The warmonger of the day moans “Biden’s inability to use the bully pulpit bodes ill in a dangerous world.” Some of us are tired of Biden’s use of the bully pulpit and rule by decree.
Biden and the Ukraine-Aid Standoff
Please consider Biden and the Ukraine-Aid Standoff by warmonger of the day Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
Mr. Johnson is down to a one-vote majority in the House. If Democrats sit on their hands, one or two GOP defectors are enough to unseat him no matter how popular Ukraine aid is with his membership. Mr. Johnson’s and the bill’s interlocked fate, the Washington Post correctly noted last week, “as it has been for months now . . . is very much in the hands of Democrats.”
One answer to the absence of Mr. Biden from his bully pulpit while his own nominal Ukraine policy hangs in the balance is the one I described 78 weeks ago: GOP opposition is handy to push Ukraine toward a cease-fire. This is the inevitable corollary of the U.S. administration’s conspicuous unwillingness to seek increased defense budgets. It implies the administration intends an ending in Ukraine on the cheap by forcing negotiation on our Kyiv partner rather than by using our resources to force negotiation on Vladimir Putin.
A war over Taiwan won’t be easily contained or ended. Researchers at the Cold War-born Atlantic Council have ruffled the serenity of the foreign-policy blog by noting, accurately and repeatedly, that the U.S could rather quickly find itself choosing between sacrificing a long-term strategic interest and using nuclear weapons.
And yet if you want peace, prepare for war, especially when a conventional buildup would deprive Xi Jinping of a highly dangerous incentive because he thinks the U.S. would never pull the nuclear trigger.
Parade of Warmongering
I am tired or preparing for wars and the wars that inevitably follow. There is a parade of them: Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan.
And now these warmongering clowns want more aid to Ukraine and are annoyed at Biden’s inability to use the bully pulpit.
By decree, we have asinine energy policy, asinine regulations, and student aid giveaways flouting the Supreme Court. Biden is after your gasoline-powered car, and your gas stove.
Biden wants a wealth tax and is using the bully pulpit including his State of the Union Address to support it. He wants to up corporate income taxes. He spoke mountains of nonsense regarding “fair share.”
And here comes Jenkins moaning about Biden’s limited use of the bully pulpit. To the extent Biden is ineffective, I wish he were more so.
Stepping back, It was US meddling that got the US involved in Ukraine in the first place.
What’s the Goal?
Jenkins does not have one. Nor does Biden.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy does have a goal. He wants 100 percent of the territory Russia took back and he does not give a damn what it costs the US to achieve that goal or how many Ukrainians die in the process.
Jenkins apparently does not give a damn if it would start a nuclear war. And I believe taking back Crimea might easily do that.
Lindsey Graham Tells Ukraine to Force More Young Men Into War With Russia
Senator Graham visited Ukraine and made an ass of himself, proving he do so on multiple continents.
On March 19, I commented Lindsey Graham Tells Ukraine to Force More Young Men Into War With Russia
Graham got his wish. This week Zelenskyy lowered the draft age from 27 to 25. It was not a popular move.
Unfortunately, Graham is not leading the charge on horseback.
Ukraine Won’t Win the War, It’s Time for a New Strategy
On March 16, I said Ukraine Won’t Win the War, It’s Time for a New Strategy
The political reality in the west is that political support for Ukraine aid is falling. In Germany barely half of the population supports weapon deliveries according to a recent poll. In Italy, support is even lower. With the return of fiscal austerity, support for Ukraine is starting to compete with domestic policies.
You might call the Congressional Republicans irresponsible. But they would not be doing this if a large majority of the US electorate supported Ukraine.
When total victory is no longer a realistic option, the second-best outcome is to avoid defeat.
European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War Economy
On March 21, I noted the European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War Economy
As a way to create jobs, EC President Charles Michel promotes a war economy. Where that would lead is obvious.
All these warmongering clowns belong on the front line. We would have a quick change in attitude.
the zionists Jews are atmthe fore front of starting wars. Kissinger, Albright, blinken ,wolfowitz aipac lobby. why do Jews get kicked out of every very country.
Oh the irony – all these “Jews” are Americans. Still don’t get it do you?
yes and Karl.marx isnt a Jew but a cultural German living in London.
now now mish, are you saying the Terrorists of DC are in need of some comeuppance
like seeing war via front lines for few weeks along with forced recruits(15-45) ukies
with little or no training
IE fodder for BIDEN WAR
Mish wrote “I am tired or preparing for wars and the wars that inevitably follow. There is a parade of them: Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan.”
That was what our Congress thought in the late 1930s and they passed the Neutrality Acts to avoid repeating the mistakes that got us into WWI. FDR had to go to a lot of trouble getting those Neutrality Acts repealed. Should he have? Should we have stayed out of WWII?
