Having been active in conservative politics for 50 years, I suppose nothing should surprise me.
That said, I am astonished that so many conservatives vehemently oppose aid to Ukraine, an ally whose people have been courageously resisting a massive invasion by Russian President Vladimir Putin's armed forces.
Moreover, Putin, a thuggish dictator who has ruled Russia with an iron hand for 25 years, is generally given a pass by conservatives such as Tucker Carlson, while Ukraine's courageous president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who bravely stayed in Kyiv in the face of the Russian assault, is subjected to relentless (and disproven) charges of corruption and ridiculed for his clothing, appearance, and past career as an actor and comedian.
All this despite the fact that Putin's ruthless invasion has resulted in thousands of Ukrainians killed, tens of thousands wounded, millions of refugees, and the indiscriminate destruction of apartment buildings, schools, churches, orphanages, and hospitals.
Despite the courage and sacrifice of Ukrainians in defense of their homeland, these conservative isolationists have shown little sympathy for the Ukrainian people or any recognition of their courage on the battlefield.
This failure of nerve has invariably led to defeat or failure to finish the job.
Vietnam was the most catastrophic of these failures, but Desert Storm, the invasion of Iraq, and the erratic attempts to occupy Afghanistan qualify as well. As a Vietnam veteran, I am still sickened when I think of the horrendous death and destruction of that conflict, one that was easily winnable early on, when the war had overwhelming public support if American military might have been employed decisively.
Instead, defeat left a bitterly divided American public, sapped American self-confidence and debilitated U.S. military readiness and foreign policy resolve for a quarter of a century.
Twelve countries fell to communist aggression in that period. The decline was only reversed by the election of Ronald Reagan.
Today, U.S. policy in Ukraine is voiced by a feckless and senescent president who will not, or cannot, articulate a persuasive winning strategy to the American people. The problem is compounded by the fact that the Republican nominee for president — Donald Trump — has been vague about Ukraine, saying only that the Russian invasion would not have happened on his watch (probably true) and that he would settle the conflict in 24 hours.
They cannot see, or won't admit, that Putin is in league with other enemies of the U.S., including the Communist dictators of China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, plus the murderous mullahs of Iran, all of whom are on the offensive against America and our allies. Nor will they come to grips with the catastrophe that will ensue if Putin's forces are allowed to conquer a sovereign nation of 40 million people in the heart of Europe.
Moreover, these isolationists rely on juvenile slogans to justify their abandonment of Ukraine. They say things like, "Biden and McConnell care more about Ukraine's borders than America's borders."
Biden's open border policy has indeed been a disaster for this country, one which he could halt by reinstating the Trump border policies that he abolished by executive order as soon as he took office.
In fact, I believe that his failure to take care that the laws be faithfully executed constitute far stronger grounds for impeachment than Biden family corruption. That said support for Ukraine and closing the border are not binary choices.
Another slogan frequently bandied about is that America should not get entangled in "endless wars." News flash: All the wars that are referenced actually ended — usually in American defeat.
America's problem has not been "endless wars." It has been winless wars, wars in which the presidents in power squandered public support by declining to apply overwhelming American military power and relentless will until victory was achieved.
Trump and other Republican leaders should reflect on how horrified the American people were by Biden's catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
They should also ponder the disastrous impact that the defeat of a disarmed Ukraine by marauding Russian forces, which is played out daily in the media and blamed on Republicans, would have on the American electorate.
Preserving an independent Ukraine is in America's best interests. The votes are there in the House of Representatives to pass a military aid bill for Ukraine.
Speaker Mike Johnson should move without delay to enable a vote to take place.
James Roberts is a former executive director of the American Conservative Union, helped organize the first CPAC conference, served in the Reagan administration and is the founder and executive chairman of Radio America, a conservative radio network with 630 affiliates.
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