Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RedStar] February 15 is the Day of Remembrance of Russians who performed their official duties outside the Fatherland.
by Alexander Kolotil
All wars come to an end. 35 years ago, Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. This military campaign lasted 3,341 days - just under nine years and two months. At one time, the author of these lines had the opportunity to interview a famous military leader, former commander of the 40th Army (in 1982–1984), Army General Viktor Fedorovich Ermakov, Chairman of the Council of the All-Russian Public Organization of Veterans of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. They started talking about the withdrawal of the limited Soviet contingent.
I asked Viktor Fedorovich a question:
“The Soviet troops were sometimes accused of leaving weapons and military equipment for the Afghan army, which were then used by the Taliban...
“This is nonsense,” answered Army General Viktor Ermakov. – Such statements have no basis in reality. Let me start with the fact that the limited Soviet contingent was equipped with weapons that were modern by the standards of that time. Afghan government troops also had Soviet weapons, but, as a rule, one step lower.
If, for example, we had T-62 tanks, then the Afghans had T-55. When the 40th Army left Afghanistan, it left in full force, with its standard weapons and equipment. And the weapons and military equipment that later ended up with the Taliban came to them from the Afghan government troops. This was easy to notice even from television reports.
Thus, the 40th Army “did not give anything to the dushmans,” and blaming us for this is completely unjustified. We left only prepared and equipped residential camps and administrative buildings, which for the most part were looted in the very first days after the signing of the acts on their transfer. We also took property from our warehouses, which were mainly located in Puli-Khumri and Termez...
***
Five years ago, I had the opportunity to publish an interview with the former commander of the 40th Combined Arms Army, Hero of the Soviet Union, full holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, Colonel General Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov. I will give a fragment regarding the withdrawal of troops.
I asked the following question:
“You said that the withdrawal of troops from Kabul began on January 2, 1989.” When did the last unit leave the Afghan capital?
“The last unit of the 40th Army left Kabul on February 4,” Colonel General Boris Gromov answered me. – On January 25, 1989, there were still 30,000 soldiers and officers of the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in Afghanistan. At the final stage of the withdrawal, the 40th Army was still a fairly powerful formation. While ensuring the withdrawal of troops, units of the 40th Army continued to carry out tasks to protect communications, sensitive zones and other facilities. In particular, 26 battalions were deployed to guard roads in the eastern direction.
More than 4,500 military personnel served at 199 outposts and posts. As before, the command of the 40th Army paid great attention to the protection of Kabul. One hundred and two outposts surrounded the city within a radius of twenty-five kilometers. In addition, special forces units and the 103rd Airborne Division conducted search and reconnaissance operations along the probable routes of movement of the Mujahideen.
Twenty-seven outposts and outposts were used to protect and defend the capital's airfield. In total, more than four and a half thousand people operated in the vicinity of Kabul. As I already said, the last unit of the 40th Army left Kabul on February 4th. And on February 8, the sequential removal of the personnel of the 40th Army from the outposts on the Kabul-Salang Pass road was completed. Two days later, our units were completely withdrawn from the pass section, and the route itself was transferred to the protection of government troops. And on February 15, 1989, the withdrawal of units of the 40th Army from the territory of Afghanistan was completed. Thus, the Soviet Union fully complied with the Geneva Agreements.
***
I will focus on this phrase of the military commander: “Twenty-seven outposts and outposts were used to protect and defend the capital’s airfield.” The last military units of the 40th Army were already at the State Border of the USSR, and in Kabul, at the airfield, the paratroopers of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division still remained until the end of the day - February 14th.
***
The other day I met with two colonels, veterans of the Airborne Forces - Alexander Grigorievich Golota and Vladimir Petrovich Savitsky. I had the opportunity to participate with Colonel Vladimir Savitsky in the entry of troops on December 25, 1979. Then he commanded the 105th separate anti-aircraft missile artillery division. But Colonel Alexander Golota participated in the withdrawal of troops. From September 1987 to January 1989, he performed international duty in Afghanistan. Both officers have military awards: Colonel Savitsky - the Order of the Red Star and "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree, and Colonel Golota - the Order of the Red Star and "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree, as well as the medal "For military merits."
