This is going to be a close thing. Closer perhaps than those fearful days in October of 1962. I mean you can say many things about Nikita Khrushchev, but at least he wasn't bat shit crazy and knew when to back off. It isn't certain, at this point anyway, we can assume the same thing about Vladimir Putin. Especially after the deranged speech he gave last night, justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Let's face it, when someone threatens nuclear war, like Putin did less than 24 hours ago, the odds are he has gone a tad funny in the head.
Of course it hasn't helped that one of Putin's most prolific cheerleaders is the former president of the United States, Donald John Trump. While another has been the insufferable trust fund brat, turned Fox News commentator, Tucker Carlson. Others have followed suit, mainly those dwelling in that mystical realm of QAnon.
When the cruise missiles and drones began striking Ukraine last night Trump called into Laura Ingraham's Fox show. Among other things he proved himself a one note Donnie by claiming the whole invasion was caused by the, "rigged," 2020 presidential election. His nonsense proved too much even for Ingraham who quickly ushered him off air.
Biden's response today was to level further economic sanctions and the promise to move NATO troops to the very eastern edge of the alliance's borders. Some members of the national media seemed to demand more, while others openly wondered if Biden was hobbled by European allies who are a lot closer and far more dependent on Russian energy than we are. Still more warned the president had to move carefully, because Putin might really be nuts enough to fire off a nuke if he feels too much of a crunch.
Which brings us to the question of how threatened will Vlad feel if there are 50,000, or so NATO troops sitting within spitting distance of the Russian frontier. We might promise not to militarily intervene in Ukraine and Russia itself, but then so did Napolean and Herr Hitler. And trust me, Putin will cite each of those historical precedents when the troops arrive.
Tragically, the western alliance doesn't really have any other option. Biden was absolutely correct today when he told the American public Putin won't stop with Ukraine. The guy is obsessed with restoring the territory of the old Soviet Union which means also swallowing up Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania--all three current NATO members.
So yes, today we seem to be headed, inexorably toward a 21st century version of the Cuban missile crisis. The major difference being the Russian apparently doesn't have any restraint, or even someone in his inner circle with the guts to tell him to slow down. That's what happens after 20 years of unchecked power and purges of disagreeable sorts.
No wonder Trump thinks Putin is a genius. He is pulling shit Big Don could only dream of. Too bad that shit might include a nuclear war.
Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is now, most definitely, open.
2-24-22
We need the bar open and a warehouse nearby for restocking. During the Trump presidency, I felt we were re-living the good old days of 1930s Europe. Well, I feel that way for a different reason now. We cannot afford to allow the Ukraine to be the Poland of 1939, but we better be aware, if we get into this militarily, it won't be of the limited nature we are used to. I have long felt that the first nuclear weapon to be used in warfare since WWII would be by a dictator who felt threatened. I never thought it would be a Russian, have always taken comfort in the MAD theory, which has served us well during our lifetimes. But, times change and I really don't have a good feeling about this. One thing is certain: the post WWII era ended last week. God help us all.
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