Kansas City Playlist: Prez Biden Stays Winning China Spy Balloon Blowup?!?

Or maybe not . . . 

From our vantage . . . This story was possibly one of the silliest moments in modern American history and proof that "the news" is mostly just a hobby for middle-class underachievers with no aptitude for math or coding. 

On the bright side . . . 

Mostly incorrect Kansas City weather forecasters did earn a place in all of the media hype and sensationalism.

The aftermath . . .

"What was meant to be a high-profile moment of statesmanship -as Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to travel to China instead transformed into a televised standoff, testing Biden’s resolve at a new moment of reckoning with China. As Navy divers and FBI investigators sort through the tangle of equipment and technology that tumbled into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Biden and his team must also piece together what the episode means for the broader relationship with Beijing.

"Minutes after the balloon was shot down at his order, a reporter asked Biden what message his decision sent to China. He looked on silently before stepping into his SUV."

 A few relevant news links on the topic . . . 


Inside Biden's decision to 'take care of' the Chinese spy balloon that triggered a diplomatic crisis | CNN Politics

When President Joe Biden first learned a likely Chinese spy balloon was drifting through the stratosphere 60,000 feet above Montana, his first inclination was to take it down.


Biden says he authorized Pentagon days ago to shoot down Chinese spy balloon

President Joe Biden said shortly after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon that he gave the order to shoot it down on Wednesday but that military officials waited until Saturday to do so. "I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible," Biden told reporters on Saturday.


China balloon: US going to take care of it, says Joe Biden

On Friday, China finally acknowledged the balloon was its property, saying it was a civilian airship used for meteorological research, which deviated from its route because of bad weather.


Video shows the moment an F-22 shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean

The US military shot down a suspected Chines spy balloon on Saturday, February 4, 2023. A meteorologist captured a video of jets circling the balloon before shooting it down. The Coast Guard asked people to avoid the area of the balloon before the jest shot it down.


Three Chinese spy balloons infiltrated the US during Trump admin

The Department of Defense reported that three Chinese spy balloons entered US airspace during the Trump administration The revelation started Mark Esper, the former president's own Secretary of Defense, who said he was never made aware of such incidents It comes as Republicans are calling for Biden to resign after waiting about a week to shoot down the balloon over the coast of South Carolina Three Chinese spy balloons entered the US during the Trump administration, but they were never shot down or publicly disclosed.


Biden brought down a Chinese spy balloon. But he hasn't tanked bilateral ties

This latest incident hits home in the U.S. - literally - because the nonstop coverage of the balloon's presence in American airspace and its destruction captured on live video made the China threat real for many.


SNL Airs Hilarious Interview With Bowen Yang's Chinese Spy Balloon

A U.S. fighter jet shooting down China's bizarrely conspicuous spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina is all people could talk about on Saturday, after days of the balloon floating over the country ahead of a high-level diplomatic meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials.

And all of this inspires our www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist tonight on the topic of balloons . . .

A campy start to this dumb topic . . .

An even weirder alternative track . . .

The middle song break with throaty hipsters . . .

We shared this one yesterday but we think the retro repeat is okay . . . And this is a better video:

The obvious choice . . . 99 Luftballons by NENA. And don't let anybody tell you that the German version isn't far superior.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.

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