March 3, 2022
Biden chooses appeasement over sound war-preventing diplomacy
By Jonathan Cohen
The first twelve minutes of Joe Biden's State of the Union message was devoted to a strong statement of support for the people of Ukraine and a salute to their courage. It was, however, short on specifics of what the U.S. was prepared do to help Ukraine to repel what is likely to be a massive assault on its civilian population.
In response to a question from Peter Doocy about the failure of sanctions to deter the Russian invasion, Jen Psaki more realistically reflects what the United States and its NATO partners are actually willing to do. At the end of the clip, she was quite clear that avoiding a direct military confrontation with a nuclear-armed Russia is our number-one priority. In spite of all the praise of the heroism of the Ukrainian people, military support for them sufficient to defend their country, in either weapons or personnel, is not coming because it would risk a wider war with Russia.
The State of the Union address and the news that NATO halted Poland's offer to send military planes to Ukraine are hauntingly reminiscent of the church scene from the movie High Noon, which ends with the final decision of the town asking the sheriff to leave. Contrary to what some commentators are suggesting, it would be a mistake to believe that the elites in the United States and Europe are beating the drums for war. It is the images of the Ukrainian resistance and the defiance of its leaders, brought into homes all over the world, creating popular demands for more military assistance. People are responding to President Zelensky's statement "I don't need a ride, I need ammunition." Like the movie-goers viewing High Noon, much of the public sees the actions of Western leaders as cowardice rather than reasonable caution. The intense criticism of Putin, though justified, comes across as cowardice masquerading as virtue.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/03/biden_chooses_appeasement_over_sound_warpreventing_diplomacy.html
