24 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Ah, but the difference is there was a proposal, bipartisan even although you will deny that, shot down by Trump. Still waiting for Trump's health care proposal. Maybe you can enlighten me?

You give yourself away when you call it a bipartisan bill.

 

Unless you can name the Repubs that were involved, you're just puking up Dem/MSM talking points.

 

Can you name even a few Repubs?

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I got on Obamacare.  Cost me $1,400 a month with a $5,000 deductible.  Not exactly the Affordable Care we were promised, and they still claim it to be...

 

Not hard to imagine some of his programs were derailed while he fought off ridiculous impeachment attempts and had to fight the Dems at every turn on the border.

 

Very misleading. 

With that payment you were obviously a very high income earner.

7 hours ago, Tug said:

Do you have a memory or is it of the selective variety?remember trump trying to extort Ukraine for dirt on Biden before he would release the shipments?I sure do + a lot of other things this article is a murdoc fluff piece for the felon.

you mean the impeachment the went no where from phone call that wasnt.... the made up scenario by Adam pencil neck Schiff!

1 hour ago, impulse said:

You give yourself away when you call it a bipartisan bill.

 

Unless you can name the Repubs that were involved, you're just puking up Dem/MSM talking points.

 

Can you name even a few Repubs?

Deflection. 
Waiting for the Trump healthcare plan you compared the border bill to. One was a proposal, actual proposal, the other one was empty rhetoric. Unless you can let me know some details of his health care plan?

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps the author can give us directions for the money tree.

Britain can't pay nurses a decent wage, but they are expected to front up with a few spare billion to give to Ukraine?

 

Given it is a product of the odious Wall Street, I suspect it's more about making the usual suspects even richer than they already are, than a plan for peace.

You really are dense. Look at the name of the co-authors. One of them is "Mike Pompeo". Do you recall that name?

 

He was the former Director of the CIA and Secretary of State for none other than...DJT! He will soon enough be writing his Op-Eds from his prison cell.

so ... we should now believe that Trump and Maga are now in favour of a Ukrainian total victory ?

 

this is comedy gold !

 

how will the Maga base react to a 180° on Ukraine policy ?

19 hours ago, stevenl said:

Sure, blame the Democrats for Trump's empty promises 

Obamacare is a Democrat baby, isn't it?.

 

IMO too gutless to go for a decent health care system like the NHS, he came up with something better aborted than born.

21 hours ago, john donson said:

sanctions on russia after they came to help the local russian population living in the east from harassments after they voted locally to join russia a few years ago

 

short memory what is happening since 2014 in the region ?

Fortunately for Ukraine and the western democracies Joe Biden ain’t no chamberlain the chief orc Mr putin is using almost verbatim the same excuse Adolf hitler used to start his expansion his bluff got called and the Ukrainian people ain’t having it.Trump will sell that nation in a heartbeat to Curry favor to his idol 

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Obamacare is a Democrat baby, isn't it?.

 

IMO too gutless to go for a decent health care system like the NHS, he came up with something better aborted than born.

Still waiting for the health care plan that Trump has ready and will release within 2 weeks after his election in 2016.

For a start, this is an opinion piece with no indication Trump will implement any of it or even read it. I do remember he was in favor of letting Russia keep some Ukrainian territory. He might change his mind of course.

 

I remember that Johnson was strongly criticized by his own party when he maneuvered to pass additional military aid to Ukraine. 

 

"The White House" has no strategy for victory. The White House is not the government of the Ukraine. It can only advise. I guess they mean no outside party can influence Ukraine and that is probably correct 

 

As for the suggestions:

 

"Unleash America’s energy potential." 

The only way to achieve this means drilling in virgin Arctic areas and creating more oil drilling on land that is damaging the environment. Fine...

 

 Why would 'rebuilding ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel" work against Iran? Ties are already reasonably good with major Arab states but they haven't worked against any enemy state. China and India will persist in purchasing crude oil from Russia to meet domestic demand and refine it into petroleum products for sale, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE have no hesitation in buying Russian oil for resale, profiting from the pricing gap.

I don't see it will stabilize the Middle East, or help squeeze Russia out of global energy markets. That was supposed to have happened already.

 

"Impose real sanctions on Russia." Yet sanctions haven't worked because some countries want or need to do business with Russia (China and India etc).

 

"Bulk up America’s defense industry." This would mean diverting funds to the military and cutting funds for infrastructure (and the wall I guess), education, healthcare etc.