I asked Colonel Alexander Golot to talk about how the personnel of the 3rd Parachute Battalion of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 103rd Airborne Division, who were the last to leave, were withdrawn from the Kabul airfield.
“I served as the deputy commander of this battalion for political affairs, at that time my military rank was guard captain,” Alexander Grigorievich began his story. – I was no longer at the Kabul airfield that day – February 14th. The fact is that on January 18, 1989, the bulk of the personnel under my leadership left for the territory of the Soviet Union. First it was the Uzbek city of Fergana, and then we arrived at the permanent location of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment - in the Belarusian settlement of Borovukha-1. But everything connected with the final withdrawal of my battalion is known to me down to the very last detail.
It should be noted that our battalion for a long time carried out tasks to ensure the daily safe operation of the international airport in Kabul and the military airfield located in direct contact with it. The most important task was to prevent the Mujahideen from shelling them with MLRS and various artillery pieces from the north-eastern side of the outskirts of Kabul. The daily combat activities of the battalion at outposts, mainly mountain ones, also included the elimination of any possibility of illegal armed groups entering its area of responsibility - Deh-Sabz, which means “Green Village” - to carry out terrorist and subversive activities among the civilian population.
Each village, mountain range and land plots of farmers, as well as caravan routes were under the supervision of battalion personnel. All points of possible penetration of the Mujahideen into the area of responsibility and delivery of rockets for shelling the airfield and Kabul airport were targeted. Together with the armed units of the Afghan army, enormous explanatory and propaganda work was carried out with the local population. All this allowed the international airport of Kabul to function for a long time - without emergencies.
At the beginning of January 1989, the second and final phase of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began. Units of the 3rd battalion also began the phased transfer of outposts, buildings located there, some property and equipment to units of the Army of the Republic of Afghanistan.
It was the 3rd Parachute Battalion, commanded by Guard Major Vladimir Viktorovich Boltikov, as the most well-coordinated and combat-ready unit, whose personnel knew all the features of the terrain around the airfield and airport, and had the opportunity to protect and defend them. In addition, until January 15, 1989, the battalion was supposed to ensure the daily evacuation of the management of the Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, as well as civilian specialists. Based on the assigned tasks, it was necessary to supplement and strengthen the battalion with other units of the 357th Guards Parachute
Regiment.
The battalion tactical group, in addition to three understaffed parachute companies (company commanders - guard captains Vasily Semyonov, Alexander Zhadan, guard senior lieutenant Nikolai Nikulnikov), included artillerymen, sappers, fire fighters, and reconnaissance officers.
This tactical group was headed by the chief of staff of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Mikhailovich Voitko.
For almost a month, the personnel of this battalion tactical group successfully carried out tasks to ensure the smooth operation of Kabul airport. One more thing needs to be noted. At the beginning of February 1989, this battalion group was left alone at the airport, without regimental support. The main units of the Guards 357th Parachute Regiment, as part of a convoy or by air, left the territory of Afghanistan. Until the last days of this battalion's stay in Afghanistan, its personnel continued to serve at the 17th, 18th and 19th outposts located near the Paymunar pass, on the mountain ridge running along the airport.
From these “high-rise buildings” he was visible as if in the palm of his hand.
Finally, it’s time for “H”. Morning of February 14, 1989. From 9.00, all the armored vehicles remaining in the battalion were handed over to the Afghan side, and to demonstrate the departure of the last Soviet OKSVA soldiers from the Republic of Afghanistan, two dozen of the most photogenic paratroopers were selected and presented to Soviet and Western correspondents of various media. Right on the runway of the Kabul airfield, in front of the opened ramp of the An-26 aircraft, the commander of the 8th parachute company of the guard, Captain Alexander Zhadan, reported to the senior commander about the readiness of the personnel to leave for the territory of the Soviet Union.
At 12.00, the personnel were solemnly thanked for their military work and international assistance to the Afghan people and, boarding the plane, were sent to the territory of the USSR. The last Soviet soldier to leave Afghan soil in this long-term war was Junior Sergeant Sergei Ryabinin from the 8th Airborne Company. His photo from the An-26 plane spread all over the world. Due to the fact that each fighter of the battalion group was accountable and had his own combat mission, the plane was supposed to circle over the territory of Afghanistan and return back after the press left...
But something went wrong again... Seeing that the press representatives did not leave runway and airport territory, and watching the circling plane, the pilots headed for the airfield of the city of Osh, located on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR.
