What? So intelligence is responsible for what the Afghan military and government did? “Intelligence failure” is a term bandied about way too often. Intelligence is not an absolute. Its a process and you will have differing opinions even by the experts. Biden wasn’t operating under an assumption that the government would not fail at all. The assumption most had is that they would last at least long enough for us to get out on the timeline we had planned. It’s war and these things happen. It’s a lesson I learned when I was over there and thought I could control events with great planning and research. It just doesn’t work that way all the time no matter how good you are or how great your plans are.
So, In right ring world it turns out that Biden was both making up the invasion threat and weak at the same time?
why Putin feels he can do this and get away with it. Germany decomissioning nuclear, putting all their eggs in the nat gas from Russia for the bridge fuel to get to somethign cleaner U.S., Germany clash over role of nuclear energy in green transition (msn.com) Franziska Brantner, parliamentary state secretary in the Economic Ministry and a member of the ecologist Greens, defended Germany's plan to rely on gas a bridge fuel as it phases out nuclear and coal and expands renewables. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has been putting pressure on Germany to ditch the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would increase it dependence on Russian gas. It argues that the completed pipeline awaiting regulatory approval would allow the Kremlin to weaponise energy against Europe at a time of rising tensions with the West, which fears a Russia military incursion into Ukraine. "Gas for instance. Gas can be used as a transitional fuel and it might be more than that for the longer term if somebody comes up with carbon capture storage and utilisation. But we haven't finished that journey yet," said Kerry.
Joking aside, there is precedent that Biden won't get things done. In 2014, while he was VP and the messiah was running the show, Putin did the same thing by annexing Crimea. Putin is doing this because he knows Biden can't get it done. Sanctions don't do anything and Putin proved that after 2014. Heck, the most sanctioned country in the world is laughing at Biden, NK made off with $3.5B in our money through hacking. So Putin will take control of Ukraine and then set his eyes on the next prize. He wants the former Soviet Union back together.
get what done? There you go; the other side of “lose, lose.” Not Biden has been “warmongering,” but now he is at fault for the impending invasion because of lack of capability. So, let’s hear it: a) what is it you want to be done; and b) what should be his method to get it done. Otherwise, what is your solution. Ready for WW3? A draft? Risk of nuclear war? The “next prize” would be a NATO country. Biden has already drawn that line and made the alliance’s intentions clear.
Has the president called Putin by phone and had a conversation with him? Having asked that question - even if "we the public" does not know the answer - I'm not disappointed, because I prefer that to remain private for now, along with much of what's already been disclosed. Lastly - if you got Putin on the phone...how would you handle it?
"Vlad......Joe here. WTF, man......you need to chill, bro! Tell you what. Stand down for a couple weeks. Come on over. We'll watch some basketball....have a few cocktails. Go out for Sushi. We have great Sushi here. Maybe play a few rounds. Get a massage. Listen to some Steely Dan. Let's shock the world...together......I promise you it will be better than you could ever imagine!"
Franklin Graham asks Americans to ‘Pray for President Putin’ to avoid war https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...aine-updates/#link-WZDBDRZOGRATRNY6B2UJ5TDVMM
Yes. Intelligence failure if you state the government will be able to stay and hold their ground, and not only do they not, they just walk away. There were multiple levels to this failure. 1st is the overall assessment that they would stay and fight, but also that we were apparently unaware the President was planning his quick exit at the same time we were expressing confidence in them. I’m not saying we should have been spying on them, but we should have been spying on them. How much money do you think they looted?
“I have a small baby,” said Nadya Lapygina, a resident of Staryi Aidar, one of several dozen towns hit by artillery and mortar fire on the northern border of the breakaway separatist region of Luhansk. “You have no idea how scary it is to hide him from the shelling.” Live Updates: World Leaders Press to Avert War in Ukraine
Not trying to be pedantic, but you are comparing two different things. The ability to do something versus actually doing something. It wouldn't be an intelligence failure to say that the Gators are able to beat Vanderbilt, but on gameday they just decide to forfeit. But... that's not what exactly what happened, anyway. Many believed that the Taliban could defeat Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's (GIRoA) military. The speed at which the Taliban acted, and the speed at which the GIRoA surrendered was not expected. It wasn't an intelligence failure. It was an operational failure. I mean... this is the definition of Monday morning quarterbacking. Not even the President of Afghanistan knew he was going to have to flee. And of course we will express confidence in them until the very end. They are our allies. How would we look and what message would it send to just say ok, it's over, the Taliban won? How do you get your people out? How do you accomplish anything after you say that? I was in Afghanistan several times. I was not surprised that the Taliban retook the country. I don't think the intelligence community had some type of consensus saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen. Where are you getting your information?
Yeah, ok, ra ra Team Biden! Meanwhile, it's the Ukrainian people who suffer by Biden's words: A key element of the West’s strategy has been to expose Russian plans, and to make public their intelligence estimates about when Russian forces are expected to move across the Ukrainian border. But Mr. Zelensky [president of Ukraine] argued that the daily predictions of an imminent invasion, most recently from President Biden on Friday, were scaring off investors, “crushing” the national currency, and terrorizing his population. “Just putting ourselves in coffins and waiting for foreign soldiers to come in is not something we are prepared to do,’’ he said. “We cannot say on a daily basis that war will happen tomorrow.’’ Live Updates: World Leaders Press to Avert War in Ukraine
They are suffering from Putins never ending need to prove himself a tough guy and trying to write himself some great legacy of a modern Soviet Union. This isn't Bidens fault. Russia convinced the EU to be dependent on Russia for their heat and electricity and the EU, especially Germany, lapped it up. People are going to die for no reason other than Putins sedistic ego
If only the leader of the free world had kept his mouth shut when Putin surrounded Ukraine with 150K-250K troops and imposed a blockade in the Black Sea, everything would be good! This page of this thread is great. One poster blamed Biden for being weak and says he will not do anything. And this post faults Biden for standing up to a totalitarian. Your ongoing support for Putin's arguments are noted.
The Biden admin has done a really good job on this. They've been very proactively out in front of Putin's moves. Trumpers and Repubs will criticize no matter what. If Russia invades, they'll say 'Biden let them invade'. If Russia doesn't invade they'll say Biden was wrong. Who cares?
I think they have done as good as can be expected so far. The real test is when Russian invades what will we do. Anything other than the harshest sanctions like cutting off bank access and gas flow will seem as weak.
As someone who does not want US troops fighting in Ukraine, Biden has done well so far. The US has been proactive in pointing out Putin's potential plans to put out some propaganda to give Russia a reason for an invasion. So far that seems to have worked.
