Military aid for Ukraine remains in congressional limbo. Tucker Carlson is the loudest public figure opposing this aid. Tucker is clear in both actions and words that he wants Russia to prevail:
"Why do I care what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I'm serious. Why shouldn't I root for Russia? Which by the way I am."
One can oppose aiding Ukraine without wanting Russia to win, but withholding aid would likely have that result. I want Russia to lose. It's in our interest and a Russian victory would have consequences similar to a Hamas victory.
Russia, China, Iran, and a series of other entities are united in one cause. They want to displace America as the dominant world power. Tucker correctly maintains that this group is working to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency. That would cause a dramatic reduction in our standard of living. It's in our national interest to degrade the power of this coalition. The Biden administration is confused. It's limiting China's access to advanced chips while also appeasing Iran. It's conservatives who are penny wise and pound foolish by inhibiting Ukraine's ability to degrade Russian power and influence.
Most conservatives are revolted by the horrors committed by Hamas. For some reason they tolerate the same well-documented behavior by Russia. Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, equates them. It's worth investing seven minutes listening to his UN speech. He calls Ukraine an ally, and a fellow canary in the terrorist coal mine. He announced advanced military aid, including Israel's excellent air defense systems.
There's a thought experiment in moral theory. Can a person justify ignoring a toddler drowning in shallow water and continue walking by? The justification cannot be that rescuing the child is inconvenient. Ukrainian children aren't drowning. They are being kidnapped and sent to replenish Russia's depleted population -- 20 thousand verified and still counting. Can we justify walking by that? Ukraine is merely asking for equipment, not troops. What's being requested is barely an inconvenience for us.
Let's examine the reasons for walking by.
In the absence of American aid, the ground war is stalemated. The sea and air are different stories. Without a navy, Ukraine sank 25% of the Black Sea Fleet and damaged many other ships. Just this week Ukraine sank the patrol ship Sergei Kotov. Russia has been forced to move the remaining ships out of Crimea to the Russian port of Novorossiyskt. Free of Russia's navy, Ukrainian agricultural exports are at prewar levels. When the Kerch Bridge is completely destroyed there will be no ships to supply Crimea.
Russia is losing planes at an accelerating rate. With the arrival of Israeli technology, even I might feel sorry for Russian pilots.
Attitudes about this war largely depend on attitudes about Russia. Russian imperialism is constant throughout its history. There's a straight line that connects Russian Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet policy. Tucker thinks Russia has changed. He's wrong.
Image: RawPixel.com