[Goose]

Fourth, Biden closed his speech saying "this man can't remain in power" before saying "may god bless, etc." So he meant what he said. That wasn't "we will remove him." It was a generic statement that he can't remain, while speaking to the Russian people.


I felt strongly that as soon as the Ukraine invasion started, the only way democracies would take their foot off Russia's economic neck would be after Putin is gone from Russia. We have had it with him. That's the message Biden was sending, and I LOVED IT.

It is a distinction without a difference. If Putin can't remain, you are calling for regime change. How that regime change happens is a nuance. While I am pretty sure at least 80% of the Western world agrees with the idea Putin must go, it is imperative that the President of the United States not make such a statement unless regime change is in fact our full on public policy. Making such a statement is an serious error, period.

Putin is going to do what he is going to do. He lies about everything as it is (like Nazis in Ukraine government), so nothing any adversary says at this point is going to influence his behavior. He has his own calculations, risks, and rewards to weigh. But we control how we engage with Russia. In March of 2022 and foreseeable future, that is not at all until the Russian people rise up and make a change. It had to be said and the leader of the free world said it.

The US will undoubtedly engage with Russia continuously. We aren't breaking diplomatic relations and do not wish to. The hot line is still there. We are going to leave sanctions in place, but that is a step well short of war. Putin can lie about things, but he can now truthfully show the Russian people that the US president is trying to interfere in the affairs of the Russian state by calling for his removal. Not a good thing.

[Goose]

Fourth, Biden closed his speech saying "this man can't remain in power" before saying "may god bless, etc." So he meant what he said. That wasn't "we will remove him." It was a generic statement that he can't remain, while speaking to the Russian people.


I felt strongly that as soon as the Ukraine invasion started, the only way democracies would take their foot off Russia's economic neck would be after Putin is gone from Russia. We have had it with him. That's the message Biden was sending, and I LOVED IT.

It is a distinction without a difference. If Putin can't remain, you are calling for regime change. How that regime change happens is a nuance. While I am pretty sure at least 80% of the Western world agrees with the idea Putin must go, it is imperative that the President of the United States not make such a statement unless regime change is in fact our full on public policy. Making such a statement is an serious error, period.

Putin is going to do what he is going to do. He lies about everything as it is (like Nazis in Ukraine government), so nothing any adversary says at this point is going to influence his behavior. He has his own calculations, risks, and rewards to weigh. But we control how we engage with Russia. In March of 2022 and foreseeable future, that is not at all until the Russian people rise up and make a change. It had to be said and the leader of the free world said it.

The US will undoubtedly engage with Russia continuously. We aren't breaking diplomatic relations and do not wish to. The hot line is still there. We are going to leave sanctions in place, but that is a step well short of war. Putin can lie about things, but he can now truthfully show the Russian people that the US president is trying to interfere in the affairs of the Russian state by calling for his removal. Not a good thing.