This is how driver-mechanic of BMP No. 782 Alexander Poryadin from the 8th parachute company told me about the last minutes of his stay in Afghanistan:
“I handed over my car to representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Afghanistan (tsaranda) literally a few minutes before takeoff. It was a pity to the point of tears. This was the last military equipment of our battalion transferred to the local military. We boarded the IL-76 directly with weapons. The “bras” (unloading), as well as the RD-54 (paratrooper’s backpack) with full ammunition, were with us and were located directly on the floor of the aircraft.”
WE WERE THE LAST TO LEAVE KABUL AIRFIELD
By evening, the loading and mooring of vehicles with special communications on one of the sides of the Il-76 was completed. The staff serving it were also there. The other two airships housed the personnel of the battalion tactical group, their weapons, equipment and ammunition.
And this is how the former deputy commander of the 3rd parachute battalion for armament of the guard, Major Kurbon Gupronovich Yusupov, recalled those last minutes of being on the territory of the Afghan airport: “When the loading of equipment and weapons, property, ammunition and personnel was completed, it began to get dark.
Aircraft technicians began to close the ramps of their winged machines. Running from plane to plane, I suddenly saw that right on the runway, near the landing gear wheel, there was a button accordion left by someone! I just felt sorry for the musical instrument. Grabbing him and hugging him to me, I jumped onto the ramp of the plane and began to squeeze inside with difficulty. The ship’s flight engineer turned on the lift mechanism, and the ramp began to slowly rise upward, hiding the lights of the Kabul airport from us forever.”
At 18:10 local time, the planes, one after another, began to take to the sky and head for the State Border of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. A few minutes later, all three aircraft flew over that ominous place where nine years ago the Afghan mountains forever took the lives of forty-seven people who were the first on the “Afghan Frontier” to defend the southern borders of our Motherland...
Colonel Vladimir Savitsky enters the conversation:
- Yes, We recently opened a memorial to these heroes, on the day of the 44th anniversary of the entry of troops, in Borovukha-1, Vitebsk region... It is very noteworthy that it was from the Kabul airfield on December 25, 1979 that the main stage of Operation Baikal began for the 103rd Guards Airborne Division -79,” here, at the Kabul airport, nine years later, the military stay of the Vitebsk paratroopers on Afghan soil ended...
I’ll add a little to Alexander Grigorievich’s story.
It is clear that the paratroopers returning home to their native land still did not believe that the time had come for the end of hostilities and that the war was over for them. After some time, the ship’s commander announced via loudspeaker that the plane had crossed the border of the USSR. Joy lit up on the faces of the fighters. Everyone rejoiced... Already late in the evening the paratroopers flew to the city of Fergana, in the Uzbek SSR. A new, as it seemed to many, peaceful stage was approaching in the life of the personnel of the 3rd battalion of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment.
Upon the arrival of the battalion on Soviet soil, measures began to pass border and then customs control. All other issues were immediately resolved - storage of existing weapons and equipment, equipment, availability and accounting of ammunition, temporary accommodation of military personnel on the territory of a military camp. This is how the former commander of the 9th parachute company, who in the future will become the commander of the 31st Guards Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, holder of six military orders, reserve colonel Nikolai Sergeevich Nikulnikov, recalls the events of 35 years ago:
“Immediately after landing the aircraft on the runway of the Fergana airfield, we had to solve a lot of “unusual”, or rather, half-forgotten issues of the life and activities of military units in peaceful conditions during the Afghan war. This lasted for several hours. When the company sergeant major, after placing weapons in the gun room and checking personnel, gave the command “all clear,” the clock showed half past twelve on the night of February 15, 1989.”
And the battalion headquarters, under the control of Guard Major Viktor Vladimirovich Yasonov, continued to work, sum up the results of the withdrawal, and clarify the tasks for the upcoming transfer of the battalion to the point of permanent deployment. However, in the morning, the commander of the 3rd battalion was informed of an unexpected decision by the command of the Airborne Forces - the personnel would be involved in conducting a military operation to assist the government of the Republic of Afghanistan in the event of an aggravation of the situation in general in the country and in particular in the city of Jalalabad.
