Monday Morning, And Biden Does It Again

Let's start the week with a resounding chorus of "WTF is it now?".

I'll open with this - back in the day (1916, actually) Woodrow Wilson's campaign slogan was "He kept us out of war".

Looks like Biden is pining his hopes on "He talked us into war". First up, by declaring his view that Putin was a war criminal and subsequently ad-libbing "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power”, Biden has raised the stakes in Ukraine to even more dangerous levels.

Now he is on a Pacific visit, so Biden has up-ended the longstanding US policy of 'strategic ambiguity' on Taiwan. And once again, after Biden's mouth finished its walkabout his aides began a frantic walk-back:

Biden Says U.S. Military Would Defend Taiwan if China Invaded

May 23, 2022; By Kanno-Youngs and Peter Baker

TOKYO — President Biden indicated on Monday that he would use military force to defend Taiwan if it were ever attacked by China, dispensing with the “strategic ambiguity” traditionally favored by American presidents and repeating even more unequivocally statements that his staff tried to walk back in the past.

At a news conference with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan during a visit to Tokyo, Mr. Biden suggested that he would be willing to go further on behalf of Taiwan than he has in helping Ukraine, where he has provided tens of billions of dollars in arms as well as intelligence assistance to help defeat Russian invaders but refused to send American troops.

“You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons,” a reporter said to Mr. Biden. “Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?”

“Yes,” Mr. Biden answered flatly.

“You are?” the reporter followed up.

“That’s the commitment we made,” he said.

The president’s declaration, offered without caveat or clarification, set the stage for fresh tensions between the United States and China, which insists that Taiwan is a part of its territory and cannot exist as a sovereign nation. It also surprised some members of Mr. Biden’s own administration watching in the room, who did not expect him to promise such unvarnished resolve. The United States has historically warned China against using force against Taiwan while generally remaining vague about how far it would go to aid the island in such a circumstance.

The White House quickly tried to deny that the president meant what he seemed to be saying. “As the president said, our policy has not changed,” the White House said in a statement hurriedly sent to reporters. “He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.”

But Mr. Biden’s comments went beyond simply reiterating that the United States would provide Taiwan with arms, because the question was posed as a contrast to what he had done with Ukraine. The president made no effort to qualify what he intended when he agreed that he would “get involved militarily.”

Oh, brother. The point of 'strategic ambiguity' was that a firm US commitment to fight alongside Taiwan would both antagonize the mainland Chinese government and embolden Taiwanese separatists. Better to leave potential adversaries uncertain about just what dangers they faced if war started (perhaps triggered by a formal Taiwanese declaration of separation.)

And why change that policy now? My view is that one silver lining from this Ukranian horror is its likely impact on Xi and any subsequent Chinese leader. I'd hope that any assurances from his generals and admirals that the Chinese military was up to the challenge of a cross-strait invasion contested by Taiwan and perhaps the US Seventh Fleet would be met with a prudent question - "What do you suppose Putin was told about invading Ukraine?".

The last time China had a sizeable military engagement was their 1979 invasion of battle-hardened North Vietnam. Although a mismatch on paper it went poorly for the Chinese. Would they could attempt to invade Taiwan without first staging a warm-up war elsewhere?

A Chinese blockade of Taiwan relying on missiles and mines seems more managable militarily, although even that would probably lead to an economic war China may not want to fight. A Chinese strategy that culminates with an invasion would probably start with a blockade anyway (to limit supply of military aid), so a war in Taiwan is likely to start with a lot of obvious warnings.

Maybe a clear red line drawn by the US will discourage Chinese adventurism without firing up Taiwan. But if the US is changing its policy it would be nice to imagine the US foreign policy pros at State and Defense have chimed in first. "Foreign policy by ad-lib" was a feature of the Obama administration (and his campaign!), so its not as if Biden is a lonely Dem on this approach.

ERRATA: Obama apparently ad-libbed on Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Isreal in remarks to AIPAC in Jun 2008.

A brain fart that Egypt was not an ally came in September 2012 during a campaign effort on Telemundo.

Comments

[rich]

still works?

[rich]

ha even my detones logo.

morning all.

