One of the things that I've been saying about the war between Israel and Hamas is that it is easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Anybody who can't figure that out and babbles about "Islamophobia" is, in fact, one of the bad guys.
I'm occasionally a fan of nuance, but not when it comes to that.
My big problem with the Russia-Ukraine war is that I think the leaders of the two nations are equally loathsome.
I should note that I don't write much about the particulars of international conflicts because it's not my forte. My focus is on American politics, and I leave the heavy lifting regarding the overseas stuff to people like my good friend and colleague, Stephen Green. This quick column is about perception, public relations, and my general irritability.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit Washington with his hand out on Tuesday morning, throwing fuel on the fire of the conversation surrounding giving him more aid. There is a case to be made for doing whatever is necessary to thwart Vladimir Putin. Even people who are opposed to the United States spending more money on this war still would prefer that Putin and Russia be crushed.
I just question whether Zelenskyy is the guy to do it.
Something about Zelenskyy has rubbed me wrong from the moment I began paying attention to news about him. From my perspective, he's an attention whore who enjoys the spotlight a little too much, given the dire circumstances that propelled him into it. It occasionally seems as if he would prefer that the war go on for a while just so he can get more camera time. Fifteen minutes of fame simply aren't going to be enough for Volodymyr.
His background is in comedy and acting, so I'm really not off base here. If I ever went into politics and became internationally known because my fellow citizens were being killed, I wouldn't be so enthusiastic about it.
I also wouldn't wear those stupid Gap shirts and sweaters when asking someone for a cool couple of billion. Man, those things bug me.
As soon as it became apparent to me that Zelenskyy was enjoying his celebrity status a bit too much, I lamented having to pick a side. When he and the missus did a photoshoot for Vogue, I wanted them to be put in an extended international funding timeout. It is difficult to take a wartime leader seriously when he's getting his makeup done for a vanity photo-op.
The Vlad and Vol Show isn't going away anytime soon. As Mr. Green recently wrote, the Biden administration is "sending just enough aid to keep Ukraine fighting but not enough to force Putin to the negotiating table," and that "peace doesn't seem to be on the Biden agenda."
Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen.
It shouldn't be difficult to be the more likeable person when being compared to Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy has managed to pull it off, however. I can pick a side in the war, but there isn't going to be a soft spot in my heart for either of these guys.
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