Units of the Fergana 387th separate training parachute regiment of the Airborne Forces (regiment commander - Hero of the Soviet Union, then Guard Colonel Alexander Petrovich Soluyanov) were also on high alert. It was on the basis of this regiment that the 3rd Parachute Battalion of the Guards 357th Parachute Regiment had to be located and prepare to carry out the assigned task.
For almost a month and a half, the battalion tactical group was actively engaged in combat training and was in readiness “number one” for its immediate transfer again to the territory of Afghanistan.
Psychologically, it was very, very difficult for everyone to withstand this. Especially against the backdrop of the fact that all the media reported the reaction of both the world community and the Soviet people to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of Afghanistan.
However, after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the Afghan government still managed to keep the internal political and military situation in the country under its control, and the battalion personnel finally received an order to leave for their permanent deployment point.
On March 25, 1989, three Il-76 aircraft, taking off from the Fergana airfield, headed for the Borovtsy airfield, which is located a few kilometers from the Belarusian military town of Borovukha-1. Towards evening, having softly landed and turned around, they froze on the airfield runway. The side ramps began to slowly open. The first to be seen by the soldiers who returned from the war were the commander of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Sergeevich Filippov, and the deputy regiment commander for the political part of the Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Evgenievich Ivanov. Like two fathers, they greeted their soldier sons, who had finally returned to their homeland “from that undeclared Afghan war.” For the 3rd Parachute Battalion of the Guards 357th Parachute Regiment, wartime life is finally over.
During the withdrawal of troops on the Battle Banner of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, among the front-line awards was the Order of Lenin, which the personnel of the illustrious formation were awarded for valiantly performing combat missions, and one of the division’s regiments - the Guards 350th Parachute Airborne Division - was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The 345th Separate Guards Parachute Regiment was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
[USNI] UK Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) unit successfully conducted a survey of the historic WWI wreck of the Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 22, 2024. The bell of the USS Jacob Jones (DD-61), the only American destroyer sunk during World War I, has been recovered by a special salvage unit with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense at the request of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. The command asked for assistance from the ministry’s Salvage and Marine Operations unit “due to the risk of unauthorized and illegal salvaging,” retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox said in a statement. The shipwreck itself was first discovered off the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the southwestern coast of England, in August 2022.
The U.K. unit has used a remotely operated vehicle to survey the site for long-term preservation and protection since the wreck’s discovery, NHHC said in a news release.
Continued on Page 49
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Taratorin
[REGNUM] In July last year, a certain Alena Agafonova posted a video on one of the social networks showing her finger against the background of the monument “The Motherland is Calling!” made movements that “tickled” the chest of the monument. This sparked an angry reaction online. And a criminal case was opened against her.
The girl recorded an apology video and fled to Sri Lanka. However, six months later, having apparently decided that she had already been “understood and forgiven,” she returned and was immediately detained. Now the case has been reclassified from the article “Desecration of burial places” to a more serious one – “Rehabilitation of Nazism”.
!
The girl is understandably shocked. After the court hearing that determined the preventive measure, she wrote down a new apology in which she admits: “Due to my stupidity, I didn’t even think that I could hurt someone’s feelings.”
That is, whether a girl can think in principle is a big question. True, it is also unclear how brainlessness can be classified as a criminal offense...
Because the problem is actually very deep and certainly cannot be cured by isolating one individual representative of this kind of blogger from society. The question is that there is a whole industry of trade in idiocy.
“Man is created for happiness, like a bird is created for flight” - in Soviet times, schoolchildren regularly wrote essays on this topic. And they revealed it most often in the style of “Oh, it’s good to live in a Soviet country.” Then the country of the Soviets collapsed, and the optimistic formula was transformed into the popular song of the 90s “You need to live high.” That is, a person is born to get high?
In fact, it is precisely this idea (if, of course, you can call it that) that popular bloggers bring to the masses. That is, a person is born for the most meaningless existence, information-filled with the contemplation of something “cool”.
It can be interesting to trace the path of transformation of the meaning of popular quotes. This can tell you a lot. A phrase about happiness and flight from the text of the classic Vladimir Korolenko. It is characteristic that even educated people often sincerely believe that its author is Maxim Gorky. Well, in fact, “Man - that sounds proud” - that’s definitely him. Why not tell him about the bird? About “Burevestnik”, that’s for sure. Well, everything fits! But no, it doesn’t add up. “Burevestnik” has nothing to do with it.
