The Chinese spy balloon circus is over, but not before this device floated with impunity over American airspace for days. The device was reportedly spotted by passengers on a commercial airliner last week. Two F-22 fighter jets were deployed from Nellis Air Force base in Nevada to intercept the balloon in Montana, or at least get a visual. The decision to shoot down the aircraft was something Joe Biden wanted to do—a decision that would have garnered genuine bipartisan support. The Pentagon ruled against it, citing that falling debris could be deadly to civilians below. So, this spy device floated across the country before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean near the Carolinas. Is it disturbing that commercial passengers were the first to spot the balloon, not our top-notch tracking systems that supposedly keep us safe?
I don’t mean that literally. Of course, NORAD saw the balloon, but the dithering and inaction upon its discovery were appalling. We knew this thing was veering into US airspace near Alaska, and we didn’t shoot it down? Also, did the Pentagon figure that no one could notice the spy balloon, visible to civilians despite soaring at altitudes of 60,000-plus feet? Their presser on the matter was peppered with snippiness as our brass faced a deluge of questions about how a balloon launched from Central China wandered into our airspace unabated.
I understand the concerns about falling debris since this balloon, and its accompanying surveillance setup, was the length of three buses, but not to disrespect our citizens in Montana, it’s sparsely populated. There was more than enough real estate to end this episode of aerial espionage—but the Biden administration let it float around.
After downing the balloon, the spin cycle began, with uncorroborated reports that Chinese spy balloons infiltrated American airspace under Trump, but the instances were discovered after he left office, and those in the know didn’t tell him about it while he was serving as president. Is that the line these mysterious defense officials will take: that they withheld national security developments from President Trump? Incompetence cannot supplant incompetence, real or fake, in any situation—it’s all a clown show, whether it be chaotic or organized. Biden’s team exhibited a bit of both here, knowing the balloon was coming, not doing anything about it, and then refusing to shoot it down when given ample opportunity. By the time it wandered into the Missouri area, yes—it was too late to shoot it down.
There is no way to pivot from this: the Biden administration permitted a Chinese spy balloon to enter US airspace and did nothing. For their part, China has apologized for the incursion, said the spy device blew off course—laughable—and hoped cooler heads prevailed. Beijing was displeased that we downed the balloon. The incident has postponed a planned visit from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which is worth mentioning because we got reminded that he still has a job with this administration after going dark for the past few months.
The balloon games only rehash one constant attribute about the current adults in the room: they can’t handle anything. The economy is in recession, inflation is high, spy balloons are roaming all over the place, and they’re paralyzed about a course of action. The Trump pivot is interesting since it opens a new can of worms regarding whether the Pentagon selectively informed its commander-in-chief on certain security situations.
Hello, Deep State; I haven’t seen you in a while.
