November 14, 2019--Who Gives A Damn About Ukraine

My liberal friends should have been feeling good yesterday evening after the first day of public hearings in the House impeachment investigation. 

But when I called around, though they felt the Dem's did well, exposing Trump in calm but vivid testimony, there was an underlying sense of depression. Finally, one friend blurted out how I sense many were feeling. 

"I don't like myself for saying this, but in the larger context who gives a damn about Ukraine? I know there's a hot war going on there and thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and wounded, but do we impeach much less expel a president who was attempting to shake down a foreign country?" 

He continued, "I don't want to sound uncaring about Ukraine, I feel for them and hate that the Russians are occupying more and more of their territory. If Ukraine winds up losing the war and slips into the Russian orbit, which is quite possible, it means the return of the Soviet Union. That's what's at geopolitical stake. But still, when it comes to impeachment, Ukraine? More than anything else we need to rid ourselves of Trump and I'm not sure yesterday contributed to that."

"What would you have done?" I asked.

"I would have tried to find a way to charge and impeach Trump where the focus is about America. About how what Trump is doing is threatening us directly. Where the issues are easy to understand and how as a result he is making us more unsafe."

"Any specific suggestions?"

"Many but here are two--How Trump was directly involved with Russia as they interfered in our last presidential election so that he is now beholden to them and subject to blackmail. And how, as an abuse of power, Trump moved to withdraw all American troops from Syria which is leading to the resurgence of ISIS, which in turn threatens the lives of Americans at home and overseas. Both of these cases would be easy to make and would hit close to home."

I said, "I think I agree." Whether or not I'll be able to sleep tonight is another matter as there is still Ukraine which is our ally and deserves a lot of help."