[Narciso]

silly rabbit, doesn't he realise that's why they paid off no. 2 son, not for his finance expertise,

[Narciso]

no 1 son, appeared in that email from 2012, along with jim hunt's son, who was the predecessor to colonel bearclaw,

[henry]

Slo Joe needs to get us nuked to cancel the elections and keep Nahncee and Chuckie in power.

He's looking at tying student loan forgiveness to voting (for Dems).

Biden only cares about Biden.

[Narciso]

always looking on the bright side of life, henry,

[Narciso]

is there anything that works in the wonderful world of shambling,

https://www.teamtractor.com/blog/farm-tractor-shortage-getting-worse-by-the-day-when-will-it-ever-end--40560

[Comanche Voter]

They make a lot of pudding cups in Taiwan--and Joe will fight to the last US soldier to keep his pudding cups coming.

[henry]

Creepy.

Global Shapers
@GlobalShapers

Our delegation is 55 Global Shapers strong, representative of 35 countries and 100% ready to change the world at #WEF22!

https://twitter.com/GlobalShapers/status/1528700409258422272

[Pinandpuller]

Army Veteran Arrested for Disarming Drunk Gunman out on Bond

https://youtu.be/Z0AIWvhauIo

What’s the ethics of a defendant selling all his now illegal guns to his defense lawyer for a dollar? Sounds kind of shaky.

[clarice]

Today at the Sussmann trial--James Comey in the headlights:https://meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/notable-this-morning-at-the-sussmann

[clarice]

Roughcut
@RoughcutNR
Replying to
@HansMahncke
and
@UndeadFoia
Priestep playing possum against both Defense and Prosecution on purpose. This will the be the common FBI/DOJ mantra "Ahhh, I can't remember...."
10:02 AM · May 23, 2022·Twitter Web App

Undead FOIA
@UndeadFoia
·
5h
Replying to
@HansMahncke
Dude didnt even remember his last job title.

[Narciso]

ignorant or craven, neither is a good look, it's like the middle part of condor, the bureau has put one schlub from the company as a mole suspect, but anybody with any awareness, knows he's not the one, all the players who can clear him are just pursuing their own vendettas, with fatal results for nearly everyone involved,

[Narciso]

hmm

https://cognitivecarbon.substack.com/p/blackberries-why-were-they-popular?s=r

[Pinandpuller]

Biden says he supports Mexico’s ‘One America’ policy, and may commit troops to enforce this policy if necessary.

[Narciso]

the aussie zampolit,

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are/about-the-commissioner

[Davod]

Mont Saint-Michel, France
by Ilhan1077

[This is a great view]

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/montsaintmichelfranceoverheadshot.jpg

[Davod]

Good morning

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528610512010891265

[Davod]

Meanwhile at the airport.. 😂

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528070257709129729

[clarice]

Interesting, narciso.

[Jim Eagle]

Clarice,

Mount St. Michel is terrific if can read the tides and be able to park next to the road. Also, don’t get diverted by all the bakery an coffee smells along the way. Got all the way to the chapel to say a quick prayer before hitting a small brasserie back down the cobbled path. Just marvelous.

[Davod]

Kids will be kids

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528760165532680194

[Davod]

The strongest home security on the market

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528563869446156289

[Davod]

If you see him, it's too late already.🐈🐾😅

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528412874023895040

[Davod]

Man skips wedding celebration to rescue a dog stuck in overflowing river..🐕🐾🌊🤵💪🙏❤️

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528035388115128324

[Davod]

Easy there, he's part of the pack now...🐕🐾🐈

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528186381603704832

[Davod]

I'm sick of my hooman..🐕🐾😅

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527854193440018432

[Davod]

I was never there.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527620161208999939

[Davod]

Curious baby penguin..🐧😍

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527310610232483840

[Davod]

Are you kidding me bro?? 👌

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528358051018952704

[Davod]

Be kind.. 😊

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528791426087141379

[Davod]

Just WoW 👌

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528369416257380354

[Davod]

The guy landed in the wrong roof and then jumped from the roof of the hotel! 😂😂

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528050544094355459

[Davod]

“Attention please!” 👏😂

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527903223247511552

[Davod]

Sailing with the geese.. 😊

[Has good music]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528611509034799104

[Davod]

Looks like a seagull hit the jackpot..🍕𓅮😅

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528824334571122688

[Davod]

PS. I had to look twice before finding the pizza.

