The wingnut Ukraine game

Created
Sat, 25/02/2023 - 05:30
Updated
Sat, 25/02/2023 - 05:30
Blast from the past William Saletan discusses the current state of disarray in the GOP over Ukraine and points out that Fox is pushing for disengagement hard. He also mentions a tiny group of GOP officials who are fighting back when they go on the network and says there are more of them. 1. Rep. Nancy Mace, Hannity, Tuesday. Hegseth, sitting in for Sean Hannity, begins the interview by complaining that Biden is spending more time in Ukraine than on the border or the train disaster in Ohio. He asks: “If you’re the American people, are you confident in this endless endeavor this administration is undertaking?” Mace parrots the Fox view. She says Biden’s policy is “Ukraine first, and it’s America last.” But halfway through the segment, when Hegseth asks what America is getting for “the billions we’re spending” in Ukraine, Mace turns serious. She points out that in 1994, we guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for its agreement to surrender its nuclear weapons. And she says we can shorten the war by accelerating aid to hasten Ukraine’s victory. By the end of the interview, Hegseth is still grumbling, but he’s talking about clarifying the U.S. commitment rather than ending it. 2. Nikki Haley, The Faulkner Focus, Tuesday. The host, Harris Faulkner, asks incredulously, “What do we do at this point—just open the checkbook? How does that help?” Haley replies: That’s a terrific answer. Haley rebuts the blank-check caricature by 1) noting that the U.S. policy does have limits (in particular, no American troops); 2) pointing…