Re: OT: Cracking Speech by JDV!

On Sat, 15 Feb 2025 10:53:37 -0700, Don Y
<blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

On 2/15/2025 3:07 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

It was clearly aimed at the home market; he was supposed to be there to
talk about security in Europe and never even mentioned Ukraine.  All

>
We (US) are governed by "entertainers", now more than ever.  It is the nature
of our "system" that we reward people who can win races instead of govern.
>
And, all of them end up "old and gray" (or, oldER and BALD as is the case
of The Orange One) in the process.
>

that this speech has done is to turn most European countries against the
kind of ignorant, thuggish, self-serving America he represents.
Fortunately there are still many Americans who are not like that.

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This is probably a good thing.  Unless you are Putin.  It's pretty clear
that Russia is a Potemkin power -- definitely not a "World Power".
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The threat he poses is the threat ANY nation possessing nukes poses.
Care to make any guesses as to how many exist?  Or, *could* exist
if gifted the technology?
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Clearly, in conventional warfare he's demonstrated he's not up to
the task (in material or manpower).  Keep the plebs happy (or, depressed)
with a continuous flow of Vodka and all will be well.  Gray is a
GREAT color, no?
>
So, if he was afraid of having a NATO Ukraine on his border, he
hasn't yet realized what a threat a re-ARMED Europe would pose in
that same geographical position.  Trump's trash talking may result
in a EUTO (without the US) that feels empowered to push back on
future issues without "consent" from the US.

Getting Europe's military up to the job would take at least a decade.
But there's no money available. Germany - once the economic powerhouse
of the continent - is on its knees and France likewise. And even if it
could be afforded - which it can't - we now know Putin can call upon
China and N. Korea, so if push ever came to shove, continental Europe
would be toast.

And, of course, US administrations change -- often.  So, he has no
reassurance that the next won't seek to *bolster* a Europe that has
opted to reinvest in its own defense.
>
Ooops!
>

Trump doesn't seem to realise that you can make friends with a bear but
he will still eat you when he wants his next meal.

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It seems the bear is toothless and pretty shaggy...
>
The real issue will be Xi's desire to be The One to reunite the "two chinas".
Without a direct attack on a NATO signatory, any country (e.g., the US)
wishing to oppose that action would have to rely on the Good Will of it's
allies to come to its aid.  (I suspect Trump hasn't read Article 5).