Is that three fingers of scotch or does it just look like it? And if it’s iced tea, then why isn’t there any ice? And why does he sip on it like it was liquor? I ask all these questions because the obvious take on this, that the Secretary of Defense could actually be sipping hard liquor while speaking about matters of defense and statesmanship, in public, is simply too hard to swallow. There has to be another explanation, right? But maybe there is not. Take a look.
1. I hope that non-sip of water was incredibly hydrating
2. Why In the world did you need to refer to a note card at that moment? Do you have any idea what you're doing? ANY IDEA?! pic.twitter.com/ihzyZSUOI2— ReSergent (@resergent) February 13, 2025
He has to look at notecards to remember basic names like Putin? While sipping on whatever that liquid was? Oh, man, this is getting too weird. We are the laughingstock of the world and not able to play the role we once did.
Twice in the twentieth century, American soldiers crossed the Atlantic to beat back German bids for European hegemony. From 1945 to 1991, the United States led a coalition of freedom-loving allies to contain and then to liberate the Soviet Empire. The result has been an unprecedented era of peace, prosperity, and liberty.
The long peace is on the verge of ending. Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group—the American-led consortium of 57 countries and the European Union cooperating to provide the Ukrainian military with weaponry and logistics support—new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth basically told the Europeans, We’re outta here!
The headlines focused on what Hegseth described as his “realistic assessment of the battlefield” in Ukraine. In practice that meant throwing Kyiv’s principal war aims—restoration of its 2014 borders and a quick path to NATO membership—in the trash. “Chasing this illusory goal,” declared Hegseth, “will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.” So much for the secretary’s vaunted “warrior ethos” or for striking a hard bargain in any negotiations with Russia; the Trump administration is Vladimir Putin’s most valuable asset.
More ominous still was Hegseth’s announcement that the European peace, so expensively bought and so long maintained, is no longer an American security priority. His purpose in attending the meeting was to “directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.” The Trump administration prefers to “recogniz[e] the reality of scarcity . . . focus on the security of our own borders . . . [and] prioritiz[e] deterring war with China in the Pacific.” […]
It gets worse. Hegseth suggested that the United States would maintain some nuclear umbrella over the European continent but “require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on the continent.” The next step in this process most likely would be a withdrawal of U.S. forces now stationed in Europe. This is a recipe for mischief. It goes a long way to undercut the deterrent value of American power while encouraging nuclear proliferation. Extended deterrence—i.e., the nuclear umbrella—rests on the assumption that the United States would be willing to use nuclear weapons in a war in Europe in which its forces were already engaged. With no forces engaged, the reason to use nuclear weapons—or even threaten their use—dwindles, and with no American nukes, others will seek their own.
It should not be assumed that a Europe confident in its ability to protect itself is ipso facto a good thing. European states have a very long history of quarreling with one another; part of the European Union’s success has been that, with the United States and NATO in the background, it has not had to worry about collective security. Who would doubt that in 1914 or 1939, Europe was more than capable of defending itself?
But even—perhaps especially—if the Europeans can hang together and reclaim great-power capabilities, there is no guarantee that Europe’s interests will always and perfectly align with ours. Europeans have tolerated our Middle East adventures, but in no small measure because they thought it would keep NATO strong. Germans, for example, would like to do more business in China and perhaps return to the salad days of cheap Russian energy. Even within NATO, Hungary and Slovakia take their cues from Moscow.
With the Trump administration taking its wrecking ball to the constitutional order here in America, it’s easy to miss the damage being done not only in Europe but elsewhere. It has been difficult enough and costly in blood and treasure to pacify Europe as the foundation for this first liberal international order. Having to start over would be even tougher and more costly.
That looks to be the way things are going to go, however. Hegseth is a monument to incompetence, as are all of Trump’s cabinet “junk drawer” picks. Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset. Marco Rubio is in over his head and it will bear watching to see how he copes with all of this.
The rest of the world is preparing to work around the United States because they see the handwriting on the wall and the level of people that are in charge. My spidey sense tells me that in the not so distant future the markets are going to get very nervous about all this and that is the one thing that always wakes Trump and his billionaires boys club up. You can’t have this level of freakish instability being spoken of as though it were normal and not have the markets take a dive. Right now is the calm before the storm. Enjoy it. It won’t last.
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. Well-written, informative piece.
Wish I could chip in.
If you’re here and reading, you’re helping.
focus on our own borders is a bit that I think slipped under the radar. does that mean us troops on our borders?
also, I had thought that putin wanted Trump to get us out of nato but I haven’t heard Trump say anything along those lines since the election. now I think putin wants us to stay in and destabilize the organization with crap like this. I do think the Europeans will step up for Ukraine since it’s very much in their own interest. putin has Trump stepping in to “negotiate” an end to the war because the Russian military is getting close to the end of their rope. Trump wants to give Russia all he can because they have lost so much that they need to get something out of it or they will look stupid, right? thing is, Ukraine and Europe aren’t going to let the us negotiate anything on our own. I hope.
‘”We’re even looking at Treasuries,” Trump said. “There could be a problem – you’ve been reading about that, with Treasuries and that could be an interesting problem.”
He added: “It could be that a lot of those things don’t count. In other words, that some of that stuff that we’re finding is very fraudulent, therefore maybe we have less debt than we thought.”‘
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/trump-says-us-might-have-less-debt-than-thought-2025-02-09/
An economist friend told me he is talking about Treasury bills held by China. It’s a not-so-veiled threat to unilaterally cancel that debt if China doesn’t kneel to his demands, which of course they won’t.
The upshot is China and many other countries that have traditionally bought US debt won’t be in the future. That will pull the rug out from underneath the capital and currency markets and the US will be unable to finance its debt, except by having the Federal Reserve buy it. Quantitative easing is the option of last resort and it could lead to inflation like the post-Covid interval, only worse.
So, yeah, it’s the calm before the storm, and it won’t be just Hegseth who will be hitting the bottle at the WH.
He’s an alcoholic, and not a functional one. Fired from 2 nonprofits for holding and sexually harassing co-workers. And THIS is what Fat Boy out in charge of our military. I think Petite Boy should run off with Junior and they can sniff cocaine and drink themselves into.a stupor. With any luck it’ll be on a safari and they will annoy an elephant or a lion and the animal.will.put an end to it.
There is no doubt in my mind that there was liquor in that glass. He’s probably drunk enough that he forgot that little “won’t drink on duty” thing.
Thinking really big for a moment, what could 47 try to do? Trade Taiwan and the Philippines in exchange for China canceling its US debt? Extort economic “deals” with Panama, Canada and Greenland that include strategic defense? Hand those countries, our nukes and whatever’s left of our secrets all over to his handler, Putin? Then further sabotage NATO? Give South Korea to Kim as an anniversary gift? Back Bibi nuking Iran? Let companies do “whatever the hell they want” to livable Earth for the right price?
Immunity at home and impunity abroad.
One day boycotts and short strikes aren’t entirely useless. They could be used to organize really shutting down the US, as the ACLU has apparently talked about.
I’ve called for only buying essentials, safety striking at home, withdrawing funds from petro banks, etc etc for years now. Hold out for our laws, rapidly implemented to right so many wrongs. Saving livable Earth and restoring biodiversity first among them. “They would not listen, they did not know how. Perhaps they’ll listen now.” Don McLean.