Current Affairs Ukraine

[Yarrgh]

US/EU paying for its cowardice towards Russia. Ukraine should have been enabled to exchange missile fire into Russia. I imagine the war would by now have reached some form of conclusion.

Instead we sanctioned Usmanov & Abramovich to appease the populists.

Yes, the escalation to an all out war and Russia going all in against civilian targets with the dragging in of the neighbouring countries and NATO. Maybe nuclear strikes.

Sanctions of oligarchs is appeasing the populist. Long drawn out politicking and sorting out banking and legal systems interacting with foreign hostile regimes and ensuring our legal and political systems aren't open to their malign influence and doing that uniformly over the international community. And then we have to allow the nontraditional leading countries of the international community a more equal role so this doesn't keep happening even though it will appear that we are losing influence as a world power.

 

[tsubaki]

Yes, the escalation to an all out war and Russia going all in against civilian targets with the dragging in of the neighbouring countries and NATO. Maybe nuclear strikes.

Sanctions of oligarchs is appeasing the populist. Long drawn out politicking and sorting out banking and legal systems interacting with foreign hostile regimes and ensuring our legal and political systems aren't open to their malign influence and doing that uniformly over the international community. And then we have to allow the nontraditional leading countries of the international community a more equal role so this doesn't keep happening even though it will appear that we are losing influence as a world power.

Decarbonisation and helping the rest of the world to do so would massively screw over the Russian economy (and Iran, and Venezuela) as well.

 

[Yarrgh]

Decarbonisation and helping the rest of the world to do so would massively screw over the Russian economy (and Iran, and Venezuela) as well.

100%

Decoupling from oil and gas cannot come soon enough. Ironically it would help those countries you mentioned just as much with the positive effects on the climate.

Purportedly Mike Johnson's breakdown of funding​

View attachment 253073

Apart from I hope that wasn't a surreptitious photograph over the cubicle whilst Johnson was curling one out, is this believed to be credible?

I'll be honest, I expected more to Israel.

Will this finally get the ball rolling? Is this the outcome of Johnson's tete-a-tete with Trump to see what will fly in terms of proposals?

What's IG?

Is it enough? And is it likely to get passed?

Obviously I don't expect answers, unless you are actually Mike Johnson in real life.

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

100%

Decoupling from oil and gas cannot come soon enough. Ironically it would help those countries you mentioned just as much with the positive effects on the climate.

Apart from I hope that wasn't a surreptitious photograph over the cubicle whilst Johnson was curling one out, is this believed to be credible?

I'll be honest, I expected more to Israel.

Will this finally get the ball rolling? Is this the outcome of Johnson's tete-a-tete with Trump to see what will fly in terms of proposals?

What's IG?

Is it enough? And is it likely to get passed?

Obviously I don't expect answers, unless you are actually Mike Johnson in real life.

Time will tell as to its credibility.

IG is a state dept role/function (Inspector General). The purpose of which I believe is to oversee the humanitarian, economic and security assistance funding that the U.S. Congress has provided to Ukraine and make sure that the funds are appropriately spent. (Effectively bean counting).

 

[tantavisiteler]

 

[Martin Alvito]

Purportedly Mike Johnson's breakdown of funding​

View attachment 253073

It's not a serious plan, if you ask me. Johnson has introduced the legislation as separate packages for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. He's also doing it under open rule permitting amendments.

The most likely outcome, IMO, is that the Ukraine aid package will get poison pilled to death. The point of tying the aid packages together is to get them all to pass. Separating them out with amendments allowed lets the hard right attach things to Ukraine funding that make it DOA in the Senate. They'll then have the nerve to claim the Democrats are the problem.

That all assumes that MTG doesn't push to vacate the chair. He can't schedule a floor vote until Friday under regular order, but she can beat him to the punch and force a vote on a motion to vacate on Thursday. She only needs two other Republican members, IIRC, to take him down. The question is whether or not she has them, considering that the likely outcomes are paralysis until January or Hakeem Jeffries as speaker.

 

[tsubaki]

It's not a serious plan, if you ask me. Johnson has introduced the legislation as separate packages for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. He's also doing it under open rule permitting amendments.

The most likely outcome, IMO, is that the Ukraine aid package will get poison pilled to death. The point of tying the aid packages together is to get them all to pass. Separating them out with amendments allowed lets the hard right attach things to Ukraine funding that make it DOA in the Senate. They'll then have the nerve to claim the Democrats are the problem.

That all assumes that MTG doesn't push to vacate the chair. He can't schedule a floor vote until Friday under regular order, but she can beat him to the punch and force a vote on a motion to vacate on Thursday. She only needs two other Republican members, IIRC, to take him down. The question is whether or not she has them, considering that the likely outcomes are paralysis until January or Hakeem Jeffries as speaker.

If that list you showed earlier is genuine I could see it all passing with the exception of the direct cash grant to Ukraine; all the rest was money for the DoD essentially.

 

[Martin Alvito]

If that list you showed earlier is genuine I could see it all passing with the exception of the direct cash grant to Ukraine; all the rest was money for the DoD essentially.

It's Mutzo's list. As far as I can tell, it's legit.

The point of separating Ukraine out is to let the rest easily pass. It appears that MTG only has one vote, Massie, which isn't enough. This means that Ukraine will hit the floor. I think they'll attach enough border stuff to kill it, but we'll see on Friday.

 

[PhilM]

Often providing or replacing equipment is one thing, but providing a suitable number of spares and the expertise to repair is another thing entirely.

The M113 is pretty darn reliable and cheap to maintain, so it would be a good resource.

 

[Cecil]

Often providing or replacing equipment is one thing, but providing a suitable number of spares and the expertise to repair is another thing entirely.

The M113 is pretty darn reliable and cheap to maintain, so it would be a good resource.

Hell of a lot of fun to drive too.

 

[Yarrgh]

Hell of a lot of fun to drive too.

Not as much fun as being very rich, owing a chunk of the manufacturer and getting paid out the public purse so people you never have to meet get killed trying to fight for or against the megalomaniac desires of a despot.

 

[Cecil]

Not as much fun as being very rich, owing a chunk of the manufacturer and getting paid out the public purse so people you never have to meet get killed trying to fight for or against the megalomaniac desires of a despot.

They’ll burn in hell with kopites and landlords.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

 

[Yarrgh]

I don't think Johnson was ever the problem. But Gerashchenko would try and spin anything.

I see we should the vote on Saturday evening from Congress. Until then it's more of the same.