 

 "We can’t allow China to match and surpass the U.S." America is a capitalist country based on competition. So...

 

The famous lend-lease with the UK WW2 got it into so much debt that it wasn't paid off until the 70s - but America wrote off the debt from Russia. "This is how we helped Britain in World War II before Pearl Harbor." A joke. (https://it.usembassy.gov/america-sent-gear-to-the-ussr-to-help-win-world-war-ii/#:~:text=From%201941%20through%201945%2C%20the,and%20services%20to%20the%20Soviets.)

 

" Lift all restrictions on the type of weapons Ukraine can obtain and use." If you show Russia this statement what do you think it will do?

 

"Ukraine rebuilds with reparations from Russia’s frozen central-bank reserves, not U.S. taxpayer dollars." One can imagine Putin's reaction. Reparations by Germany after WW1 led to WW2.

 

"Ukraine joins NATO as soon as possible." Why would Russia want its Western enemies so close? Putin already said no. How did America feel about Russia in Cuba?

 

"If Russia complies with these terms." Sounds like Russian lost a war and had terms dictated to it. 

 

 "Mr. Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan look like a success in comparison." It was Trump's agreement with The Afghans that forced the withdrawal.

 

"The complexities of the Ukraine-Russia conflict," Shows they understand but think their strategy, that they have made public, will work.  

 

 

He only cares about making Putin happy so he can build his tower in Moscow. With the spa being named Ivanka.

On 7/27/2024 at 6:24 AM, Jingthing said:

That is his disgusting lying pattern.

Like with Obamacare which he tried very hard and almost succeeded in killing and he was always saying his great health care plan replacement better and cheaper was coming soon. He never proposed anything. He's a grifter, con man, criminal, and if Americans make the mistake of bringing him back to power, I'm sorry, Americans deserve to lose their democracy because that is his aim. 

I get the impression you don't like Trump very much Jingthing ?

48 minutes ago, Purdey said:

For a start, this is an opinion piece with no indication Trump will implement any of it or even read it. I do remember he was in favor of letting Russia keep some Ukrainian territory. He might change his mind of course.

 

I remember that Johnson was strongly criticized by his own party when he maneuvered to pass additional military aid to Ukraine. 

 

"The White House" has no strategy for victory. The White House is not the government of the Ukraine. It can only advise. I guess they mean no outside party can influence Ukraine and that is probably correct 

 

As for the suggestions:

 

"Unleash America’s energy potential." 

The only way to achieve this means drilling in virgin Arctic areas and creating more oil drilling on land that is damaging the environment. Fine...

 

 Why would 'rebuilding ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel" work against Iran? Ties are already reasonably good with major Arab states but they haven't worked against any enemy state. China and India will persist in purchasing crude oil from Russia to meet domestic demand and refine it into petroleum products for sale, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE have no hesitation in buying Russian oil for resale, profiting from the pricing gap.

I don't see it will stabilize the Middle East, or help squeeze Russia out of global energy markets. That was supposed to have happened already.

 

"Impose real sanctions on Russia." Yet sanctions haven't worked because some countries want or need to do business with Russia (China and India etc).

 

"Bulk up America’s defense industry." This would mean diverting funds to the military and cutting funds for infrastructure (and the wall I guess), education, healthcare etc.

 

 "We can’t allow China to match and surpass the U.S." America is a capitalist country based on competition. So...

 

The famous lend-lease with the UK WW2 got it into so much debt that it wasn't paid off until the 70s - but America wrote off the debt from Russia. "This is how we helped Britain in World War II before Pearl Harbor." A joke. (https://it.usembassy.gov/america-sent-gear-to-the-ussr-to-help-win-world-war-ii/#:~:text=From%201941%20through%201945%2C%20the,and%20services%20to%20the%20Soviets.)

 

" Lift all restrictions on the type of weapons Ukraine can obtain and use." If you show Russia this statement what do you think it will do?

 

"Ukraine rebuilds with reparations from Russia’s frozen central-bank reserves, not U.S. taxpayer dollars." One can imagine Putin's reaction. Reparations by Germany after WW1 led to WW2.

 

"Ukraine joins NATO as soon as possible." Why would Russia want its Western enemies so close? Putin already said no. How did America feel about Russia in Cuba?

 

"If Russia complies with these terms." Sounds like Russian lost a war and had terms dictated to it. 