Mish does not mention at the front of the parade the Korean War. Did he forget the forgotten war? In the long run since then it looks like we can be pleased with the results of the Korean War = a wealthy and democrats South Korea and ditto Taiwan. GHW Bush’s “stupid” invasion of Panama also turned out pretty good.
It is a pity so many of the others turned out badly? Why did we get into them? I think a prominent reason was the North Korean invasion of the South. That produced a “fighting the last war” mind-set that we must respond militarily. Arguably Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait had the same effect.
Regarding Mish’s statements “On March 16, I said Ukraine Won’t Win the War, It’s Time for a New Strategy” and “When total victory is no longer a realistic option, the second-best outcome is to avoid defeat.” – Those are unrealistic sentiments. Putin has always wanted, at the least, a Ukrainian government subordinate to the Kremlin, much like the Warsaw Pact governments had been. Pres. Yanukovich was such a man, but he couldn’t get Ukrainians to be quiet and accept subordination. The way pointed currently will result not only in Ukraine losing territory that will be annexed by Russia, but it will end in a change of government, one that will be subordinate to Putin.
As for second-best option of avoiding defeat, that was never in the cards. Instead, it was a question of what sort of defeat. At this point I am so discouraged by our government’s response and Europe’s lack of preparedness that I think total defeat is appropriate, and that NATO ends and the British notion of international relations dating from 1800 or so. Let Europe determine their own new relationship with Putin and Russia. I will say nothing about the “other two” theaters of “the new Cold War.” Although once Taiwan is lost I suppose that we also deserve to lose Guam and the Marianna Islands, and Japan to lose not only the Senkaku Islands, but also Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Why should I care if Korea is wealthy? Probably, the guy who wrote this wasn’t drafted. There is nothing new here, only hypocrisy. btw-I’m a veteran.
Once again, superficial thinking. Do you really believe these wars are just American peacekeeping efforts? Dig below the surface and there is no moral justification to be found. The man with a hammer sees nothing but nails and the US has the biggest hammer. Not only that, the MIC has its footprint in every single state and a lot of money is involved. Audit the MIC? Not a chance.
As for the WW2 involvement, we will never know. But it’s likely that the US would have been involved internally eventually – the Nazi party was quite strong politically, and growing, in the US.
Biden’s cognitive decline is breathtaking. Suspect it’s been known by the Dems and why they kept him in a basement last election. How many days can they keep him on uppers before he oozes from the ear? He’s done.
Biden can talk from his pulpit about his experiences in ‘Nam fighting back the godless Red Horde with his five draft deferments and asthma that didn’t prevent him from playing sports, Not that Trump is Audie Murphy either..then again the ones who actually fought: Kerry and McCain..lost
At least Kerry and McCain aren’t hypocrites. Ony in America will people put up with a commander in chief who dodged service. I’m a veteran and most veterans don’t want their kids in the military or love government wars.
It’s shown that Biden is an old angry man that shouts every time his mouth opens. There is no plan in foreign policy and we see just confusion in all regions. The latest with Iran is going to be fun Germany better start building more rockets because our supply is low.
1. It’s not the WSJ editorial board that complains but a WSJ op- ed writer.
2. Which warmongering clowns, the one op- ed writer?
3. Because several Biden decrees are asinine and harmful the one recommended must also be so?
4. Seems Jenkins does have a goal as he wrote, ““if you want peace, prepare for war”. That s, the government bolstering it’s military significantly reduces the probability of war with our main enemies, China, Russia, and Iran, maybe even with ISIS, Hamas and Hezbollah.
5. “Zelenskyy … does not give a damn …how many Ukrainians die in the process.” Just your assertion but you lack evidence to support it?
6. “ Jenkins apparently does not give a damn if it would start a nuclear war.” Again, just an assertion.
7. I could cite more such assertions in this article lacking stated or referenced evidence. But I have more pressing items to attend to.
Suggestion: stick to analyzing issues in economics and finance.
if you want peace, prepare for war,
Prepare for War and Promote War are two very different things.
I think he means “prepare a war”
I read comments here and spot the naive attitudes of many Americans who believe that wars are fought for a WIN by one Nation over the Other: it is the MONEY, nothing else.
When we frame it all in those terms, we become enlightened to the GAME. MIC and Congressional Lobby money. It turns otherwise useless humans, called CONGRESS, into Millionaires over night.
It’s the resources and strategic positions, not the money.
Not everyone here is American either.
What’s the Goal?
To implement the Great Reset Agenda, which requires conquering Russia and China, imposing the gloBull warming BS, and reducing the population by at least 50%. Once we stop pussyfooting around the real agenda, we may be able to minimize the inevitable reset ahead.
They will struggle to get the hot and lawless parts of the world under the yoke, they depend on people having id and debts to control them.
