9 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

I've wondered why can't the farmers drive these tanks instead of towing them?  Maybe the Russians took the keys?

I suspect they towed an empty shell without fuel or munitions.

10 hours ago, Scarlet said:

This is a great thread with sub threads within explaining what was up with that 40 mile convoy and why it wasn't attacked immediately.  

 

It also brings up the question of whether our intelligence services saw this playing out and if that factored into the decision not to escalate on our side.  Why goad Putin into lobbing some nukes if you don't need to?  He may still do so but why give him the cover to justify it?  

 

 

Wow Twitter is the worst format for trying to write an entire article in small tweets.  Even worse than clicking more 50 times on FB. 

I'm afraid that Occam's Razor cuts against the theory.  Even if he's right, Russia can try the alleged alternate supply route at any time. 

9 hours ago, knapplc said:

 

As if we needed any better proof that the Hunter Biden/Ukraine nonsense was always Russian propaganda. This is a stunning self-own by Putin. Kinda speaks to where his head is at, I think.

 

Funny thing is, I doubt this will deter anyone in America from their "Hunter's laptop" obsession. Sigh.

7 hours ago, Archy1221 said:

Well the IC’s disagreed with what you just said.  Unless we aren’t supposed to believe them. 

I don't believe that Knappic actually thinks that it was someone other than 'Hunter' Biden's laptop.  If you read the tip-toe non-denial, they never really said it wasn't his own laptop.  It was big tech suppressing news that embarrassed their preferred candidate. 

6 hours ago, teachercd said:

Right now a 12 year playing the game os Risk seems to know more about war than the Russians.  

 

"Yes, I rolled 3 sixes!"

It's the closest the world will likely get to that or a Sid Maer Civilization game.  Most everything else is occupier vs insurgent or eventual nuclear war fought in the air. 

4 hours ago, TGHusker said:

 Romney speaks of history and the rarity of democracy.  I'd vote for him in a heartbeat ... again.   His instincts were correct on Russia back in 2012 as history is proving him right.  Perhaps his time is yet to come in 2024.  

 

The link had a video with his interview wt CBS as well. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mitt-romney-american-democracy-extraordinary-challenge/

 

 

I'm glad that Romney made it clear that he does not want to be President.  I just wish he had clarified that 10 years ago.  Accusing a colleague of treason because she points out inconvenient facts already confirmed by the US Gov.  The Rs might not be the party for empty suits like Romney.  He certainly looks the part for a Lincoln Reject. 

8 hours ago, nic said:

God bless her. She is gonna pay for that, but at least a journalist stood up to the government.

 

I should note that the independent news station sort of stood up with the walk out and swan lake. That was more subtle though. This was in their face.

Yeah, in Soviet Russia culture cancels you.  

Russia asks China for military equipment to aid in Ukrainian invasion, US says.

https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/russia-asks-china-for-military-equipment-to-aid-in-ukrainian-invasion-us-says.html]\

Wanna bet Putin did not ask his KGB if this would lead to nuclear escalation?

1 hour ago, Born N Bled Red said:

 

Russia put a ban on fertilizer exports at least a month before the attacks. They did this specifically to spite the US as we are coming into planting season. I've mentioned this a few times now. It was pre-emptive and not a result of sanctions. 

 

Wonder how much they pay Tucker per video??

Most of you could benefit from watching a full episode of Tucker.  At least you would find out that he doesn't say anything that you think he says. 

9 hours ago, funhusker said:

 

And he has the brass to call out “experts”.

 

How some people don’t realize they are pathetic is scary…

 

These folks are everywhere.

You won't find it in the casebook, it's just a hypothetical. 

10 hours ago, commando said:

watching these videos from ukraine makes me wonder if the main battle tanks are going the way of the battle ship?    is russia using their tanks in the wrong way or have drones rendered them as not much more than giant steel coffins?  or are the russian tactics just that bad?

If you were invading would you rather be in a T-34 or whatever passes for a Humvee in Russia?

2 hours ago, Lorewarn said:

 

 

Whatever's said on a Nebraska football messageboard has no bearing on helping or hurting the situation.

 

Plenty of people just aren't experts or even laymen when it comes to good 21st century foreign policy strategy and geopolitics to know if what we are doing is good, bad, enough, dangerous, foolish, etc. There's always more you can do, and the line of how much and what type of 'more' that leads to nuclear winter isn't abundantly clear, so it's a natural thought process for anyone.

