[Goose]

The whole kerfuffle is silly.

Putin knows Biden wants him out. The diplomatic community that's in a tizzy knows we want him out. But God forbid Biden sort of says it.

We've cut off his economy completely and seized the assets of all his associates, while supplying the arms that are killing his troops. He gets the message loud and clear.

I don't agree that the "kerfuffle is silly". You are correct that everybody knows that Biden and the vast majority of Western civilization wants Putin out. Putin knows that too. However, if it is the policy of the United States that Putin must go, that implies that we will take action to enforce that policy, i.e. kill Putin or support those who will. That would be an act of war, and justifies Putin's argument that the US wants to "run" Russia and the world. As was immediately stated by everybody in the "diplomatic community", regime change is NOT the US policy. We aren't going to take actions to remove Putin. If that is indeed the case, Biden's statement is very unhelpful. At best it muddies our policy and it certainly gives Putin the sound bite he needs to accuse the US of trying to depose him. Yes, we could just go to war and dispense with all the diplomatic courtesies, but failing that we had better observe those courtesies IMHO.

[Goose]

The whole kerfuffle is silly.

Putin knows Biden wants him out. The diplomatic community that's in a tizzy knows we want him out. But God forbid Biden sort of says it.

We've cut off his economy completely and seized the assets of all his associates, while supplying the arms that are killing his troops. He gets the message loud and clear.

I don't agree that the "kerfuffle is silly". You are correct that everybody knows that Biden and the vast majority of Western civilization wants Putin out. Putin knows that too. However, if it is the policy of the United States that Putin must go, that implies that we will take action to enforce that policy, i.e. kill Putin or support those who will. That would be an act of war, and justifies Putin's argument that the US wants to "run" Russia and the world. As was immediately stated by everybody in the "diplomatic community", regime change is NOT the US policy. We aren't going to take actions to remove Putin. If that is indeed the case, Biden's statement is very unhelpful. At best it muddies our policy and it certainly gives Putin the sound bite he needs to accuse the US of trying to depose him. Yes, we could just go to war and dispense with all the diplomatic courtesies, but failing that we had better observe those courtesies IMHO.