The Libertarian-leaning Orange County Register posed this question today: "Was Biden's visit to Kyiv just grandstanding?"
I'm sure some people have long answers to the paper’s question. Me? My response is short, sweet and (hopefully) to the point. Here it is:
Was your question of the week meant to be a joke? My simple answer is, "No, it wasn't."
President Biden was in Ukraine for one purpose: To assure the people of that beleaguered nation America and its allies stand with them as they enter the second year of war against Russia.
After watching Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walking together, I couldn't help but wonder what Vladimir Putin must have been thinking.
In short, I'm guessing it was something like, "Damn, that should have been me in Kyiv, not Biden."
-DF
The photo of them hugging
started my day out right. I wrote to the Times, the shortest letter ever……something to the effect that the embrace was the type of behavior that differentiates Biden from all the others……including even Obama. Who else has the guts, the « savy » and the warmth to do something like that?
I thought it was very brave and took real courage for the President to go to Ukraine (10 hour train trip). Understand that no President has ever done this. No U.S. forces to protect the air space, no U.S. forces to protect him. The world needed to hear the message, "Ukraine will never be a win for Russia."