 

 "Mr. Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan look like a success in comparison." It was Trump's agreement with The Afghans that forced the withdrawal.

 

"The complexities of the Ukraine-Russia conflict," Shows they understand but think their strategy, that they have made public, will work.  

 

 

Interesting map confirming that the U.S. certainly doesn't need to be present in Ukraine in order to be a threat to Russia, contrary to Russian claims.

15 minutes ago, Jim Blue said:

I get the impression you don't like Trump very much Jingthing ?

There is nothing to like there.

On 7/28/2024 at 3:33 PM, Jingthing said:

There is nothing to like there.

Well since he had such a deprived childhood  ie an overbearing  father and a spoiling mother etc then perhaps he could be forgiven for having  a few defects in his character .

 

14 minutes ago, Jim Blue said:

Well since he had such a deprived childhood  ie an overbearing  father and a spoiling mother etc then perhaps he could be forgiven for having  a few defects in his character .

 

He's hurt too many people, he'd divided his country too severely, to be deserving of any sympathy. 

27 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

He's hurt too many people, he'd divided his country too severely, to be deserving of any sympathy. 

Your being too harsh Jing , after  overcoming his dreadful childhood he started a university and a charitable arm

unlike some of his money chasing peers . 

15 minutes ago, Jim Blue said:

Your being too harsh Jing , after  overcoming his dreadful childhood he started a university and a charitable arm

unlike some of his money chasing peers . 

I detect sarcasm when you bring up 2 of his well documented failings. 

On 7/27/2024 at 4:33 AM, bubblegum said:

Clearly the writer of this piece of trash does not know how NATO works. Just like Trump does not. A 2 or 3 % budget for defence does NOT create money for lent and lease or anything. It is a National Budget for the countries defence !!!

Hmm no reply at all from the right wing, still thinking how to spin this?

On 7/26/2024 at 10:35 PM, Social Media said:

 

Among the essentials are a lend-lease program, real sanctions on Russia, and a revitalized NATO. Pundits claim that if Donald Trump is re-elected, he will cut off aid to Ukraine, give away its territory, and deal directly with Vladimir Putin to impose an ignominious “peace” on the country.

 

There’s no evidence that such capitulation will be part of President Trump’s policy and much evidence to the contrary. It was Mr. Trump who in 2017 lifted the Obama administration’s arms embargo on Ukraine, providing it with the Javelin missiles that helped save Kyiv in the earliest days of Russia’s invasion. More recently, Mr. Trump gave political cover to House Speaker Mike Johnson when he maneuvered to pass additional military aid. Helping Ukraine while revitalizing the American defense industrial base in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Virginia is good policy—and good politics.

 

The Biden administration’s weakness has left Ukraine where it is today: two years into a full-scale war, with cities destroyed, hundreds of thousands killed, millions of refugees, and without the means to win. The White House has no strategy for victory, and Americans are rightly concerned. While Mr. Biden stumbled into war through weakness, Mr. Trump could re-establish peace through strength. Here’s how a successful plan for Ukraine might look:

 

Unleash America’s energy potential. This will fire up the U.S. economy, drive down prices and shrink Mr. Putin’s war-crimes budget. Rebuild ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel and work together against Iran. This will stabilize the Middle East, ease the Gaza crisis, and create an opening for the Saudis to join the U.S. in squeezing Russia out of global energy markets. Impose real sanctions on Russia. The Biden administration’s sanctions sound good on paper but are hollow. The Treasury, for example, exempts Russian banks from U.S. sanctions if their transactions are related to energy production—the most important revenue source for the Kremlin’s war machine.

 

Bulk up America’s defense industry. We must show our adversaries, especially Russia and China, that they can’t compete with U.S. defense capabilities. Russia’s economy is smaller than Texas’. We can’t allow China to match and surpass the U.S. Revitalize the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This includes making Europeans pay their fair share. It is time to raise the bar on spending to 3% of member countries’ gross domestic product. Create a $500 billion “lend-lease” program for Ukraine. Instead of saddling U.S. taxpayers with more bills, let Ukraine borrow as much as it needs to buy American weapons to defeat Russia. This is how we helped Britain in World War II before Pearl Harbor. It’s how we can send a clear signal to Mr. Putin that he will never win.

