Like most Americans, I’m ethnically European, and I’m quite proud of my mainly German and Irish ancestry. My grandfather, Jules Achenbach, was an American soldier in WW I, and my father and his four brothers, sons of an Irish mother, all served in WW II. But I will resist with every ounce of energy I possess any move to send American soldiers to fight in another European war. Twice is enough. Three times is just too much.
NATO is dead. It’s a relic of the Cold War, and, having served its purpose, should be discarded. If Russia is a threat to Europe, that’s their problem, not ours. Western Europe is as rich and large and populous as we are. They are more than a match for the Russians, if they choose to defend themselves. And it’s their choice.
I’m an Anglophile and a staunch supporter of Israel, and feel an attack on Britain or Israel would be like an attack on a relative, which I would fight for. But not Germany, or France or the Baltics. We are not the world’s policeman. We’re secure by our status as a continental island. No one is a threat to us.
So let’s be clear. If we fight to defend Europe we’re doing it for the money. We have an enormous economic stake in Europe, and if it was to become a shambles it would reduce our standard of living. GDP could go down 15%. Is that worth dying for?
But there shouldn’t be a European war. Trump and Putin need to come to an understanding, of what is off limits. The eastern Ukraine may have to go, and something may need to happen with the million ethnic Russians in the Baltics. Other than that, we have no territorial or other disputes with them.
Hitler got the same deal at Munich, when he was given the Sudetenland, the equivalent of eastern Ukraine. But Hitler was crazy, and actively sought war with the Soviets. Putin is not crazy, and he will not treat Trump the way Hitler treated Stalin. He doesn’t want a war.
Trump could go down in history as the man who created the Russian-American Entente of the 21st century. That would be one for the books. Together, we could make short work of the jihadis. And together we could reach an understanding with the Chinese.
Vladimir Putin is a ruthless killer, who has the support of the Russian people. Coming to an understanding with him is in the best interest of the American people. And isn’t that what our foreign policy should be all about? Is it good, or bad, for the American people to have good relations with Russia?
I happened to catch Ted Cruz “questioning” Jeff Sessions at the confirmation hearings. He put Al Franken on a spit, and grilled him. Sen. Sessions was loving every moment. It might even wind up getting Ted out of the Senate, and off to the Supreme Court, where he so clearly belongs.
reaganproject.com 