It's still difficult to imagine that the world is potentionally going to see the largest land war in Europe since WWII, but here we are on the brink of such an event in 2022. NATO and western allies in Europe have gotten it right in releasing intelligence about the Putin Regime's false flag operations, propaganda videos and other means to create the pretext for an invasion. In an age that illustrates that data and information are a weapon, the way to fight it is with more information from other counter sources. As Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accurately noted, every piece of intelligence that the Biden Administration has released, Putin has followed through on.
There's the notion that Mr. Putin is not a rational actor and that perhaps the isolation of the pandemic some how made him irrational that isn't the case at all. Without trying to get into the man's head, perhaps the isolation of the pandemic put in perspective from his point of view the growing isolation of Russia as countries like Ukraine, once under the thumb of Russia, are looking westward aspriring to become more democratic. Speculation on his lucidity also stemmed from his demand that NATO return to its pre-1997 borders, rolling back NATO membership for 14 countries, including Poland and Czech Republic and Hungary - members in that year. Not. Going. To. Happen. However, use the tactic of asking from the most outlandish concession and anything that follows from it could be a success. Unless...
Unless you use force to try and achieve your goals. As fmr. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said, Putin is running out of time to reinstate what he rightly believes is Russian sphere of influence over fmr. Soviet Republics. A 'legacy event' is what NBC's Courtney Kube astutely called it and as we wrote in a previous column, upsetting the world order in the way Russia is threatening could open a Pandora's Box of our countries taking the same initiatives.
The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan explained that the west has played a bad hand as well as it can be played right now, but it should be clear that the west was dealt this hand by Putin and the dangerous game he is playing. As Mr. Todd touched the consequences of sanctions and support for Ukraine with Secretary Blinken, America will be succeptible to higher energy and gasoline costs as well as cyber attacks on our infrastructure. Make no mistake on the latter, if the United States imposes sanctions on Russia, Putin will give support and sanctuary to cyber-terrorism. In other words, all bets are off.
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As for this school board brew haha in San Francisco it has to first be said that Mayor London Breed has our vote. She explained the recalled school board members put political agendas over the imperative issues facing San Francico's schools. To this end, Mayor Breed explained that she is going to appoint people who are not using the school board as a political stepping stone and that those individuals are qualified and motivated to improve conditions.
To the mayor's credit, she has also been vocal about San Francisco's District Attorney for not prosecuting (what we'll call here) quality of life crimes such as shoplifting and petty theft. She plainly spoke in a press conference that the district attorney's office need to be "less tolerant of the bullshit that is destroying our city."
The panel tossed around the idea that this school board recall could be a harbinger for backlash against progressives and Democrats. If that is the case then Democrats should take a lesson from Mayor London Breed. I think we can all acknowledge that stupid political agendas abound on the farther left and the farther right alike. Democrats should turn this around and say that given that, we're choosing competency and citizens' best interests over extreme political ideology like Republicans. Use it as a positive... Just a thought.
Panel: Ashley Parker, The Washington Post; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal, Courtney Kube, NBC News; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS Newshour
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