I doubt the 'experts' know either.

10 hours ago, knapplc said:

 

No one here is saying President Biden is the "oil and gas President."

 

Is this a strawman or are you talking about something else?

Yeah if you can't remember, click back 5 days and see a stream of posts claiming Biden approved more leases than Trump, and rebuttal that explains the context.  It's nothing short of disingenuous arguments as valid as if someone claimed that Trump was a green new deal president. 

6 hours ago, Crusader Husker said:

Sorry to interrupt all of the finger pointing about which president is to blame for everything under the sun.

 

Where is the balanced approach to this whole mess?  What should the US had done when Hitler started going crazy?  I mean besides ending all of the partisan bickering.  Where should America be on this?

 

Also, with the reporting from the media, what is really happening inside?  Sometimes I think it is hard to tell.

FDR et al should have started re-arming right after Hitler annexed Austria.  US could have stuck with the policy neutrality from a much stronger position. 

-  One thing I have noticed from American tv news, the correspondent on the ground in UKR almost always has a British accent.  It is like mentally they are still monitoring their empire. 

-  I read on social media that Russia has replaced @1/3 of their initial invasion force.  The problem is that the backups are much less trained. 

-It took Russia 8 months to reconquer Cechnya (3 months to destroy Grozny) followed by endless terrorism and repeating insurgency.  So I don't believe reports that Putin is panicking because it is taking him half of one month to take a much larger target.  

This from the people trying to say that Biden is the oil and gas President. 

2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

But, why would he cut production like that?

 

why would he start cutting the number of active wells in late 2018 or early 2019. 

In what universe can POTUS order an active oil well to stop pumping?  Even Biden cannot dream of that.  The Executive can only help or hinder exploration on public land at the start of the regulatory pipeline, which takes a while to affect the national energy supply. 

Guess that's a non-answer by a D.

14 hours ago, Born N Bled Red said:

 

Like dude... I want to laugh, but at this point I feel guilty doing it. Plz for the love of God, expand the sources you get your information from.

10 hours ago, knapplc said:

 

Second straight non-answer today. On a roll, Republicans!

 

That you can't give a detailed answer is telling in itself.  Try again, and cite your sources.

https://googlethatforyou.com?q=Obama ended the space program

10 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

So, the only thing you think he needs to do different is give the planes to Ukraine that the pentagon is advising against it.  
 

Hmmm….pardon me but I’ll follow the experts in the pentagon. 

The policy decision came from the top.  If the policy was to get warplanes to the Ukraine, which may have protected their western airfields, the 'experts' would find the best way to route the one day flight from Poland to UKR.  The only question is  whether Biden is really the top of his own administration.

2 hours ago, knapplc said:

 

Because it'll be funny, please explain how President Obama "started relying on Russia for transport."

 

It was well known that Obama ended the NASA as we knew it. 

3 hours ago, NebraskaHarry said:

I wonder if the US military agrees with those Republicans about the planes?

You don't need to wonder what the Ukrainian military thinks.

1 hour ago, commando said:

NDJoe sure seems to be wanting all out war

You sure don't read my posts but see what you think an R would say. 

58 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

I keep seeing Republicans roll their eyes and act disgusted with how Biden is handling the situation.  But, not once have I had them give a significant change in action they think needs to be taken. 

Here are some actual Rs.  Even the empty suit coalition says we should have given UKR the planes. 

Quote

More than 40 Republican senators have written an open letter in which they say they "strongly disagree" with Biden's stance.

They have now called on him to immediately "facilitate the transfer of aircraft and air defence systems".

...

The letter is led by Iowa senator Joni Ernst and Utah's Mitt Romney - and includes signatures from most of their Republican Senate colleagues, including minority leader Mitch McConnell.

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/republicans-call-for-biden-to-send-jets-to-ukraine/ar-AAUWv9h?ocid=uxbndlbing

6 hours ago, TGHusker said:

Speaking of this Ukraine crisis, one person who I don't want to be president is VP Harris.  She isn't up to the job - even the job as VP.  As demonstrated by this story and several other stories during her tenure as VP.

She is a light weight forced on Biden by the Dem establishment (my understanding from other reading was that he preferred Gov Whitmer of Michigan). 

