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ManhattanJuryAppreciator
@ratelimitexceeder.bsky.social
They said it couldn’t be done and New York got it done. Exceeded my rate limits on Twitter so now I'm here. Sh*tposts and takes on politics, movies, culture, whatever.
1.6k followers930 following12.7k posts

There's a lot of crazy stuff in here, but the details of us talking Russia off the ledge of using a tactical nuke, if accurate, suggest that the war in Ukraine could go sideways at any given moment. Also that the Biden/Austin/Blinken triumvirate is unmatched in the 21st century.

‘That son of a bitch’: New Woodward book reveals candid behind-the-scenes conversations of Biden, Trump, Harris and Putin | CNN Politics
‘That son of a bitch’: New Woodward book reveals candid behind-the-scenes conversations of Biden, Trump, Harris and Putin | CNN Politics

In his new book, legendary journalist Bob Woodward offers a remarkable look behind the scenes at President Joe Biden’s blunt, profanity-laced assessments and interactions with the world leaders who ha...

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TNincompetusrex.bsky.social

Austin has balls of steel.

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SBdocbenway.bsky.social

This reads like Tom Clancy.

The book recounts a tense phone call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart in October 2022.

“If you did this, all the restraints that we have been operating under in Ukraine would be reconsidered,” Austin said to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to Woodward. “This would isolate Russia on the world stage to a degree you Russians cannot fully appreciate.”

“I don’t take kindly to being threatened,” Shoigu responded.

“Mr. Minister,” Austin said, according to Woodward, “I am the leader of the most powerful military in the history of the world. I don’t make threats.”
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Which is so counter to their image now, at least on the internet, that even if it's oversold it's a useful corrective. Like, this is some difficult shit!

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Tilliteratehunk.bsky.social

It sounded like Shoigu blinked pretty hard when Austin pushed. Previous reporting made it sound like the Russians contemplated a nuclear demonstration shot during the catastrophic maneuver phase of the war, and that they felt more confident and less trigger happy once the war shifted to attrition.

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ManhattanJuryAppreciator
@ratelimitexceeder.bsky.social
They said it couldn’t be done and New York got it done. Exceeded my rate limits on Twitter so now I'm here. Sh*tposts and takes on politics, movies, culture, whatever.
1.6k followers930 following12.7k posts