate this key fact, but it's an awfully good reason why Putin invaded in February, 2022.

It's not an important point, but Trump lost the 2020 election because of his handling of COVID. Given the timing of the pandemic, Trump became a longer shot to win likely in late spring/early summer. Under your basic premise, you can't explain why Putin didn't mobilize and invade between the November 6, 2020 election and Biden's inauguration January 20, 2021.

Trump pollster says Covid-19, not voter fraud, to blame for reelection loss | CNN Politics

Former President Donald Trump lost reelection over voters' dissatisfaction with his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, his own pollster said in a post-campaign report, disputing the key argument Trump has repeatedly made that he lost because of voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence.

www.cnn.com

Your Russia-Syria example is by far your worst argument. Russian-piloted aircraft and ground forces were present from the end of 2015 throughout 2016. This period coincided with Obama's term not Trump's. While Russia mainly relied on significant air strikes and missiles in Syria beginning in 2015, Russian ground forces were present as well. Every major battle in 2015-2016 involved Russian air support, Russian military advisors and Russian special forces in rear support (if not more active).

Per Wikipedia:
The Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, also called the Russian invasion of Syria by the Syrian opposition[149] began in September 2015, after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel groups.[150][151] The intervention initially involved air strikes by Russian aircraft deployed to the Khmeimim base against targets primarily in north-western Syria, and against Syrian opposition.

The Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War started on 30 September 2015, with 4,000 Russian military personnel being stationed in Syria.[1] The Russian forces also consisted of 25 strategic bombers,[2] 20 tactical bombers,[3] 12 attack bombers,[4] 8 fighter aircraft,[5][6] 16 attack helicopters[7][8] and various other aircraft.

Germany continuing to build the Nord Steam 2 pipeline from Russia = Germany wanting to have its cake and eat it too. That's the dichotomic nature of foreign affairs. It don't fit nicely in a box. Let's just ignore it??

As I have said over the years, you are an intelligent, but also an impassioned contributor. Don't go down a black hole to make a fairly interesting opinion seem to be veritable truth.

 

[WyattEarp]

I have no idea what that is but yes having observed him for many years I do respect him and his service. And no I do not think he is perfect and yes he has made mistakes and done things I disagree with.

I know many people here abhor Fox News so let's just ignore their commentary on Biden. I would suggest reading the Wall Street Journal to see other reactions to Biden's capabilities at his advancing age. The WSJ has to be more palatable to liberals.

I think leadership and communication are also very important beyond the actual policies. Certainly, failings of Donald Trump.

Funny Bunny:

 

[K Douglas]

Reaction to Biden's latest 'alarming' Russia gaffe: 'America deserves better'

Conservatives on Twitter were alarmed at the president's latest gaffe.

www.foxnews.com

Washington Times columnist Tim Young tweeted, "Joe Biden struggling to say ‘Kleptocracy,’ which is ironic since his family literally is one."

 

[toguy5252]

I know many people here abhor Fox News so let's just ignore their commentary on Biden. I would suggest reading the Wall Street Journal to see other reactions to Biden's capabilities at his advancing age. The WSJ has to be more palatable to liberals.

I think leadership and communication are also very important beyond the actual policies. Certainly, failings of Donald Trump.

Funny Bunny:

I read the WSJ so i am very familiar with their editorial policies and commentary. It is not a case of being palatable or not. it is a case of not be slavishly loyal to someone to the point that you doctor video footage to embarrass someone or to make someone else look good. there is nothing wrong with advocacy but lets not pretend it is journalism. And please don't tell me about CNN or MSNBC because there is zero equivalence with Fox. Zero.

I agree that Joe is not a great communicator. he makes gaffes and he sometime stutters which is not surprising because he was a stutterer. But when he speaks he speaks with compassion and empathy and everything is not about himself and how wonderful he is. Like the other guy.

 

[bver_hunter]

Beav, I don't know if you are messing with me or you will argue anything to try to make your thesis stick that Putin thought Trump would win again and was waiting to invade until after the election.

Again Wyattie the Intel Agencies were warning about the ultimate Russian invasion of Ukraine, as I provided you with the facts. Maybe you deliberately ignored it!!

Russia's Ukraine invasion 'cold-blooded' and 'long-planned': NATO chief:

Russian invasion of Ukraine 'cold-blooded' and 'long-planned': NATO

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned”, NATO’s secretary-general said, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of “using force to re-write history.”

www.euronews.com

First off, I just presented information that doesn't fit into your thesis. My general point is you made a box and you are only filling it with selective facts. I don't want to stray off into other discussions regarding the information I presented. If it's wrong make your case, but an objective statement is that Putin was benefiting from a seven year high in oil prices. There is very tight supply. You can try to obfuscate this key fact, but it's an awfully good reason why Putin invaded in February, 2022.