Korolenko’s story “Paradox” certainly does not provoke thoughtless positivity and optimism. The fact is that this phrase is uttered by a man called a “phenomenon” because he was born without arms, but amazingly learned to use his legs with amazing dexterity. And this phrase, like a half-prophecy, half-parting words, he writes precisely through the leg of the boy, on whose behalf the story is being told. And this formula from a person doomed to suffering shocks the boy with its paradoxical nature for the rest of his life.
But if you look into it, it turns out that there is also a “second bottom”. “But man is born into suffering, like sparks to rush upward,” says the biblical Book of Job. This is the Orthodox, Synodal translation. But in the story, the “phenomenon” person uttering the paradox is a Pole. And in the Latin Catholic translation this biblical phrase is conveyed as follows: “A man is born to suffer (option: “hard work”), and a bird is born to fly.” Thus, the “phenomenon,” like the biblical Job, enters into an argument with the Lord himself.
Do you understand how this idea was emasculated as it became the subject of Soviet school essays?
It is also very significant how the disabled sage himself explains his formula in communication with a character who takes him on a cart around the city and collects alms based on the results of his demonstration of “dexterity of legs” and the utterance of paradoxes.
“You see, sometimes pleasant aphorisms make a difference. You have two hands, but your head is worthless, poor Matvey!.. Man is created for happiness, only happiness is not always created for him. Understood? People have both heads and hands. Only they forgot to glue my hands, and by mistake they put an empty pumpkin on your shoulders... Ha! This is unpleasant for us, but does not change the general rule..."
The fact of the matter is that bloggers who are looking for happiness in the form of an eternal buzz have an “empty pumpkin” instead of a head.
Nothing demonstrates the problems of democracy and free markets more clearly than the Internet. Freedom of speech. Freedom of opinion. Freedom of expression. And the only criterion is demand by the public...
No, we are not talking, of course, about creating a network cut off from the world, “cleaned up.” Totalitarian decisions only have an effect over a short period of time. And then such a rollback occurs that one has to bitterly regret the straightforward approaches. This is exactly what happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
A person has the right to be anyone in the range from an angel to a demon, maybe even a “pumpkin head”, but the question is, does society have a normative image of a person, what he is not “supposed” to be, but is called to be?
The concept of “vocation” was also primitiveized by the Bolsheviks and reduced to professional activity. But originally it was again from the Bible. And it means a task, an assignment, a destiny that is given by God to everyone. To varying degrees and of different properties, but for everyone. Realizing it and trying to fulfill it is the meaning of human life. And without this, true happiness is absolutely impossible.
The most famous example is the Gospel parable about the talents, where the one who did not increase the talents given to him, but “buried it,” is doomed to a terrible posthumous fate. But he probably lived quite “high” and “for fun.”
The problem with liberalism is precisely this - in a world built on its principles, it is impossible to seriously talk about vocation and responsibility. It only contains the standard of a thoughtless consumer of various “highs” imposed by aggressive marketing. And its guides are often popular bloggers. And their popularity, their hype, in turn, is based on charismatic idiocy.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov
[RIA] Joe Biden is becoming one big problem: After his lawyer last week described the US president as "an old man with a bad memory", talk is growing louder that Biden will be forced to withdraw from the election. Moreover, this is no longer just talk: although there are still ten months before the elections, and a little more than six months before the Democratic Party congress, at which a presidential candidate will be nominated, a decision must be made this spring. Then it will be too late, but now the Democrats still have time to try to promote another candidate.
Biden hasn't been completely written off yet, but that's where it's headed. His ratings are falling, and the odds on Trump's victory are rising. And the point here is not the real state of health of the owner of the White House, but the fact that Americans are increasingly confident in his weakness: 85 percent believe that he is too old for a new presidential term. This is a lot (20 percent less thinks so about Trump) - and it is this factor that becomes decisive in the elections.
At the same time, Biden is actually not as bad as he is portrayed: he has to deal with dire crises both in foreign policy and at home. On the world stage, Ukraine, the Middle East and China are sparking at the same time, and the intensity everywhere is such that even one such crisis would be enough. Biden is undoubtedly the most experienced American politician alive, especially when it comes to international affairs, which he has been involved in for half a century.
