Thunderous applause is expected Tuesday night when President Joe Biden will pay tribute to the outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainians resisting the Russian invasion.
But words like liberty and democracy, which Biden invoked on Thursday to praise these heroes, are not enough. Words have to be backed up by military might and energy dominance.
Putin’s predatory ambitions will not stop with Ukraine. He’s likely eyeing Latvia, Lithuania, and other eastern European countries once under Soviet domination and now part of NATO.
To ensure that NATO holds together to meet this challenge, Biden should announce a 180-degree turn in American energy policy and a shift in military priorities from wokeness to combat readiness.
NATO’s survival seemed questionable until its second-largest member, Germany, finally did a sudden about-face last week. Calling the invasion of Ukraine a “turning point,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany must halt its dependence on Russian energy, increase military spending and reassess economic entanglements with Russia.
Scholz’s bold moves were the first sign that the NATO alliance would survive. After all, Germany had made itself into an energy supplicant. It closed down its coal-fired power plants, banned fracking altogether, shut its nuclear power facilities, and became 40% dependent on Russian natural gas to heat its homes.
When the Ukraine invasion began, Germany waffled, begging the U.S. not to include energy products in its economic sanctions against the Russians and sending a laughable 5,000 helmets to Ukraine.
But Scholz had his epiphany. Now it’s Biden’s turn.
Biden and the Democrats have spent the last year dismantling America’s energy independence by suspending new drilling on federal lands, shutting down the Keystone Pipeline, and signaling policies that will deter investment in fossil fuel production, making us energy eunuchs. The U.S. is producing much less oil than before the pandemic. Prices are soaring because demand exceeds supply. You’re paying it at the pump.
Months ago, Biden actually appealed to the Russians to ramp up their oil production. Music to Putin’s ears. More American dollars that can be turned into Russian bullets.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is the 3 a.m. wake-up call for the United States to become energy independent at home and the chief supplier of energy — mainly liquified natural gas — to Europe. Putin no doubt was chuckling at the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry implored countries to stop producing fossil fuel while Russia became an energy superpower.
Don’t count on NATO allies who cannot stand up to Putin if Russia can turn off their heat.
In Tuesday’s message, Biden should also demand military preparedness. Democrats have been pushing to reduce defense spending, and prior to the invasion, Biden wanted to flatline it. American ground forces get good ratings in a recent General Accountability Office report, but the Navy is in urgent need of maintenance and new ships.
It’s not just about money. Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley recently testified that under Biden, the military has expended nearly six million manhours addressing climate change, diversity, and extremism. Meanwhile, the Air Force and Navy are cutting back on pilot training hours. According to the Air Force, hours have been reduced “below what is required to maintain high levels of proficiency.”
That’s good news to Putin: pilots knowing more about wokeness than wingspans.
Biden should also question whether doing business with predatory nations like Russia and even China is shooting ourselves in the foot. It naively enriches the economies and arsenals of countries that are out to bring us down.
Tuesday night, millions will be listening to Biden — in America, across Eastern Europe, where people fear Putin’s next moves, and even in China, where President Xi Jinping is sizing Biden up.
Until now, Putin and Xi, who signed a mutual cooperation agreement on Feb. 4, smelled blood in the water because of Biden’s weakness. What they and the entire world need to hear from Biden is an aggressive course of action. Uplifting words about liberty and democracy will not be enough. Biden needs to call for energy independence and military readiness. Nothing less will do.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey.
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Another coulda, shoulda, woulda article about what Biden and his administration should do but will never actually even consider doing. Nicely written though. Yes, we all know the situation involving Ukraine, like everything else the Biden administration has touched, has been badly mishandled, but this administration will never admit it made an error nor will it ever change course in terms of policy. Unfortunately, we are stuck with these destructive people until at least January of 2025. Elections matter no matter how they are “won”. Just ask the citizens of Iran, Russia and China what they think of their so-called elections. Remember, what matters is who counts the votes, not the voters themselves.
What he should do is commit himself into an Alhztimers treatment center!
For the life of me, I do not understand how anyone can look at ANY dem-Communist and think they will function as an American!
These people have loathed America since 1960. They show it daily!
Believe the WORST of them in order to appear sane. They are never going to do things that are positive for America. Get over it. We must get every last one of them out of power and far away from any lever of power.
These are all nice ideas, but it is EXTREMELY unlikely that Biden’s sorority sister handlers will do these things. They are True Believers in global warming and communists.
Dementia Joe doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. The fool is only aware of ice cream flavors.
” Scholz’s bold moves were the first sign that the NATO alliance would survive. After all, Germany had made itself into an energy supplicant. It closed down its coal-fired power plants, banned fracking altogether, shut its nuclear power facilities, and became 40% dependent on Russian natural gas to heat its homes. ” Golly , this sounds just like us .
The best thing Brandon could do is to pack himself and the rest of his Democrats into a Cruise ship. They sink at the blink of an eye, so maybe we’ll get lucky…
“What Biden Should Do, Not Just Say, About Ukraine”. BIDEN NEVER “DOES”! HE’S ALWAYS “SAYING”!
A QUOTE THAT HAS SERVED ME WELL IN BOTH MY PERSONAL AND BUSINESS LIFE.
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”
― Andrew Carnegie
47 years of empty “saying” vs 4 years of promises kept “doing”.
