Washington Post associate editor and PBS News Hour talking head Jonathan Capehart was triggered on Friday when the American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka argued that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s record on Russia isn’t the greatest. While he found Pletka’s arguments to be “incredibly insulting,” he never actually debunked them.
Host Geoff Bennett began by asking Pletka what has to happen to get Donald Trump to view Ukraine’s success as something that is in the U.S.’s best interest. Pletka responded by putting the question to the side and highlighted several ways the White House hasn’t helped. First she recalled President Zelenskyy’s recent trip to a Pennsylvania munitions factory, “I think he was manipulated, and I think he was manipulated cynically by the White House.”
She defended Zelenskyy going to the factory, but criticized the optics of having Democratic politicians join him, “Now, that wasn't organized by the Ukrainian Embassy. It was organized by the White House. I think Zelenskyy fell into that. I think he exacerbated that problem when he went and gave an interview to a house organ of the Democratic Party, the New Yorker, and made, frankly, let's say, unwise comments.”
Despite the differences between Trump and Zelenskyy, Pletka praised both men for being willing to meet with each other. Circling back to Bennett’s original question, Pletka replied, “I think that's really important to understand, because the one thing I haven't seen since this invasion happened is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand up and show the necessary bipartisan leadership to sell this to the American people. So what is it going to take? I come back to your original question. It takes leadership. It takes effort. It takes the bully pulpit. People need to be persuaded.”
Bennett then tried to defend Biden, “Democrats would make the point that Joe Biden has shown that leadership and that the reason that there is a Western alliance that has been unified in supporting Ukraine is because of that leadership.”
Pletka agreed Democrats “would make that argument,” but rebutted that they are wrong and such assertions would be surprising to the Ukrainians themselves, “Ukrainians will tell you, as will the Republicans on Capitol Hill and most Democrats, that the Biden administration has been a day late and a dollar short in every single weapons transfer to the Ukrainians.”
After providing several examples, she added, “Helping people when they're losing is not the best plan. Helping them when they can win is the right plan. That's what I call leadership, not just going and schmoozing at NATO.”
Bennett acknowledged the truth behind Pletka’s claims as he turned to Capehart, “What about that, Jonathan? And this is really a bipartisan criticism that the Biden administration, when it comes to giving Ukraine aid, when it comes to giving them the missiles that they have asked for, that the Biden administration has been too slow to get to yes.”
He elaborated, “And now the question is, will the West, will the U.S. give Ukraine the authority to shoot Western weapons deeper into Russia? The administration might get to yes on that question too, but at the moment it has taken them weeks and weeks and weeks to get there.”
Not having the amenable David Brooks around must have been shocking because Capehart was not happy, “Sorry, I'm just trying to recover from the hurricane of platitudes there.”
Capehart then launched into his own platitudes about “we don't want this to flare up into a situation where the United States and the NATO countries are going to have to go to war with Russia” and “They're the ones who pulled together the coalition that has helped Ukraine last in a war that everyone thought would be over in a week.”
As for Pletka’s take on Zelenskyy’s trip to Pennsylvania, Capehart declared, “the idea that a wartime president like Zelenskyy could be manipulated by anyone, I think, is unbelievably insulting.”
For liberals like Capehart, it is simply taken for granted that Biden is a Churchillian figure standing up to the forces of evil abroad and appeasement at home, but Pletka is right: he has always been one step behind, much to Ukraine’s distress.
Here is a transcript for the September 27 show:
PBS News Hour
9/28/2024
7:43 PM ET
DANIELLE PLETKA: But I want to talk a little bit about Zelenskyy for a second, because I think he was manipulated, and I think he was manipulated cynically by the White House.
The trip to Pennsylvania that he was going to do, which was one of many trips that he, the ambassador, Ukrainian leadership, do to thank the American people and the people in factories — I agree totally with, Jonathan, this is a really appropriate thing to do — had none of the senators — Democratic senators on the trip, on the original manifest, had a short meeting with Governor Josh Shapiro to sign a sister city agreement and otherwise was not a political setup, and ended up looking like a campaign visit.
Now, that wasn't organized by the Ukrainian Embassy. It was organized by the White House. I think Zelenskyy fell into that. I think he exacerbated that problem when he went and gave an interview to a house organ of the Democratic Party, the New Yorker and made, frankly, let's say, unwise comments.
I happen to agree with some of them, but unwise comments about JD Vance. But they created this firestorm. And, actually, I give a lot of credit not just to him in reaching out to Donald Trump to try to fix this, but Donald Trump being gracious and accepting that outreach immediately.
So I think that's really important to understand, because the one thing I haven't seen since this invasion happened is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand up and show the necessary bipartisan leadership to sell this to the American people. So what is it going to take?
I come back to your original question. It takes leadership. It takes effort. It takes the bully pulpit. People need to be persuaded.
(Crosstalk)
PLETKA: Go ahead.
GEOFF BENNETT: Democrats would make the point that Joe Biden has shown that leadership and that the reason that there is a Western alliance that has been unified in supporting Ukraine is because of that leadership.
PLETKA: Democrats would make that argument. And Ukrainians will tell you, as will the Republicans on Capitol Hill and most Democrats, that the Biden administration has been a day late and a dollar short in every single weapons transfer to the Ukrainians.
When they need HIMARS, HIMARS come a year later. When they need aircraft, aircraft come a year later. When they need ATACMS, they come a year later. When they need to reach into Russia to hit targets where Russians are staging against them and the Biden administration won't let them do it, they finally grudgingly allow them to in the last month.
You know, helping people when they're losing is not the best plan. Helping them when they can win is the right plan. That's what I call leadership, not just going and schmoozing at NATO.
BENNETT: What about that, Jonathan? And this is really a bipartisan criticism that the Biden administration, when it comes to giving Ukraine aid, when it comes to giving them the missiles that they have asked for, that the Biden administration has been too slow to get to yes.
And now the question is, will the West, will the U.S. give Ukraine the authority to shoot Western weapons deeper into Russia? The administration might get to yes on that question too, but at the moment it has taken them weeks and weeks and weeks to get there.
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Sorry, I'm just trying to recover from the hurricane of platitudes there.
Listen, Geoff. And we can't just be simplistic about this. The hesitation of President Biden here in Russia's war on Ukraine is thinking that, you know what, we don't want this to flare up into a situation where the United States and the NATO countries are going to have to go to war with Russia.
I appreciate and applaud the president's reticence and deliberation in helping the Ukrainians, in helping President Zelenskyy. And I'm glad you brought up the major point. The president and the Biden-Harris administration haven't been doing nothing. They're the ones who pulled together the coalition that has helped Ukraine last in a war that everyone thought would be over in a week.
And the idea that a wartime president like Zelenskyy could be manipulated by anyone, I think, is unbelievably insulting.
