I wrote on Monday night how the “chickens of weakness had come home to roost for Joe Biden,” when it came to Russia and Ukraine. Joe Biden has done everything but physically bend over and say, “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” in his relationship with Vladimir Putin.

Even after Putin issued a declaration recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions of Ukraine, as independent nations — a prelude to invasion — Biden’s response was weak in the extreme. He said that they would prohibit Americans from trading in those two regions. A senior administration official even said that units moving into the area might not be enough to trigger the threatened, severe sanctions.

SAO: “Russian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step. Russia has had forces in the Donbas for the past 8 years.” But the SAO did say there will be additional sanctions imposed tomorrow.

— Ali Rogin (@AliRogin) February 21, 2022

Putin — who was likely gauging the response — knew that was nothing. So, that was quickly followed by reports of military units moving into the region Monday night.

The Biden Administration was even late in responding to that. They finally got around to it Tuesday, saying now an “invasion” was underway, and that “swift and severe sanctions” would now come into play.

Deputy NSA Jonathan Finer:

"We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia's latest invasion into Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/205jqZjYKA

— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) February 22, 2022

A White House official told Fox News that administration officials are calling it an invasion.

“The invasion has begun,” the official said. “So our sanctions response has begun.”

Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, during an interview on CNN Tuesday morning, was pressed on whether Russia’s latest activities would be considered an invasion.

“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine, and you’re already seeing the beginning of our response that we have said will be swift and severe,” Finer said.

When pressed again, Finer said: “I hear an invasion as an invasion and that is what is underway.”

But Finer noted that Russia has been “invading Ukraine since 2014” and have been occupying a “large piece” of Ukraine since then as well.

“Although they have denied it, Russian troop presence in exactly the two—what they call republics, but they’re really provinces of a sovereign Ukraine—that they recognized yesterday,” Finer said, referring to Putin’s recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk.

“So, Russia is essentially making overt what it has denied for some time, which is Russian troop presence in these places, and we’re taking steps in response to that,” Finer said.

Pressed further, Finer again called the activities an invasion.

“I mean, again, I guess for the third or fourth time, I am calling it an invasion,” he said. “We are taking a severe response, including sanctions on Russia that will be rolling out in a matter of hours.”

Finer said additional sanctions would be coming. Germany has already said it would stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the White House has indicated that they would agree with that.

“We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement,” Psaki said. “We will be following up with our own measures today.”

Oh, nice of them to finally get around to the sanctions, when Putin already has troops underway. Can we say “a day late and a dollar short”? They could have staved this off and they had months, even in January, when they could have stopped Nord Stream 2 as a sign that they had a spine. But they didn’t. Why should Putin think they have a spine now?