My initial gut feelings appear to have legs – that the endless war in Ukraine folks bent Voldomyr’s ears pre-oval office meeting and convinced him to press his case in front of the world.
I’m quite sure his fanciful overestimation of his strength and the U.S. support for him was due to people like Antony Blinken, Victoria Nuland, and Alexander Vindman, who reportedly encouraged this intransigence to come to terms, and equally toothless and discredited EU officials and members.
As it turns out, we know who some of the interlopers were on the US side. Before showing up to “sign” the minerals deal negotiated with Ukraine, a bipartisan group of US Senators met with Zelensky in a hotel across the street from the White House.
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
- Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
- “Danang Dick” (Richard Blumenthal) (D-CT)
- Roger Wicker (R-MS)
- Charles Grassley (R-IA)
- Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Peter Welch (D-VT)
- Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
- Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
The result in the end was, literally, no free lunch. Trump canceled the luncheon and kicked the Ukrainians out of the White House and opinions about it are like assholes. Everyone’s got one.
The forever-war Dems, having wholly transitioned from the party of peace, are astroturfing protests (in the streets!) to give their listless zombies a purpose to get behind. The Oscars are predicted to serve as a platform for progressive Trump-hating Hollywood circle-jerkers to virtue signal over something about which they know practically nothing. But hey, it’s the latest thing!
The world, and everyone in it, is taking a side, and not always the one you’d expect. Post-Oval Office shenanigans, the EU appears to be shifting from using Ukraine to wage war on Russia (they want its oils, gas, and minerals for themselves – or so the rumor goes) to working with Zelensky to develop a peace plan they would then present to the US.
While we wonder about whether to wonder what that might look like, Ukraine has found itself absent any further US military funding or aid and under scrutiny. DOGE was niggling around the edges of the wad of money the Biden White House firehose “spent” in the name of this just war but the Outrage in the Oval has earned its complete attention.
Note to progs: there’s a good chance much of that support never made it there, and if true, the politicians who promote you to protest were the real recipients of the humanitarian aid and war machine money. In other words, ifthis goes sideways, all the street progs and the Oscar speechifiers will be on record supporting a cause that was actually about enriching rich Democrats and their new best friends in the military-industrial complex.
Put another way, we’re not helping Ukraine; we’ve been using Ukraine to help American elites – for a very long time, if you’ve been paying attention. You’d know them as the good billionaires. The ones that donated to Democrats and Left causes who advocated for good wars used to launder money to friends and family.
By all means, take a chance and get behind that. And they will because there’s nothing else they can do.
As for Zelensky, he’s gotten mixed messaging, but he has a history of backing out on signing things (this is his third yes/no treaty moment) and more problems than he can shake a stick at, for which we defer to a brilliant guy who knows better.
