Simon & Schuster plans to publish the book on Oct. 15
Posted on 10/09/2024 9:13:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
So much outrage (including from Vice President and Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris) about the claim in Bob Woodward’s upcoming book that Donald Trump during his presidency sent some test kits to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at the height of the Covid pandemic when they were scarce in the United States. And about the famed journalist’s report that the former president called Putin seven times since the former left the Oval Office in January, 2021. (See, e.g., here.)
And so little about by far the biggest outrage described in War (if true, of course – as with the above revelations): that President Biden may have pushed the United States, and the world, to within a coin flip of nuclear war in Ukraine.
Think I’m kidding? Here’s the description by CNN – which broke the news about Woodward’s book – his account of a crucial moment in U.S. policy toward Russia’s invasion. It’s worth quoting in full:
By September 2022, US intelligence reports deemed “exquisite” revealed a “deeply unnerving assessment” of Putin — that he was so desperate about battlefield losses that he might use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“Based on the alarming new intelligence reports, the White House believed there was a 50% chance Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon — a striking assessment that had skyrocketed up from 5% and then 10%, Woodward reports.
“’On all channels, get on the line with the Russians,’ Biden instructed his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. ‘Tell them what we will do in response,’ he said, according to Woodward.”
That’s the key phrase: “Tell them what we will do in response.”
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Mr. Biden had decided to use a nuclear weapon against Russia itself, or even against Russian forces inside Ukraine, or was considering such actions. Nor does it necessarily mean that the president had decided to deploy U.S. military forces in Ukraine in response.
But it’s difficult to imagine what else President Biden might have been thinking of that would deter the Russians from a step like tactical nuclear weapons use, or that would have convinced them to abandon this policy after firing one nuclear shot.
Simon & Schuster plans to publish the book on Oct. 15
And the real outrage here – again, if Woodward has the story right – is that Mr. Biden actually was prepared to run such a catastrophic risk on behalf of a country whose fate Washington had never officially considered to be a remotely vital American security interest even at the height of the Cold War — and still hasn’t.
It’s one thing to threaten nuclear weapons use to protect a country or region that has been deemed a vital interest by U.S. leaders – like Western Europe or Japan. Or to do so when adversaries try to place nuclear weapons close to the American homeland (as was the case with the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962).
But even to contemplate Armageddon in a situation meeting absolutely none of these characteristics? How can that be viewed as anything but needlessly reckless and even suicidal?
Bob Woodward reports that at one point Biden believed there was a 50% chance of Russia using nukes over Ukraine
He chose to escalate the war anyways and lied to the American people about the risk
pic.twitter.com/Ce8IMAST9w — Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) October 8, 2024
Keep that in mind the next time you hear that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is too dangerously off his rocker to be fit for the presidency (in particular that his warnings about the current administration bringing World War III closer are nothing more than fear-mongering). And that the aforementioned Kamala Harris, when asked what she would have done differently from Mr. Biden, responded, “Not a thing that comes to mind.”
Does anyone really think the CIA or NSC would let anyone near a former CIA Director in hospice, probably on morphine and capable blurting out anything. I cannot imagine a single scenario where the Intel apparatus would let anyone near Casey, especially a reporter.
Shootin’ blanks to most of us. Of course the total TDS assclowns might buy it. It’ll be on the $0.99 table before long.
Hmmmmmmm! I think I just realized who ‘deep throat’ is. Oh, different time frame. 🤔😊
Woodward is an old fart. NO one believes his musings anymore.
Good details. Today’s Obama-Biden-Harris administration’s single, utter fascination and demonic focus on Ukraine, unlike its hidden but utterly sincere efforts to fund Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and to support radical Islam influence worldwide by replacing Western Civilization and Judeo-Christian culture, has always puzzled me.
Bkmk
Who knows how much crap is mixed in with half-truths for this book?
Indeed it’s his style
I know a low information voter.
We were discussing NATO entering the war in Ukraine.
I said that might lead to a nuclear exchange and we shouldn’t do it.
She said no, it’s a great idea because Russians are bad people.
I told her since she lives near a major distribution airport and bridges over the Mississippi she will become an instant plasma.
Then she asked “What’s a plasma?”
So ‘we’ wanted Putin to spread COVID around Russia, and then more of the world?
And then we wanted Putin to die from COVID?
B/O’s focus on Ukraine has always puzzled me.
100% agree.
The US never had a demonstrably “critical shortage” of Covid test kits.
Well said!
But people here will believe what fits their personal biases.
I'm fine with Trump keeping the lines of communication open with Putin, as long as he's not breaking any laws doing so. The Democrats' entire jihad against Putin is outdated and short-sighted (except, of course, for protecting their money-laundering ops in Ukraine). Trump literally made peace with all major powers during his tenure, taking a pragmatic approach that recognized their good points as well as their risks, applying sanctions if needed, but gaining their good will, at least for those years.
Who's the reckless, impulsive one, Bob?
For good or for not so good, in your view? I enjoyed his early Eisenhower bios.
Everyone please think of this. We correctly identify Obama’s regime as demonic. But demonic corruption works on the intellect and talent as well as the soul.
This is why slowly the DemoKKKrats have gotten more incompetent. We are STILL TREATING THEM LIKE THEY WERE IN 2008.
But they have been thoroughly corrupted. Biden was completely incompetent in everything; since they stole the 2020 election the DNC has been increasingly incompetent. They barely saved themselves in 2022 from a catastrophe, only because the gains in red areas were in deeply red areas, not competitive districts. Since 2022, they have been entirely incompetent.
They:
*Stupidly went with “lawfare” thinking that would take Trump out, and as a result DID NOT REPLACE Rutabaga in 2023 when they could have done so seamlessly and given Cackles a full year to do something . . . anything.
*Because they believed in “Lawfare,” they did not plan a steal this time. Besides that, they didn’t have the cover of 4 months of lockdowns and China Virus to conceal the “mule” activity of requesting and filling out ballots.
*When it was too late, they stupidly removed Rutabaga-—who actually had a better chance against Trump (which was none) than Cackles did.
*They allowed Cackles to pick Tampon Timmy instead of Shapiro, ensuring they lost PA, and still may lose MN.
WE HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE LIKE HITLER AFTER 1944, EVIL BUT INCOMPETENT MAKING MISTAKE AFTER MISTAKE.
“Bayonets!”
Strong conclusions. Good insights. Thank you.
He is on record from before the internet about making veteran's recollections more "exciting" as a way to increase sales.
Woodard's method during the Watergate scandal was pretty simple. He had sources that wanted to destroy Nixon. They fed him correct information which would be confirmed as real and gave Woodard legitimacy in the public eye. He interspersed the real info with just plain damn lies which then became real to the public.
He was a very skilled liar. He still is.
Not surprised at all. I was in education for decades.
What many don’t realize is many people are conversationally able and even gifted yet have deficient logical reasoning, are lower IQ and perform miserably academically. I couldn’t tell you how many kids were alert, talked incessantly and had many friends yet averaged horrible grades and could not understand the most basic concepts. schools nowadays pass kids on if they can even do a semblance of work.
According to theory the right side of the brain controls speech but the left controls reasoning, problem solving etc. which could explain it.
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