You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
-Land of the Free
Zelenskyy begs Congress for a 'no fly zone,' asks Biden to be the 'leader of the world'
2022-03-17
[PostMillennial] More on this story from yesterday.
Posted by:Glaigum Cromosh6527

#22  Last week NPR/PBS poll said 70% or so supported a no-fly zone.
This week someone had another poll explaining what a no-fly zone truly meant and they had number around 17% in support.

Even Biden can't ignore that kind of number for long.
Posted by: ruprecht   2022-03-17 22:40  

#21  Products don't arrive, the customer can't be invoiced. Just sayin'
Posted by: badanov   2022-03-17 19:13  

#20  All those pretty cargo ships just idling off the west coast....

Well, the mad man would consider those as targets. The rational man could conclude that, since they have already had their ability to make transactions nuked, that every boycott gets bragged about, and Russian oligarchs are being detained without reason, that economic targets are already on the board.

Follow me chairman on this train of thought...say the fires from those ships light up the night sky for months. Maybe it was Russians. Maybe, even evidence it was a Chinese attack. Or just maintenance problems from too much time at sea. Who knows? What I do know, the clamor for those products currently being made in China should be...more local. Big graft local. Perhaps, an invigorated call for a stronger NAFTA...maybe even, heaven forbid, calls for a unified North America? Agricultural exports would diminish, as those resources will be need to replace your factories with ours, over here.

Now, during these, how does it go, unprecedented times, let's talk...assurances...
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-03-17 19:02  

#19  "So called no fly zone" would be of very limited use. Russia has stand-off weapons systems and aircraft. The obvious other negative is the potential of Putin's escalation.

Putin should encounter other arse biters. His plate is already full, Say nothing and give him additional arse biters.

1. Begin secret meetings with Xi concerning the economic downside Sino-Soviet cooperation. Talk about container shipping, Walmart, Depot, Target. Death by a thousand cuts, etc.

2. Leak the details of the meetings at #1 to selected Russian oligarchs, FSB and SVR.

3. Ask Finnish president Sauli Niinistö to talk to Putin. They used to be pals. Perhaps Niinistö can identify an 'off ramp' for him, A residence in exile. A hunting-fishing lodge, hiking trails, horses, etc.

4. Establish or 'expand' the 'backchannel' information discussions with Chinese Intelligence
Agency (CCP) seniors. Begin with Sino-Soviet border troops displacements and outpost imagery.

5. Encourage Japan to increase pressure on the return to Japan of Iturup, Kunashir Island, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands currently held by Russia.

6. Quietly challenge Russia's arctic militarization via electronic systems and other means.

7. Encourage African nation expulsion of Russian diplomatic missions. If unproductive, continue the effort via isolation and clandestine monitoring.

8. Establish a globally based Ukraine rebuild agency (external to the UN), possibly in Vienna.
Loans, food, hospitals, industry, and schools should be offered.

9. Map out and begin exercising a NATO Eastern member no-fly-zone.

10. Immediately begin a massive oil and natural gas development campaign aimed at providing energy to Europe at an "at cost" or near "at cost" price.

11. Immediately begin happy-talk with Cuba. Discreetly bribe the bastids to turn their collective backs on anything Russian. The more extreme the measures, the more lucrative the compensation or diplomatic benefit.

12. Offer to send US Special Forces elements (mobile training teams) to Finland for training. Training for them, for us. Makes no difference. If it goes well, establish annual exercises and training for Finnish forces here in the States.

13. Target the intelligence recruitment of selected Russian oligarchs. Restore seized property, banking, and friendly nation access.

14. Establish a clandestine program for the immigration of Russian scientists, doctors, educators, selected military officers, and other professional people.

Posted by: Besoeker   2022-03-17 18:21  

#18  Holy shit.

Everyone wonder why Brandon took a break from drum beating to talk about the poor womens who had nekkid pics taken while they were sleeping, and we need To Do Better protecting them?

Suppose, just suppose, that random thing was done to prevent the worse offending pictures on Hunter's laptop from being distributed. Fucking makes too much sense. Hat tip to who brought that up.