And on purely American soil, he has enormous experience: 35 years in the Senate, eight years as vice president (and not at all nominal), a presidential term. No one living today has such a track record— Obama, for example, served in the Senate for only three years. But Biden’s vast experience does not help him not only in foreign affairs (here the reason is that the general course of the United States led them to the current problems), but also in general.
During all three years of his presidency, Biden fought on two fronts - externally and internally, that is, he tried to stop the deterioration of the US global position and restrain the revenge-minded Trump. There were no particular successes either: even the building of an anti-Russian coalition did not stop the degradation of the world in the American way, and various pressures on Trump did not turn the ex-president into an outsider. He confidently leads in the ratings not only in the country, but also, most importantly, in key (so-called swing) states, on which the outcome of the elections depends.
In these circumstances, Biden had only one thing left to do: bet on a repeat of the 2020 election scenario. Not in the sense of gerrymandering, but in terms of a call to vote against Trump: elect Biden to stop a crazy dictator. The scenario for 2024 is so-so, but the White House didn’t have a better one. However, now a third front has opened against Biden - and defeat on it will put an end to his victory.
This front is the most internal of all possible - we are talking about the health of the president. Biden is clearly losing here, and with each passing week Americans will increasingly believe that he is incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities. This is a disaster - not only for Biden, not only for the Democratic Party, but also for most of the American establishment, which considers Trump’s second term categorically unacceptable. And if the “Washington swamp” comes to the conclusion that Biden has finally “broken,” then he will be replaced. But to whom?
And here the most difficult part begins, because there is simply no backup option. What was considered such in 2020, namely Vice President Kamala Harris, did not work: both the ratings and the managerial, mental level of the Californian turned out to be below par. In a normal situation, this would not be so bad - well, let the frankly weak president have one term, they will select reliable managers for her. But, firstly, Harris has even less chance of defeating Trump than Biden, and secondly, the international situation is so turbulent that putting a frankly empty figure at the head of a superpower is simply dangerous.
That is, the Harris option remains, but for the most extreme, hopeless case. In the meantime, Democrats are trying to find a stronger replacement for Biden - and are faced with a difficult choice.
In fact, there are only two possible candidates. One of them is California Governor Gavin Newsom. He has some national fame, but he represents the same "California Mafia" as Harris. They even worked together: when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, Harris was elected district attorney there. Newsom's aunt was the wife of Ronald Pelosi - not a namesake, but the older brother of Nancy Pelosi's husband, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It is, of course, possible to nominate Newsom, but given both his personal reputation and the image of California as the most “progressive” (in terms of migrants, LGBT* and other) state, this could alienate many non-radical supporters from the Democrats. And a lot of questions will immediately arise about the Californian’s personal life, and Trump will not miss this opportunity at the debate (which it will be impossible for Newsom to avoid).
Much more serious than Newsom is the option with Obama, but not Barack, but Michelle. Barack himself will speak in New York at the end of next month at a rally in support of Biden - Harris, but this does not mean anything. The ex-president cannot run for a third time, but his wife was very popular. Now polls don’t give her many supporters, but this is because there was no promotion and, most importantly, her desire to run. The option with Michelle was discussed back in 2020, but she was categorically against it. She doesn’t want to enter the fight even now, but everything could change if the medical commission of the “Washington swamp” decides that Biden cannot participate in the elections. Then the whole world will try to persuade Michelle - and it’s not a fact that they won’t persuade her.
Of course, everyone understands that if elected, Barack will be the real president, because Michelle has no not only political, but also managerial experience (unlike Trump, who had extensive experience in managing large businesses). But what won’t you do to save America from the “impending dictatorship of Trump,” and this is becoming the main slogan of the Democrats’ presidential campaign.
There is, however, another option with the nomination of Barack Obama himself - not for president, but for vice-president. Such a castling: if in 2008 the experienced Biden supported the inexperienced Obama, now the popular and experienced Obama will support the tired and unpopular Biden. The option is very risky and unlikely, but in the current situation even this is being discussed.
In a word, the Democrats have no one to replace Biden with, but they can’t not change him either - he’ll lose. So it's a dead end? Yes, and this always happens when influential people break away from reality, believe in their omnipotence and try to stop the objective course of history. In 2020 they succeeded, but now everyone is convinced that in fact they only succeeded in putting everything on pause, and not changing the direction of movement. And now everything will return to its place, including Donald Trump.