It is too late for anything Dementia Joe does to affect the outcome of the Ukraine war. All he can do is make it worse for us by involving the US in fighting Russians – which would guarantee nuclear war with Russia. Russia might just nuke us anyway just because they are angry at our arming the Ukranians, but Dementia Joe needs to stay away from fighting them. And as for the other Europeans, they best thing they can do is to call a Constitutional Convention to unite the EU into an actual empire and start producing massive numbers of nukes. They should give up the notion that the US will defend them, and they need to draft their own EU army, build their own nuclear weapons under direct EU control, and defend themselves.
DICTATOR Beijing biden couldn’t find a fart in a dust storm.
This whole thing is because of Biden. He loves wars, like all his democrat counterparts. He kept saying it and pushing for war. Using his Saul Alinsky (Obama) rules. Actually he’s fronting Obama’s 3rd and destructive term. So, Putin probably thought ‘why not, he’s a weakling’.
Joebama O’Biden won’t do anything surrounding the Ukraine on two facts, first of all he’s not in charge and second he’d love to see Zelenskyy get zapped because he’s got dirt on the Biden Crime Family!
China is definitely going to take Taiwan it’s 100 percent guaranteed. XI is sitting patently like a vulture to simply walk in without any real conflict and become the worlds leader in the lucrative and essential technology sector. Probably within the next year. Biden is a soft and pathetic old fool and a compromised thief who totally sold out our country. The evidence is overwhelming as to what a liar and corrupt politician he is and has always been. And so are too many others on both sides of the political system. We need our country back and completely independent from hostile and dangerous communist countries. We’re well aware of the lucrative and politically connected favors that made ordinary politicians filthy rich.They must be severely punished and replaced now. Cannot trust any of them.
Another coulda, shoulda, woulda article about what Biden and his administration should do but will never actually even consider doing. Nicely written though. Yes, we all know the situation involving Ukraine, like everything else the Biden administration has touched, has been badly mishandled, but this administration will never admit it made an error nor will it ever change course in terms of policy. Unfortunately, we are stuck with these destructive people until at least January of 2025. Elections matter no matter how they are “won”. Just ask the citizens of Iran, Russia and China what they think of their so-called elections. Remember, what matters is who counts the votes, not the voters themselves.
What he should do is commit himself into an Alhztimers treatment center!
For the life of me, I do not understand how anyone can look at ANY dem-Communist and think they will function as an American!
These people have loathed America since 1960. They show it daily!
Believe the WORST of them in order to appear sane. They are never going to do things that are positive for America. Get over it. We must get every last one of them out of power and far away from any lever of power.
These are all nice ideas, but it is EXTREMELY unlikely that Biden’s sorority sister handlers will do these things. They are True Believers in global warming and communists.
Dementia Joe doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. The fool is only aware of ice cream flavors.
” Scholz’s bold moves were the first sign that the NATO alliance would survive. After all, Germany had made itself into an energy supplicant. It closed down its coal-fired power plants, banned fracking altogether, shut its nuclear power facilities, and became 40% dependent on Russian natural gas to heat its homes. ” Golly , this sounds just like us .
The best thing Brandon could do is to pack himself and the rest of his Democrats into a Cruise ship. They sink at the blink of an eye, so maybe we’ll get lucky…
“What Biden Should Do, Not Just Say, About Ukraine”. BIDEN NEVER “DOES”! HE’S ALWAYS “SAYING”!
A QUOTE THAT HAS SERVED ME WELL IN BOTH MY PERSONAL AND BUSINESS LIFE.
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”
― Andrew Carnegie
47 years of empty “saying” vs 4 years of promises kept “doing”.
It is too late for anything Dementia Joe does to affect the outcome of the Ukraine war. All he can do is make it worse for us by involving the US in fighting Russians – which would guarantee nuclear war with Russia. Russia might just nuke us anyway just because they are angry at our arming the Ukranians, but Dementia Joe needs to stay away from fighting them. And as for the other Europeans, they best thing they can do is to call a Constitutional Convention to unite the EU into an actual empire and start producing massive numbers of nukes. They should give up the notion that the US will defend them, and they need to draft their own EU army, build their own nuclear weapons under direct EU control, and defend themselves.
DICTATOR Beijing biden couldn’t find a fart in a dust storm.
This whole thing is because of Biden. He loves wars, like all his democrat counterparts. He kept saying it and pushing for war. Using his Saul Alinsky (Obama) rules. Actually he’s fronting Obama’s 3rd and destructive term. So, Putin probably thought ‘why not, he’s a weakling’.
Joebama O’Biden won’t do anything surrounding the Ukraine on two facts, first of all he’s not in charge and second he’d love to see Zelenskyy get zapped because he’s got dirt on the Biden Crime Family!
China is definitely going to take Taiwan it’s 100 percent guaranteed. XI is sitting patently like a vulture to simply walk in without any real conflict and become the worlds leader in the lucrative and essential technology sector. Probably within the next year. Biden is a soft and pathetic old fool and a compromised thief who totally sold out our country. The evidence is overwhelming as to what a liar and corrupt politician he is and has always been. And so are too many others on both sides of the political system. We need our country back and completely independent from hostile and dangerous communist countries. We’re well aware of the lucrative and politically connected favors that made ordinary politicians filthy rich.They must be severely punished and replaced now. Cannot trust any of them.