 

 

https://nypost.com/2022/03/10/harris-slammed-for-laughing-after-question-about-ukrainian-refugees/

 

 

It's not what she is (at this point) it is how you use her.  Don't send Kamala to Poland, have her host the truce talks between Zelensky and Putin.  The world needs Harris's uncanny ability to suck all the energy out of the room.

5 hours ago, VectorVictor said:

 

 

Thank you. It's obvious NDJ is just regurgitating talking points from Fox News without applying a modicum of critical thought to them and how bat**** crazy those talking points from Fox sound. 

And it's already been documented that Russia has their nuclear defense personnel on standby, and they have already said that the US providing fighter jets to the Ukraine would be an escalation worthy of a potential nuclear response...something that there's legitimate concern from intelligence gathered of the Russians doing. 
 

Considering Russia's propensity for projection (e.g. recent UN meeting where Russia is accusing the US of chemical warfare in the Ukraine...when it's been documented already that chemical warfare has been used on civilians by Russia)...I don't get why people are being apologists for Putin and trying to blame Biden for something he had no control over.

Biden is giving up control by allowing Putin to decide where the red lines will be drawn.  A strong leader sets the boundaries and the other side can dare to cross them.  The only explanation that makes sense is that Russia communicated sending fighter planes to UKR is an act of war.   Agreeing to it makes Biden look somehow weaker in Putin's eyes.

In actual news

Quote

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” spokesman Andy Stone said.

...

The exceptions will also allow users to call for the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in countries including Russia, Ukraine and Poland, the company said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/10/facebook-violence-russians/

It isn't a surprise at all.  Silicon Valley always tolerated calls for violence where they dislike the targets.

21 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said:

 

What all of this tells me is it is just too tortuous for a red-dead R to admit Joe Biden has done a pretty good job reading public sentiment and handling this situation with regards to how it affects us within the constrains our of political system.

You want to be specific about how Biden is 'handling the situation.'  I'll give him a check on reading public sentiment since it is unanimous against Russian invasion.  However I can't see that Biden is getting it done. 

1 hour ago, nic said:

This flew over my head. 

When Stalin was asked what role Pope Pius XII should have in the post WWII Europe, Stalin answered, The Pope?  How many divisions does he have?

4 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

So, when our intelligence agencies say that Putin is planning to invade and he's building troops on the border, Biden isn't supposed to say Putin is going to invade?

 

We aren't going to supply air support to Mexico either.  But....Biden is being bad because he's not in the oval office drawing a plan up?

 

 

Huh?

3 hours ago, nic said:

I think they are shady….plus John Weaver.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/us/politics/lincoln-project-weaver.html

 

How many divisions, I mean MIGs, does he have?

9 hours ago, JJ Husker said:

WTF are you babbling about?

 

This whole Poland Mig deal has absolutely nothing to do with the US/Biden being “prepared”.

 

Biden went “public” about the pending war before it started? That is about the silliest thing I’ve read in awhile. Putin went public by massing his war machine along the border.

 

And your last extremely confusing brain fart; Why do you think there needs to be an air support plan for, you know, a war we have no intention of providing air support for? You make it sound like it was Biden’s idea to transfer Migs from Poland to Ukraine (it wasn’t) and now can’t accomplish it (something he never intended to do) because he wasn’t prepared.

 

This whole post of yours is nothing more than a field of straw men and fabricating something to complain about Biden. What you posted is completely stupid. Every. Word.

 

 

This post is a perfect example of the Kilmeade principle Democrats will always accuse the Republicans of things they do themselves. It's simple projection.

He starts by denying that the Biden Admin publicly stated an invasion was coming before it started.  Everyone knows that Biden did exactly that which makes it hard to tolerate the rest of the post. 

Nonetheless  Why do you think there needs to be an air support plan for, you know, a war we have no intention of providing air support for? You make it sound like it was Biden’s idea to transfer Migs from Poland to Ukraine (it wasn’t) and now can’t accomplish it (something he never intended to do) because he wasn’t prepared.

Well even if the plan is to do nothing, or stop at surface to air missiles, then the NATO allies need to know about the plan so they don't get caught with foot in mouth.  While Poland should have cleared it with US first, it sounds like they assumed it was merely a logistical question as to how the US would help them send vitally needed war planes to UKR.  

I'm sorry your man is getting exposed like this because it is also bad for the Ukranian people. But Fortune favors the well prepared, and visa versa. 

