kevinkin

One "dream job" would be writing headlines for the NY Post:
"Crimea river: Putin battling cancer and Parkinson's disease, leaked emails claim: report"
They are consistently eye catching. 
Reports about the claims were posted yesterday.  
 

One "dream job" would be writing headlines for the NY Post:
"Crimea river: Putin battling cancer and Parkinson's disease, leaked emails claim: report"
They are consistently eye catching. 
Reports about the claims were posted yesterday.  
 

One "dream job" would be writing headlines for the NY Post:
"Crimea river: Putin battling cancer and Parkinson's disease, leaked emails claim: report"
They are consistently eye catching. 
Reports about the claims were posted yesterday.  
 

Cancer remains a death sentence and, if that report is true, whatever succession plan in place might be acted on in the coming months - not years. Could fake negotiations be set up just to call Putin's health bluff e.g. get him out of hiding for the world to see him in all his feebleness? A probing attack. 

In so many videos, I have been impressed by the age of the Ukrainian soldier. Is this an artifact of who is allowed to be on tape? Or is the warrior mentality part of their culture to a point where even older men are well trained and ready to face off against Russia? I believe it's the latter and the country will remain free because of that mind set. And here I think a round of golf on a hilly layout is exercise. Of course I do get to practice both mounted and dismounted operations as long as it's not raining. And the halfway house is a worthy objective when logistics (college beer girl's cart) breaks down.

Yeah, blasting Taylor Swift's new album into UA lines would be far more effective.  Most men will crumble at that. 

Yeah, blasting Taylor Swift's new album into UA lines would be far more effective.  Most men will crumble at that. 

What's next? Dogs with antitank mines?

Have to agree especially if Russia has many FLIR sensors on drones. The clothing is relatively cheap, but the issue might be the volumes needed to cover regulars and not just special forces on an "as needed" basis. Ukraine's light infantry may depend on this technology. One part of maneuver warfare it to make something important in the enemy's arsenal irrelevant. Turning infantry into ghosts is cool. Happy Halloween to all freedom loving ghouls. 

n = 1 

Thanks for that. I wonder if my beloved NHL will acknowledge anything. 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/capitals/2022/02/28/alex-ovechkin-vladimir-putin-capitals-star-support-russian-president/6973283001/
Have to see if there is something out for the start of the new season. Too many war crimes since last February. Maybe Putin can use Ovechkin's image in an Uncle Alex "Mother Russia wants You" poster. 

Directly from the Hill article (Brookings is a liberal think tank BTW):
"Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said “it will be fascinating to watch” the debate over Ukraine assistance play out among Republicans.
He warned that McCarthy needs to be careful so that he doesn’t come across as inadvertently helping Putin.  
“I have a hard time believing that deep down, McCarthy and most Trump Republicans really will want to be seen as the folks that prevent Ukraine from staying afloat as a country,” he wrote in an email to The Hill. “The political perils of actually helping Putin win would be enormous — to say nothing of the ethical downsides.” "
Like I said a couple of days ago, no one wants to be on the losing side of this once in a life time geopolitical issue. Unless a political figure can be proven to be on Putin's payroll (maybe there are a very a few on either side), then let's stop the "they care about supporting dictators" hyperbole. It will go nowhere. 

Directly from the Hill article (Brookings is a liberal think tank BTW):
"Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, said “it will be fascinating to watch” the debate over Ukraine assistance play out among Republicans.
He warned that McCarthy needs to be careful so that he doesn’t come across as inadvertently helping Putin.  
“I have a hard time believing that deep down, McCarthy and most Trump Republicans really will want to be seen as the folks that prevent Ukraine from staying afloat as a country,” he wrote in an email to The Hill. “The political perils of actually helping Putin win would be enormous — to say nothing of the ethical downsides.” "
Like I said a couple of days ago, no one wants to be on the losing side of this once in a life time geopolitical issue. Unless a political figure can be proven to be on Putin's payroll (maybe there are a very a few on either side), then let's stop the "they care about supporting dictators" hyperbole. It will go nowhere. 

