Kyiv, Ukraine
Column By Mike Bibb
Finally, it looks like Vice President Kamala Harris is going to get her wish and travel to Europe – something she’s longed for since a press interview in spring 2021 when she was asked if she had ever been to the U.S. southern border.
“No,” she replied. “And I haven’t been to Europe, either.”
Actually, this will be the VP’s second European trip. President Joe dispatched her to France last November to try to resolve a dispute between the United States, England, and France. A $65 billion Australian Navy submarine contract had been snatched from France by the U.S. and Britain.
Needless to say, France was not happy. Nevertheless, Joe thought it’d be a good opportunity for Kamala to practice her diplomatic and language skills. Supposedly, Kamala speaks a little parley-voo.
She still hasn’t been to the U.S./Mexico border. Came close, though, when she stopped over in El Paso, Texas in June last year to see how things were going. At the time, she was President Joe’s newly appointed “Border Czar” and was determined to get to the “root causes” of the border chaos.
She must still be working on her report since the border remains in disarray.
Now Joe’s given her a new assignment; fly to Munich, Germany, and see what all the Russia-Ukrainian ruckus is about. He’s heard something about Russian President Vladimir Putin amassing troops along Ukraine’s border, but he’s finding it hard to believe his friend would actually invade and risk financial sanctions.
The finger-wagging is probably nothing more than another Russia-Ukraine territorial quarrel. Been going on for decades, each country accusing the other of trying to corrupt their equally corrupt governments.
Perhaps Joe appears worried because his son, Hunter, made a small fortune from being a member of a board of directors of a Ukrainian natural gas company. Never mind he had no knowledge or skills in the gas business, but his daddy was the Vice President of the United States at the time.
Not sure Putin cares about Hunter’s Washington-Kyiv connections or is overly alarmed by Joe’s threats.
Since Biden is our Commander-in-Chief, aka “General-of-generals,” he can make decisions about who he’d like to represent us at these big international pow-wows.
Consequently, instead of traveling to Munich himself, he picked Kamala to handle the job. Besides, he doesn’t have time. There are other important things to do, like playing fetch with his new pooch or enjoying an afternoon siesta.
Coincidentally, Joe also missed last year’s Munich get-together. COVID kept him home, but he did speak virtually.
As it turns out, Kamala needs to unwind and get out of the office for a few days. Her shrinking staff, annoyed with their increasingly irritable boss, could use a little rest and relaxation, too.
A Dec. 4, 2021 article in The Washington Post reports inner-office dysfunction followed Kamala to D.C. from California. Apparently, she’s a difficult taskmaster to please. One staff employee recounted berating her crew “We’re not making rainbows and bunnies all day.”
Similar stories have circulated about her and Joe’s testy working relationship.
In an inspiring press release, the White House recently announced the VP’s “appearance” at the Feb. 18-20, Munich Security Conference “will demonstrate our ironclad commitment to our NATO Allies, reaffirm our shared interest in upholding the principles that underpinned European peace and security since World War II, and underscore our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
That should get Putin quaking in his shoes – a Biden speechwriter talking about “ironclad” commitments delivered by Kamala as the messenger.
I guess Joe didn’t have any ironclad commitments with fleeing U.S. citizens, murdered military personnel and refugees in his messed-up Afghanistan withdrawal debacle a few months ago.
I believe he’s expressed similar sentiments regarding American citizens in Ukraine. If they choose not to leave, then they’re on their own. There won’t be any Uncle Sam coming to their rescue.
If I was a federal government worker or contractor in Ukraine, I’d take Joe’s advice and be on the next red-eye out of that place. Looks like this is one promise he regularly keeps.
It remains to be seen if Joe’s “line in the sand” will be taken more seriously than President Obama’s in Syria or Benghazi, Libya. It’s one thing to “talk the talk” – quite another to “walk the walk.”
The most difficult task of Kamala’s Munich trip could be convincing Vlad the Biden Administration really can talk and walk at the same time.
So far, there’s been little evidence of that.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author.