[Davod]

Ace landscape

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/5%2023%2022%200nt.jpg

[jim nj]

Two assessments of the Ukraine war:

https://militaryland.net/ukraine/invasion-day-89-summary/

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-23

[jim nj]

Just updated, after an absence of more than a week, a third assessment of the Ukraine war:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1528892442791256064.html

I really missed this guy. His more detailed maps are way better than the other two sources.

[Davod]

This is a long, but revealing, article.

The Axis Strikes Back: Exposing the domestic Nazi-Soviet Pact now menacing the people of America.
By Lloyd Billingsley, May 21, 2022

https://amgreatness.com/2022/05/21/the-axis-strikes-back/

[Rocco]

Hi rich, long time!

[Neo]

WaPo claims George Floyd shot and killed in police custody
https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1528916500815429632

[clarice]

https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2022/05/highlights-of-news_067722092.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR0OyPB-p4jiVg43mkfqddsv3asRgyzx4kOKQRSb3yj9aakaP2-3x8l8iTw

TM, the answer is this:Joe Biden is not the president.

Amazing, Neo.

[Neo]

The only war the People's Liberation Army ever won, since Taiwan was formed, was Tiananmen Square.

[Rocco]

Pelosi Thumbs Her Nose at Archbishop Who Banned Her From Communion -- Pope Weighs in (Sort Of)

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/05/24/pelosi-thumbs-her-nose-at-archbishop-who-banned-her-from-communion-pope-weighs-in-sort-of-n568959

Patrick Coffin is an old school Catholic whom I like.

https://www.patrickcoffin.media/206-who-broke-the-church-dr-ralph-martin/

[Neo]

Hillary Clinton "perp walk"
https://twitter.com/drefanzor/status/1528851578299777024

if only

[Narciso]

ron klain, susan wright and the third being rob malley like the three witches with one eye,

[Narciso]

I know two warlocks, but it keeping with the metaphor,

[Narciso]

of course there wasn't

https://amgreatness.com/2022/05/23/another-january-6-lie-no-recon-tours-on-january-5/

[matt - deplore me if you must]

So now we have two archbishops contradicting each other. Gregory is a liberal fool and what can one say about the Jesuits in general?

Archbishop Cordileone is absolutely correct in his interpretation of Church teaching while Pelosi, Biden, and the rest of the Pharisees are in grave error, as we say. The split between orthodoxy and heresy is almost complete.

[Narciso]

I do recall that charles curran was pedaling the fundamental option back when I was in high school, but ratzinger shut him down quick,

of course the two minute hate is on the southern baptism now, so,

[matt - deplore me if you must]

As to Taiwan, the lines are now clearly drawn not only by the United States but by Japan and Australia as well.

Chinese hegemonism is only going to go so far. Their lesson from the 1979 war with Vietnam shouldn't be lost, but probably is.

People defending their own territory fight like hell.The Taiwanese have woken up to the dangers to their country, but China may already have their nuts in a wringer because of the massive investment by Taiwanese companies in China. Time will tell, and all is not right within China by any stretch of the imagination.

No jobs = political disruption and Xi's strongman tactics are not going down well with the people.

[Narciso]

does china have its crew of saboteurs like the spetznaz

https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1528900416569806850/video/1

probably but it's not as well known,

[clarice]

I agree,matt. I have a lot of respect for Spengler but I think I must disagree with his view n China

[Narciso]

take putin, who is much less ideological then xi, committing this category error, it's like something out of the kingsman, where all the players were being driven to war, which is calamitous if this goes to the logical extent,

what recourse do the people really have to stop xi, what mechanism, or will we have the return of the warlords, probably by region,

[Neo]

New York cancels history Regents exam following Buffalo shooting
https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3499727-new-york-cancels-history-regents-exam-following-buffalo-shooting/

This is the kind of stuff that will get us a full week of holidays

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Xi will probably turn out to be the worst thing that ever happened to the CCP.
They had a chance to fly under the radar before they collapsed, as all centrally planned, command and control economies eventually do, to undermine us and establish themselves as world hegemon, if even for a short time before demographics, economics and a world united against them plowed them under.
But as it is we and they are not in a race for world hegemon but to see who can hit rock bottom first. Xi's personal ambitions and desire for essentially one man, Mao-like rule have exposed their weaknesses and ruthless plans long before they needed to be.