A sober - adult in the room - analysis for today:
https://www.justsecurity.org/83605/addressing-putins-nuclear-threat-thinking-like-the-cold-war-kgb-officer-that-he-was/
"But even the most confident predatory intelligence officer will always allow for an escape route. Intelligence officers are trained to prepare for the worst in realizing their inability to control every variable. And therein lies the opportunity for the West, but one which comes with tough choices. And that choice is not to blink, to not merely maintain the pressure against him on all fronts, but to increase it. Putin’s off ramp should not be some face-saving deal the West must choreograph that he will be perceive as weakness and therefore raise the stakes. Rather, increase the quality and quantity of arms, training, and intelligence support to Ukraine to reclaim their territory and exact an untenable cost for Putin’s campaign; engage with dissident, opposition circles within Russia and extend a lifeboat to opportunists within Putin’s inner circle and those fearful of going down with him; and fortify NATO along Russia’s borders, particularly the Baltic States. But do all this prepared to confront and respond to Putin’s use of weapons of mass destruction, should he choose that path."
Well there you have it. Assistance packages that include modern weapons might not be the complete panacea, but surely important. And they are easier to discuss since the cloak & dagger stuff largely goes unseen. 

A sober - adult in the room - analysis for today:
https://www.justsecurity.org/83605/addressing-putins-nuclear-threat-thinking-like-the-cold-war-kgb-officer-that-he-was/
"But even the most confident predatory intelligence officer will always allow for an escape route. Intelligence officers are trained to prepare for the worst in realizing their inability to control every variable. And therein lies the opportunity for the West, but one which comes with tough choices. And that choice is not to blink, to not merely maintain the pressure against him on all fronts, but to increase it. Putin’s off ramp should not be some face-saving deal the West must choreograph that he will be perceive as weakness and therefore raise the stakes. Rather, increase the quality and quantity of arms, training, and intelligence support to Ukraine to reclaim their territory and exact an untenable cost for Putin’s campaign; engage with dissident, opposition circles within Russia and extend a lifeboat to opportunists within Putin’s inner circle and those fearful of going down with him; and fortify NATO along Russia’s borders, particularly the Baltic States. But do all this prepared to confront and respond to Putin’s use of weapons of mass destruction, should he choose that path."
Well there you have it. Assistance packages that include modern weapons might not be the complete panacea, but surely important. And they are easier to discuss since the cloak & dagger stuff largely goes unseen. 

A sober - adult in the room - analysis for today:
https://www.justsecurity.org/83605/addressing-putins-nuclear-threat-thinking-like-the-cold-war-kgb-officer-that-he-was/
"But even the most confident predatory intelligence officer will always allow for an escape route. Intelligence officers are trained to prepare for the worst in realizing their inability to control every variable. And therein lies the opportunity for the West, but one which comes with tough choices. And that choice is not to blink, to not merely maintain the pressure against him on all fronts, but to increase it. Putin’s off ramp should not be some face-saving deal the West must choreograph that he will be perceive as weakness and therefore raise the stakes. Rather, increase the quality and quantity of arms, training, and intelligence support to Ukraine to reclaim their territory and exact an untenable cost for Putin’s campaign; engage with dissident, opposition circles within Russia and extend a lifeboat to opportunists within Putin’s inner circle and those fearful of going down with him; and fortify NATO along Russia’s borders, particularly the Baltic States. But do all this prepared to confront and respond to Putin’s use of weapons of mass destruction, should he choose that path."
Well there you have it. Assistance packages that include modern weapons might not be the complete panacea, but surely important. And they are easier to discuss since the cloak & dagger stuff largely goes unseen. 

