Joe Biden – One Foot in the Grave and
He Wants to Take the Rest of Us With Him
Gilbert Doctorow / Substack

(November 17, 2024) — This evening’s edition of ‘News of the Week’ on Russian state television carried the ‘breaking news’ that President Biden has just given permission to Ukraine to use American ATACMS medium-range ground-launched missiles to attack deep within the Russian Federation. The same news also appears on the latest online edition of The New York Times, and so we may assume that the report is correct.

Host Dmitry Kiselyov did not go beyond the bare statement of fact. Surely the Kremlin will require a bit of time to react, but react it will.

The fate of the world does not hang on my every word and so I do not have to be so circumspect.

Regrettably, we are witnessing a replay of what occurred the first time Donald Trump was elected, back in November 2016. The reaction of the Obama administration was to use the couple of months before handover of power to sabotage the most salient aspect of his intended foreign policy initiative — to normalize relations with Russia.

I say ‘salient’ not because it was Trump’s first priority but because, in Hillary Clinton’s vicious campaign to portray Trump as a Russian asset, all that we heard for months was Russia, Russia, Russia. In any case, it was during the transition period that the United States illegally seized Russian consular properties with the intention to create a scandal that would poison relations with Moscow.

That dirty trick was child’s play compared to what Biden & Company are intent on doing now.

Just over two months ago, this very question of allowing Kiev to fire missiles using US technology on strikes deep inside the Russian Federation had been vetoed by Biden when it was proposed to him by visiting UK Prime Minister Starmer. That refusal followed by a day a direct threat from Vladimir Putin that the use by Kiev of medium range missiles supplied by nuclear powers in the West for such attacks on Russia would make the providers of those missiles co-belligerents.

We said then that the Pentagon had prevailed upon the President to take the threat seriously and to decline to give his permission to the British, so that Starmer went home empty-handed.

What has happened to change the thinking in the Oval Office? There can be no doubt that Donald Trump’s victory on 5 November and the clear indications that he will cut American aid to Ukraine and push for a negotiated settlement of the war on terms acceptable to Moscow has enraged the Neocons who hold the Collective Biden in their thrall.

The flip-flop on use of such missiles is a testament to the utter irresponsibility of this administration. It calls for an urgent move in Congress to stop an action that is tantamount to a declaration of war on Russia.

Biden Authorizes Ukraine to Use US-supplied
Long-range Missiles to Strike Deep inside Russia
Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Matthew Lee and Ellen Knickmeyer / Associated Press

MANAUS, Brazil (November 17, 2024) — President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, easing limitations on the weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war, according to a US official and three people familiar with the matter.

The decision allowing Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, for attacks farther inside Russia comes as President Vladimir Putin positions North Korean troops along Ukraine’s northern border to try to reclaim hundreds of miles of territory seized by Ukrainian forces.

Biden’s move also follows the presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has said he would bring about a swift end to the war and raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the United States’ vital military support for Ukraine.

The longer-range missiles are likely to be used in response to North Korea’s decision to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the people. The official and the people familiar with the matter were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Comments
Coleen R — If it matters, which it doesn’t, this may finally prove who’s the most effective evil, given that this greenlighting of WWIII news breaks as Biden is lecturing in the Amazon about his concerns for “humanity.”

Natalya P — Colleen,
Making sure that Russia would be placed in a position of choosing how to respond to the parting gifts from the outgoing vicious and vindictive administration will most likely accelerate urgency for the incoming Trump administration to prioritize normalizing relations with Russia to avoid escalating to WWIII nuclear. If they do not, Russia will make alternative decisions of which it has already warned the West. 2 months to block the same rockets they’ve been shooting down since the US had actually quietly supplied them despite open refusals. Not like they have not tried using them already and mega failed. How many of them does Ukraine have left anyway, after thorough Russian strikes? All it will do is give Russia an excuse to bombard their storage which will incur collateral damage from the Ukrainian people. Ugly, but manageable.

Barry K — For years I have promoted city level advisory ballot measures with an antiwar theme, which proved to be a powerful tool for peacemaking in the hands of Nuclear Freeze. I am still game if anyone wants to give it a whirl?

Steven S — I think one possible response would be for Russia to take out some of the satellites and drones that are being used to provide targeting information for strikes into Russia.