Does the Biden administration want direct war with Russia?

Hello this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 13^th day of May in the year of our Lord 2022. I will be looking at some recent actions of the U.S. in Ukraine which cause me to question whether the Administration is trying to provoke direct war with Russia in place of the proxy war it is now waging with Ukrainian blood and American treasure.

Mind Your Own Business!

A second name for this Castle Report might be mind your own business. That is a concept that is completely lost on American politicians today because minding our own business is the one thing they will not do. They want to stick our collective fingers in every rattlesnakes nest they find in this world, but do anything to protect our border, not on your life. Will they do anything about rising food and fuel costs, not likely. Reports indicate that food and fuel will cost the average American family an extra $3000 this year, but pay increases are hard to come by. In other words, we are getting poorer each day, but at least Ukraine gets its weapons. How about the coming food shortage that threatens every American, no time for that, but war on the other side of the planet, we can’t wait.

Direct war with Russia – same as happened in Vietnam

The U.S. seems to be pursuing a course of action in Ukraine which puts it in direct conflict with Russia. By direct I mean outside the obvious proxy war that Washington loves so much. It is a dangerous gamble, but one the administration is obviously willing to make with our lives. Once again, I ask myself if the shoe were on the other foot what would the U.S. do? These proxy wars have been fought between the powers surviving World War ll since that war ended. For example, In Korea the U.N. army led by the U.S. was opposed by Communist China and Russia with direct intervention by China, and proxy intervention by Russia.

Vietnam was similar in that both China and Russia supplied weapons and intelligence to fight the U.S. enemy. It was Russian technology and air defense systems that allowed North Vietnam to shoot down so many U.S. warplanes killing and imprisoning the pilots. That situation should have ended with the fall of the Soviet Union but no, here we are again. This time the situation is reversed with the U.S. supplying the weapons, technology, and intelligence to kill Russians. The question for discussion and the danger point is how close this Administration is coming to direct involvement in the war.

Even during Vietnam people weren’t laughing

I was a child during Korea, but I read a lot, and I certainly remember Vietnam and what happened during that roughly 15-year struggle. I can’t recall a single instance of Chinese and Russian assistance in killing Americans in which they openly laughed at the U.S. and mocked U.S. leadership. Now I don’t know if it was respect among enemies or just the fear of confronting a nuclear armed superpower especially in Korea when the U.S. was the only nuclear armed nation. I suspect it was that both sides recognized the wars as struggles between two competing world systems for world domination and therefore nothing personal.

Today, in contrast, the U.S. is openly killing Russians, destroying Russian war materials including capital ships, and then not only laughing, but dancing on the graves of dead Russians. Let me try to explain what I mean by that and why this policy is so dangerous. I wonder what the strategic value is, if any, in the following U.S. actions?

The Moskva Incident

U.S. officials told N.B.C. News that the U.S. did play a role in sinking the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, or in English the Moscow. I tried to analyze the sinking before the U.S. not only admitted to it but bragged about it, and I could not make sense of it. Given that the Moskva was specifically designed for anti-air defense and was more than 100 miles offshore, I just could not see any way the Ukrainians could have done it. The missiles used were subsonic and old technology and should have been easy prey for the Moskva’s anti-missile defense system, but apparently the ship’s radar system was confused by a large influx of armed drones which appeared to be attacking at the same time.

Russia can’t believe what it hears

The U.S. officials said the Ukrainians asked them about a ship in the Black Sea and were told by U.S. intelligence it was the Moskva and then the Ukrainians targeted the ship. The U.S. was not involved in the decision to strike. Yeah right, I know the intelligence was only shared to help Ukraine defend itself from attack by Russian ships. But If I don’t believe it, I doubt if Putin believes it. So, what is the danger here? The danger again is escalation of a small regional conflict into a full-blown war. Why, because I doubt whether Putin will be able to let this pass. The U.S., best case, assisted in sinking his flagship and that demands retaliation. Time will tell if it comes, and if so, in what form.

It seems that “senior American officials” just can’t act like they’ve been there before as Coach Bear Bryant used to tell his players when they got to the end zone. These U.S. officials just can’t seem to resist dancing in the end zone. Russian assistance killed a lot of U.S. flyers in Vietnam. But I don’t recall any end zone dances in public view. If the Moskva were all it would be enough, but there’s more.

Killing generals

At least 12 Russian generals that we know of have died in the war. And they were targeted by U.S. intelligence for the Ukrainians. Twelve generals killed in action in less than three months is astonishing. So one must admit that the U.S. ability to locate anyone anytime is amazing. According to reports from NBC News, the New York Times, and others, this targeting help is part of a classified effort by the Biden Administration to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine.

That intelligence includes Russian troop movements and obviously the ranks and identities of the officers leading those movements. That data, along with the new U.S. supplied 175MM howitzers allows the Ukrainians to put massive artillery shells on pinpoint locations. This level of intelligence has few if any precedents in the history of warfare. The U.S. intelligence capability along with billions of dollars of the most advanced weaponry has bolstered the Ukrainian army to the point where it reportedly has more functional tanks than the Russians.

