Kamala Harris has to be aware of the talk surrounding her spot on the ticket in 2024, so she is absolutely not going to jeopardize her position by speaking out of turn on Biden administration policy. So when she gives the spin for the Chinese spy balloon, it is likely the official administration talking point.

And Kamala Harris says that the recent spy balloon incident is no big deal when it comes to the United States’ relationship with China. What’s a little spying between friends, huh???

Vice President Kamala Harris said the recent U.S. downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon over American waters should not have an impact on diplomatic relations between the two global superpowers.”

“I don’t think so, no,” she told POLITICO in an exclusive phone interview Tuesday.”

Harris’ remarks come more than a week after the U.S. decided to shoot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast, and they resemble one of the clearest public efforts by the administration to prevent further geopolitical fallout from the incident. Asked to describe the Biden administration’s approach to Beijing, she said: “We seek competition, but not conflict or confrontation.”

Harris noted that she said as much to Chinese President Xi Jinping when they met briefly in November at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok. “Everything that has happened in the last week and a half is, we believe, very consistent with our stated approach,” she said.”

The reason Harris is being asked about this is because she is on her way to the Munich Security Conference in Germany, and Chinese Communist Party officials will be there as well, though no meetings have been announced. What could actually be said at this point that hasn’t already been said? We know they were spying, they know we know they were spying, and now WE THE PEOPLE know that the Biden administration knew about the spy balloon a lot earlier than when it showed up in Montana, AND a lot earlier than when it was over the Aleutian Islands. Apparently, our intelligence sources knew about the spy balloon WHEN IT LAUNCHED.

Top. Men.

According to U.S. officials, after takeoff, the spy balloon drifted east in the direction of Guam and Hawaii and then went north to Alaska and entered U.S. airspace on Jan. 28. Given the path, it’s possible that the balloon was blown off course by weather, but U.S. officials said that once it came south over the continental United States, it was being controlled by China.”

The tracking of the balloon was first reported by The Washington Post.”

China has insisted the balloon was for weather purposes and that it veered off course. A State Department official said in a statement last week that the balloon contained equipment that was “clearly for intelligence surveillance,” including “multiple antennas” that were “likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications.”

Now, it’s likely that POLITICO did their interview with Kamala Harris before this news broke from CBS last evening, but what the actual what is going on here? This just reinforces the fact that the administration was just going to let the balloon do its thing and take lots of pretty pictures for China, until the local Montana media pointed out the spy balloon – because it was VISIBLE FROM THE GROUND. The excuses for not shooting it down once the spy balloon’s presence became common knowledge were insane. Now, of course, the administration is just firing missiles on anything in the air.

This latest revelation that U.S. intelligence knew the balloon was en route, even if they thought it was initially headed toward Guam, does not inspire much confidence, does it?

Team Biden spent the last few months ignoring and downplaying Chinese malign behavior, even more than usual. They were too invested in the Blinken visit set for Feb 5, which would then set up reengaging China in 2023, especially on climate. We're just starting to see the results. https://t.co/tNWSDyDqXD

— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) February 15, 2023

It also means that the Biden administration has been in cover-your-ass-and-lie mode this entire time.

If the White House knew about this balloon and its provenance since its launch, why did it allow the balloon to get as far as Montana? Why didn’t they shoot it down over the Aleutians?

And why did they prevaricate over what the balloon was and who operated it? https://t.co/dFzAjwOLoy

— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) February 15, 2023

Congress is not happy about what they aren’t being told.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Free Beacon that lawmakers “just don’t know the extent” of what is taking place. “The Biden administration needs to tell us what exactly the policy is as it pertains to shooting down objects in our airspace.”

The weekend incidents also raise questions after the Chinese spy balloon was permitted to fly across most of the country, according to Waltz. “Why would the Biden administration allow a massive Chinese spy balloon to cross the continental U.S. at 60,000 feet yet shoot down smaller objects at 40,000 feet? Joe Biden needs to be directly addressing this issue himself and be truthful with the American people about what we know and don’t know.”

Congressional leaders on the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday petitioned the Department of Homeland Security and the North American Aerospace Defense Command to provide their committee with an immediate briefing on the multiple incidents.”
“Given the pertinent homeland equities involved in the Chinese surveillance balloon incident, it is unacceptable that we learned about these incidents through news reports,” the lawmakers wrote. “As a coequal branch of the government, Congress deserves candid answers as to why these incursions have taken place and understand the steps the Executive Branch is taking to mitigate these threats in the future.”

And yes, this is a bipartisan anger.

Tester to lead Senate probe on failures to spot Chinese spy balloons earlier https://t.co/Wag5E6W3H8 pic.twitter.com/lIGd1j6yDg

— The Hill (@thehill) February 14, 2023

Tester, who has a vulnerable Senate seat in 2024, is a Democrat who wants some answers.

Tester, who is up for reelection next year, told The Hill he was not happy with the administration’s handling of the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month.”

He said U.S. fighters should have intercepted the balloon over Alaska.”

“I think they could have done better on the first incident,” he said.”

“In my opinion, they should have shot it down over the Aleutians,” he added. “The decision was made different than how I would have done.”

I wonder what Tester’s reaction will be now. Hmmmm. It’s obvious that the Biden administration wanted to ignore the spy balloon because they have no stomach for the confrontation that is certainly coming, as Gordon Chang points out in the New York Post.

Whatever China is planning, the violation of American territorial airspace was blatant and revealed the dangerous mentality of Chinese ­leadership.”

The balloon intrusion shows Xi’s utter disrespect for the US and suggests he is not deterred by America.”

The bold intrusion can be a Beijing head fake or the prelude to conflict. Biden’s failure to talk about the matter suggests his administration still does not know what is going on.”

Until the administration can figure this out, the American people should assume that the worst is coming.”

My best guess, and I am no expert, is that China is looking to find out just how serious the administration is when it comes to defending Taiwan, and wanted to see just how our nuclear arsenal is looking these days. And as a side benefit, the Chinese are getting to see in real time how the Biden administration is reacting to an actual incursion. The Biden administration failed this test with flying colors, and sending up jets to shoot down anything that moves now isn’t going to make a hell of a lot of difference. It’s a given that China isn’t going to miss an opportunity to at least blockade Taiwan, and first attempt to force concessions without firing a shot. Team Biden is going to have to make some tough decisions at that point, and if the statements from Kamala Harris are the administration’s spin – all is well between us and China, no worries! – then Taiwan and everyone who cares about Chinese aggression in the Pacific should be very, very worried.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click