Ukraine, and The Subject of War, Mr. President
A fireside chat with President Biden
The President will see you now, Mr. Hogg.
“’bout bloody time, I’ve been waiting nearly two hours.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, you must understand the President is a busy man. This way please.”
Yeh, like the rest of us having nothing to do, I thought, following the secretary out.
The reason I’m here, apart from being to protest, is to find out why, on Joe’s watch, shells are raining down on innocent women and children, three million people have been displaced and counting, tens of thousands of soldiers are ill-equipped, and face being overcome by the Russian forces, if not now, soon enough. The administration seems hell-bent on negotiating with a tyrant.
Such a practical and diplomatic course has been chosen many times. I remember Lord Chamberlain arriving back in London waving a sheet of paper saying peace had been agreed with Hitler. Yeh, right.
The secretary opens the large wooden door to the Oval Office. The old guy doesn’t walk as well as he once did, but that smile is one I recognize, the white hair, the genial welcome.
“Hello Harry, come on in, take a seat on the couch. Would you care for a coffee, a tea maybe?”
“Tea works, Joe. Thanks,” and sit on the couch. I think this deep blue rug wasn’t cheap, that’s a presidential seal in the middle. Yep, there’s the resolute desk, no diet coke order button, and wow, look at some of these pictures, among them, Rosa Parks, and Cesar Chavez. Refreshing little touches.
“I’ll take a tea, Joe.”
He walks slowly to the resolute desk, his knees not what they were, and uses the telecom to order tea for two, “…and a couple of pieces of chocolate cake.”
Joe returns to the couch, and sits down, crossing one leg over the other, his trouser leg pulled short enough to reveal the top of his navy-blue socks.
“So, Harry. Your Medium posts have been brought to my attention. You’re disappointed with the way my administration is dealing with Russia, and its choice to go to war with Ukraine.”
I lean forward, as I’m apt to do when I feel heated about a subject, and rest my forearms on my knees.
“Disappointed is not a word that first comes to mind, Joe. I’m pissed off. In fact, I’m really pissed off.”
“Okay, well this is the reason for our meeting. I want to hear what your concerns are. I know that you’re a democrat, that you supported my presidency, and have suggested many times I’m the right man in the right seat. What’s going on, Harry, … oh, here’s the tea.”
The tray is set down on a table between us.
“Here’s the deal, Joe. At rock bottom, you’re not prepared to put American troops into Ukraine, or American pilots in the air above Ukraine. The administration’s point of view is that such a move would invite a third world war. Okay, Joe, you’re a nice enough guy, really, I mean that much nicer and beyond smart when comparing with your predecessor, but at what point do you think a diplomatic debate will end in Ukraine’s favor? How many must be displaced, murdered, and their country flattened until it cannot be recognized as a place once inhabited by a democratic nation?”
Joe rests back on the couch and throws his left arm to rest along the top.
“All good points, Harry. Ones I’ve read on Medium. But I’ve noticed many of your followers have a tendency toward diplomacy. Look, here’s the thing about diplomacy when done right. I have spent a good amount of my time repairing our relationship with Europe. I’m proud to say that Europe, including NATO, who you’ll recall did not have a good relationship with our earlier president. But here we are, all aligned, strong, moving as one. That is powerful, Harry.
As you know, earlier today I spoke with Xi, and during our call explained that China would suffer severe economic circumstances if they were to choose to supply arms to Russia.
Look, Harry, Putin is a one-horse race. He is first and last at the same time. He cannot count on China. They will buddy up but won’t give up. There’s no advantage for them to do so. The three nations in the world where a nuclear war was likely, are us, though we would only act in self-defense, Russia, and China. I’m not saying there’s no one else, but these three are the most likely.
If China is not prepared to back Russia, Putin is running a bluff. Do I go and announce this to the world, push Putin’s button, sorry if that’s a pun, and back him into a dark corner?
The Sanctions in place are killing his economy, breaking up the great fortunes of his followers, the oligarchs. They are being broken down, Harry. The longer Putin keeps up his war with Ukraine the more pressure from people who believed he had total power. He doesn’t. He won’t.
