Fumbling Ukraine

It boggles my mind that after two years of the Ukrainian people fighting and dying to bleed our #2 national security threat dry, one of our major political parties (the GOP) appears happy to step back and let Russia win. They gussy their insanity up with all manner of justification, to include 1) that Ukraine is a corrupt state; 2) that OUR border is being ignored while we worry about Ukraine’s border and 3) that we have all manner of needs here inside our own country that aren’t being met. Let’s take each of these in turn.

First, the assertion that Ukraine is a corrupt state. Let me for a moment, stipulate that this is true. Is Ukraine more corrupt than Russia? Not by a long, long shot. Now, back to the reality, where Ukraine’s corruption is a cat’s paw for the NatPop right. Where do we think this idea came from? Um…from Russia, who feeds the mouth-breathing MAGAts through their several comm paths of choice.

Now, onto our border. There is NO DOUBT that our southern border is a problem, and that the Biden Administration has only made it worse. This is not in dispute. But SOLVING the problem does not appear to be at all on the minds of some, as the Senate put forward a bi-partisan plan in which the Administration caved on a number of important issues, as a means to mollify the border dead-enders who bring this up as a rationale for not supporting Ukraine. But you see, they really aren’t serious about their linkage of these two issues, because solving or improving things on the border removes a political issue from the board while the all-consuming issue of political power is disputed. In the end, they want the border to bleed so that their Orange Messiah can be President again, and they want Ukraine to bleed as penance for the sin of the Orange Messiah’s (First) Impeachment.

Finally, there is the “we have needs in this country that aren’t being met” argument. Forgive me if I take issue with this, because ONE of two things must be true. Either, this is (most likely) just horse-pucky, and that these people have no desire at ALL to see more money spent on roads, and schools, and playgrounds, and poverty relief, and school lunches—you know, the things that Conservatives have been (justifiably) leery about the federal government being involved in—or—and work with me on this—they really DO believe this AND THEY ARE NOT THE LEAST BIT CONSERVATIVE. Though they have interestingly, stolen the title for their blatant brand of entitlement populism.

The opportunity to hobble Russia for decades is not to be missed, and it should be atop our grand strategic priorities. Weapons we send to Ukraine get replaced by weapons built in the US by American workers. That demand—insufficient for decades as we ignored our own needs and allowed the industrial base to wither—is REQUIRED in order to help us grow that base to meet the challenges of China. The suggestion that Europe is dogging it is silly, as EU contributions to Ukraine are in fact, larger than U.S. contributions. That said, every argument WE have in favor of hobbling Russia—and they are good ones—apply equally to the major European powers, and stepping up EVEN FUTHER is something they need to get on immediately.

Thank You

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank readers here and elsewhere for the wonderful outpouring of support after my father’s death. We all made it to Clayton, NC last week for the funeral mass, and as is proper in the case of a long-lived Irishman, there was a 10:1 ratio of laughter to tears. I come from a family of genuinely entertaining people, and the scene in my Mother’s living room Wednesday evening with us all laughing and telling stories was the perfect way to end the formal mourning. We will miss Dad, but we will do so through wry smiles.

I am grateful for my friends. Childhood, high school, college (especially the boys from Sigma Chi), Navy, and post-Navy friends reached out with kind words at an emotional time. A few souls made the trip down for the funeral mass, which went above and beyond, but even more so, made me focus on a desire to “be there” more often for others. Presence is a powerful thing, and not just for navies.