Tonight is the night...

Tiresome that someone corrects flat out wrong information? Facts that aren’t even disputed by anyone?

You prefer the echo chamber where you all agree to facts that are wrong, while telling Hen that he is wrong?

I never said they were crimes. But to say Trump did not withhold aid is flat out wrong and completely misrepresents what happened.

If you want to debate the merits of Trump vs. Obama vs. Biden on Ukraine policy, that could be interesting, but if we can’t even agree on the basic facts then any further discussion is useless.

Trump had to be convinced to release the aid, fearing legal repercussions. And reportedly he had to be convinced that it was good business to approve the lethal aid. If it were purely up to Trump, how much aid would have really gone to Ukraine?

One thing Trump might have had going for him is that he was such a ‘stable genius’, that Putin might not want to do anything to go down a path of nuclear war. Biden is not going to launch nukes. Trump though?

Another thought is that a second Trump term had the possibility of weakening the US commitment to NATO, or even leaving it all together. Without a second term for Trump, that possibility was erased.

Does this mean we're not friends?
Because if I thought you weren't my friend I just don't think I could bear it.

That's a claim I'd never seen reported anywhere.   What did I find?  A report that said "Trump was hesitant to GIVE lethal weapons to Ukraine.  He wanted to SELL such weapons".   Eventually, aids convinced him that if we GAVE them some, they would come back and BUY more.  


What a moron.  What a buffoon.   Trying to actually ask a country who has plenty of money to PAY for their own defense rather than depend on the United States to GIVE it to them for free. 

What a concept.    Boy, I'm so glad we got rid of THAT clown.   It's almost as if he thought of "America First'... like, for real. 


I'm not sure if Putin didn't invade while Trump was President solely because he was uncertain as to how Trump would react.   That's believable, for sure.   Just as likely, it was because: When Trump was President, US oil/gas production hit all-time highs, keeping the global price of oil relatively low... ~ $60 per barrel.     Putin's previous invasions came when oil was close to $120 per barrel.  Invasions are expensive. 

Whatever the reason, he didn't do it.  Both reasons are OK with me.  I suspect they're OK for the people of Ukraine too.   

I would agree that it's not a "forgone conclusion" that Ukraine would not still be in trouble in a 2nd Trump term.   We can only "suppose" what "might have happened" in a 2nd Trump term.   What is KNOWN is, Ukraine was far better off in Trump's 1st term than they are now.

We can only surmise that Ukraine would be in a better position now if Trump were still President.    No one can truly know what Putin would do.    But, his position would certainly have been weaker.   Germany would have known for the past year that they would NOT be getting the Nordstream-2 pipeline.  They'd have other options for energy.    The US would be producing a LOT more energy and would have higher capacity for LNG exports, which would help Europe.   Global oil prices would have been lower. 

It seems the US had very good intelligence about Putin's plan for Ukraine.   Biden was telling everyone, including the Chinese.  My supposition is: Trump would NOT have made it all public, would NOT have told the freaking Chinese, but would have greatly accelerated shipments (probably SALES) of lethal weapons to Ukraine.    For sure, I KNOW Trump would not now be courting Iran again, and as a result, Saudi Arabia would take Trump's call.  (They don't have any use for Biden).   I think they would be able to help us now, to keep oil prices under control. 

I'd say, it's more likely than not that Ukraine would be better off.  But, if Putin just has a "death wish" for the world?   Trump might have been his "Huckleberry". 



 

"All of our children are above average".   I think that was LAST funny thing Garrison Keillor ever said. 

Apparently, Keillor also fails to understand that Trump is NOT President anymore.   He needs to move on.   We have a new clown now.  A sad one. 

I'm not sure if he was trying to be funny by saying Trump was trying to destroy NATO by getting the other 29 countries to pay MORE to NATO.   I mean, how does that work?  

Getting MORE money from the members makes NATO stronger, not weaker.   Also, trying to convince other NATO countries to STOP buying oil and gas from Russia was about strengthening NATO, not destroying it.