On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced a significant increase of the U.S. military presence in Europe, including additional naval destroyers stationed in Spain, two F-35 fighter jet squadrons in the United Kingdom, and a headquarters in Poland for the U.S. 5th Army Corps.
Making the announcement, Biden noted:
“The United States and our allies, we’re going to step up. We’re proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been and it’s as important as it ever has been.”
Shortly after Biden made his remarks, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) went on Twitter and proved her complete ignorance of foreign and military policy while also making it crystal clear where her true loyalty lies.
The American people do not want war with Russia, but NATO & our own foolish leaders are dragging us into one.
A war that no one will win.
Escalation over Ukraine, a non-member nation, risking nuclear war is a power play endangering the entire world.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) June 30, 2022
Of course, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Congresswoman Greene (along with the vast majority of the Republican Party) is once again siding with Russian President and mass murderer Vladimir Putin and against our NATO allies.
Greene got pelted with derision for her ignorant tweet.
Putin has already indicated that he doesn't plan to stop at Ukraine.
How much did he pay you for that tweet?
— Frank Wears A Mask (@Frankwearsamask) June 30, 2022
You blather on all the time about “aMeRiCa FiRsT”.
You know what REALLY puts America first? Leading by example and standing up for freedom EVERYWHERE, not cowering before a dictator, not bailing on the alliances we may someday need to call on in a time of need.
Oh, so your idea is to give Putin what he wants? And what about the next demand? You seem to be under the assumption that if we pull out of NATO that, that would de-escalate the situation. That just proves you have no idea what you're doing.
Making it clear yet again that she understands absolutely nothing about foreign policy or the implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) attacked a fellow Republican simply because he dared to applaud the destruction of Russia’s military by Ukrainian freedom fighters.
According to Newsweek, Greene pitched an online hissy fit in response to a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine:
On Tuesday, the House approved the package, about $7 billion more than President Joe Biden requested, giving Ukraine military and economic assistance to help fend off Russian troops. The following day, Greene slammed Crenshaw on Twitter for supporting the package.
The back and forth between Crenshaw and Greene began when he responded on Twitter to a person who criticized him for this vote in support of the military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine:
Yeah, because investing in the destruction of our adversary’s military, without losing a single American troop, strikes me as a good idea. You should feel the same.
That led Greene to interject herself into the online debate:
“So you think we are funding a proxy war with Russia? You speak as if Ukrainian lives should be thrown away, as if they have no value. Just used and thrown away. For your proxy war? How does that help Americans? How does any of this help?”
So you think we are funding a proxy war with Russia?
You speak as if Ukrainian lives should be thrown away, as if they have no value.
Oddly, Greene then suggested that aid to Ukraine was fueling inflation in the United States:
“Sanctions aren’t stopping anything, but they are driving inflation and fuel prices. I refuse to vote for useless measures that cause problems but solve none. While you send $40 billion for your proxy war against Russia, I’m focused on baby formula for American babies.”
Perhaps it’s time we took a closer look at Congresswoman Greene’s finances. Has she accepted any money from Russia or Russian interests?
During a Q&A session with the White House press corps on Monday, President Joe Biden was asked by Fox reporter Peter Doocy for details about how the United States military would respond to actions such as the use of chemical weapons by Russian forces, and he got resoundingly slapped down by the president.
Doocy asked Biden:
“When you said that a chemical weapon use by Russia would trigger a response in kind…”
The president corrected Doocy:
“It would trigger a significant response.”
The Fox correspondent then followed up:
“What does that mean?”
That’s when the president took Doocy to the woodshed:
“I’m not going to tell you. Why would I tell you? You’ve gotta be silly!”
Doocy:
“The world wants to know.”
But Biden was more than ready for that comeback:
“The world wants to know a lot of things. I’m not telling them what the response would be. Then Russia knows the response.”
President Biden gets extremely snippy over Peter Doocy's questions about his claim that Russia's use of chemical weapons will trigger "a response in kind."
Doocy: "What does that mean?"
Biden: "I’m not going to tell you. Why would I tell you? You have to be silly!" pic.twitter.com/yQOeXDzlcv
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) wasted no time shutting down “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd on Sunday when Todd suggested that President Joe Biden had made a mistake when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” this week.
“President Biden called Putin a war criminal this week. There are a lot of people who agree with that assessment but question whether the president himself should have personalized it. Where are you in this?”
The senator replied:
“I don’t think you can do anything other than call Vladimir Putin a war criminal He is! I mean, what he’s doing right now as we speak, targeting children, maternity wards, schools inside Ukraine clearly crosses a line.”
That led the NBC host to follow up by inquiring:
“We’re going to negotiate with a war criminal? That is what’s difficult here, right? We didn’t negotiate with [former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević].”
Murphy:
“President Biden is showing moral leadership just like President Zelenskyy is showing moral leadership. There are a lot of Republican colleagues now who are using their time to criticize President Biden, vote against Ukraine aid on the floor of the House and the Senate while President Biden is standing up there saying and doing the right thing.
“So I’m proud of President Biden for drawing a moral line against Vladimir Putin. I’d rather have my Republican colleagues supporting him rather than attacking him.”
WATCH: Should President Biden have called Russian President Putin a "war criminal" before negotiating with him?
Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT: "I don't think you can do anything other than call Vladimir Putin a war criminal. … I'm proud of President Biden." pic.twitter.com/KkqlicwjNK
There can be no doubt that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. Anyone who orders the bombing of residential areas, uses cluster bombs, and doesn’t care if his troops target women, children, and the elderly is beyond the pale.
When Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine is over with, Putin needs to be dragged of of the Kremlin and placed on trial for crimes against humanity. If he’s found guilty, he should face the same fate as the Nazis convicted at the Nuremberg trials after World War II: To swing from a hangman’s noose.
During World War II, there was a saying that every American learned by heart as part of the effort to make sure the country was victorious: Loose lips sink ships. In other words, be careful what you say, because you never know who might be listening, including the Axis powers.
It’d be nice to think that members of the United States Senate would still abide by such advice, but Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in an effort to pretend he’s a tough guy for his constituents back home, has been repeatedly going on television and saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to be killed.
On Twitter, Graham wrote:
“The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.”
Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?
The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.
You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.
While the vast majority of us would indeed celebrate if Putin suddenly dropped dead, Graham’s very specific calls for someone to bust a cap in the Russian tyrant are dangerous to the United States, according to experts.
In an enlightening article for USA Today, Grace Hauck notes that she spoke with Anthony Arend, co-founder of the Institute for International Law & Politics at Georgetown University, who told her:
“There are so many dangerous aspects to his [Graham’s] comments.
“It sets the possible precedent that others will be able to look at the United States and say, ‘Well, they’re advocating it. Why don’t we simply move to a foreign policy that more broadly incorporates assassinations or targeting regime leaders?'”
Nika Aleksejeva, a researcher with the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, says Graham’s ill-conceived remarks also help Russia paint the U.S. as some sort of rogue nation:
“It gives Russia a particular case to point at. These comments are qualified as calls to terror attacks. It opens opportunity for disinformation to be later created based on this particular event.”
If Putin is to be removed from office and punished for his invasion of Ukraine, according to Kathryn Sikkink of Harvard Kennedy School, that needs to be done by the government that replaces him:
“If you’ve had leaders who’ve committed crimes, you want the new government to be able to put those leaders on trial and hold them criminally accountable using due process for crimes they’ve committed. And if you find them guilty, to sentence them and imprison them.”
Lindsey needs to shut the hell up unless he plans to go to the Kremlin himself and take Putin out. Here’s betting he doesn’t have the cojones for that.