Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's pre-Christmas address to a joint session of Congress was a powerful reminder of just how high the stakes are in that nation's fight against Russia's invasion.
Zelensky was clear:
The struggle will define what world our children will live [in],” Zelensky continued. “This battle cannot be frozen or postponed, or ignored, hoping the ocean or something else will provide protection. The world is too interconnected and interdependent to allow someone to stay aside and at the same time feel safe when such a battle continues. Our nations are allies in this battle.”
Which made it all the more disappointing to see some pols on the right decide to play the role of Putin's mouthpieces (though not quite quislings. At least not yet). Their actions, and words, did not go unnoticed. The New York Post editorial board wrote:
….the $48 billion we've sent Ukraine over 2022 is not what's driving our fiscal crisis; pretending it is to score political points as civilians die is beyond contemptible. And the childish attacks on Zelensky are proof positive his critics know they have nothing of substance to offer.
Indeed, the GOP's “America First” wing pretends Ukraine is somehow at fault for Putin's war and undeserving of our help — a consensus as divorced from reality as the left's push for a rapid negotiated end to the hostilities, even on Russia's terms (which amount to weakening Ukraine and letting Moscow get set to take the rest later).
It's very on-brand for the far-left and the far-right to read from the same script. That's good, I suppose, for their personal brands. But it flies in the face of reality, history and common sense.
Writing in Foreign Affairs, Robert Kagan says America has long played the central role in maintaining the West and small “l” liberal values. It's when the U.S. abdicates that role things get messy quickly:
The natural trajectory of history in the absence of American leadership has been perfectly apparent: it has not been toward a liberal peace, a stable balance of power, or the development of international laws and institutions. Instead, it leads to the spread of dictatorship and continual great-power conflict. That is where the world was heading in 1917 and 1941. Should the United States reduce its involvement in the world today, the consequences for Europe and Asia are not hard to predict. Great-power conflict and dictatorship have been the norm throughout human history, the liberal peace a brief aberration. Only American power can keep the natural forces of history at bay.
Yes, peace and free enterprise are great things we should hope will sweep the world and replace war, protectionism and tyranny. But it's just not how things work. We forget that – and indulge the fantasy worlds of the left and right wings of politics, at our peril.
And for those on the right who choose to ignore this, there's always this, from former Texas Rep. Will Hurd:
Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave knowing there are Republicans who think America shouldn't stand up to Russia.
A sorry state of affairs, indeed.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Stand up to Russia? Trump did ! No one went to war. Did you see Ukraine’s New Year celebration – as good as any other -they have 3/4 of their country functioning as always!! Let them take care of their own war abandoned dogs, etc. and take care of displaced persons – they have room and they have $$ – keep them there ! America owes them 0. They don’t belong to NATO – not our fight ! What more is Biden trying to hide?
Given that the majority of this “article” is text from Zelensky’s speech, the ramblings of a liberal guy who works for a liberal think tank and who’s wife works for the Biden state department, and a couple of paragraphs from the New York Post who Norman wouldn’t have quoted at all a couple of years ago when democrats were kicking them off Twitter and burying the Hunter Biden story. All that plus the fact that Norman has written something for the Washington Post and they must have allowed to go to print, one might wonder why this guy is featured on this “conservative” site. What good can come from favoring this petty tyrant, Zelinsky, over Putin in Russia? Is this article proof positive that Ukraine is in any position to win a war with Russia, even if the US helps? If they do win, what will be left of Ukraine or even Russia for that matter? Is the press “free” in Ukraine or Russia? I don’t think so. Are Ukrainians free to do anything but war with Russia? Probably not. Why not write an article asking why regular Republicans are siding with brain dead, zombie, democrats, that vote in lock step with their moron in chief for the destruction of America? Ukraine is just one more avenue to do that as anyone in the Marxist, socialist, fascist, revolution underway in Washington DC, will tell you. Just like race relations, the LGBIGOTs, the economy, the energy industry, COVID-19, the military, abortion, and on and on. Biden and his regime have taken aim at all of these institutions with a goal of disrupting them and they with the help of people like Norman are making great progress. It is up to you guys to make sure guys like this and Biden are totally destroyed in the end. The world needs that first, then save Ukraine from their petty tyrant.
Amen. And let’s not forget that McConnell and 12 RINO Republican Senators castrate their brothers in the incoming new House and pass the nearly two trillion dollar “Omnibus Spending Bill”, which is just another pork filled government money printing atrocity. A bill that continues the more than 100 billion dollars funding of the proxy war against Putin and gives never ending and unaccountable billions to the corrupt and decidedly “undemocratic” Ukraine government. A bill that has exactly zero dollars to protect our “sovereignty and territorial integrity”, while we have a completely open border that let’s in millions of unvaccinated illegals; including criminals, cartels, terrorists, and the Chinese made fentanyl that has killed more Americans than have been killed on both sides in the Ukrainian war. But there is plenty of money for more “Green New Deal” nonsense and money for LGBQT museums and the “Michelle Obama Trail”, etc., etc.. These Republicans are complicit in the out of control government spending that is driving inflation and bankrupting Americans.
I was opposed to interference before the actual Russian invasion and I oppose any further assistance. The Ukrainians and the Serbs gave enthusiastic cooperation to the Nazis in implementing the Final Solution. The Ukrainians pointed out their Jewish neighbors and stood by while 33,000 Jews were marched to Baba Yar and murdered. they then proceeded to loot the houses of the dead. The Serbs were enthusiastic concentration camp guards and actually published anti-semitic postage stamps.
Opposing unlimited funding with zero accountability IS NOT opposing Ukraine.
Thanks New York Post for a great editorial. Well stated! So many simply don’t get it and are afraid they will have to go to combat – but in the long term, that is exactly what will happen if we did as they suggest.