Much Ado About MiGs

The Senate Republicans are engaging in irresponsible grandstanding in support of a bad idea.

Senate Republicans are throwing a fit over the Biden administration’s opposition to delivering Poland’s MiGs to Ukraine:

The senators said in a letter that they “strongly disagree” with the Biden administration’s stance on Poland’s proposal, and that the Ukrainian military is in “dire need of more lethal aid” as it fights Russia’s invasion. They urged the president to work with NATO allies on providing those resources — uniting behind a step that U.S. officials worry could pull the Western alliance into war.

The Senate Republicans are engaging in irresponsible grandstanding in support of a bad idea. I wrote about the Polish MiG mess in my column this week, and I noted that hawkish critics of the administration were unable to explain “why sending these jets was so critical or what practical difference they would make.” The same is true of the senators’ letter. Their position amounts to shouting, “don’t just stand there, do something!” They talk about this as if the U.S. hasn’t already been funneling lots of weapons supplies to Ukraine.

The senators have latched on to a risky, complicated option that probably wouldn’t make much of a difference even if Biden did what they wanted.