Why Haven't We Shot Down Spy Balloon?

[Sparko]

One possibility was given by tabitito here.

Another possibility is that we have an intelligence source in China that told us about them. (That could even be why we noticed this one.)

Either way, it's likely to be classified, so I wouldn't expect to find out the truth soon. (Unless Republicans make a yuge stink about it, perhaps.)

Or someone was just making up a story to lessen how bad this makes Biden look.

"Well it happened to Trump too! That's the ticket! Yeah!"

[rogue06]

Or someone was just making up a story to lessen how bad this makes Biden look.

"Well it happened to Trump too! That's the ticket! Yeah!"

It sounds like this is morphing from "it happened when Trump was president but we didn't know about it" to "it happened when Trump was president but he hid it from us."

[seanD]

One possibility was given by tabitito here.

Another possibility is that we have an intelligence source in China that told us about them. (That could even be why we noticed this one.)

Either way, it's likely to be classified, so I wouldn't expect to find out the truth soon. (Unless Republicans make a yuge stink about it, perhaps.)

So now it evolved to "we actually have a spy in China, yeah that's it," that's how we know the balloons that flew over the US that no former high ranking official knew about until after the fact were actually Chinese.

[Stoic]

Or someone was just making up a story to lessen how bad this makes Biden look.

"Well it happened to Trump too! That's the ticket! Yeah!"

As I suggested here, one possibility is that the defense department is lying. It just doesn't seem like the most likely possibility to me.

Especially since balloons that were not known about at the time don't really have any effect on how Biden looks.

[Stoic]

So now it evolved to "we actually have a spy in China, yeah that's it," that's how we know the balloons that flew over the US that no former high ranking official knew about until after the fact were actually Chinese.

You are conflating "here's how it could have happened" with "here's how it happened". To my knowledge, no one has said how we discovered the existence of the earlier balloons.

Personally, I think the possibility suggested by tabibito makes a lot of sense.

[Sparko]

As I suggested here, one possibility is that the defense department is lying. It just doesn't seem like the most likely possibility to me.

Especially since balloons that were not known about at the time don't really have any effect on how Biden looks.

It is a way to make it look like Biden's response wasn't so bad, cuz "Trump didn't shoot them down either! Heck he didn't even know about them! How clueless is that? At least Biden knew about it! That's the ticket!"

[seanD]

It is a way to make it look like Biden's response wasn't so bad, cuz "Trump didn't shoot them down either! Heck he didn't even know about them! How clueless is that? At least Biden knew about it! That's the ticket!"

This is underscored by the fact Trump was publicly bragging about how this never did and would never happen under his watch. Obviously Trump would have used this as a weapon during the election.

[Stoic]

It is a way to make it look like Biden's response wasn't so bad, cuz "Trump didn't shoot them down either! Heck he didn't even know about them! How clueless is that? At least Biden knew about it! That's the ticket!"

Yes, I'm sure the defense department makes up stuff all the time because it will make the president look better. /s

[seanD]

Yes, I'm sure the defense department makes up stuff all the time because it will make the president look better. /s

Much like they made up the story about Russians paying bounties for American body bags in Afghanistan to make Trump look bad (and that Biden used against Trump and his so-called appeasement of Putin) that changed after the '20 election.

[Mountain Man]

As I suggested here, one possibility is that the defense department is lying. It just doesn't seem like the most likely possibility to me.

Especially since balloons that were not known about at the time don't really have any effect on how Biden looks.

"But it happened to Trump, too!" is classic deflection. This incident made Joe look like a complete moron, so the White House is doing anything it can to try and polish his turd of an image.

[shunyadragon]

"But it happened to Trump, too!" is classic deflection. This incident made Joe look like a complete moron, so the White House is doing anything it can to try and polish his turd of an image.

Biden followed the advice if the military not to shoot down the balloon over land. The military deterrmined that the balloon did not represent an intelligence threat to US military bases and facilities, and yes, disabled the electronics of the craft.

This type of balloon transported device is terribly low tech. Everyone has sophisticated satellites including the Chinese far more capable than anything transported on a balloon. Calling it a 'spy balloon' is clearly hyperbole. I can get more information on the whole earth through google maps then this WW II technology. .

[Sparko]

Biden followed the advice if the military not to shoot down the balloon over land. The military deterrmined that the balloon did not represent an intelligence threat to US military bases and facilities, and yes, disabled the electronics of the craft.

This type of balloon transported device is terribly low tech. Everyone has sophisticated satellites including the Chinese far more capable than anything transported on a balloon. Calling it a 'spy balloon' is clearly hyperbole. I can get more information on the whole earth through google maps then this WW II technology. .

I think it's main purpose was to test how weak Biden and the USA's response would be. Would we shoot it down or not? It was literally a trial balloon.

I think they got their answer.

[shunyadragon]

Biden followed the advice if the military not to shoot down the balloon over land. The military deterrmined that the balloon did not represent an intelligence threat to US military bases and facilities, and yes, disabled the electronics of the craft.

This type of balloon transported device is terribly low tech. Everyone has sophisticated satellites including the Chinese far more capable than anything transported on a balloon. Calling it a 'spy balloon' is clearly hyperbole. I can get more information on the whole earth through google maps then this WW II technology. .

error: 1I do not think the USA military disabled the satellite before it was shoot down. The Military did not consider it a threat.

Some were concened about the path over military bases, but this type of balloon cannot be controled it simply follows the jet stream.

[Ronson]

I think it's main purpose was to test how weak Biden and the USA's response would be. Would we shoot it down or not? It was literally a trial balloon.

I think they got their answer.

But the answer just changed. Yeah, nothing immediate happened this time, but I wouldn't count on that happening next time. Not with all the stink that is occurring about it.

What was that guy's name? Mathias something, who landed his Cessna in Red Square - humiliating the Soviet air defenses and causing a lot of heads to roll. Similar thing here. If I was Xi, I would expect the next "trial balloon" to earn a quick fate.

[Sparko]

But the answer just changed. Yeah, nothing immediate happened this time, but I wouldn't count on that happening next time. Not with all the stink that is occurring about it.

What was that guy's name? Mathias something, who landed his Cessna in Red Square - humiliating the Soviet air defenses and causing a lot of heads to roll. Similar thing here. If I was Xi, I would expect the next "trial balloon" to earn a quick fate.

yeah.

but then they have to explain why it wasn't shot down this time. Their "it was too dangerous because of population" excuse will be shown for the lie that it is.

Biden just gave a news conference where he is now saying, "It was always the plan to shoot down the balloon as soon as it was appropriate. It was the military's call to not shoot it down over land"