Targeting the Russian high command is another escalation along with the Moskva. And if Putin doesn’t do something about it my guess is that he risks being deposed. He is smart enough to understand that. But although the Americans would dance on his grave, his replacement would undoubtably be worse. This is so bad that even Thomas Friedman of The New York Times is scratching his head and wondering why. How does this public disclosure, this bragging help the U.S. in any way?

Weakening Russia? Are they sure?

Friedman quoted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin when Austin said that we want to weaken Russia. Then he went on to say this.

Please tell me this statement was a result of a National Security Council meeting led by the president. And that they decided after carefully weighing all the second-and third-order consequences, that it is in our interest and within our power to so badly degrade Russia’s military that it will not be able to project power again—soon? Ever? not clear—and that we can do that without risking a nuclear response from a humiliated Putin.

Have no doubts: I hope this war ends with Russia’s military sharply degraded and Putin out of power. I’d just never say so publicly if I were in leadership, because it buys you nothing and can potentially cost you a lot. There has been way too much of this from the Biden team, and the messes have required too much mopping up.

Are our leaders insane?

Yes Thomas, you would not say it publicly because even though you are a Democrat, you are apparently sane. Insane people say things like this administration has said publicly because it is in effect a dare to Putin. I dare you to do something in retaliation like attack a NATO target. The result of that dare if called, would most likely get the U.S. directly into war with Russia. Could that be the actual desire of those running the Biden administration? I hope and I pray that these people are just lunatics, not homicidal lunatics.

Most of the reports I read from the U.S. and European sources say that the likelihood that Ukraine can defeat Russia and win the war is increasing. That belief probably prevents the U.S. from demanding or even seeking a diplomatic solution. War planners are willing to flirt with Armageddon to achieve their goal of a new American century and the Great Reset, it seems.

Is Russia bluffing? Seriously?

It concerns me that U.S. officials have that smug smile on their faces that would make anyone want to slap it off, let alone Vladimir Putin. Even the Council on Foreign Relations has spoken on behalf of the U.S. providing every weapon, every piece of intelligence it takes for Ukraine to win. Max Boot, Mr. Neocon himself, speaks in his CFR article about inflicting a humiliating defeat on Russia. I wonder if the CFR endorsement of U.S. policy answers any questions about U.S. policy. Max Boot considers Putin’s repeated threats about tactical nuclear weapons to be bluffing.

Again, I wonder if this administration, perhaps following the guidance or encouragement of the CFR, and other global organizations, wants to provoke Russia into a retaliation in which all bets would be off and a full NATO response could be justified. I’m afraid that the U.S. is developing a carefree attitude because of Putin’s lack of response thus far. Ukraine is getting stronger with better equipment arriving daily. Russia appears to be getting weaker and more depleted each day. I just wonder if this wounded bear is still very dangerous.

How dangerous?

Putin has been maimed and weakened. His military has been exposed, at least to this point, as second rate, but why taunt him. It violates Sun Tzu’s rules of war to do so. Sun Tzu said that when your enemy is weak and defeated offer him a golden bridge over which he can retreat. Right now, Putin and Russian pride has been wounded before the whole world. Putin reportedly has cancer and will need an operation that will reportedly keep him out of power for about three days. His appointed interim is a notorious hardliner from Russian intelligence. Right now, I submit, would be a good time to seek a diplomatic solution.

The chances of a devastating and humiliating Russian defeat are growing stronger and at the same time American officials are bragging that they are largely responsible for it. There are ominous signs coming from Moscow that would give anyone other than Joe Biden pause to stop and think. Russian news reports are quite different from those we are exposed to here in the U.S. Russian hardliners, especially military veterans are demanding that Putin quit showing restraint and deal their enemy a blow that will wipe that smug smile I alluded to, off their faces. Has he shown restraint? Who can say, but they certainly think so?

The importance of Ukraine to Russia

Don’t give in to Putin’s nuclear blackmail the hawks say. But they don’t seem to realize that Ukraine is vitally important to Russia’s security. I doubt if Putin will give up his land bridge to Crimea, and certainly not Crimea itself. The possibility of a catastrophic defeat of a great power, a heavily nuclear armed great power, and the consequences of that doesn’t seem to occur to the hawks. I just don’t see Russians losing their Black Sea Fleet and their army in Ukraine and just shrugging it off. The risks that U.S. officials are taking are careless, and gamble not their lives but ours.

In conclusion, President Biden asked congress for 33 billion more dollars of debt to aid Ukraine. But congress said no, 40 billion would be better. More than half of that in weapons and the rest in various boondoggles including 900 million for aid to Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. The vote was 368 for and 57 against. The U.S. is currently 31 trillion in debt that is admitted and on the books. That 40 billion is about $125 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. And since only about 50% now pay income tax that is about $250 for each of them.

Madness

Finally, folks, this is absolute madness and lunacy. Are the people who voted for this 40 billion lunatics? Or are they motivated by profit? Because after all most of the money goes right in the pocket of U.S. weapons manufacturers. Perhaps they are neither and simply obey the commands of higher authority. My best guess is that most are a combination of all three.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle.

From castlereport.us, appearing here by permission.

Your editor has weighed in before about this President throwing fighting words around. See here.