 

Lift all restrictions on the type of weapons Ukraine can obtain and use. This will re-establish a position of strength, which Mr. Putin will understand means the war must end. He will face rising costs and no chance of further gain. These steps would position Mr. Trump to set the terms of a deal: The war stops immediately. Ukraine builds up substantial defense forces so Russia never attacks again. No one recognizes Russia’s occupation and claimed annexation of any Ukrainian territories—just as we never recognized the Soviet incorporation of the Baltic states and withheld recognition from East Germany until 1974. Crimea is demilitarized. Ukraine rebuilds with reparations from Russia’s frozen central-bank reserves, not U.S. taxpayer dollars.

 

Ukraine joins NATO as soon as possible so all European allies assume the burden of protecting it. NATO should establish a $100 billion fund for arming Ukraine, with the U.S. share capped at 20%, as is the case with other alliance common budgets. The European Union should swiftly admit Ukraine and help it modernize and develop its economy. If Russia complies with these terms, the West will gradually lift sanctions. They will be fully removed once Ukraine is in both NATO and the EU. These steps, and not the half-measures of the Biden administration, will end the war, establish a lasting peace, ensure Europe bears the burden of maintaining it, and re-establish freedom and security on the Continent.

 

To those who doubt: The last thing Mr. Trump wants in a second term is a foreign-policy failure that distracts from his domestic agenda and makes Mr. Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan look like a success in comparison. 

 

This comprehensive strategy highlights the belief that strength, clear policies, and strategic international alliances are essential to ending the conflict in Ukraine. By leveraging America's energy resources, reinforcing defense capabilities, and revitalizing NATO, a Trump-led administration could potentially navigate the complexities of the Ukraine-Russia conflict toward a resolution that prioritizes stability and security for Ukraine and the broader international community.

 

Mr. Urban is managing director at the BGR Group and of counsel at Torridon Law. Mr. Pompeo served as secretary of state, 2018-21.

 

Credit: Wall Street Journal 2024-07-27

 

 

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Seriosly campaigning for Trump administration now? 

 

Well done

14 hours ago, bubblegum said:

Hmm no reply at all from the right wing, still thinking how to spin this?

When a post starts with "trash" in the first sentence, why would we bother replying? It's clearly a nonsense post.

On 7/28/2024 at 7:48 PM, Roo Island said:

He only cares about making Putin happy so he can build his tower in Moscow. With the spa being named Ivanka.

Any proof of that, or is it just your usual nonsense?

On 7/28/2024 at 3:04 PM, stevenl said:

Still waiting for the health care plan that Trump has ready and will release within 2 weeks after his election in 2016.

IMO he just likes keeping the opposition waiting, so he can laugh at their comments on forums.

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Any proof of that, or is it just your usual nonsense?

You can’t be serious…….

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Any proof of that, or is it just your usual nonsense?

You aren't aware of this? Wow

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/trump-signed-letter-of-intent-rudy-giuliani-moscow/index.html

6 hours ago, Tug said:

You can’t be serious…….

It's what happens when you only get your information from dodgy right wing media outlets

On 7/26/2024 at 8:27 PM, stevenl said:

Ah, but the difference is there was a proposal, bipartisan even although you will deny that, shot down by Trump. Still waiting for Trump's health care proposal. Maybe you can enlighten me?

From recent news, I get the impression DT is pulling the same thing with Israel: no agreements as it would make Biden/Dems look good.  If someone follows the money and finds Team MAGA has been paying someone in Hamas to keep the conflict up it is going to be embarrassing (to say the least).

 

On 7/26/2024 at 2:33 PM, bubblegum said:

Clearly the writer of this piece of trash does not know how NATO works. Just like Trump does not. A 2 or 3 % budget for defence does NOT create money for lent and lease or anything. It is a National Budget for the countries defence !!!

WSJ is part of electric Murdoch land:  knowledge and correctness do not matter, just adhere to the orthodoxy, as Roger Ailes would say.

 

 

15 hours ago, Roo Island said:

You aren't aware of this? Wow

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/trump-signed-letter-of-intent-rudy-giuliani-moscow/index.html

From CNN! Sure, sure I absolutely believe everything CNN says about Trump, LOL.

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From CNN! Sure, sure I absolutely believe everything CNN says about Trump, LOL.

Beats the favorite of Putin poodles -- Russia Today.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From CNN! Sure, sure I absolutely believe everything CNN says about Trump, LOL.

Either the document is there or it isn't, the source really doesn't matter. Are you claiming the document doesn't exist?