Sunday School 3/20/22

Let's dive into the Sunday School classrooms, starting with Margaret Brennan and her chat with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Some dark place in Kentucky), on CBS's Face the Nation.

Among their topics? All things related to Ukraine; Ketanji Brown Jackson, and COVID. Here are your grimly reaped highlights, starting with his take on the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainians have killed more Russians in three weeks than we lost in Afghanistan and Iraq in 20 years. 

To that end, he "is perplexed" with our not helping get the Russian MiGs from Poland into Ukraine, even as he realized that we're given loan guarantees to countries who send those planes to their neighbor, so they can order new stuff from us. And, if Ukraine needs more aid, on top of the $13.6B that was just approved, "we ought to give them more." And,

Look, I think we need to change our attitude here. The Ukrainians could actually win this thing and that's - the attitude we ought to have that we're in it to help them win.

Brennan didn't ask his thoughts on why Poland felt the need to involve the US in the delivery of the MiGs to Ukraine, instead of sending them directly. 

He referred to the lunatics in his party as "lonely voices out there that are in a different place" - Cawthorn, Greene, and the rest of them - but he thinks his party is unified in its support, and he suggests we shouldn't pay much attention to the nut balls. 

He wouldn't answer repeated questions on how he's going to vote on the Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson SCOTUS nomination. He said he "had a very good conversation" with her, in which he touched on court-packing.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Breyer both publicly opposed court packing that is trying to increase the number of court- court members in order to get an outcome you like, that would have been an easy thing for her to do to defend the integrity of the court. She wouldn't do that. 

He did say she'll "be treated much better than Democrats typically treated Republican nominees like Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh."

On COVID, he pointed to the $2T package, "passed on an entirely partisan basis" and said much of it hasn't been spent. That said, he's "willing to listen" to the argument on why more is needed, and on how we're going to pay for it.

Next up? Jake Tapper and UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on CNN's State of the Union. 

Right off the bat, she made it clear that our role is to support Ukraine's efforts, not to make decisions for them - so she didn't have a lot to offer on the risk that Zelenskyy "might give away too much" in a deal with the Russians. Similarly, she couldn't or wouldn't comment on whether we'd recognize Crimea and the Donbass if Zelenskyy let those areas go to Russia in a peace deal. 

On the possibility that Poland will introduce a proposal for a NATO peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, the Ambassador reminded Tapper that

the president has been very clear that we will not put American troops on the ground in Ukraine. We don't want to escalate this into a war with the United States. But we will support our NATO allies. We have troops, as you know, in NATO countries. And the president has made clear that, if there is an attack on any of our NATO countries, under Article 5, that we will support those countries and defend those countries.

Asked about reports that resident of Mariupol "were taken to camps" inside Russia, or "redirected to remote cities," Thomas-Greenfield said she'd heard it, but can't confirm it.

But I can say, it is disturbing. It is unconscionable for Russia to force Ukrainian citizens into Russia, and put them in what will basically be concentration and prisoner camps. So, this is something that we need to verify. Russia should not be moving Ukrainian citizens against their will into Russia.

"Damn straight, Skippy," I agreed unprofessorially. 

The last two points?  First, Russia knows, because we "have been clear...we will respond aggressively to what they're doing" if they bring chemical weapons into the mix. And they might - after all, "they have used chemical weapons against their own people," for Tsar Pete's sake, the bastages.

And second, as far as Thomas-Greenfield knows, "it's not on the table" for President Biden to go to Poland. 

Remember, we have discouraged Americans from going into Ukraine. This is a country at war. I can't imagine that it would be on the table.

See you around campus.

Wondering on Wednesday (v150)

Let's get this out of the way right off the top: I'm not really wondering about very much tonight, because so much of it seems so very straightforward and there's little demand for wonder. That said, let's get right to it.

First up?  There's no marriage like a forced marriage.

The Trump administration on Monday began denying visas to same-sex domestic partners of foreign diplomats and United Nations employees, and requiring those already in the United States to get married by the end of the year or leave the country.

Huh? We're going to force people from other countries to get married in order to stay here? Why would we do this, you ask?  Because back in 2010, President Obama signed an order allowing same-sex partners to get visas, but at that time, only married heterosexual partners could. So, fast forward to the Undo Obama Policies administration we're in today, and the only logical thing to do?

Force gays to marry, obviously. Because now that same-sex marriage is legal (but of course, not required), we must impose the draconian rule on citizens of other countries - even those where same sex marriage is illegal - almost all the time:

The United States informed foreign governments that they would allow ''limited exceptions"  to its new policy in cases involving diplomats from countries where same-sex marriage is illegal. But that government would have to provide documentation proving that same-sex marriage was illegal and commit to accepting same-sex partners of US diplomats.

What's comical, if that's the right term, is that the party of Trump maintains that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Up next?  The First Lady is trying to #BeBest, even as her husband is continuing to #BeAnAss, #BeWorst, #BeACad, and #MAHA (make America horrible again). There is literally nothing to wonder about on the latter, and I wish her the best on her trip away from her husband.

Finally, there's the FBI supplemental background investigation into Brett Kavanaugh, the president's choice for the Supreme Court. It may be done, it might not be. There may be more witnesses to interview - or there may not be. The White House says interview anyone you want, but the White House counsel's office says not so fast, it seems.

There will be no conclusions offered, only interview notes - and the information  will be held extremely close to the vest, too.

All 100 Senators will have access to the new information, but not their staffs. There are also 10 Judiciary Committee staffers who have access to the Kavanaugh file, which is a paper report -- there are no pdfs of emails of it. And it will not be made public.

And anyone who leaks the information is likely to be in trouble, as none of it is to be shared - which is exactly what we have come to expect.

Like I said, not a whole lot of wondering going on.