The Biden Administration – and Joe Biden – Needs to Really Lead on Ukraine

Roger Lowenstein’s review of Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction, by Fergus W. Bordewich, in The Wall Street Journal today, explains why Reconstruction ultimately failed and, in due course, Blacks in the South lost their rights: whites in the North just didn’t care anymore.  The fight was too long; the cost was too high.  The North finally gave up and the Blacks in the South lost their rights.

Which may be a lesson for Ukraine today.  Already, some Americans are starting to question U.S. support for Ukraine because Ukraine isn’t succeeding quickly enough.  If the U.S. continues its “no-no-no-yes” approach of responding to Ukraine’s requests for the weapons it needs to win the war, we may find Americans stop caring before Ukraine wins its fight.

The Biden administration needs to give Ukraine what it needs – now and in large amounts.  We need to deliver more advanced weapons – and lots of the them.  If Republicans or whoever in Congress try to slow down or even stop deliveries, President Biden needs to go on national TV and explain to the American people why it’s in our own national interest for Ukraine to win this war and why the United States needs to deliver to Ukraine all the weapons it needs to do so.  

It’s what good Presidents do: they lead by explaining to Americans what we need to do and convincing us to do it.