Tucker Carlson Interviews Vladimir Putin

Which progressives are ruling, Phat?If progressives were in charge I'd be an awful lot less angry at the US government.I've said this to you multiple times: The Democrats are center-right. There is a tiny branch of progressives (still not true leftists) in the Democrat coalition, but they have almost no actual power in the caucus.Joe Biden is not a progressive. Not even remotely close. Leftists hate Biden possibly even more than most Republicans do.Chuck Schumer is not a progressive. He is a liberal. So is Nancy Pelosi and most of the other bogeymen of the right. The Senate has a tiny majority controlled by center-right liberals, not progressives, not leftists. American foreign policy is evil. It has been evil for as long as it has been relevant. On very, very rare occasion, the broken clock happens upon the right time, and American foreign policy does something that doesn't only serve American interests, but also helps others.Leftists view American foreign policy as oppression and colonialism and exploitation. And those are the polite words.I don't know where you calibrated your political compass, but I don't think you touch base with reality at large very often.

That's a bunch of vague not-even-claims and a name-drop to your favorite YouTube "economist."It sounds like you've heard some people say some things, and it gave you some big scary feelings about the US dollar and the US economy. Are you able to point out any specifics? In what way specifically do you believe US economic policy has been mismanaged? Even just one specific example. Based on what? What does "winning" look like, by your definition? What's your reasoning behind saying that their chances are small?Estimates I've seen show that Russia can keep this up for a few more year, tops. They cannot replace all of the hardware they're losing. What Ukraine needs is constant resupply from the West - they have everything else they need to prevent Russia from encroaching further and taking over the country. They may or may not be able to recover all of Crimea, which was lost at the true start of this invasion, but as long as they continue to be supplied they can bleed Russia until they have no more equipment to send.The trick is aid from the West. Interesting how Putin's goals of conquest align so well with certain political figures who are currently holding up that aid. The Israel-Palestine conflict has existed for generations and has become cyclical. There is literally no way for Israel to "win" this with military force, if the victory condition is the elimination of "terrorism" from Gaza. The exception would be real total annihilation of the entire Palestinian population - not just genocide, but a completed genocide. There is some evidence that Israel intends exactly that. But outside of complete extermination, all that has happened is that Israel has guaranteed another generation of the conflict. If Hamas dissolves, a new group with a different name will simply rise. Possibly more than one. With tactics and personnel that Israel will not know.It takes more soldiers than the entire country of Israel has to stage a military occupation of Gaza and the West bank. The numbers required for successful occupation of a resistant population are known, and high. It's the same reason America failed in Afghanistan - it was a fool's errand from the start.A two-state solution is the only possibility, other than genocide or a complete redefinition of Israel.You can look at Northern Ireland and the Good Friday agreement for an example of what peace would look like. Peace, not a ceasefire. Note that a member of Sinn Fein, not-really but kind-of the equivalent of Hamas, was just elected First minister, the first time a member of that "terrorist" group has been elected to such a high office. That's a little like a member of Hamas being elected to the Israeli Knesset. This is after 26 years since the agreement was signed. The peace is not a completely happy one. Many who were killed will never have "justice." For the sake of peace, the cyclical hatred needed to be stopped. There will remain sorrow and disappointment and pain for generations yet, but the peace offers the chance for a better future.Israel and Palestine are similar. There is a history of colonialism, asymmetric warfare, terrorist attacks as resistance, reprisals. The situation is, (in my opinion) worse in Palestine. Peace is not won with bombs. Peace is not won by shooting everyone in a car, leaving a 6-year-old girl alone trapped with the dead corpses of her family for days, "clearing" the Red Crescent to rescue her, and then killing the ambulance drivers and the 6-year-old girl. That is what Israel is doing. They don't have to. It's not hurting Hamas. It's recruiting for Hamas. It's degrading international support for Israel. It's what Hamas wants, because they cannot possibly win a military victory against Israel.Terrorism is a PR campaign with violence. The goal is not a military victory, because one side of the conflict has no ability to win one. The goal is to turn neutrals into supporters, to turn supporters into active members. The goal is to degrade the support of the major power's allies, and to give an opportunity to their own international sympathizers. And that is precisely what is happening.You win against terrorism by subverting the terrorists. Be the organization that provides aid, helps provide autonomy and security, treats the people with dignity. Give the Palestinians a fair shake for the first time in 70 years. Fair includes full autonomy, not hamstrung deals that keep them totally at the mercy of Israel. None of this "Israel generously gives water necessary for life to Gaza." If you can turn off the spigot, you have control and they don't have autonomy.At this point the hate is too strong and an international group is likely needed to broker the deal and provide security, standing between the two sides to enforce peace. But this is how you start a lasting, enduring peace.Netanhayu doesn't want peace. He wants a scary bogeyman to keep his fragile political coalition together and avoid the criminal charges he has pending. It's the fascist playbook...again.