A sober - adult in the room - analysis for today:
https://www.justsecurity.org/83605/addressing-putins-nuclear-threat-thinking-like-the-cold-war-kgb-officer-that-he-was/
"But even the most confident predatory intelligence officer will always allow for an escape route. Intelligence officers are trained to prepare for the worst in realizing their inability to control every variable. And therein lies the opportunity for the West, but one which comes with tough choices. And that choice is not to blink, to not merely maintain the pressure against him on all fronts, but to increase it. Putin’s off ramp should not be some face-saving deal the West must choreograph that he will be perceive as weakness and therefore raise the stakes. Rather, increase the quality and quantity of arms, training, and intelligence support to Ukraine to reclaim their territory and exact an untenable cost for Putin’s campaign; engage with dissident, opposition circles within Russia and extend a lifeboat to opportunists within Putin’s inner circle and those fearful of going down with him; and fortify NATO along Russia’s borders, particularly the Baltic States. But do all this prepared to confront and respond to Putin’s use of weapons of mass destruction, should he choose that path."
Well there you have it. Assistance packages that include modern weapons might not be the complete panacea, but surely important. And they are easier to discuss since the cloak & dagger stuff largely goes unseen. 

Assistance to Ukraine is safe regardless of the mid-terms. No politician wants to be on the wrong side of this one. Sure some on both sides will issue a "protest" vote knowing whatever bill is up for vote is safe and sound in Ukraine's favor. Will Ukraine get exactly what they want or need? No. Will they get too much in some opinions? Yes. That's how sausage is made - very messy but tastes fine for almost all in the end.  

Come to think of it the reverse is true, a motorcycle can have a rocket engine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAh66m_Vd38
Oh but the devil is in the details.🙂 

Over the weekend the media has been latching on to this angle:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/10/18/buzz-bombs---what-ukraine-can-learn-from-londons-drone-war-80-years-ago/?sh=5a2d13d77541
" no matter how many Spitfires and AA guns were deployed, not every flying bomb could be brought down. The threat was only ended by bombing the launch sites and by moving forward after D-Day and pushing German forces in France and Belgium back out of range."

Assistance to Ukraine is safe regardless of the mid-terms. No politician wants to be on the wrong side of this one. Sure some on both sides will issue a "protest" vote knowing whatever bill is up for vote is safe and sound in Ukraine's favor. Will Ukraine get exactly what they want or need? No. Will they get too much in some opinions? Yes. That's how sausage is made - very messy but tastes fine for almost all in the end.  

Assistance to Ukraine is safe regardless of the mid-terms. No politician wants to be on the wrong side of this one. Sure some on both sides will issue a "protest" vote knowing whatever bill is up for vote is safe and sound in Ukraine's favor. Will Ukraine get exactly what they want or need? No. Will they get too much in some opinions? Yes. That's how sausage is made - very messy but tastes fine for almost all in the end.  

Over the weekend the media has been latching on to this angle:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/10/18/buzz-bombs---what-ukraine-can-learn-from-londons-drone-war-80-years-ago/?sh=5a2d13d77541
" no matter how many Spitfires and AA guns were deployed, not every flying bomb could be brought down. The threat was only ended by bombing the launch sites and by moving forward after D-Day and pushing German forces in France and Belgium back out of range."

Over the weekend the media has been latching on to this angle:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/10/18/buzz-bombs---what-ukraine-can-learn-from-londons-drone-war-80-years-ago/?sh=5a2d13d77541
" no matter how many Spitfires and AA guns were deployed, not every flying bomb could be brought down. The threat was only ended by bombing the launch sites and by moving forward after D-Day and pushing German forces in France and Belgium back out of range."

Over the weekend the media has been latching on to this angle:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/10/18/buzz-bombs---what-ukraine-can-learn-from-londons-drone-war-80-years-ago/?sh=5a2d13d77541
" no matter how many Spitfires and AA guns were deployed, not every flying bomb could be brought down. The threat was only ended by bombing the launch sites and by moving forward after D-Day and pushing German forces in France and Belgium back out of range."