The USA is broke, it has no money to send to Ukraine. Instead Ukraine and NATO need to vow not to increase NATO membership to the Russian border. Let Zelensky fight his own war with his own countries money. It is not the debt ridden USA’s issue
Well the US started the war and put Zelensky in place, they don’t seem to have had much of a plan though, as with Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.
Jews started all those wars
The WSJ should stick to financial news.
The U.S. is not going to get in a war with China. The military industrial complex is losing power, of the military contractors only Amazon stock is among the top ten stocks held by the billionaire class. There is no way the captains of US industry Chairman Xi met with recently on two occasions are gonna let a shooting war start with China. It’s a lotta talk.
This Ukraine war was avoidable and could be stopped at any time with a negotiated settlement but the price in territory for Ukraine is getting higher by the day.
And Biden looks more and more like Netanyahu’s and AIPAC’s b**ch. This mess in the Middle East could develop into a general regional war very quickly and Netanyahu seems to be hellbent on starting one.
Lol, like they are any good at lying about the economy either!
The more the bully pulpit used, the more people who come to see the President as a de-facto dictator whose office is simply meant to facilitate rule by decree.
All of this undermines the power of Congress and the Senate until at some point those same people will wonder why we even bother with those houses when Presidential decrees are all we need.
Wizard of Ops
Note to WSJ guy: The bully pulpit is only effective when the bully behind the pulpit is effective. No one cares what Biden thinks, no one cares about Ukraine, and nobody cares what the MSM thinks.
What we care about is our borders, our safety, and our people. What we don’t care about is the opinion of some bought and paid for shill like you.
Belly poopit
“All these warmongering clowns belong on the front line. We would have a quick change in attitude.”
Which is, exactly; as The Founders recognized; why legitimate governments don’t have standing armies at all.
If some bunch of Lindseys wants to fight Russians, he could get together a posse of likemindeds on his own time and dime; and head on over there.
My son is USMC and was in Iraq. He calls these warmongers: Chairborne Rangers. Sadly, there a lot of them in key places.
“Chicken Hawks” is another good expression.
I like it, but Chairborne Rangers has a nice tint of mocking humor to it.
Like armchair admirals, or Kentucky fried pilots.
War with commies in Vietnam was wrong, although war with germans in 1941 was fine, I suppose.
But sometimes is difficult to know how crazy a dictator is. It seems better to stop Putin in Kiev than trying to do it in Berlin, Paris or Alaska.
And it is better to fight them in Vietnam than here, Afghanistan than here, Iraq than here, Syria than here.
This is how you spend 10 trillion dollars fighting stupid wars.
The irony is fighting all those stupid wars makes more enemies and increases the odds of fighting them here.
Wait a minute: don’t we have the Greatest Defensive Force the world has ever known?
No, Afghanistan does, based on past performance. The Yanks are shit at war.
rusty splinter wants more wars for Israel because.hes.a zionist. parasite
That’s an idiotic and simplistic take Mish.
So should we do preemptive strike on every dictator everywhere to stop the spread of dictators? Who are you, Lindsey Graham?
It would be funny if NATO did a preemptive strike on the USA.
As General Butler said, war is a racket. General Eisenhower said in his farewell address, to beware the military industrial complex.
The government tells us whatever narrative they want us to believe.
The mainstream media is a propaganda operation, which promotes the government narrative. I forget the percentage of people who came to believe that Iraq was involved in 9/11.
Hitler had a 3 million man army to send into the Soviet Union. Putin doesn’t have a 3 million man army to send into Berlin or Paris. Ukraine does border Russia, however, and Putin does see NATO encroaching into it and the southwestern Russian border, as a threat. What’s that phrase, don’t poke the bear?
The war was to protect non-Commie south Vietnam, which has large indigenous Khmer-related populations – it was Khmer land before the Viets stole it. Saigon is a Cambodian city. Phu Quoc is a Cambodian island etc… now Chinese are trying to infest and ruin Cambodia.
The United States made a CRITICAL error in the very beginning of this cluster cluck. Trickling in military supplies over the course of years, was such a blatant mistake, I saw it coming planets away.
Ukraine and the world support needed to come in hard and squash the cock roach, that Putin is.
But, naaaaaah, instead we slow played the military support and here Ukraine and the US are, with their shorts down to their ankles.
Why in the hell do we have these ‘wars’ that last years, bleed our economy, and end up being a colossal joke?
Perhaps one theory is, it gives the military establishment opportunity to bleed out aging supplies? Gives them opportunity to innovate, dare I say, ‘new and improved’ military tactics, supplies, machinery at the expense of US men and women lives and the US tax payers?
I don’t know, and this is NOT AIMED AT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM (I have the HIGHEST DEGREE OF RESPECT AND APPRECIATION for you) but when I envision our military government leaders and their ‘strategies’ I get flashbacks of my dog running in circles chasing his tail.
