Subject: Re: OT: Ukraine and Russia
the only rationalization I can come up with is that Biden’s advisors were afraid of widening the war into a full fledged conflagration.

The other rationalization that I mentioned earlier is that perhaps one of the goals of the war (US goals) is to bleed Russia out for a long as possible. One, to weaken them for a decade or two, and two, to illustrate an abject lesson to China lest they begin to have a desire for military adventures (in Taiwan).

The best way to get rid of a bully is to punch him in the nose, not tap him lightly and repeatedly in the belly.

Yep. Maybe they don't want to "get rid of" the bully. Or at least not yet.