heybruce

So you don't trust any news source? And you think that leaves you better informed? How?

Evidence suggests that with Trump undercutting NATO and other US allies Putin had no incentive to invade Ukraine at the time. He figured that if Trump were re-elected the US would withdraw from NATO, or at the very least leave it severely weakened, and he could invade then if necessary. Trump has a history of bold talk and little action, especially when it came to military matters.

Please do tell us what you consider to be an accurate, unbiased source of news. ???? I suspect that like everyone else who rejects mainstream media you won't reveal the source of your interesting take on things.

To be fair, Putin knows quite a lot about a fading world power.

Oh yes, Reagan. The man who's non-response to the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983 was the true inspiration for 9/11. However he was telegenic so his fans forgave him. No doubt Trump would have a similar non-response to Putin rolling all over Europe, and Trump's fans would forgive him. BTW: Biden is not Marxist, regardless of what you hear from your alternative facts news sources. The economic difficulties at present are the result of supply chain tie-ups, Trump's fondness for tariffs whether they made sense or not, and the painful adjustment from a period of abnormally low interest rates and abnormally high stock market P/E ratios back to something closer to normal.

I think that is the lamest excuse for rejecting evidence I've ever seen.

Have you ever noticed that intelligent people do not speak as much as dumb people? Dumb people speak loudly, confidently, and too much. I suspect the way you met those yanks biased your data population towards the dumb side.

No, "dangerously close" means crimes were committed and weaknesses in the system were exploited to the point of almost preventing the peaceful transfer of power from one elected President to the next. The crimes must be investigated and the weaknesses identified and corrected. People who don't look back don't learn from mistakes. That's not a good thing.

Do you concede Trump is a fascist?

Why is anyone afraid of giving great power and the nuclear codes to an irrational self-obsessed incompetent who has loyalty to no one but himself?

Right. Those were "cordial" sanctions imposed on Russia and North Korea, mostly by Congress. Congress wasn't as gullible about those two countries as Trump.

Yes, America is a Democratic Republic. What is your point? Biden entered office with America in a hole and recovering from an attempted coup. Climbing out will take time. Putting party before country is a Republican thing.

I seriously doubt that the majority of Americans think Trump is ethical.

There are many people who are not career politicians who maintain reasonable ethical standards and prefer democracy to autocracy. But not Trump, he was and is a career con-man. His conning gullible donors to contribute a to non-existent Election Defense Fund illustrates that. Biden's biggest blunder was to stick to Trump's Afghanistan Peace Plan, and to not move fast enough to undo the damaging tariffs Trump put in place. Other than that he's done a reasonable job dealing with the mess Trump left him, and an outstanding job rallying allies to support Ukraine.

The Democrats tried to play the Republican game (remember Mitch McConnell's determination to make Obama a "one-term President" and his refusal to bring Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court up in the Senate?) but they were never as good at it as the Republicans. What success the Democrats had during the Trump years was due to Trump's rejection of long established ethical standards, admiration of autocrats (especially Putin), contempt for democratic allies, and general incompetence.

Do you think this kind of equipment and the knowledge needed to operate it magically appears where needed the day after spending is authorized?

The Mueller Report showed Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election and resulted in a number of Russian citizens being indicted. That ain't nothing.

I trust you also agree that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from all 2020 election matters. Appearance of impropriety and all that.

If you think 18 months is the maximum time that should be allowed an investigation, I assume you agree that the "lock her up" Hillary Clinton affair and the claims of a "criminal Biden family" are also nothing burgers.

Really? Is there any justice system in any country that says war crimes should not be investigated and prosecuted until after the war?

Sanctions are not what is keeping Ukraine's wheat from being shipped out by sea, and sanctions are not keeping other countries from buying Russia's wheat.

Saying Plan B is going well is a stretch. By all credible accounts Russia is sacrificing a lot of men for small gains in territory. It remains to be seen how much territory Russia has when it finally gives up on throwing people into the meat grinder. Then Russia must face the task of holding onto this territory. Every army wants more of everything. I guarantee you that the Russian generals also want more of everything. Once again; if the weapons provided by the west weren't making a difference there wouldn't be the hysterical denunciations by Russia and Russia supporters of the delivery of the weapons.

BS. Do you think this is how Russia wanted the war to be fought? If the US, UK, and EU were bags of wind there wouldn't be so much hysterical denunciation of the weapons supplied from Russia and Russia supporters.

Trump knows how to communicate like a mafia boss: Never write, print, or text instructions. Keep instructions verbal and ambiguous..."I want you to do us a favor though..." What he wanted was obvious, but he didn't spell it out. He may have crossed the line with the "fight like hell" speech then meekly following up with "peacefully".

Strict regulation of ruble trade and increases in commodity prices have helped Russia. However sanctions are beginning to bite. Are you interested in the latest model Lada? "... the company’s affordable four-door passenger car Lada Granta, will no longer feature air bags, anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control or emergency retraction locks on seat belts. It also fails to fulfill the 21st century emission standards adopted by many of Russia’s neighbors." https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/sanctions-force-russia-produce-popular-car-safety-features-even-kremli-rcna32863