The buck stops with me!
Or does it?
Last year in late February, Russia invaded Ukraine. It sent many people frantically worrying about the state of the world. In comparison, people in Ukraine lost their lovely country. Regardless of the war’s outcome, Ukraine will never be the same. While their lives are upended, we sit on the other side of the ocean, providing supplies and support. Not just a little support, either. Let’s put it in perspective, $113 billion has been appropriated by Congress in 2022 alone. That doesn’t count what we are doing in 2023. Now let us compare that to 20 years of what we spent in Afghanistan for humanitarian support and the military. That is, wait for it, $146 billion. That doesn’t include American troop costs.[1]
If I remember right, the President is the one that said he knew how to deal with these things. I mean, he is the one who said in 2021, “I made it very clear to President Putting in a manner very different from my predecessor that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russian aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizens, are over.” [2] Hmm, let us let that soak in for a moment. The guy that was going to take a tough stance on Russia is the same guy that the Russians saw as weak enough that they didn’t feel he would really interfere as they invaded Ukraine. It seems the Russki’s had him figured out. I would say they have him completely summed up.
This last Friday proves that point. The point is that the President is out of his league regarding dealing with foreign policy or holding anyone accountable. Let us not even talk about the Afghanistan withdrawal from Biden. You know, the most significant foreign policy blunder in the last fifty years or so. We only need to stick to this last week. On Friday, the 24th of February, a year after the invasion of Ukraine, the US Treasury just then implemented sanctions targeting Russia’s metals and mining sector, along with its financial institutions.[3] Really! A year later, after sending $113 billion to Ukraine and there will be more, then we decide to impose these sanctions. Is the administration on autopilot?
Now some will say, “hey, these sanctions were imposed because of Russia’s workarounds on the previous sanctions.” I must ask, so you are just now figuring that out? If that is the case, whoever the ‘just know figure out people’ are, needs to be replaced as fast as Buttigieg needs to be replaced. Both preferably with someone knowing what is going on.
We said this on the world stage. We will help Ukraine with vast amounts of money, but we don’t care if other people are funding Russia as fast as we are financing Ukraine. Heck, we probably do business with them too. This is absurd. Where is either you’re with us or you’re against us philosophy?[4] Sure, we could use some good ole GW right about now regarding that. But instead, we have the one that has to be propped up, you know, good ole Joe. The one that once said, “the buck stops with me.” [5] Now that was regarding Afghanistan, we quickly learned there is no buck stopping with Joe Biden. Many bucks are going right past him. Afghanistan did, Russia/Ukraine has, and now what about China? Let’s not even go down that road today. Ultimately, every tax-paying American should ask, “why did it take the administration a year to figure out these sanctions?” That is a valid question. To be honest, there shouldn’t be any response to this besides, “we truly missed that one and overlooked it.” Everything else looks like an excuse or coverup, making this administration look completely clueless. That is about an accurate statement, as you can get. You know, like, “the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” “The current administration is clueless when it comes to foreign policy.” I have often said, “the last Democratic President that truly understood how to implement foreign policy was Truman.” Just a Midwesterner that didn’t put up with a lot.
To put things in perspective, the vast differences between 33 Truman and 46 Biden. Remember, Biden wanted his Kodak moment for leaving Afghanistan on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. You know, a gloating moment. A moment of “look at me. Look what I did.” When all he did was create utter chaos on the global stage, just ask Ukraine. Now, look at Truman. A sign on his desk said, “The Buck Stops here.” [6] I would venture to guess the world believed that, since he received that sign two months after dropping the bomb on Japan.
Now with this next quote some have claimed it didn’t come from Truman. Although I cannot find where he said, it is associated with him. This is a quote used many times since the mid-1800s. I don’t see Biden saying this for the Kodak moment. Instead, I see it from the guy who ended World War II, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
“Why, why, why?” As my Drill Sergeant would say. “Why, did we just now do sanctions again?” A little ego, maybe? You know, 46 thinks he knows it all better than the rest. At least, that was what was said of him during his VP days. In reality, it is probably because we didn’t roll up our sleeves and do the late-night work on things, which is always what we see from this administration. Instead, we just toss tons of taxpayer dollars at a problem.
America deserves better. Hell, Ukraine deserves better from us. Damn, sure, our taxpayers deserve better.
The Vet
[1] (Looker, 2023)
[2] (Macias, 2021)
[3] (Hansler, 2023)
[4] (Bush, 2002)
[5] (Watson, 2021)
[6] (“The Buck Stops Here” Desk sign, 2023)
“The Buck Stops Here” Desk sign. (2023, February 27). Retrieved from National Archives Harry S. Truman Library Museum: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/trivia/buck-stops-here-sign
Bush, G. W. (2002, October 7). The Bush Doctrine. Retrieved from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: https://carnegieendowment.org/2002/10/07/bush-doctrine-pub-1088
Hansler, J. (2023, February 24). US Treasury takes ‘one of its most significant sanctions to date’ on anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Retrieved from CNN Politics: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/24/politics/us-treasury-sanctions-russia-ukraine-war/index.html?fbclid=IwAR00fsF31Gq2ukJjTxKSJqsyMNp6EtzKg5u1ONGuDav5Jx8T3XEkCgTZoVM
Looker, T. V. (2023, February 27). US has spent billions on Ukraine war aid. But is that money landing in corrupt pockets? Retrieved from USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/19/oversight-ukraine-russia-military-aid/11271555002/
Macias, A. (2021, February 4). Biden vows to restore U.S. alliances and lead with diplomacy in his first foreign policy address. Retrieved from CNBC : https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/04/biden-vows-to-restore-alliances-in-first-foreign-policy-address.html
Watson, K. (2021, August 17). Biden says “buck stops with me” and defends Afghanistan withdrawal. Retrieved from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-afghanistan-withdrawal-taliban-decision/
