.jpg){kind=small}
Since the World War II era, the President of the United States is looked upon as leader of the free world. Some of the men handled this task well, accepting the challenge from their first day in office:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
President John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address.
To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale.
As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it–now or ever.
President Ronald W. Reagan Inaugural Address.
In the Obama years, one of the terms that came up was “Leading from behind.” I cringe every time I hear those words. By definition, leadership is from the front. At the US Army’s Infantry Center, Fort Benning GA, there is a statue of a soldier, with a two word definition of leadership: Follow Me!
Leadership, like power, abhors a vacuum. When one is not leading, like the current occupant of the White House, someone will come up and take a leader will come up. Fortunately, in the current crisis, we have one, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Since the Ukraine has been invaded from all sides by the tyrant Putin, President Zelenskyy has rallied not only the Ukrainian people, but the world in the fight. When offered an exit by the US government, he refused, “The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.”
As a leader stays in his country and rallies the millions there, the current occupant of the White House has shown himself completely unqualified to be president of the local home owners association, much less the greatest nation on earth. To a degree, understandable. The man-child he served as vice-president for eight helped get funding not to arm Kyiv, but for the Ukraine to destroy 15,000 tons of ammunition, 4,000 small arms, and 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles. To borrow the phrase of Obama’s minister, his chickens, have come home, to roost!
President Trump approved multiple arms sales, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and sniper rifle systems. And the seriousness of the threat has even driven the more pacifist European nations to action:
Germany, which had come under intense criticism for refusing to export weapons to Ukraine during the military buildup, reversed its position and said it would send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine.
Sweden, an EU member that is not in NATO and has historically maintained a neutral position in global conflicts, said it will send 5,000 anti-tank weapons, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 body shields and 135,000 field rations — as well as $50 million in funding directly to the Ukrainian military.
Denmark will transfer 2,700 anti-tank weapons and allow volunteers to join a foreign brigade to fight with Ukraine.
Belgium is sending an additional 3,000 machine guns and 200 anti-tank grenade launchers, Zelensky tweeted Sunday.
Hungary said it would not provide arms to Ukraine but committed to sending 100,000 liters of fuel and 28 tons of food, according to Ukrainian authorities.
A tyrant can feel weakness, and Putin knew what he had with Biden from his first day in office. Biden was open about reestablishing the Iran-nuke deal, which did nothing but expedite Tehran’s work on nuclear devices, while leaving their development of intercontinental ballistic missiles unrestricted. To put it more accurately, he is will to give the Iranian more than Obama and Kerry did, which was a hell of a lot. Plus old Joe was good enough to caution Israel against taking actions against the Iranian program.
No question, Vlad was very appreciative of the new Democratic administration, on day one, restricting US oil and natural gas production, which changed the US from an exporter of oil to being dependent on foreign imports, and increasing Russia’s oil revenue by over half. Instead of pushing Europe to buy oil and natural gas from America, Joe cut off our Keystone XL, and begged hostile nations to increase their production.
Thanks Joe. Really showing the Russians (And Chinese…and Iranians…and North Koreans) who’s boss. Then again he’s never been a leader, and will not change now at 79. Joe is used to exploitation and buying people off. Remember him openly bragged about getting the Ukrainian attorney general fired when the man was looking at charging Hunter Biden for corruption.
As a leader in Kyiv stays in his country and rallies the millions there, his tiny nation is giving the Russian Bear a fight they did not expect. Putin was seeking a relatively quick conquest, giving him access to both people to shore up his demographically dying nation, and natural resources to further stay its decline. And his actions since assuming the presidency, as well as during this crisis, have shown the current occupant of the White House unqualified for his position. The scary thing, Joe has at least (we hope, we don’t want Harris in the Oval Office) three years left. I just am happy that President Zelenskyy appears to be up to the challenge.
Follow AFNN
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAz…
Twitter: @AFNNUSA
GETTR: @AFNN_USA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA
Patriot.Online: @AFNN
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
I like what you say and how you say it. I’m going to visit your personal blog, Michael. I had no idea how deep this goes.
Thank you.
And to think you are in total harmony with George Soros and the piano player. In the land of the blind. GS is your king.
If Soros likes Pizza, does that mean if I eat pizza, I support Soros?
Remember, Boss, there were people four years ago who insisted that eating Beef Stroganoff or having Russian dressing on your salad was “Russian Collusion”… 🙁 Lots of people out there are struggling with being limited to binary “black or white thinking” when this fight is more like “medium gray on dark gray.” Looking at the long history of Russians trying to oppress and even exterminate Ukrainians as a people… after Stalin tried to weaponize forced famine against them in the Holodomor it was understandable–not necessarily RIGHT but understandable, like the father of a rape victim going hunting for the animals that hurt his daughter–that much like the Finns they’d take ANY help offered in giving them a chance to keep their oppressors at bay.
Soros. I doubt it, I’m not for destroying a nation’s currency, or electing DAs nation wide wanting to only release one violent felon after another.
Sorry, but you really need to proofread this article.
Thank You for the comment…We try hard..but we do miss some stuff.
Regards,
Mike
My wife says the same stuff, but point taken. Thank you.
As much as Ukraine has been punished by what Putin still represents, I’m not shocked at all, about how hard the Ukrainian people are fighting, and they picked the right man to lead them. Zelensky is doing all the right stuff.
As far as Hungary’s contribution to the Ukrainian cause, food is good, and gas is, too. I don’t know much about Hungary, except that they have a similar leader. Probably don’t have a lot of the weaponry to give, though.
Great article!
Thank you, and as far as the variety of supples, it reminds me of something I was taught as a 23 year old second lieutenant. A crusty old calvary captain said something I knew was right and smart, but I learned the wisdom of it as the years went on.
Amateurs study tactics. Professionals study logistics.
Money, ammunition, weapons, food, construction material, trucks, every thing helps. We can support them directly with logistics, and “quietly” with other methods (cyber attacks on Russian assets, etc)
If we had a president worth a steaming dog turd we’d go for the Big Game “attack on assets” by cratering the oil price and nuking their economy.
In economic terms, Russia isn’t a country–it’s an oil company with nukes and a seat at the UN. Crater the oil market and they’re functionally a Third World banana-republic.