9 hours ago, VectorVictor said:

 

It's not--it's that Russia is trying to do what Trump routinely does--pick an acceptable reaction you know your opponent will use (or project your own actions onto your opponent), claim it's an act of escalation, and threaten retaliation if it's implemented. 

 

In this case, Russia has said if we give Ukraine planes, it's an act of escalation, and Russia has already readied their nuclear personnel and threatened they could come into play. It's why Poland (via Germany) will give them their own MiGs, and the US will backfill with F-16s. 

There have been three excuses offered in the past day in re Polish Migs

• It is impractical to fly them into UKR
• It is imprudent because it will provoke Russia
• It is irrelevant because this is largely a ground war.

I had not heard about #4 Nato Technology.  Whichever one you pick, they all point to Biden being 'completely unprepared.  He went public about the impending war before it started but didn't have a plan for allied air support. 

Biden Admin backs off plan to transfer Polish MIG jets to Ukraine.

Quote

A senior administration official told POLITICO that the U.S. intelligence community and the Defense Department have been opposed to the transfer of the Polish planes to Ukraine, due to the complications in getting them over the border and into the hands of Ukrainian pilots. The Polish government also didn't consult with their U.S. counterparts before making the announcement.

 

A statement by Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby reflected that deep concern late Tuesday, saying “we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” and it is “simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/poland-transfers-mig-fighters-u-192255421.html

7 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

If it wasn't bad enough that we ended a 50 year policy of never allowing China and Russia to be closer to each other than to US, we now have Europe not really coming along.

Quote

Scholz cautioned that such a move could put Europe’s energy security at risk, and that energy imports from Russia were currently essential to citizens’ daily lives.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/mar/07/markets-slide-surging-oil-price-stagflation-ftse-russia-sanctions-business-live

1 hour ago, nic said:

My industry fabs chips in Taiwan. If China invades there and levels it, we are all in a world of hurt. I doubt they would do it. They would have to rebuild and by that time the fabs in the states would kick in too.  The gov is already getting fabs re-established for security reasons. The Chinese are already infiltrating the fabrication of chips with circuits built to snoop. We should open more fabs back here anyway. Still doesn’t solve the raw material problem.

That was the rumor when one of those 3 letter companies announced a chip manufacturing plants in Phoenix.  Of course the official explanation involved lot's of politicians smiling in front of an empty lot. 

6 hours ago, Cdog923 said:

 

Oh, it's absolutely a dry run for China potentially invading Taiwan; they're sitting back and taking copious notes as to what the reaction would be. 

Well, China has certainly figured out that invasion = unpopular.  Strategically I don't see it.  China has an ocean problem.  

5 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

He's in the Supreme Court?  I don't know many district court judges that young.  I also can't imagine it from SCOTUS.  Maybe Kavanaugh would wield a sniper rifle.  

4 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

I would love for us to create a no fly zone over Ukraine.  However, when I have those feelings, I'm not taking into consideration how that escalated our aggression towards Russia and what that means.

I wonder if that is a code word for entering the war.  Russia's invasion is largely ground forces.  If neither side could fly it probably doesn't change the outcome.  And if Ukraine gets a good amount of actual fighter jets, instead of promises, then Putin will really rue the day he thought his forces were prepared. 

21 hours ago, commando said:

do you think putin wouldn't use nukes if we go kick his troops out of ukraine?  is it worth the risk of ending civilzation to find out?

I have trouble believing Putin would trigger mutually assured destruction over conventional weapons used against him in one of his provincial wars.  He probably would if we attacked undisputed Russian territory. 

19 hours ago, commando said:

but i am not a dem.....i am life long republican who is critical of what the far right is doing to the party.....i did vote for biden because he was not on either extreme of the political spectrum.    but i would prefer a true conservative instead of a conservative warrior from the far right.

You voted for the Bushes either time?

6 hours ago, nic said:

I have heard chatter that we might stop Russian energy imports. It has bipartisan support, even from Pelosi. How long will it take to implement? …and ratchet up our production at home or at least get more from Canada and Mexico. Maybe the new interest in Venezuela is for oil???

It may be a case where the only Russian oil available is already at seas and headed for US refineries.  It doesn't really help to divert them so another country gets it.  

Yes we have to be mindful when other foreign powers gain influence in our back yard.