Colors of Blue and Gold

[Richard Smith]

Another $200 million for Ukraine!  Way to go Joe!  Keep the war machine funded.  "Europe" has completely checked out.  We are supposed to be defending them but they don't seem too concerned.  At least not enough to contribute in any significant way.  Complete stalemate while Ukraine is destroyed in an endless war funded by Old Joe.  When all is said and done, the US will have to pay to rebuild the country.  Trump would end this war in short order by making Zelensky see the light.  Come to an agreement or the money gets cut off.  Problem solved.

[Jon Banks]

Politico: Ukraine’s top Freedom Caucus ally gets cold feet

Standing in front of a PowerPoint presentation on the national debt, Rep. Andy Harris told his constituents it’s about time to wind down direct U.S. aid to Ukraine.

“Is this more a stalemate? Should we be realistic about it? I think we probably should,” Harris (R-Md.) said at a Tuesday night town hall, held at a public library about 75 miles north of Washington.

He said of Ukraine’s springtime offensive that was intended to turn the tide of the war: “I’ll be blunt, it’s failed.” And he was blunt, too, about the prospects for a victory ahead: “I’m not sure it’s winnable anymore.”

Why he’s different: Those are not unconventional views for a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, of which Harris is a longtime member. But Harris is also a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus whose Ukrainian mother fled communist Eastern Europe after World War II.

He remained steadfast in his support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy through the early months of the war and voted for Congress’s big standalone Ukraine aid package last year, backing both military aid and humanitarian aid for the tiny nation in its Goliath-sized fight against Russia.

Harris is also a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, giving him an outsize voice in his party’s spending priorities.

Asked in an interview after the town hall whether he’d support another tranche of aid, he sharply hedged: “If there is humanitarian monies, nonmilitary monies, or military monies without an inspector general, I’m not supporting it.”

A conservative’s qualms: Harris’s new tone on Ukraine aid is one more sign of the GOP’s shifting ground on the issue. And it’s a preview of just how much of a headache the issue will be for Speaker Kevin McCarthy when lawmakers return from recess next month. President Joe Biden is seeking $24 billion more in emergency funds for Ukraine this fall — a request that will need to go through GOP conservatives whose positions on the aid sound a lot like Harris’s.

Among the many concerns Harris laid out: The prospect of fraud or waste. Rising U.S. food prices. The possibility of starting “World War III” by bringing Ukraine into NATO. But most of all — the cost.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have that kind of money,” Harris said, pointing to the trillion-dollar U.S. deficits in the post-Covid years.

And now, he has joined the chorus of GOP hardliners on Capitol Hill who are pushing for a negotiated end to the war.

“I think the time has come to realistically call for peace talks. I know President Zelenskyy doesn’t want it,” Harris told his town hall crowd. “But President Zelenskyy, without our help, he would abjectly lose the war. And with our help, he’s not winning. It’s a stalemate now. “

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/huddle/2023/08/17/ukraines-top-freedom-caucus-ally-gets-cold-feet-00111608

[Richard Smith]

Politico: Ukraine’s top Freedom Caucus ally gets cold feet

It seems pretty clear that the situation is a stalemate.  Any responsible US leader would attempt to broker a peace settlement between the parties instead of funding the continuation of the war.  Every day that this war continues means more pointless deaths, destroyed cities, and rising costs to everyone.  But Old Joe seems to content to let it go on and on for "as long as it takes."  What is the plan?  The Russians are dug in.  The Ukranians cannot dislodge them despite being given ten times the amount of the entire Russian defense budget.  So what now?   Don't ask Old Joe.  If he were even available to be asked instead of napping at the beach, his answer would be "no comment."  The same response he gave the people in Hawaii. 

[Richard Smith]

There is some wacky retired Cold War general on Fox News who keeps claiming that the billions spent in Ukraine is a "good return on our investment" because it weakens Russia.  Imagine that mindset.  We are spending money to kill Russians and using Ukraine as our cannon fodder to appease the need of some old military establishment types to fight a war with Russia that they were denied.  Are we at war Russia?  Unless they are going to attack us, what difference does it make that they are "weakened"?  And by "weakened" he means tens of thousands are killed and maimed in horrible ways by US weapons.  If they can't even take a few regions of Ukraine, they are no risk to "Europe" much less the US.  That is just another of the many lies that have been told to justify the endless wars that that the US taxpayer has been duped into funding over the last hundred years.  Meanwhile thousands of drug addicted and mentally ill US citizens are living on the streets like animals. 

[Jon Banks]

There is some wacky retired Cold War general on Fox News who keeps claiming that the billions spent in Ukraine is a "good return on our investment" because it weakens Russia.  Imagine that mindset.  We are spending money to kill Russians and using Ukraine as our cannon fodder to appease the need of some old military establishment types to fight a war with Russia that they were denied.  Are we at war Russia?  Unless they are going to attack us, what difference does it make that they are "weakened"?  And by "weakened" he means tens of thousands are killed and maimed in horrible ways by US weapons.  If they can't even take a few regions of Ukraine, they are no risk to "Europe" much less the US.  That is just another of the many lies that have been told to justify the endless wars that that the US taxpayer has been duped into funding over the last hundred years.  Meanwhile thousands of drug addicted and mentally ill US citizens are living on the streets like animals.

Technically, yes we are at war with Russia but not directly. But I agree, Russia isn't a threat to us. It's not at all clear to me why we are waging perpetual war against them. And it's creating a new generation of Russians that resent the West. Putin won't live forever but we will be living with the consequences of this war for decades.

[Richard Smith]

Technically, yes we are at war with Russia but not directly. But I agree, Russia isn't a threat to us. It's not at all clear to me why we are waging perpetual war against them. And it's creating a new generation of Russians that resent the West. Putin won't live forever but we will be living with the consequences of this war for decades.

Yes, the old US war hawks never got their Cold War opportunity to fight Russia.  Somehow Russia is supposed to be our enemy.  The former general on Fox News and numerous establishment politicians keep saying it is a good return on our investment to fund a war in Ukraine in which thousands on both sides are dying.  That is as callous a statement as I've ever heard.  How is the death of all those people in our national interest?  And how is it going?  The Ukranian defense minister was just fired.  That is like firing your head coach in midseason.  Not a sign that things are going well.  And the reason had something to do with "corruption."  Imagine the money being stolen by the corrupt Ukranian oligarchs.  There is no oversight.  But we will never know where all the money is going because the US Government refuses to provide any information.  Ukraine is so corrupt that even Dirty Hunter made millions there.  Where is the effort to find a resolution?  There is none.  Old Joe is napping at the beach again.

[Jon Banks]

Ukraine's summer offensive has been a disaster

[Jon Banks]

The honeymoon period is over for President Zelensky:

Poll: Most Ukrainians consider president directly responsible for corruption in government

According to a recent poll published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, 78% of surveyed Ukrainians believe that the president bears direct responsibility for corruption in the government and regional administrations. Only 18% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

Older Ukrainians seem more demanding of the head of state than the young people, reads the report. The share of respondents who think the president is responsible for corruption ranges from 70% to 81% among people aged 18-29 and those over 60, respectively.

There are no other significant differences in answers depending on the participants’ financial situation or region of residence, the Foundation wrote.

https://kyivindependent.com/poll-most-ukrainians-consider-president-directly-responsible-for-corruption-in-government/