Thanks, and this is probably your most credible post since I have been here.

 

Have I played Risk ?

I'm a maths nerd with a penchant for board games from a former empire building colonial superpower.

I make Napoléon look like General Melchett.

 

Thanks. OK, enough of this mutual admiration. That's about all that I can handle for one night.

 

Not now...

 

Well how should I know if you have it in the UK? I'm just asking.

Honestly I don't know what I would do about Ukraine if I held the levers of power. (Now there's an idea.)

Yesterday I told Rixer that I agreed we should just let Russia have it.

But letting Russia have Ukraine emboldens every other bad actor.

It also puts all of eastern Europe in the direct line of fire-- Poland especially.

We're all saying "no one wants a war."

There's just one problem with that: Putin does. And what does the west do about that?

Capitulation... when has it ever worked?

Of course if the E.U. moves militarily, the U.S. must follow. But no single nation of the E.U. is going to be the first out on that limb. Not after the feckless U.S. "adviser" status in the NATO campaign for Libya, and not after we threw France under the bus in Africa (Mali) in 2011-2012.

To prevent a potential Russian takeover of Ukraine, the U.S. would have to lead.

This is all rhetorical, of course. Obama will watch it all fall apart. He is not a wartime president. He's a fool. I am talking about what we should do.

And I don't know. I am rambling. I don't have an answer, and I'm glad I'm not in charge.

We do not want a war.
Putin does.

As I said in the China/Japan thread, we do not choose history; history comes to us.

 

Remember the story about the Camel and the tent? Most things get done Incrementally, Not by Blitzkrieg. UNLESS you are CERTAIN of OVERWEALMING FORCE.

and Vladimir is ONE CAMEL that BADLY needs his NOSE SWATED!

 

LOL and WHO is Obumnuts sending to the Ukraine to try and "resolve" this "crisis"?!!!! ohhh that's riiight, Herman! the Twelve Faced Turncoat himself John sKerry.

 

Just what I expected to hear from the pink pantied Euro Crowd! NOT A WORD ABOUT SUPPORTING AND TRYING TO DEFEND THE SOVERENTY OF THEY"RE ALLIES! AS LONG AS IT DOES'NT DISTURB THEY'RE TEA; THEN THEY DON'T CARE!


THE SAME SHIT THAT ENCOURAGED ADOLF!

 

and yet no-one has thought to discuss the fact that the words that putin used to describe his intent towards the ukraine were originally made while ole bush was in office?
this threat has been long in the waiting but since it happens now it is the problem of 1 man?
russia has wanted to reagan glory ever since reagan stood at the berlin wall and told gorbechev to take it down and dissolve the USSR

take you high and mighty head out of your self serving ass clairise
until the day comes that you enlist and agree to be the first on the ground to fight you have no teeth in these matters

 

Ridgerunner, there is a difference in that Bush is no longer in office, and that Pres Obama has been for now six years.

The timing has come to fruition on his watch, and hence, his means of handling it so utterly badly cannot be placed on the shoulders of Bush no matter how much the current admin may desire to do so.

 

Yes, he needs his nose swatted, yet we are in no shape to do so. In the end we have no business being involved in the Ukraine.

Mr Obama's and the lefts near-rabid demands for war with Syria nearly got us into a larger conflict we have no business in as well. Right now, the President is in over his head, running scared, and desperate for any means to claim a 'success' out of this for the upcoming elections at home.

 

but since policies put in place by bush that were viewed as popular then are now unpopular under obama you blame someone that did not enact them?
you want to bitch about shit that was done by someone else and think you are right?
no wonder people hate politicians so much
shit keep crying about what obama did that originated under the republicans reign and when the next repub takes office it will all come back to bite them in the ass when the economy truly fails

 

The conversation between Putin and Kerry will be this:

Kerry: "PM Putin..."

Putin: "Nyet." gets up and walks off.

Kerry back home facing news journalists: "We have obtained peace in our lifetime..."

In the background tanks roll into Ukraine en mass.

Kerry makes Baghdad Bob during the 'Thunder Run' look like an expert.

 

Sadly it's the truth, Kerry will just tuck tail and be ineffective.

as for having "no interest" in the Ukraine, I can Name MANY; just as the Ukraine is a Gateway to the "Motherland", so too is it a Major gateway to eastern Europe. The Crimea is it's MAJOR industrial Center, it is the MAJORE Exporting Hub for Russian Crude Oil and Refined Oil Products.

and perhaps the most precious Reasons ...... THE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY OF THE UKRAINEIAN PEOPLE IS BEING THREATEND WITH EXTINCTION BY A FOREIGN POWER! how are THOSE for "Interests"?

