Two serious and literally life or death questions: Since when did trying to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people — including countless children — become something to be criticized? Conversely, when did sending hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers into the teeth of the Russian war machine with absolutely no plausible plan to win become the untouchable go-to policy of certain neoconservatives, many on the left and a fair number of editorial writers?
I thought of these questions while reading two recent columns. The first is by Rich Lowry from the New York Post, titled “Trump is getting the Ukraine-Russia war all wrong — and he’s making it even harder on himself.” The other is by former diplomat Bridget Brink in the Detroit Free Press, titled “I was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. I resigned because of Trump’s foreign policy.”
There is much Lowry has written over the years that I believe to be spot on. That said, I have disagreed with much he has written about Ukraine since the start of the war — his latest column included. Some believe Lowry to be a megaphone for the neocon class, which always seems to be advocating for the U.S. military to engage in “forever wars.” Lowry was also the former editor of National Review, a magazine that in March 2016 ran an editorial titled “Never Trump” and that seemed to become the epicenter of the “Never Trump” movement for certain neocons and entrenched, elitist Republicans.
The constant theme for those criticizing Trump’s consistent stance against the Ukraine war and a much-needed ceasefire is that Putin is evil and must be defeated at all costs. Fine. If using the people of Ukraine as cheap disposable pawns to fight a proxy war against Russia and Putin has been the end game from the start, simply admit it. Don’t pretend you are trying to save the people of Ukraine or that nation’s infrastructure.
In the lead up to the Iraq War more than 20 years ago, there were a steady stream of neocons, pundits and “experts” advocating for that invasion to overthrow the “evil” Saddam Hussein, who were coldly and impassionedly viewing the process as some sort of board game or sporting event, with human pawns to be played with at will.
“Experts” eagerly pushed for war who had no skin in the game. Meaning they were not in the military, they would not be walking point in the coming combat, nor would any of their relatives or friends. How wise or “courageous” is it to call for a war from luxurious offices thousands of miles from the pending horror?
And what was the end result of that “justified” war? Approximately 4,500 American soldiers killed; 32,000 wounded; between 100,000 and 400,000 Iraqi deaths, depending upon the study; and a Middle East that is still destabilized, spawning endless pockets of terrorism.
Next, we have the column from Bridget Brink, a former professional diplomat who, to some, seems to be virtue signaling her disgust of Trump to the far-left echo chamber of Trump haters. That is most certainly her right.
In her column, she describes what Putin and Russia have done in Ukraine as “pure evil.” She further states that: “Peace at any price is not peace at all — it is appeasement.”
Okay. And just what is her plan for Ukraine to “win” the war against the “evil” Putin and Russia? As Trump has asked from day one, how many more lives must be sacrificed before enough is enough? The Pentagon and CIA have estimated that well over 1 million people have been killed or wounded in the war, with much of Ukraine’s infrastructure turned into rubble.
Since day one, President Trump has been calling for an end to this war. He has done so for two incredibly important reasons. First, to stop the senseless slaughter of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers as well as Ukrainian civilians. Next, to warn of the many tripwires littering the battlefield, which could be stepped on and trigger World War III — leading to the deaths of millions.
Last week on Truth Social, the president posted in all caps, “I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK…I WILL THEN BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY OF UKRAINE AND THEN, WITH…VARIOUS MEMBERS OF NATO. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!”
Speaking of a ceasefire, last December I wrote a piece for this site titled, “Were 750,000 additional lives wasted in Ukraine for less than nothing?” That number was extrapolated from a ceasefire reportedly offered to Putin now over 36 months ago, which was also reportedly “scuttled” and “sabotaged” by forces within the administrations of President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Now, three years later, to Trump’s point, “more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers” are being killed per week. For what? How many dead or wounded before those advocating that Ukraine fight to the last Ukrainian admit that an immediate ceasefire is the right and humane solution — and has always been?
Haters are going to hate, but if Trump had been listened to three years ago, 1 million people would not have been killed or wounded. What is the worth of those lost and maimed lives?
Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.
