This morning it went like this: I ran down to Міст Метро, along a kilometer-long row of freshly planted saplings and exchanged greetings with Falun Gong disciples performing isometric drills on the banks of the mighty Dnipro.
Thanks to all who wrote with advice about jorno creds, in particular those who pointed out the glaring truth that old news about Ukraine is so inexpensive these days that trying to save money by cancelling your free 1-article subscription to this Substack is foolish, at best.
Still, the question of how foreign flaks manage to undercut the price of everyone else’s news and still throw in access to interactive damage assessments is a little annoying, no?
I think they have come upon a problem similar to that apparent with news magazines when they hit their stride: in order to stay relevant, they had to turn protagonists into complete goofballs. Eventually the goofdom bar was being raised at the cost of everything else1.
Which brings me to what Uncle Joe blurted out the other day in his pow wow with TIME which is goofdom deluxe.
Peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine. That's what peace looks like. And it doesn't mean NATO, they are part of NATO. It means we have a relationship with them like we do with other countries, where we supply weapons so they can defend themselves in the future. But it is not, if you notice, I was the one when — and you guys did report it at TIME — the one that I was saying that I am not prepared to support the NATOization of Ukraine.
Huh?
It should not, it is not — I spent a month in Ukraine when I was a Senator and Vice President. There was significant corruption. There was a circumstance that was really difficult. And so, the point is, though, that if we ever let Ukraine go down, mark my words: you'll see Poland go, and you'll see all those nations along the actual border of Russia, from the Balkans and Belarus, all those, they're going to make their own accommodations.
Wut?
Справка
In 1991, Team USA asked Ukraine to remain part of the USSR.
In 1994, Team USA & Co. gave Kyiv security assurances in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.
During the next twenty years, until 2014, Team USA promoted liberal democracy in Ukraine, ineffectively, kind of.
In 2014, Team USA’s response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine was, er, Please, don’t fight.
Since 2022, Team USA has provided lots of weapons and helped coordinate international assistance to Ukraine.
It would be remiss if I didn’t point out the non-existence of strong democratic institutions in Ukraine, i.e. an independent judiciary, legislature, law-enforcement authorities, central bank, defensive fortifications, et cetera. Looking on the bright side, the country has a strong civil sector and arguably the best army in Europe.
That said, what The Washington Post put their top editor through for more than a year has been ridiculous, at least according to The New York Times. That includes Sam’s latest op-ed, which is goof sublime.