See you are making assumptions that high oil prices were the "green signal" for Putin to invade Ukraine. Like I already stated, Russia were under the impression that they had the EU Nations with a noose around their necks due to their supply of oil and gas to nations like Germany. But Putin always considered Trump more of a buddy than Biden and we all are fully aware that Trump praised Putin by calling him a "genius" when there were Russian troops stationed along the Ukraine border. Trump also considered Crimea to be a part of Russia and he even had strained relationships with Ukraine, by threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine that was approved by Congress. Moreover NATO was in a mess during Trump's reign. Can you not comprehend these basic facts?

It's not an important point, but Trump lost the 2020 election because of his handling of COVID. Given the timing of the pandemic, Trump became a longer shot to win likely in late spring/early summer. Under your basic premise, you can't explain why Putin didn't mobilize and invade between the November 6, 2020 election and Biden's inauguration January 20, 2021.

Trump pollster says Covid-19, not voter fraud, to blame for reelection loss | CNN Politics

Former President Donald Trump lost reelection over voters' dissatisfaction with his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, his own pollster said in a post-campaign report, disputing the key argument Trump has repeatedly made that he lost because of voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence.

www.cnn.com

Hahaha, you are taking the word of Fabrizio who is a Trump pollster. Trump's handling of the Pandemic was a disaster. We are all aware of it, however, it was a combination of various factors especially making the USA the most polarized under his reign than at any time since the civil war. There were various other factors that also compelled the voters to boot him out of office and his handling of The Pandemic was one of them and not the main reason for him losing the elections:

How Donald Trump Lost The Election

No other president in decades inflamed the nation as much as Donald Trump. But in the end, his pride didn't just precede his fall, it precipitated it.

time.com

So your argument just blaming it just on the Covid-19 Pandemic is ridiculous!!

Your Russia-Syria example is by far your worst argument. Russian-piloted aircraft and ground forces were present from the end of 2015 throughout 2016. This period coincided with Obama's term not Trump's. While Russia mainly relied on significant air strikes and missiles in Syria beginning in 2015, Russian ground forces were present as well. Every major battle in 2015-2016 involved Russian air support, Russian military advisors and Russian special forces in rear support (if not more active).

Per Wikipedia:
The Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, also called the Russian invasion of Syria by the Syrian opposition[149] began in September 2015, after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel groups.[150][151] The intervention initially involved air strikes by Russian aircraft deployed to the Khmeimim base against targets primarily in north-western Syria, and against Syrian opposition.

The Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War started on 30 September 2015, with 4,000 Russian military personnel being stationed in Syria.[1] The Russian forces also consisted of 25 strategic bombers,[2] 20 tactical bombers,[3] 12 attack bombers,[4] 8 fighter aircraft,[5][6] 16 attack helicopters[7][8] and various other aircraft.

Germany continuing to build the Nord Steam 2 pipeline from Russia = Germany wanting to have its cake and eat it too. That's the dichotomic nature of foreign affairs. It don't fit nicely in a box. Let's just ignore it??

As I have said over the years, you are an intelligent, but also an impassioned contributor. Don't go down a black hole to make a fairly interesting opinion seem to be veritable truth.

Well Wyattie, I have to explain the reason that Russia purportedly engaged those initial troops in Syria. Were you not aware that all the nations including The USA, France, UK, Canada and Russia had one goal in mind when they were engaged in the Middle East? Well okay, can you not understand that the battle then was against ISIL / ISIS who occupied part of Syria? There were mercenaries from all around the Globe that joined forces with ISIS, including around 2500 Russian Nationals. This was the reason that Russia also engaged to root out ISIS at Syria's request. However, the Russians were indiscriminately bombing the Syrian Freedom Fighters as well who had nothing to do with ISIS. Hence they lost their Seat in the UN Council For Human Rights. But once ISIS was finally defeated in 2017 The Russians moved more troops, apparently up to 63,000 who were then heavily engaged in Syria to prop up al-Assad's Government. Something that Trump did not give two hoots about.

But your ridiculous question about why Putin did not invade Ukraine between November 2020 and January 2021 is hilarious. Especially after The Russians were planning the invasion months in advance with gradually moving troops on to the border. It would have been an utter and total disaster for them to have invaded at the snap of a finger, with no planning and co-ordination with the Governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan!!

