TRUMP TO PUTIN. ‘ IF THIS IS A GAME OF BLUFF……. LET’S SEE WHO BLINKS’!

               First off, let me apologize for the caption attached to the picture I placed on this post, but if I were believe some of the statements I’ve read this morning made by the “experts”, then yep…..Homer may be correct! Is it time to get to your local bomb shelter? Well, even if it was, they haven’t been stocked or maintained for years. Is it time to start stocking up on ammo and dry food….time to get out the Zombie Apocalypse kit? I hope not. Could two headstrong, unbalanced world leaders stumble into a conflict? Well, that is the million dollar question everyone should be asking today. Okay, is this bad? Yes. Is this worse than anything else that has happened in the past fifty years, Cuba? It may be close. Bottomline, do I think the US and the Russians are about to have more than a proxy fight in the Middle East? No! No I do not. Now, having said that, let’s take a look at a few issues that could push this issue ether way.

The Bluff Game:

               It’s a given the Russians compiled a very……very………complex phycological profile of The Donald. They do for any potential world leader. The US and just about every other modern nation does the same thing. Should the Russians have realized The Donald loves to play the Bluff Game? Absolutely. If you want a very current example of his game style you need look no further than the so called Trade War with China. Yes. Yes, the Russians should have anticipated The Donald’s approach. So why did they let it get this far? Why push a guy you know is more than willing to take the game to the limits? Ether Putin didn’t accept the profile his subornments presented to him or he doesn’t care! I would be far more worried about the second option. The reality is, as of today, the Bluff Game is in full swing and where it’s going is based upon the mindset of two very complex, unpredictable men who both have a strong tendency to not listen to their staffs.

We killed Russians:

               Think about Putin. Think about the fact that just a few weeks ago, his staff came to him and informed him the US had killed scores of Russians………Little Green Men mind you, but still “Russians”. When that event happened, I asked the question, “how does this impact the Tsar”? The US upped the game that day and most of us who know how this game is played knew that from the second it started. Then, the IDF lost a aircraft. The IDF was told they could no longer fly over Syria with impunity. That message was not only for the IDF. It was a clear signal, the next phase of the blame game. That signal was to the West / US.

               Hezbollah, who is feeling more embolden with each passing day begins to speak about the price Israel will pay for the events along it’s border…………..the protesters shot…..so called “protestors”. Now mind you, this always makes me tilt my head sideways given the fact Hezbollah is on the other side of a religious war in the region. Does Hezbollah care about Palestinians? No…………Hell no! T-4. An operational base that Iranians  and Russians support Assad from. It’s also a base where Iran supports Hezbollah from. So, what happened next? Yep. The next phase of the Bluff Game! The SA 400 system. It can shoot down anything from anywhere at anytime. It will never miss. It makes all the world’s air forces tremble with fear! Ya….right…..that is why the IDF flew right through it! “ But we got five of the eight missiles fired at T-4”! Well, tell that to the dead………..the Iranian dead by the way and I posted  a few days ago what I still think that was all about. Yes, the Bluff Game continues.

Business as Usual:

               Business as usual right? The West / US / decides to strike, but the back-channel communications allows the Russians to clear their assets out of the area before the missiles show up. That has been the game and that was the game the last time The Donald ordered an attack on Syrian air assets. Oh, but wait, we are playing the Bluff Game now and that means the rules have changed. Now the Russians are openly saying they will shoot down the missiles….well….some of them. Does that mean they didn’t move away from the Assad targets? Are they really going to fire upon US aircraft and US assets? Missiles are much easier to shoot at by the way. There is no citizen in them. But wait. The Bluff Game may be kicking in yet again. The Russian Ambassador to Lebanon stated the sites the missiles came from could be attacked. What? Strike the airfields in Israel, Jordan, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar and perhaps a few other locations? Is the latest Russian message?

Put UP or Shut Up:

               Here is the problem with the Bluff Game. In the end, it comes down to one side walking away and that is typically based on the other side stating, “Put up or shut up”, or a fight breaks out.  Who going to say it? Is it Putin or The Donald that puts his fist up and says those magical words? Do we have a fight or does someone back down? If ever there were two personalities that have no signs of backing down, it’s The Donald and Putin. Is there a level of the Bluff Game left yet? Does something have to happen before the final words are spoken? A very well telegraphed strike is coming. What is hit are most likely the things that cannot move. If we witness air suppression of anti air assets taking place, then we know the strike is right behind it. The SA 400 is the super weapon. Well, I think that might be put to the test! No nation, and I mean no nation can executed air suppression like the US. Tell the US Air Force to strike the Syrian air defense units and those manning them have only a short time to live. Hint, we already took them out once, but on a limited scale. A single strike. The Bluff Game requires this phase to be bigger! Hold on folks. Don’t head for the bunkers just yet, but have a plan. Always have a plan.