UKRAINE: Statesmanship lacking

What Ukraine needs from the USA to defeat the invasion of Putin’s military is a unified political response. For years our Idaho delegation to Washington has failed to vocally denounce Putin’s Republican supporters. Recently, they failed to craft a pre-war congressional sanctions bill that should have been an easy victory for bipartisanship and Ukraine.

Why is that, Senator Risch and Crapo? It’s the nature of our republic that the president takes the lead in diplomacy. But instead of working with President Biden, Senators Risch and Crapo allowed Republican poison pill amendments into legislation that failed to garner bipartisan support. Biden built an impressive unified international coalition with stringent sanctions including ending Russian access to SWIFT and Nord Stream2. There was a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate national unity and patriotism. Instead Senators Risch and Crapo attempted to take an unearned victory lap at Biden’s expense.

The time to show bipartisan support for pre-war sanctions against Putin came and went. But it’s not too late to speak out against Trump, Pompeo, Cruz and others in their party who score cheap political points during this crisis by attacking our president. Their comments, including those by Tucker Carlson of Fox News, are being weaponized by Russia against Biden and Ukraine.

There’s a hot war in Europe yet many Republicans’ first instincts are to look for what might benefit them and their party. It’s time for statesmanship not partisanship. A divided house cannot stand at home or abroad. You are Idaho’s elected leaders. I implore you to follow your highest calling by working with President Biden and for Ukraine, not against them.

JOHN HAWKINS

Coeur d’Alene