The Resident Gaffes Again

[George K]

“WH official: When Reagan said ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,’ he did not mean to suggest any physical walls be torn down and certainly not in Berlin. He was referring to Pink Floyd’s album The Wall and was calling on Gorby to write a critical review.”

[89th]

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

That is clear. But poking a cornered Putin is not a good strategy.

True. Also, my gut says it might be better to have a "known" Putin in power than one of his successors.

[Jolly]

Wonder how much lag time between the Whitehouse talking point and the Twitterverse eruptions?

Do they even have time to grab a cup of coffee before "influencers" start crafting and shaping public opinion?

[Axtremus]

So you folks generally agree that Putin should not stay in power, but you would just rather Biden not say that out loud, is that right?

[Mik]

Leave it to you to point out the absolute least relevant side of the issue.

[Axtremus]

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

Leave it to you to point out the absolute least relevant side of the issue.

Hmmm … don’t really see an objection or denial to what I wrote.

[Copper]

The first president to fly supersonic.

[Renauda]

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

With the specter of global war, the time we should be most careful about what we say and do, this is what we have at the top.

On the other hand, Putin has no problem with saying that Ukraine must be “denazified” “demilitarised” and that NATO should withdraw from all former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact members. In effect much of central and all eastern Europe are exclusively within Moscow’s sphere of influence and must remain so. It is after all, Russia’s historic right to lord over those lands and peoples. Then there’s documented Russian interference in various western elections and Brexit. Putin has been pushing for regime change throughout the West for at least a dozen years.

Of course Biden’s remarks were over the top and not at all helpful in finding an immediate solution to Putin’s war with Europe and liberal democracy in general. Nevertheless, I think the remarks are correct and needed to be said for Putin is no longer just an autocrat. He has now made himself into a warlord despot without any semblance of legitimacy or humanity.

I won’t fault Biden for his remarks, it needed to be said.

[Mik]

I would have been fine if the White House had not immediately scrambled to walk the statement back and say that was not what he meant, when it clearly was. This is not a good time for creating opportunities for misperception.

[Horace]

Apparently the highest echelon of American government and military leadership struggles with the question of how much support to give Ukraine, while Hollywood and your friendly neighborhood denizens of pop culture already know. Biden appears to align with his friendly neighborhood denizens of pop culture, which stands to reason, as he is an intellectually compromised octogenarian who learned decades ago the right people to agree with for his journey up the social ladder.

[George K]

[Renauda]

@Mik

Agreed, the mealy mouthed back pedalling is not a good thing. A bit like people who always feel a need to explain themselves. It’s an obsession for some, a disease for many.

The Russians however will distort anything that is said beyond all recognition or relation to reality. In the mind of the average Ivan Ivanovich living in Bumfucsk, Russia what the POTUS and his handlers say is of no consequence. There a nothing anyone in the West can do to win their hearts and minds anyway.

[Jolly]

@George-K said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

Bullshit.

I have it on good authority presidents cannot move markets.

[LuFins Dad]

So we're ignoring the fact that he threatened to retaliate with chemical weapons if Russia used them first? While we are not actively engaged in this war?

So we're ignoring the fact that he just basically told the 82nd Airborn to get ready to see Hell?

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

So we're ignoring the fact that he threatened to retaliate with chemical weapons if Russia used them first? While we are not actively engaged in this war?

So we're ignoring the fact that he just basically told the 82nd Airborn to get ready to see Hell?

[Larry]

@Axtremus said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

Leave it to you to point out the absolute least relevant side of the issue.

Hmmm … don’t really see an objection or denial to what I wrote.

That is because what you wrote is so fucking stupid it doesn't deserve an answer.

[Axtremus]

Well Larry, there is still no objection or denial to what I wrote …

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

I would have been fine if the White House had not immediately scrambled to walk the statement back and say that was not what he meant, when it clearly was.

… and @Mik seems to have changed his mind, from objecting Biden saying it in the first place to objecting the White House’s walking the statement back afterwards.

[Larry]

@Axtremus said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

Well Larry, there is still objection or denial to what I wrote …

@Mik said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

I would have been fine if the White House had not immediately scrambled to walk the statement back and say that was not what he meant, when it clearly was.

… and @Mik seems to have changed his mind, from objecting Biden saying it in the first place to objecting the White House’s walking the statement back afterwards.

Once you shit on the windshield turning on the wipers just makes things worse. Your party is being led by a fool who just shit on the windshield. He is being cleaned up after by fools, and defended by fools. No point in wasting time trying to explain anything to one of the fools.

[Renauda]

@George-K said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

@LuFins-Dad said in The Resident Gaffes Again:

So we're ignoring the fact that he threatened to retaliate with chemical weapons if Russia used them first? While we are not actively engaged in this war?

So we're ignoring the fact that he just basically told the 82nd Airborn to get ready to see Hell?

Biden’s remark of responding “in kind” should Russia use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine is an appropriate statement. Putin should be in doubt that use of chemical weapons could result in an all out NATO military response in support of Ukraine that will prevail. In kind” could mean any number of responses other than chemical, all of which would be swift and severe. From here on it’s up to Putin to govern his actions not the other way round as has been the case.

As for preparing the 82 Airborne for combat, that’s part of what they signed up for when they joined.

[Catseye3]

@Axtremus: So you folks generally agree that Putin should not stay in power, but you would just rather Biden not say that out loud, is that right?

My first thought also, Ax. I'd rather Biden hadn't been so shrill, but I agree with Renauda that it needed to be said.