Biden and Zelensky celebrate their 1st anniversary

by Don Surber

Amid air sirens blaring but no incoming bombs or people seeking shelter, Biden and Zelensky strolled the streets of Kyiv on Monday morning, celebrating their first anniversary. Maybe the Russian army slept in. Maybe they were concentrating on Donbas. Maybe Biden’s call to Putin of his secret visit called off the attack. Even Vlad the Mad knows Donbas is not worth World War III.
 
Oh yes. Biden told Putin he was going to Kyiv before telling the American people. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the president, told reporters, “We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv. We did some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.”
 
Deconfliction purposes? Putin was protecting Biden better than the Secret Service, and why not? Biden’s dog never bit Putin.
 

 
Biden got the headlines he wanted. The New York Times gave him, “Biden Visits Kyiv, Ukraine’s Embattled Capital, as Air-Raid Siren Sounds.”
 
It was MacArthur returning to the Philippines, except for the part where he did not give the Japs a heads up so they wouldn’t bomb him by accident.
 
The purpose of Biden’s trip was a photo op for Friday’s first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Apparently no one in the White House knows how a calendar works. But they can still churn out emotional appeals. Biden said, “One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands.”
 
Lemonade stands everywhere
Crackerjack bands fill the air
And there you are
Happy landing on a chocolate bar
 
The press hailed him as the conquering hero. Eliot A. Cohen of The Atlantic wrote, “Biden Just Destroyed Putin’s Last Hope.” Cohen said the visit was a gut punch to the Russian leader. Well, at least Biden gave him a heads up.
 
National Review said, “Biden’s Secret Trip to Kyiv Took Guts.”
 
Not really. President Trump going to the DMZ to meet Kim Jong Un — not sure if he would even show up — took guts. This was a trip to Disney World by comparison.
 
David Rothkopf of The Daily Beast got to to Biden’s and Zelensky’s real enemy, writing, “Biden’s Trip to Kyiv is the Ultimate Humiliation for Putin—and Trump.”
 
It’s always about Trump. His election shook the Establishment like the San Francisco earthquake. More than six years later, they are still sifting through the rubble.
 
The Babylon Bee stung press accounts by saying, “President Biden paid a visit to Ukraine to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to the country’s democracy, sovereignty, and the military-industrial complex while also picking up a few things Hunter asked about, including his paycheck.”
 
This war is real, it just isn’t in Kyiv. The siren for Biden was fake, but people really are dying. Six days ago, the New York Post reported, “While Ukraine has been boasting about taking out massive numbers of Russian soldiers — including a record day for casualties last week — Kyiv has also been losing a staggering number of its own troops.
 
“Western intelligence sources estimate that each side has suffered approximately 150,000 casualties since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.”
 
To put that in perspective, the USA suffered 20,000 casualties in 20 years of war in Afghanistan. This war also has created 8 million Ukraine refugees. That’s 20% of the the nation’s population displaced.
 
Real leaders would stop the carnage. Yet there is no urgency on either side to settle this conflict. NATO countries are treating Ukraine — which was supposed be a post-USSR neutral buffer — as if Ukraine were a member. Europe hasn’t had a good war since the Balkan wars in the 1990s. This one is not about liberty but about making money. War profits are so high, Halliburton may get back in the game.
 
CNN reported, “Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than the U.S. and NATO can produce it. Inside the Pentagon’s plan to close the gap.”
 
The Pentagon’s plan is to buy more ammo. That means more campaign donations for supporters of the war and better post-military employment opportunities when the generals retire.
 
Zelensky is a head case now.

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