I hope you recover quickly Mike. These are terrible times.

Re: Ukraine
We aren't backing away because we can't. The war there is a proxy war between the US and China. It's about taking down the Pax Americana and ending US dominance in the world.

It's a test of will.

Because if we cannot protect a client state from direct invasion and eradication then what good is there in being an American client state?

Particularly if the Chinese will give you a better deal. Particularly if you feel like the US has its head up its ass on Climate Change. Particularly if you think the US is weak, divided, and on the verge of takeover by a fascist, openly racist, White Nationalist Trumpublican government.

A lot of the world surprised the fuck out of Biden by not backing the sanctions. That's how much damage four years of Trump really did.

We are barely hanging on by our fingertips right now internationally. China is backing Russia in Ukraine because it makes it clear to everyone that we are weak and powerless.

We haven't been able to negotiate a settlement because Putin and Xi don't want the war to end. This is our Penninsular War. Like that war did to Napoleon, they intend for Ukraine to bleed us white.

They won't stop this war and we cannot let Russia win so we are stuck.

Biden is desperately trying to claw a way out of this trap.