Ridiculous
The Critical Mistake was McCain and a parade of US goons telling Ukraine top get into NATO
I think had better heads prevailed early, this invasion would have gone a lot more like his invasions into Ukraine and Georgia in the past. Ouch … but over. How can we (who correctly did not want the USSR in Cuba) in a position to say Putin has to take NATO on his border (when he’s been clear about that in the past). I do not support Putin … but this was not an unprovoked invasion. The good news is that Europe has bought in so well. As an entire continent, they have put in about 10% of what the US has put in for this “European war”. So glad we no longer have a president who is going to expect anything but lip service from our “allies” and this guy is willing to fund the whole thing with a small cheering section in Europe.
Did the cockroach putin invade Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, yemen, Somalia and Niger?
No. That was the great satan US and Nato and the citizens were silent on those murders and greatest refugee crisis in history
Who the fuck are you to say what a soverign nation’s leader can/can’t do after EVERY promise of bases/encroachment given by U.S/Nato has been broken starting with Bill Clinton in the 90s.
“Poootin is the boogeyman and a murderer and the U.S is righteous and morally superior.” 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
yea okay
What a clownshow
Well… yes. Russia invaded Afghanistan, has killed thousands in Syria, and has stationed troops in Lybia and Niger. Special russian forces protects venezuelan dictator and Putin gives money to a lot of far left and far right parties around the globe.
And I am so glad the US took over in Afghanistan where Russia left off, wasting many trillions of dollars before losing the war.
This appears to be the position of Ockham’s Razor who is all too happy to have the US do the same.
They did manage to top up the weapons stockpile for organised crime, terrorism, and the CIA’s black ops, so not all bad, eh?!
Running defence hard there, champ.
“Ukraine and the world support needed to come in hard and squash the cock roach, that Putin is.”
There is no Superhero in the Sky capable of “coming in hard and squashing” Russia. Nor any other continent sized nuke power with 5000+ warheads and delivery systems for all of them.
China is far from there. The US is broke and, besides, Netanyahu has dibs on whatever “we” have left for whatever mindless blowing up of people it is that he currently gets a kick from. The EU’s most potent weaponry are French farmers’ fertilizer…
All why Russia has 3x the entire NATO’s combined production capacity of relevant weapons. Something which won’t change, since the NATO countries no longer have any industrial capacity left to even convert into arms making, even if they wanted to. So; hot air flowing out of Lindsey’s behind; which while no doubt pungent and unpleasant, won’t squash anything meaningful; is is all “we” could even hope to do.
Both Zelensky and Bibi are very much aware of this by now. Hence both are busying themselves desperately trying to gear up local arms production. “We”‘ve been bust for a long time. All Putin had to do, is call our bluff.
Zelensky is busy topping up his bullion vaults and swiss bank accounts and lining up a nice retirement destination.
“Perhaps one theory is, it gives the military establishment opportunity to bleed out aging supplies? Gives them opportunity to innovate, dare I say, ‘new and improved’ military tactics, supplies, machinery at the expense of US men and women lives and the US tax payers?”
LOL – If we just wanted to test equipment and tactics, we have plenty of places to do so (Syria, Afghanistan etc). No need to support another war. So that theory is disproved easily enough.
In fact the Ukraine war is exposing that a lot of the US equipment (M1 tanks, fighter planes etc) is almost obsolete on the modern battlefield thanks to increasingly sophisticated drones.
The elephant in the room seems pretty obvious.
The colonial resources looting model has run out of fodder.
Everything that can and could be looted by global corporations has already been plundered.
Without Russias vast reserves to feed this model, the system that gave rise to the model will collapse and those at the top of this 5 – 700 year old resource extraction pyramid will lose their ascendency. Putin has said as much.
The pigs have lost control of their self serving, slave centric, colonial narrative, putting them in peril. Morphic Resonance has proven, once something becomes possible in one place it becomes possible everywhere. That which was previously invisible, the “Euro Centrism Supremacy” illusion sold to the developing world is becoming “plain to see” on all continents with lightning speed.
Interesting in that Putin has become the worlds Mandingo. Despite what you will read online or the movie of the same name. The term Mandingo references a myth held by African slaves everywhere; about a massive escaped slave who made his fortune elsewhere and returns to free the slaves from bondage and smashes the slave owners to dust. It’s a powerful metaphor and you’ll find the developing world seeing Putin more and more as the Mandingo, (including Trump supporters who have chanted Putins name at his rallies.
Mandinka is an African language.
Aye but they need to vary it from just desert warfare. When are the forest and arctic troops going to get a practice?
The point of wars is SPENDING, not winning based upon “reasons.” THE MIC and Congressional bribery is the game. THE GAME!
Putin will be a national hero for Americans.