The Wall Street Journal‘s editors are fretting about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and that war-of-Putin-choice’s closing approach to NATO territory. They conclude their worry beads fingering with this bit:

No one wants a broader war. But as Russia escalates, Mr Biden and NATO had better be prepared to fight one. A reckless or desperate Mr Putin may give them no choice.

Putin is far from reckless or desperate, except under the foolish Western assumptions that Putin thinks like we do, has the same pain points we have, has the same value sets we have. Putin, on the contrary, has been quite clear and steadfast all along. He intends to reconstitute Russia’s former USSR empire, complete with regaining control over the outer, occupied nations, like Russia-controlled Poland and German Democratic Republic, and others. Those nations, along with so many of the ex-SSRs, are now members of NATO.

Putin’s push into NATO will come in accordance with his goals, and there’s no maybe to it. Western governments hide their heads in the Irrational Putin sand at their—and us citizens’—peril.