Gotta maintain that Kayfabe.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-03-17 18:20  

#17  Yes. "A few months from now, make sure to remember those who are being accused of “Russian disinformation” when it comes to Ukraine."
Posted by: Deadeye Grenter5270   2022-03-17 17:46  

#16  These are not serious people. They are not to be believed about Ukraine any more than we should believe their 18 months of lies about the president's son
Posted by: Spats Hupaise3694   2022-03-17 17:43  

#15  I overheard a segment on Fox where dude was explaining that fighter jets are defensive, so it is legal to overfly Ukraine, but if they got shot at, oh boy its on go get'im! Something to that effect, I was trying to think a problem through.

Anyways, Kayfabe is a suggested read for the day, takes a couple minutes.

My whole life, the people wanting to start World War III with WMD exchanges were always the bad guys - the Bond villain, the terrorist trying to provoke a response, all that. Now, it appears that a global war with nuclear exchanges would be considered a foreign policy success.

But here is Zelensky, thinking the best chance of survival is to turn Ukraine into ground zero, literally, of WWIII. And on cue, the TV monkey is talking it up as the superist footballist play evah, leaving out the fact that all players will be flying MIGs, and the likely only shot against NATO forces will be from US supplied Ukraine MANPAD because they wouldn't have the radar/tracking information. But you know that wouldn't be the story told. "NATO Attacked! It's War!"

OK. Now What? How does this end? All the designated survivors go to Madagascar or wherever and wait out the Armageddon? Foreign Policy Win. Only makes sense if they really believe (skipping mandatory macro text about) Putin is out of his gourd so the plan is to keep flicking his nuts? If he is cool and calculating, he ain't gonna sit there and watch the remnants of his military get Highway of Death either.

And this group, they drone zapped some family to look tough, and the car isn't even cold yet from their 20 year debacle. I know there is some pointing and laughing at Russian Generals, but I don't think our bench looks so hot, full of political socialites and minions dressed in the Military Colors given to them during the 20 year war, the Vindmans, the Buttgigs, the Beaus.

I don't see serious people. I don't see a plan other than score domestic political points and gigs and let them worry about the mess, I got mine.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-03-17 17:38  

#14  Babylon Bee?
Posted by: Sneck Wittlesbach3971   2022-03-17 16:27  

#13  I think there are a lot of people who think a no fly zone is the same thing as a safe space. Bugwits.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2022-03-17 13:51  

#12  Report 4: Theyre lying to us the way they've lied about everything else
Posted by: Uninetch Theang9680   2022-03-17 11:25  

#11  Report 1: Where is the Russian Air power we've heard so much about?
Report 2: Ukrainians are shooting down Russian air assets left and right! Yeah!
Report 3: Ukraine needs a no fly zone now or they are doomed!

What to believe? When in doubt, stay the F out.
Posted by: ruprecht   2022-03-17 11:10  

#10  @#8 - lol, I now recall a Saturday Night Live skit with all of those transliterations. LOL
Posted by: DooDahMan   2022-03-17 09:08  

#9  I think that's the Uke way. I reckon it'd be -iy pa rooski.
Posted by: DooDahMan   2022-03-17 09:07  

#8  Bobby: like Khaddafy, Qhaddafi, Qhadafi?
Posted by: Frank G   2022-03-17 09:00  

#7  There is already one being formed. With more MADPADs and medium anti-air assets moving into the Ukraine one will fully be established.
Posted by: DarthVader   2022-03-17 08:50  

#6  Bobby, it's not like editors do their jobs these days. Have you read the Daily Mail lately, I believe third graders could do better.
Posted by: Chris   2022-03-17 08:39  

#5  How many "y"s in Zelensky's name? Dallas Morning News had two ys in its headline yesterday.
Posted by: Bobby   2022-03-17 08:32  

#4  Actually Joe's been relatively restrained. There are actually influential voices in Washington calling for us to start planning for war against the Russians and to "start signaling that we are ready to intervene militarily." Gasoline, flames
Posted by: Tiny Sleretch6368   2022-03-17 07:27  

#3  Imagine removing Putin and Russia trying to build a stable system of government (for the first time in its history)
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-03-17 07:07  

#2  Imagine treating escalation of war into nuclear war as the morally correct position, and acting like those who are calling for peace negotiations are the “evil” ones
Posted by: Shaitch Gonque6486   2022-03-17 06:18  

#1  Does Joe even know what no fly zone means? Probably thinks it's a reference to his trousers
Posted by: Ebbusomble Sinatra2687   2022-03-17 06:06  

00:00