 

[toguy5252]

Reaction to Biden's latest 'alarming' Russia gaffe: 'America deserves better'

Conservatives on Twitter were alarmed at the president's latest gaffe.

www.foxnews.com

Washington Times columnist Tim Young tweeted, "Joe Biden struggling to say ‘Kleptocracy,’ which is ironic since his family literally is one."

Please provide us with an example of anything that Joe has stolen. Perhaps point us to the number of law suits he is facing, or grand juries, or investigations by state attorneys, both Dem and GOP.

Or how about all the charges that Hunter is facing.

Illuminate us.

 

[WyattEarp]

And please don't tell me about CNN or MSNBC because there is zero equivalence with Fox. Zero.

I think you are being a bit absolute about Fox. Fox is Fox News and Fox Business are sister networks. Some of the personalities crossover both networks. I always avoid the 8 pm-11 pm opinion hosts on Fox or any cable news network. I prefer Fox' true news anchors Baier, Cavuto, Hemmer over the CNN and MSNBC anchors. I find it just as offensive that a CNN or MSNBC news anchor is baking their opinion into the news and trying to convince me of a political position at 2:00 in the afternoon. It's almost a 24/7 stream of opinion. That's just my perspective.

By the way, you probably know the Wall Street Journal has a weekend show on the Fox News channel. It's the same people who write the WSJ editorials.

The problem is a lot of the audience really wants nonstop opinion. Not only that, they start to think that commentary they agree with is true news information. I can see it right here on TERB and other social media from both liberals and conservatives. However, I can call bullshit on Don Lemon just as much as Laura Ingraham and so on.

I agree that Joe is not a great communicator. he makes gaffes and he sometime stutters which is not surprising because he was a stutterer. But when he speaks he speaks with compassion and empathy and everything is not about himself and how wonderful he is. Like the other guy.

As I said, I expect we will be fed a nearly daily diet of the binary Biden versus Trump now until the November elections. It's an interesting strategy, but I think American voters are more fickle than Canadian voters. Come November, moderate and independent voters will ask "Biden what have you done for me?" Midterm elections in the U.S. are always less than subtle votes of confidence on the current President. They are not reflective votes of past leadership. Most Presidents with full control of their messaging tack after a very bad midterm.

 

[WyattEarp]

Please provide us with an example of anything that Joe has stolen.

Yeah, he stole this young girl's innocence.

 

[toguy5252]

Yeah, he stole this young girl's innocence.

LOL. So in other words you have nothing.

 

[toguy5252]

I think you are being a bit absolute about Fox. Fox is Fox News and Fox Business are sister networks. Some of the personalities crossover both networks. I always avoid the 8 pm-11 pm opinion hosts on Fox or any cable news network. I prefer Fox' true news anchors Baier, Cavuto, Hemmer over the CNN and MSNBC anchors. I find it just as offensive that a CNN or MSNBC news anchor is baking their opinion into the news and trying to convince me of a political position at 2:00 in the afternoon. It's almost a 24/7 stream of opinion. That's just my perspective.

By the way, you probably know the Wall Street Journal has a weekend show on the Fox News channel. It's the same people who write the WSJ editorials.

The problem is a lot of the audience really wants nonstop opinion. Not only that, they start to think that commentary they agree with is true news information. I can see it right here on TERB and other social media from both liberals and conservatives. However, I can call bullshit on Don Lemon just as much as Laura Ingraham and so on.



As I said, I expect we will be fed a nearly daily diet of the binary Biden versus Trump now until the November elections. It's an interesting strategy, but I think American voters are more fickle than Canadian voters. Come November, moderate and independent voters will ask "Biden what have you done for me?" Midterm elections in the U.S. are always less than subtle votes of confidence on the current President. They are not reflective votes of past leadership. Most Presidents with full control of their messaging tack after a very bad midterm.

LOL. I know that Fox never "bakes" their opinion into the news. I do not watch Fox much but when i do i think Baier is a legitimate journalist, Cavuto to a degree but certainly not Hemmer. There is a difference between talking heads who express their opinions and people who purport to be journalist and simply lie and distort video's etc. At least when CNN make a mistake and they certainly do from time ti time they correct it and admit their mistakes. this is the opposite of Fox which simply double downs. Hannity was the de facto chief of staff for 4 years. how he could be allowed to remain on air is just amazing. Chris Cuomo was fired when it was discovered that he was advising his brother.

I expect Biden to lose the mid-terms. Not uncommon for off year elections but Joe is facing incredible obstacle which are not of his making but responsibility goes with the job. The GOP primaries have become a contest to see who can be most like the now former only twice impeached POTUS in hsitory and I would expect the election to be much the same. the Dems will certainly bring up all of the Trumpy issues as well.