Sometimes top military warriors tell US war presidents the painful truth.
That happened yesterday when retired admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, urged President Biden to begin negotiations to end America’s newest endless war.
And a peculiar endless war it is….America squandering its desperately needed treasure so Ukraine can squander its economy, infrastructure and precious blood on a war it can’t win short of America nuking Russia.
President Biden is doing precisely the opposite: funneling endless billions to keep the war going while dismissing negotiations out of hand.
Mullen didn’t mince words, telling Biden to “back off” scaremongering words of nuclear Armageddon and quickly bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table. He called Biden’s remarks as being “at the top of the language scale” and he wasn’t being complementary.
Mullen was channeling those of us in the peace community when he said “As is typical in any war, it’s gotta end and usually there are negotiations associated with that. The sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
Biden’s war conduct has been worse than simply poo-pooing negotiations. He directly undermined a potential 15 point peace agreement in March brokered by Turkey that could have ended the war in its first month.
Turkey, bless em, will try again tomorrow when their President Erdogan will meet with Russian President Putin to discuss Turkey brokering a new round of peace talks.
That should be encouraging. But it’s likely to go nowhere when America, in its lust to degrade, weaken, Russia, keeps Ukraine President Zelensky’s hopeless dreams of victory alive.
Biden and the US war party still view perpetual war as the wealth of the state. More likely it’s the death of the state. This time it may include all of us.
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
“Biden’s war conduct has been worse than simply poo-pooing negotiations. He directly undermined a potential 15 point peace agreement in March brokered by Turkey that could have ended the war in its first month.” Walt is watching. Repeat it. Know it.
Many very smart people are talking about meeting and negociations but the morons Sleepy Joe and his Fascist cohorts are not listening. Power and Profits over butter and humanitys survival.Their decision is pretty clear