#2
As a want-ta-be woman Michael er "Mike" will never be acceptable to a large portion of the American Public. Hell just look at all the memes showing her crotch bulge and neck....
Its bad enough with all the Trans that Biden stuffed into cabinets and the military.
BLUF:
[News With Views] As I write, the US Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments over whether or not to allow six Colorado voters to deny all Colorado voters the right to vote for the candidate of their choice, in this case, a former President and the landslide-leading candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination. In other words, leftist Trump-haters are trying to toss democracy off the cliff just because they know they can’t defeat Trump by any legitimate process.
The Haley Plot is to remain in 2nd place until Trump is eliminated from the race by way of a fraudulent conviction in some corrupt court, or a bullet if necessary. Then, like Biden 2020, with Trump out of the way, Nikki could become the presumptive GOP nominee as the only candidate still standing.
The longer Haley stays in the race, loss after loss after loss, the more it confirms that she intends to become the nominee without winning a single primary anywhere.
#1
The longer Haley stays in the race, loss after loss after loss, the more it confirms that she intends to become the nominee without winning a single primary anywhere.
#2
...Haley did a pretty good job as governor in SC - I voted for her both times she ran, and she held the place together pretty well. She got that damned flag down off the state capitol building, and the main reason was that she was an outsider.
Which is where I think the problem lies. She stared down the Good Ol' Boy Network, yes - but only because there was a perfect storm of circumstances that enabled her to do it. After that, life got a lot harder for her.
I think she thinks she can do it again. But her style, attitude, and policy just ain't going to cut it. A convention where Trump isn't there will be a nightmare of truly Biblical proportions, and she is simply (as Dad used to say) not packing the gear. There would certainly be a draft, but she ain't gonna be the draftee.
#4
I fail to see a "plot against the USA" if someone who managed to kick out quite a few contenders stays in the primaries as long as she sees fit.
Or where do I find a rule that everyone who didn't win Iowa and NH has to drop out to make room for the annointed One? Shouldn't the remaining 99% of Americans get the chance to make a choice?
Given the latest comments of Trump on NATO I'd highly prefer a President with traditional transatlantic views. Of course I don't get a say in this but I still may have an opinion.
And of course if Haley decides to drop out and Trump is later prevented from running (for what reason ever), no person who'd replace him would have won a single primary.
Btw the US Supreme Court will almost certainly not allow the Colorado ban to stay. And actually if it did this would benefit Trump. He doesn't have to win Colorado (probably won't anyway), but the decision would make people more likely to vote for Trump elsewhere.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/14/2024 7:15 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Haley may be the Donk last best hope to hang on to the WH. They must know that by now the carcass can't survive till November let alone carry the election without out right totally undermining any legitimacy with a 'banana republic' election. Biden will be tossed at their convention. She would be a Uniparty alternative with enough plausibility to cook the election. Most of her money comes from Donk deep pockets already.
#9
"the annointed one" EC. He's the only one who actually gives a shit about the citizens of the US. There are quite a few here that are tired of all our taxes going to NATO, which should have been disbanded when the Soviet Union failed. We have enough problems here and we are tired of our money going elsewhere all over the world while ALOT of people here are struggling. Take care of yourselves.
Posted by: Chris ||
02/14/2024 9:40 Comments ||
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#10
Given the latest comments of Trump on NATO
I thought that was something he said in 2019 as part of a longer statement, and was thanked by the head of NATO forces for it.
Besoeker, was it you that posted a link a out that in comments the other day?
#12
EC, most Americans don't care what Europe thinks about our politics. Even "conservatives" in Europe are for the most part to the Left of most Americans politically.
#14
Is this the NATO who, after two years of Russia is Coming!!$34 couldn't make 1/3 of its artillery shell goal of 1 million, and I'd be buggered if the hand count is close, and can't make The Red Sea?
#18
To be fair, most Europeans (and everyone else) think that whatever most Americans think is wrong - pot calling kettle black in both directions.
