"Asymmetrical costs" has been an American flex since the Berlin Airlift.

It's kind of the point - "you can spend $9.95 on a gopro and a weather balloon and we can spend $1.2m on an AIM-9X to take it down but you know what? You're gonna run out of balloons before we run out of ways to shoot them the fuck down." Obviously it doesn't hold true forever but it holds true long enough to come up with another approach. The competition is "who wants it more" and "HE THREW A MISSIWATIM!" wins.

Powers was shot down by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 "Guideline") surface-to-air missile[15] over Sverdlovsk. A total of 14 Dvinas were launched,[16] one of which hit a MiG-19 jet fighter which was sent to intercept the U-2 but could not reach a high enough altitude. Its pilot, Sergei Safronov, ejected but died of his injuries. Another Soviet aircraft, a newly manufactured Su-9 on a transit flight, also attempted to intercept Powers's U-2. The unarmed Su-9 was directed to ram the U-2, but missed because of the large differences in speed.[a]

Something not recognized by the general public is that never once was a U-2 overflight clandestine. The United States didn't make much of that? And the Soviets didn't exactly brag about how much effort they put into it? But O Holy Fuck there were expenditures. Plane overflight was doomed from the first mission because it was real clear that the desire for destruction was unconstrained. It's entirely possible the Eisenhower administration was baiting the USSR into shooting down an American spyplane so that we'd have carte blanche with satellites, something we knew cold we'd be better at (as soon as we got them off the ground). FUN FACT: Soviet moon missions used captured CIA Kodak stock (from balloon overflights no less!).

Again, the politics angle; Yeah, a unanimous but toothless vote to condemn the Chinese spy balloon(s) in Congress. Who cares? This is the Trump era.

It QED is not. Even the Republican Party is engaged in war with the Crazy Wing of the Republican Party. I believe we are in the middle of the messy war to determine the Post-Trump Era but the fact that Serious People are playing "Desantis vs. Trump" games shows that Trump is no longer the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

Here's what's important: On Ukraine, the fight is should we/shouldn't we support Ukraine against Russia. The Democrats are pretty much at "of course" while the Republicans are a mix of "evil empire must always lose" and "but Russia pays my bills tho." On the Chinese balloons? the fight is "should we shoot them down" or "should we shoot them the fuck down." The dovish position is basically "are we sure that was really necessary? Don't answer that I'm making a point here."

primarily because of the Biden administration feeling bullied into it by the republican response to the initial, obviously Chinese balloon, they need to get the fuck over it.

Again, I'm pretty sure the Air Force needed one (1) justification to go guns-hot whenever they bloody well felt like it. They got it and proceeded to act accordingly.

'd love to see the Chinese shoot our shit down, if only to see dumbdumb twitter lose their minds 10x as much as they're losing their minds right now. And to stop talking about aliens.

"Hey Siri how many U-2s were shot down over China?"