[clarice]

Yes, Iggy

[clarice]

My spidey sense says that the horrid lockdown of Shanghai and now elsewhere were an effort to pre-geld possible sources of dissent, and I think that will backfire.

[Pinandpuller]

I’m Harvey Milk Intolerant.

[henry]

enough.
CNBC @CNBC
2m

2 dead after shooting at Texas elementary school, hospital says

[henry]

the tweet does not match the article.

CNBC Now @CNBCnow
2m

BREAKING: 14 children and one teacher are dead after a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas - NBC News

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/24/hospital-dead-shooting-at-uvalde-texas-elementary-school.html

[Davod]

Puppy LOVE

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528737515129016321

[Davod]

Meerkat manor..😍

https://twitter.com/i/status/1529115014992302080

[Davod]

Cats

https://twitter.com/i/status/1378773035377950722

[Davod]

the hedgehog 🦔 did not let the bear 🐻 sleep peacefully

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527652671150346242

[Davod]

OMG Would you?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1528782094096289792

[Davod]

Wait for it.. 😊

https://twitter.com/i/status/1529122992218902530

[Davod]

Turtle riding capybara:

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/turtleridingacapybara.jpg

[Davod]

Baby capybara riding a tortoise..🐢🚕😍

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/turtleridingacapybara.jpg

[Davod]

Abandoned tunnel in France

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/abandonedtunnelinfrance.jpg

[Michael (fpa P4F) Stop the WitchHunt-Stop the Coup]

May God comfort the grieving families of those tragically lost today in Uvalde.

May our country persevere until we can replace our corrupt, dementia-ridden President with a leader who truly cares for all Americans.

May God help us all until that day finally arrives.

.

[Davod]

The little boy never knew how close he came to getting whooped on by this kitten.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1527752799454470145

[jim nj]

One assessment of the Ukraine war:

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-24

[jim nj]

https://www.city-journal.org/using-the-buffalo-tragedy-for-racial-propaganda

Using Tragedy for Racial Propaganda
After the horror in Buffalo, President Biden and others peddle an entirely false charge: that whites are the biggest source of hate crime and interracial violence in the U.S.
Heather Mac Donald

[jim nj]

https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2022/05/24/is-john-fetterman-covering-up-the-extent-of-his-health-crisis-n471709

Is John Fetterman covering up the extent of his health crisis?

[Neo]

Please enjoy this collection of Babylon Bee jokes that came true.
https://twitter.com/SethDillon/status/1528915916171378688

[Rocco]

Good news...for now.

WHO withdraws 12 Biden 'sovereignty' amendments amid fierce opposition

https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/withdraws-12-biden-sovereignty-amendments-amid-fierce-opposition/

[Rocco]

School shooter grandfather talks about his grandson who shot and killed 21 people

https://rumble.com/v162cec-school-shooter-grandfather-talks-about-his-grandson-who-shot-and-killed-21-.html

The garden beckons me, later

[Pinandpuller]

The only consumer product America manufacturers domestically anymore is mental illness.

[Pinandpuller]

ATF Form 4473:

“Were you raised by your grandma. [Yes] [No]

When the next gun control bill comes forward, Ted Cruz’s compromise will be that Americans can still own guns as long as they’re manufactured in Israel.

[Davod]

Now we have reached the 'It's the nanny's fault" phase.

[Rocco]

Nuland-Pyatt tape removed from YouTube after 8 years.

https://nitter.net/mtaibbi/status/1529515727052472320#m

[bubarooni]

Hmmm, Rocco...

Maybe things ain't going according to plan now?

[Rocco]

bubarooni, I don't know, perhaps all this aid we're sending is making a difference?