I would have characterized Ms Haley’s thinking a plan rather than a plot, but that would make a less emotional, click-baiting headline. I don’t doubt that she honestly believes herself to be better for the country as less divisive, and privately preens herself on how clever she is being. I also think giving the virulent NeverTrumpers of both parties — particularly the Progressive multi-millionaire/billionaire ones — a place to waste their money is a good thing, as it keeps them from donating those funds to something considerably more harmful. Or perhaps more effective, if you will.
#19
I can see there is still some wisdom in maintaining a defensive alliance in Western Europe, just to make sure nobody goes on the warpath like they did in the 20th Century.
But I hate to see NATO being used as a vehicle for imperialism like it is now in Ukraine.
EC, I tried to tell you once before, the biggest threat to Germany is the flood of migrantscolonists coming your way from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa. If you don't wise up to that I see a very bleak future for all of Europe. I know, we are experience the same kind of phenomenon here in America. That's why we despise Nikki Haley and vote for Trump.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/14/2024 13:38 Comments ||
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#20
Some migration numbers for 2022 (Germany)
Syria: +67,569
Turkey: +49,304
Ukraine: +959,527
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/14/2024 13:55 Comments ||
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The View from Russia
[REGNUM] The more victories former US President Donald Trump wins in internal party elections - caucuses and primaries - the more actively influential figures in the American establishment, inconspicuous apparatchiks of the Republican Party, big business sharks, and conservative thought factories are preparing for his new presidential term - think-tanks.
They do not have a common vision of the situation, they often compete with each other, pursue conflicting goals, and sometimes even "hate each other with a passion," as one Trump campaign official put it. But there is one common desire for all these people and groups.
All of them are aimed at ensuring that Trump's new term will not be similar to his first presidency.
The consensus about 2016—2020 is that Trump essentially had no prepared team, people were recruited almost at random, key figures were knocked out in the first months of the presidency ( Michael Flynn, first National Security Advisor, Steve Bannon, chief strategy advisor) or changed chaotically ( Herbert McMaster, John Bolton - national security advisers, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ).
As a result, throughout the four years of Trump’s presidency, he did not have a strong and well-coordinated team, which significantly weakened his position both domestically and internationally.
Trump relied heavily on his personal friends and relatives (such as daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner ), but this network was too small to staff federal agencies with competent and loyal people.
In the end, what happened was what happened: it was not Trump who drained the "Washington swamp," but the swamp that sucked in his administration and deprived him (most likely through fraud) of his victory in the 2020 elections.
THE ROAD TO THE OVAL OFFICE
Planning revenge in the 2024 elections, both Trump himself and the pressure groups supporting him are seriously aimed at forming an effective, coherent and maximally efficient administration.
In order not to repeat the mistakes of the past, the selection and training of personnel for the future administration is distributed among several centers, primarily the well-known conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation and the America First Policy Institute. The Heritage Foundation is coordinating Project 2025, which, according to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Robrets, "aims to recruit and train a deep pool of patriotic Americans ready to serve their country on day one of the next administration."
AFPI has a similar mission. Founded in 2021 by first Trump administration alumni Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow, the Path to 2025 initiative promises to "ensure the strongest policymakers and workforce are in place on Day One in January 2025."
Both groups are trying to make Trump 2024 a "better" president: more effective, more ruthless, more committed to conservative dogma. But Heritage and AFPI represent different factions of Trumpism, and each is suspicious of the other.
AFPI operatives see Heritage as latecomers to the Trump train, establishment wolves in the shoes of "America First." Some at Heritage see AFPI as a bastion of precisely those untrustworthy Trump appointees—con artists and RINOs ("Republicans in Name Only") who are trading on their relationships with the president to ensure their ability to hold top positions in a future administration.
An important role in Project 2025 is played by John McEntee, Trump's former personal bodyguard, later director of the White House Office of Personnel Management, reporting personally to the president. After leaving the White House, McEntee created a special dating service for conservatives, The Right Stuff, and is now recruiting employees who are fanatically (like himself) devoted to Trump. To a large extent, the selection of candidates for leadership positions in the new administration depends on McEntee, who, apparently, has the full confidence of Trump.
Vice President: lady's first
Attorney General for Operation Retaliation
Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Fairly long & detailed - (IMO) fairly comprehensive intro
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
02/14/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[23 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The link is in Russian, but I can recognize the photo of DeSantis.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/14/2024 9:03 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
