February 9 2024
The interview
1 Biden received politically damaging Special Counsel report, deliverers disastrous press conference
2 Trump cruises to victory in Nevada, Supreme Court skeptical of ballot removal
3 Zelensky fires top general as battlefield situation in Ukraine gets grimmer
4 Vladimir Putin interview
2/9/1775 Massachusetts colony declared in rebellion
see ad astra on x @greg_loving
1 Biden received politically damaging Special Counsel report, deliverers disastrous press conference
The decision on Thursday not to file criminal charges against President Biden for mishandling classified documents should have been an unequivocal legal exoneration. Instead, it was a political disaster. The investigation into Mr. Biden’s handling of the documents after being vice president concluded that he was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and had “diminished faculties in advancing age” — such startling assertions that they prompted a fiery and emotional attempt at political damage control from the president within hours.
NYT
When President Biden appeared at a last-minute news conference on Thursday night, he hoped to assure the country of his mental acuity hours after a special counsel’s report had devastatingly referred to him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Instead, a visibly angry Mr. Biden made the exact type of verbal flub that has kept Democrats so nervous for months, mistakenly referring to the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as the “president of Mexico” as he tried to address the latest developments in the war in Gaza.
NYT
2 Trump cruises to victory in Nevada, Supreme Court skeptical of ballot removal
Former President Donald J. Trump glided to victory in Nevada’s Republican caucuses on Thursday, an outcome all but guaranteed because he was the only major candidate on the ballot. The Associated Press declared Mr. Trump the winner shortly after caucus sites closed in Nevada, giving him his fourth straight triumph in a Republican nominating contest that awards delegates this year.
NYT
The Supreme Court on Thursday seemed poised to allow former president Donald Trump to remain on the Colorado ballot, expressing deep concerns about permitting a single state to disqualify the leading Republican candidate from seeking national office. Justices from across the ideological spectrum warned of troubling political ramifications if they do not reverse a ruling from Colorado’s top court that ordered Trump off the ballot after finding that he engaged in insurrection around the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
WaPo
3 Zelensky fires top general as battlefield situation in Ukraine gets grimmer
Volodymyr Zelensky has finally been successful in firing General Valerii Zaluzhny. This time, according to reporting coming from Kiev, Zaluzhny has accepted the order and has thanked Ukrainians for their sacrifice. Zelensky will now fire most of the top brass in the army aligned with Zaluzhny.
Exactly how a new team can make any difference is hard to say. Zelensky fired Zaluzhny so he could call the shots on the battlefield. Zelensky has no military background. Before running for President he was a TV comedian.
Lurking in the background is Kiev’s new draconian conscription law, which has now passed the first reading in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. Next week the Rada will have its second reading and the bill will be sent to Zelensky for signature. Zaluzhny refused to back the conscription law, and he likewise refused to go to the Rada to push them into passing it.
There is also the chance Russia will launch a larger scale offensive, probably in the Kharkiv direction. Reportedly there are 40,000 new Russian troops formed up for what might best be called a mini-offensive.
Alternatively, the Russians may decide to drive toward Kiev. They have already increased rocket attacks that include Kiev, and if the Ukrainian army starts to fold then the Russians will throw more troops into the fight aimed at Kiev. Zaluzhny may beat them to it. He will be hearing a lot of offers to take over the country.
Biden may have to face either the collapse of Ukraine as it is defeated by Russia or, possibly, a replacement government friendly to Moscow.
Weapons and Strategy
4 Vladimir Putin interview
https://x.com/tuckercarlson/status/1755734526678925682?s=46&t=nVb-5uC_WM3Cp0R0dGiqHQ
2/9/1775 British Parliament declares Massachusetts colony in rebellion, allowing soldiers to shoot rebels on sight
Have a good weekend!
