Is In Your Face Diplomacy the Theme of 2024?  “The Sunday Political Brunch” - February 26, 2023

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

 

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President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin PHOTO: White House

Some presidents I’ve liked; some presidents I haven’t liked. But what I do love is when they get feisty. Too much of politics is “play it safe” stuff that comes across as stilted and scripted. So, I like when any president makes a call from outside the normal playbook, as we saw recently “Let’s “brunch” on that this week!

 

“Biden to Ukraine” – I enjoyed President Biden’s “side journey” to Ukraine last week. Yes, we knew he was going to Poland to meet with other allied leaders, and the Russian invasion would be topic A. But Biden surprised a lot of people by going right into Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky, in what was very much an “in your face” snarl at Russian President Vladimir Putin. “When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong,” said Mr. Biden, who promised $2 billion more U.S. military aid. The trip coincided with the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, but some critics are saying, “Why didn’t Biden do it sooner?” It’s a fair point.

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“Our History” – The danger of flying in, or near, enemy airspace is problematic, even with Air Force One surrounded by U.S. fighter jets and the greatest military might on the planet. The enemy only has to get lucky once. But we’ve seen this presidential bravado before with former Presidents Bush II flying into Afghanistan and Trump flying into Iraq to celebrate the holidays with American troops. I loved all of these daring missions because our leaders – regardless of party – don’t have a habit of hiding in the White House in dangerous times. It’s like giving the enemy your middle finger!

 

“Putin’s State of the Union” – "If Ukraine was to join NATO it would serve as a direct threat to the security of Russia," Putin said in his State of the Union variation last Monday. He suggested Ukraine is Russia’s possession by providence. "Modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia, more precisely, Bolshevik, communist Russia. This process began immediately after the revolution of 1917... As a result of Bolshevik policy, Soviet Ukraine arose, which even today can with good reason be called 'Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's Ukraine'. He is its author and architect,” Putin added. That may be all well and good, but the Soviet Union collapsed and disbanded in 1989, making Ukraine a separate free and sovereign nation. Putin can’t just invade to rewrite history.

 

“Repeat of a Major History Lesson” – It’s clear, one year into this war, that Putin grossly underestimated the strength, will, and determination of the Ukrainian people and their leaders. Russia couldn’t have imagined the strength of the military pushback, with the help of Ukraine’s allies. This reminds me of when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and got its collective butt kicked by the sly and strong Mujahedeen.

 

“Do they Give Equal Time? Just Askin’?” – The one thing I love about our State of the Union Address, is that the opposing party in modern years has been given equal time for rebuttal. Did you see any Russian dissidents on state TV, giving their condemnation of Putin’s actions and diatribe? Of course not (and if they did, they’d probably be dead by now). My point is to have Biden deliver his State of the Union a couple of weeks ago, and then have a highly critical Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) Arkansas give a harsh rebuttal, is a sign of American strength, not weakness. And to have it broadcast unfiltered coast-to-coast is a sign of the power and strength of our First Amendment. We celebrate that! We don’t shirk from it!

 

“Manchin for President” – There is other political news to chat about this week. Many - especially independents – have been urging Sen. Joe Manchin (D) West Virginia, to run as a third-party presidential candidate in 2024. This week Manchin was vaguely ambiguous, (if I can coin a phrase). “I’m not running for President of the United States. I can assure you of that as we sit here today,” Manchin said in a MetroNews radio interview on Wednesday. He then clarified to say, “Right now” (meaning today), he is not running. So, he’s leaving the door open he says, depending on who the Democrat and Republican nominees might be. In some ways, he’s hedging his bets on whether he can get reelected to his Senate seat in 2024 and has not yet declared for that race.

 

“Tester for Montana Senate” – Like Manchin, Sen. Jon Tester (D) Montana is a fairly conservative Democrat representing a deep red state. This past week, Tester said he will run for reelection. It will be fascinating to see if the Republicans can mount a strong candidate against him, in a state that could easily flip control of the U.S. Senate. Manchin may not be so likely in West Virginia, where he barely won in 2018.

 

“Lee for California Senate” – Rep. Barbara Lee (D) California is now the third Democrat in Congress to declare for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D) California. She joins Rep. Katie Porter (D) California and Rep. Adam Schiff (D) California, in a race that could have even more Democrats jump in. Lee is an ultra-liberal African American woman from Oakland, where I once worked and covered her. She was the only Member of Congress in 2001, to vote against a resolution to invade Afghanistan after the 9-11 attacks.

 

“Campus Concealed Carry” – This week West Virginia became the 12th state in the nation to pass a so-called campus carry bill, making it legal for students, faculty, and staff to carry licensed weapons for self-protection on public college campuses. The goal is to stop mass shootings on campuses. Critics worry about an uptick in accidents and suicides. It’s a growing national trend worth watching through the next election cycle.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.


 

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