[jim nj]

One assessments of the Ukraine war:

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-25

A pair of videos of an area I believe is near Lyman which has been under artillery attack for at least a week. Note the huge number of impact craters in the fields.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1529545082789154826

https://twitter.com/i/status/1529545778800336896

[jim nj]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/26/china-wants-10-pacific-nations-to-endorse-sweeping-agreement.html

China wants 10 small Pacific nations to sign on to ‘game-changing’ security agreement

Ruh-roh.

[henry]

How many million did Zuckerdork spend?

RJ @WIdigregorysj
15h

Wow. The NRA spent so much on WI elections in 2020. They are literally buying elections.

The total-
$957

[henry]

Indeed. If the commies ask for it, do the opposite. They want to defund the police? surge police into at risk neighborhoods and defreedom the gangs.

ABC 7 Chicago @ABC7Chicago
16h

"I hate to say this, but there are more people shot every weekend in Chicago than there are in schools in Texas...And so, if you're looking for a real solution, Chicago teaches that what you're talking about is not a real solution."

https://abc7chicago.com/gun-laws-chicago-texas-governor-greg-abbott/11893976/

[sbwaters]

Leftists — especially Chicago leftists — use any tragedy to increase their power, “Just give me a little more control and we’ll fix it.”

Sorry, Charlie, your “solution” causes more problems than it solves.

[Melinda]

Something Stinks In Georgia
The GOP primary numbers are funny because the votes were rigged

Emerald Robinson

Let’s begin with a basic truth that most of the corporate media continually ignore or obscure: President Trump’s endorsement is the single most powerful force in the universe of American politics. There’s never been anything quite like it. Trump-endorsed candidates overwhelmingly prevailed in the latest GOP primaries by a margin of 24-4. In fact, President Trump is running the table on the GOP establishment in the 2022 races. His record stands at 92-7 at the moment.

Trump’s endorsement basically won the race for JD Vance in Ohio, and for Ted Budd in North Carolina. In Pennsylvania, his endorsement did the same thing for Doug Mastriano in the governor’s race. This has happened again and again in 2022. Remember, Trump’s record is 92-7.

That’s what makes the primary results in Georgia last night so curious and so suspect.

Georgia is the only state where President Trump’s endorsements did not count.

https://emeralddb3.substack.com/p/somet ... in-georgia

Read. It. All.

[Neo]

From Ace comments:

Interesting. Eric Lictblau, a reporter for the NYT who was writing a piece on the Alfa Bank scam in 2016 and who was in communication with Sussmann at the time, was supposed to testify today in Sussmann's defense. Sussmann's lawyers pulled him off the witness list at the last moment.

Late yesterday Sussmann's lawyers said that Sussmann himself would testify today provided Durham's team limited the scope of their questioning including no questions about their pre-trial negations with Sussmann. Durham's team responded with a sealed filing so nobody knows as of yet what they did or didn't agree to.

Pretty unusual to put the defendant on the stand if you are confident you are winning.

[henry]

It’s okay to grieve. Seriously, it’s okay shed a tear, say a prayer, hug your children, light a candle, take at least a couple of hours and allow yourself to feel. Feel heartbroken, feel enraged, feel empty. Just feel something except an immediate need to figure out how this latest tragedy can help you make a political point.

https://www.maciverinstitute.com/2022/05/its-okay-to-grieve/

[Dave (in MA)]

Magically,

I can sign in again. Nothing's changed on my end.

[Neo]

Former White House national security official Kash Patel said Thursday that the only tactic the defense had left in the Michael Sussmann trial was “jury nullification,” in which they would urge the jury to look past the evidence presented.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/26/exclusive-kash-patel-only-defense-left-is-jury-nullification-in-sussmann-trial/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--And so, if you're looking for a real solution...--

Why concede a profoundly false conceit?
The evidence indicates progs prefer high crime rates. Everything they do in this area has that precise effect and everyone knows it does and they know everyone knows.
The solution they seek is to the problem of a populace capable of thwarting their desire to rule us. Period.

[Rocco]

I was banned from Gateway Pundit months ago when Larry Johnson started posting there as a guest. I had to comment about Scary Larry being a lapdog for Plame an Wilson. So it pains me to post any of his articles but maybe this stuck clock is right this time. I found the video hard to understand at times with broken english, A Russian take...

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/talk-game-changers-ukraine-future/