Now I’m getting hot under the collar, ready to take Joe to pieces.
“Excuse me, Mr. President. That’s all so pretty and neat. I mean its kind of perfect if you’re in The White House, and anyone who has an argument with your policy is in a stricken democracy waiting on you to act. They have no heat, no food, no reserves of energy, sitting huddled up in a bombed-out shelter in some shell-shot crumbled apartment block, waiting to die. I believe they see an entirely different set of options.
You are letting a dictator sink deeper and deeper into a hole from which there will be no escape. That will take several more months, maybe a year, and in that time how many will die? Fuck, Joe, this is prehistoric, fighting with bottled fire, rubber tires, man-to-man combat?
Jesus save me, we are a nation thinking about traveling to Mars! What you said, it’s rubbish Joe. It’s pure rubbish.
In a few months, the world will be short of wheat.
China is the biggest provider of wheat and corn. Ukraine, also a vast producer of wheat and corn is set to produce none. So then, not only will a gallon of gas cost three cups of Starbuck’s coffee, but there also won’t be any bread.
This is diplomacy for you? There is no such thing with any autocrat. China is looking at the sales of wheat, and you’ll tell China if it sides with Russia, Europe, and the US will not buy their wheat.
Good luck Canada!”
All the damn cards have been dealt and you are doing the diplomacy thing because you believe Putin might have four aces up his sleeve. Give me a break, Joe. It makes no sense.
Putin causing a nuclear war has less chance than you winning the lottery. In fact, here’s the deal, Joe. I’ll challenge you, you buy a lottery ticket, if you win, I’ll shut my mouth and go home, lose and you take Putin to task in a serious way.
Or maybe you and I should debate this for a month, and do some diplomacy thing while too many people all over the world will suffer autocrats and starve. Is it a deal, Joe?”
Joe comes forward, leaning his torso in to meet mine, and interlocks his fingers.
“Do you believe I’m a person who doesn’t feel responsible for the Ukrainian families suffering? For the world’s suffering? That every day that passes, the more news I receive about the horrors the Russian army is dealing out on innocent people, the more tempted I am to use our mighty power, but to what end, Harry?
The world has rules.
Countries have rules.
Governments have rules.
Are we to forget that such rules exist? What will happen to humanity if we cannot stand by our agreements made for the benefit of all mankind?”
I am three inches from his nose.
“I’ll tell you what will happen, Joe, each fucking world autocrat will walk up to and punch you in the face. He will not go to court, he will not pay for his war crimes, he will be given a probationary period, and take his seat back in the Kremlin. Here’s what you are doing, you are playing chess with Putin. Putin moved his pawns in every direction. He will welcome the suffering, telling his people the world fears us.
Putin is a bully, as bad as the one in the playground, whose kicker is to hear his victim cry.
I didn’t ever think we could be in a situation where we call upon God to overcome a tyrant, a bully, a dictator holding whose game is to hold the world to ransom because he has a big penis hidden on in a silo somewhere.”
“Well, Harry, I guess this is why I am President, and you are a Medium blogger.”
“I came here to tell you I admire and respect you. Clearly, you know so much more about our dilemma and some of those things I have no knowledge of.
But Joe, we’ve got to wake up, people are dying all over the world, in many wars, all of them started by autocrats.
Democracy is powerful but we’ve learned that it can be brought to its knees by the color orange. Come on, Joe, help me out here.”
“I get you, Harry, I really do. I wish it were that simple. The world is a fragile place. There are many ways we need to look after it. Keep up your criticism, it’s important.”
“I’ve got to go, Joe. Jenny’s waiting in the Rose Garden. Thanks for the tea, can I get a doggy bag for the chocolate cake?”
“Of course, Harry. Don’t forget, your vote was important to me. I want to do what’s right for the nation.”
“I get it, Joe, but ask the Ukrainian people what they expect from the most powerful democratic nation on Earth. Do what is right for them.
Thanks for the cake. Oh, and I like Rosa Park's portrait. See ya, Joe”
