If you’ve read much of my writing here at RedState, it’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Germany. For years, they have absconded from their responsibilities regarding NATO, while tying themselves to the Russians.
Their contradictory behavior, demanding the U.S. pay for their defense from the very country they are enriching and empowering, was a point of contention throughout the Donald Trump administration. Unfortunately, because owning the orange man was always the priority of the American left, they chose to side with the Germans at every turn, claiming that application of pressure represented “undermining NATO.”
Here’s one exchange in which Trump challenged Germany on its attempts to play both sides.
Well thank God we didn’t re-elect this guy…
— NevilleTheCat (@FearTheFloof) February 24, 2022
Instead of supporting that common sense approach, the American left (and the neoconservative right) clutched their pearls and took the side of the Germans. Later, Joe Biden would run on the idea of “restoring” our alliances, but the results of that have been anything but positive.
Sure, the Europeans like Biden more than they did Trump, but that’s only because Biden gives them what they want without demanding anything in return. That has emboldened Germany and others to continue to spit in the face of the United States.
Unfortunately, as Russia continues to invade Ukraine, that has happened again.
EU officials tell me: At this point Germany and Italy are the main opponents for disconnecting russia from swift and this "key to decision" depends on them. And they are pressured to agree.
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) February 24, 2022
While there are few sanctions that would actually draw much blood from Russia, especially given the support Putin is now receiving from China, disconnecting the entire Russian financial sector from the SWIFT system would represent a major blow. With a full-scale invasion now taking place, you would think now would be the time to finally fire that bullet. Why keep anything in reserve at this point?
Yet, the Germans are once again standing in the way, despite the fact that Putin’s move was largely facilitated by their idiotic energy policies. In doing so, they are daring Joe Biden to challenge them.
Will he? I wouldn’t count on it. Having the approval of the Eurotrash leadership has long been a requirement for Biden, and he has made sure to never make a move without it. In reality, the United States does not need Germany’s permission to disconnect Russia from SWIFT. Yet, we are letting the second most responsible country for this invasion continue to dictate the terms to the rest of the world.
This should serve as a lesson that partisanship should stop at our own shores. The desire to own Donald Trump should not have taken priority over dealing with Germany properly. Now, the United States is operating from a position of weakness, and the current president doesn’t appear to have the resolve to tell the Germans to pound sand.
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