Scholarship table
Is she gonna sing the Star Spangled Banner at the super bowl?
Not sure what BG has to do with Ukraine but I trust the professionals in the State Department to have concluded that this was the best deal they could have made. I think it's also noteworthy that Bout has already served 14 years of his sentence. It is questionable that he will ever be able to return to arms trafficking. It was noteworthy how the President warned all U.S. travelers to make themselves aware of the State Department's travel bulletins before leaving the country.
I think Bout may not last long in Russia either.
As I pointed out to someone, that Bout now has to actually live in Russia which just plain sucks. He was probably better off in a US prison.
Optics is all that mattered here.Russia was able to bully the US into releasing a scumbag to get a basketball player back.
Not really, but whatever.
Explain how that isn't the case. Russia got what it wanted, and sent a pretty terrible message to the world. Which also makes the US appear weak.Are BG and her family happy? I'm sure they're ecstatic, and I'm very happy for them. But the message sent to the world today is that you can arrest a US citizen, convict and hold them on a trumped up charge, and then ransom them for a global terrorist.
Pentagon already is quoted as saying they worry about him returning to arms trafficking YEP. Regardless of Whelan’s family saying they are happy for BG, the fact that Russia was like “nah, not him for a notorious global criminal, just a petty civilian” is terrible messaging and optics.And it has nothing to do with armchair expertise, the only positive response I’ve seen from this all day is from people pushing a very distinct agenda. Which is as pathetic as people claiming a certain former president would have done so much better,
What's the deal with this guy? Saw a few social media mentions today
Yes. Americans are today less safe due to this decision.
Pentagon already is quoted as saying they worry about him returning to arms trafficking
Not just a basketball player - a basketball player who is at least a minor celebrity, African American and a member of the LGBTQ community. That’s also part of the optics that mattered. None of the other Americans being held hostage checked any of those boxes.Maybe this was the “best deal available”. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bad deal.
You're more likely to be harmed by a dentist than Viktor Bout.