No War with Russia
Remember the peace dividend and the promise of cuts in defense spending and freedom for all? Remember the promise of a new world order? Not the utopia of world government, but the reality of life in the aftermath of the Cold War. The rhetoric does not describe our reality, regarding our promises to Russia or our forecasts about the actions of Russia. Not that Joe Biden cares, because he continues to do his best to make the worst possible outcome in Ukraine a reality.
Not for nothing has he been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades. So says Robert Gates, former director of the CIA and secretary of defense under presidents H.W. Bush and Obama, respectively.
Gates speaks from experience, based on his assessment of Biden’s inexperience on issues of war and peace. He knows what Biden refuses to understand: that we are wrong to antagonize and isolate Russia; that we continue to antagonize and isolate Russia; that expanding NATO eastward is more provocative than Russia expanding westward, because Russia has legitimate claims in Ukraine.
None of which means Vladimir Putin is a good guy.
We do not have to look Putin in the eye to get a sense of his soul. We do not have to be like George W. Bush and say Putin is “straightforward and trustworthy,” to know it is wrong to publicly insult the president of Russia. We do not have a duty to defend Ukraine by going to war against Russia either.
We do, however, have a duty to oppose U.S. involvement in Ukraine. As conservatives, the preservation of our peace and liberty is our foremost priority.
Putting America first does not mean permanent withdrawal or perpetual isolation, because we retain the right to fight, with the might necessary to win on the battlefield and the magnanimity necessary to triumph at the negotiating table.
Too bad Biden does not remember the words of President Kennedy’s inaugural address, admonishing us to never fear to negotiate. Too bad Biden does not do as Kennedy says. Too bad for us that Biden does not care to negotiate with Russia.
What good does it do for Biden to call Putin a “murderous dictator”? What good does Biden hope to achieve by calling Putin a “crazy SOB”? What good can we achieve with Biden in office, as he violates every rule of diplomacy and every principle of common sense?
Too bad Biden does not practice what Teddy Roosevelt preached: speaking softly and pursuing justice in peace.
By ending the Russo-Japanese War, TR shows us what a president can do for his country—and what America can do to stay out of foreign wars. By winning the Nobel Peace Prize, TR shows us what we should prize most. By doing as he wants, with no regard for our interests, Biden disregards the lessons of history and the legacy of President Roosevelt.
No doubt, Biden knows little or nothing about Russia. But Biden’s ignorance must not be our misfortune, especially when he demonizes Putin and prevents him from saving face. Which brings me to my next question, in the form of a statement.
Tell me how this ends.
Tell me how U.S. involvement in Ukraine ends. Tell me how we leave Ukraine without losing our honor, based on our failures in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tell me, please, how war is the answer to our troubles with Russia.
That we have no interest in Ukraine is clear. That Russia has no interest in fighting us is also clear. That Biden has no interest in avoiding war with Russia is, unfortunately, deadly obvious.
How wars end, according to the historian Jay Winik, is every bit as important as why they begin and how they were waged.
A question for the interventionists: Tell me why Ukraine matters more to us than she does to Russia.
Do not tell me Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a democrat (small-d) who deserves our help. Do not compare him to Winston Churchill, alone and indomitable, when in fact he has none of the great man’s vision or statesmanship. Do not tell me we need to fight Russia to save Europe from the fate of Ukraine, because any such assertion is a lie.
Also, tell me which countries will pay for us to keep Zelensky in power. If we were unable to get members of NATO to spend more on collective defense during the Cold War, what makes us believe they will spend more now? Why do we insist on expanding NATO when we know where Russia stands on this alliance?
Did a chapter of world history not end on Christmas Day 1991, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
The Warsaw Pact is dead; the Berlin Wall is down; and the Cold War is over. And yet NATO endures. Ukraine wants to be in NATO.
What happens if Russia invades the Baltics so as to counter our involvement in Ukraine? If Russia attacks Latvia or Lithuania, does that mean Biden will counterattack with our armed forces?
Do not tell me the issue polls well or that a majority of respondents support U.S. involvement in Ukraine. The polling is as worthless as the reporting. If the reporting were accurate, Ukraine would have won the war two years ago.
Having lost Russia once already, we must not lose her again. We must stop the march of folly before we find ourselves unable and unwilling to extricate ourselves from another forever war.
Say nyet to war and yes to peace.
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