 

I love it when people want to do a blame Bush throw back. If you want to be angry about what Bush did on his time then that's fine, but the lack of testicles in the current administration can really be blamed on Bush or anyone else for that matter? They either need to make clear that they aren't getting involved or that they will take action if Putin doesn't back off. Either way works, but simply saying hey you shouldn't do that then turning your back as he takes away a country is ridiculous. Maybe he will just dip into tax payer money for another million dollar golf trip and let it blow over.

Having air travel does not by any means nullify the relevance of holding territory. That aside, "I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -Douglas MacArthur

Though it's not a nation we are talking about the same concept still applies.

While this is a rather extreme way of putting it I have to agree... If you allow someone to have an inch they will take a mile.

Now for my own take on the situation. Honestly I haven't been a big fan of Obama. His presidency has been 70% talk, 5% action, and 25% waste of taxpayer dollars. This statement always spawns all kinds of hell... "Well if republicans would work with him he would get more done" Let me translate that for everyone, "If republicans would let him do whatever he wants then he would get stuff done." Sure, that makes sense. Like taking credit for Bin Laden being put down (the one thing that the current administration doesn't want to blame on Bush, go figure), maybe that wonderful healthcare reform that has turned out to be a total flop before it has even started, or maybe ignoring cries for help as American citizens were straight up ended in Libya. Amazing progress like this should definitely be taken one small step at a time, don't want to overwhelm the constituency with the brilliance of it all. Best to just take a couple million dollar vacations and let it all sink in. Don't worry though, I can't say much for the republicans in their offices right now. There are entirely too many half-wits, turn-coats, and cowards in all places of the government right now.

That is probably how we got to where we are now... Lemme save you some reading and sum up the phone call for you...
You shouldn't do that Mr. Putin!
Feck off Obama, I do what I want.
Fair enough, have a nice day.
the end

You can piss fire about Bush til your willy falls off but at least it doesn't change the fact that in he had the balls to make a choice and stick to it. Though I will give Obama some credit here... At least he picked up the phone this time.

 

you must be a real idiot to believe that you are in any way separated from the typical republican bullshitter that screams a bout its the fucking niggers fault even when it was something that several presidents could have done something about
hell there were more years under the repubs than the dems with full knowledge that this was going to happen
calling it an obama issue makes you come across as an idiot
the US president does not have that much effect on russias affairs
this is what 1 idiot in the fucking tundra decided on his one chance to seize back what he feels was once his
what do you think we should do? go in guns blazing and kill em all?


and you can suck a donkey dick about benghazi being the presidents fault
ambassador stevens filed a report in august of that year and then refused additional security twice until the last fucking second, in his reports he had admitted that the hostility level was rising and that the safety windows were dramatically smaller for a chance of the arrival of back-up from across the city

and giving your choice of words you are either english or just another non-american wannabe asshole that thinks you know better

and for the record the obama administration said that there would be no military intervention about 8 hours ago dimwit

 

Air travel what the hell are you talking about. The world relies on shipping by sea. Air travels for tourists and mail. Everything else travels by ship.

 

That game brings back memories!

I like the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman are playing Risk on the subway. Kramer makes some disparaging remarks about the Ukraine, and some Ukrainian national freaks out.

According to Kramer, the Ukraine is weak!

[YOUTUBE]fzLtF_PxbYw[/YOUTUBE]

 

So, since the Ukraine Crisis falls on Pres Obama's term in office, when he is at the helm, therefore the blame has to be put at another presidents feet?

Understand this much: Obama is the one who threatened consequences against Russia if they did not withdraw from the Crimea, he has waffled one way and another, and shown himself to be an indecisive, weak-willed, petulant spoiled brat who refuses to be decisive in anything.

He has lost control, and is completely out of his depth and league by many orders of magnitude.

So Obama has declared no military intervention? Good.

Let see what else other than empty threats, useless notes, useless phone calls, and more he will demand be implemented to cower the Russians.

The world knows the truth of Pres Obama: coward across the board.

He has chosen to involved himself in the Ukraine matter, and thus it is now part of his problem.

For the matter with Benghazi: he left four men to die, and to cover up his arming and supplying terrorists. That is murder, and also with the support of terrorism makes him a violator of multiple treaties and of international law.

In short he is a traitor and a criminal.

Time to face reality.