Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the head of the House Armed Services Committee, slammed the Biden administration’s Ukraine military aid policy, calling it “too cautious,” and called for the US to send more long-range artillery and drones.
“Ukraine borders Russia, if you give them a mortar shell that can go a mile, theoretically it can strike Russia,” Smith said. “The point of giving them the weapons is not to be able to strike into Russia, the point is to be able to hit the Russians who are in Ukraine from a longer, safer distance.”
While President Biden has shipped billions in military aid to Ukraine, there was some hesitancy over sending longer-range weapons over the fear of Ukrainian forces using them to hit targets in Russian territory. But the US ended up sending rocket systems with a 50-mile range and is considering selling Kyiv MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can be armed with hellfire missiles.
But these steps aren’t enough for Smith, who is frustrated that talks to sell the MQ-1 are being dragged out and wants the US to supply Ukraine with munitions that give the rocket systems a greater range than 50 miles.
Smith said most members of the House Armed Services Committee agreed the US should be more “aggressive” about what it gives Ukraine. Russian officials have repeatedly warned of serious consequences if Ukraine uses Western-provided arms to strike its territory. But the risk of provoking Moscow doesn’t appear to concern Smith or other hawks in Washington despite the fact that a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia could quickly spiral into nuclear war.
The Washington Hawks don’t seem to mind the prospect of potential nuclear confrontation. Makes me wonder why?…
Washington Hawks? No,Zionist masters. Why should they care about their slaves. Don’t exercise your brains wondering unnecessarily
Yes, theirs is a world of Big Ideas and Money; people don’t count.
Is this what Operation Z is all about?
They prefer that we focus on war, on escallation, on all the dangers that Woldemort represent. Anything, everything to have us mesmerized and sleepwalk thrlugh the inflation, raising interest rates to cool down the barely breathing economic growth. To have us not have the time or energy to take stock of the post Cold War period — and the ephocal screw up called Neocon era.
They have been getting away with empoverishing this country, making some more rich than many comtries combined, and bought thmselves the power to direct our thoughts in any directikn they liked,
They overshot, used our financial system and our currency as a weapon, and have the world recoil . Such brazen abuses of globalized infrastructure of finance and trade have caused a blow back. Sure, jacking up interest rates will bring some global investors back into the Treasuries market. But our debts are extreme. And cost of borrowing increases,
It s an equivalent of trashing. Spasms of abused system, Hoping for luck to turn things around.
But Woldemort will be blamed for all neocon gross mistakes and drunken global military overreach.
Who can reel it back? Neocons still brazenly in charge — no matter which party is in power. Their voices still drown out all conversation. They have become mainstream.
Could they be illegal aliens? That would make me laugh.
The Congressman from Boeing wants to sell more weapons … what a surprise.
Potential for escalation? For nuclear war? For Armageddon? Ah, well, can’t make an omelet w/o breaking a few eggs, amirite?
I do not see global warming crowd all up in arms about us flirting with nuclear war. Or extinction brigades worrying about all the endangered species. Where is woke crowd? Nuclear war prospect not enough to wake them up? Progressives? Bernie Sanders, Noam Chomsky?
Where is Greta now to lecture from UN podium, to warn leaders that young generations should have a chance to live?
Silence.
Climate change, racism, etc. are all “approved” concern areas .. Ukraine realism and nuclear brinksmanship, not so much. So wise public talking heads steer clear.
“Congressman from Boeing” Hee hee! But don’t forget Lockheed, Grumman, General Dynamics, etc, too!
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/adam-smith/industries?cid=N00007833&cycle=2018
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/adam-smith/summary?cid=N00007833&cycle=2020
Yes, he’s a direct descendent of Henry “Scoop” Jackson, isn’t he?
Of course it is Adam Smith. And prediictable cast. Their wish was granted by Putin — to stay in Ukraine, for a long, no deadline set — so their gorces cwn get bogged down. And give all the NATO brightest a challenge, If Rusia stays long time, and gradualy tskes over areas with Russian ethnic majority, and at this time Russian speaking Ukrsinians are just as fed up of Zelenski and his Lvov crowd,
Meaning that sweet dreams of resistance will evalorste.
Already in all areas that are under Rusdian control a new socksl service systems are set up to deal with vilnrrable population. Schools have Russian language back. access to Russian cell phone providers, media. And most popular — debt cancellation, Ukrsinians stopped paying out retirements, social service benefits, etc. Now Ukrsinian banks (foreign owned mostly) will not get their loan payments any more. And in due course, Zelenski and Co. will have no followers. And the West Ukrsiniann nationalists that suffered great losses will be looking for someone to blame.
So, rage is setting in — in all the quarters that are afflicted by Russia-hate above all. All other considerations are of secondary importsnce.
So, while se are swallowing the consequences of interest rate hikes to “cool” the non-existant economic growth -/ and choking on high gas prices, MORE momey to Ukraine,
General Clark wants NATO to intervene and ORDER Russia to stop! George Soros wants Russia stopped to save our civilization!
Watch out for zealots — they are going crazy.
Yes, thank God for Putin, rolling back Nazidom, … though yet a ways to go to get to the Soros tribe and the Butcher of Serbia.
You do a great service to Cosmos we observe. Thank you.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) another non-military idiot knows nothing!
Interesting to note that the further some people are from a combat zone the more belligerent they become.
Indeed … It’s almost a mathematical formula …
“Selling” the drones to Ukraine? But, how in the world could Ukraine pay? They already admitted that “revenues” (those that aren’t skimmed off and diverted into the ruling clique’s offshore bank accounts, that is) only cover “30%” of their current expenses, and Zelensky just demanded an additional $5 Billion per month in financial support. So what this knucklehead wants is for us to GIVE these drones to Ukraine. Still a stupid idea; but lets be honest about it at least.
“The point of giving them the weapons is not to be able to strike into
Russia, the point is to be able to hit the Russians who are in Ukraine
from a longer, safer distance.”
Exactly who is going to be made safer by this? Will it be the cannon fodder on the front lines? (Yes Ukraine has a lower class of people who get sent to the front lines just like the rest of the world, poor to the front and rich to the rear, way to the rear.)
Will it be safer in the areas inside of Ukraine where they will be targeted? Will it make it safer to travel by railway or roads as Russians use more heavy weaponry to take them out before they get within range?
When has escalating a US proxy war ever made anyone safer?
And just to put this out there but it seems our covid response and the war in Ukraine have something in common. They were both first and foremost about selling a product. What a boon for both big pharma and the war machine.