The ultimate cost of freedom at Normandy
Marking the 80th anniversary of the allied “D-Day” invasion, President Joe Biden joined the leaders of America’s World War II allies (France, Britain, Canada and others) in Normandy, France yesterday, to deliver a powerful message to the world’s dictators and “bullies” (see video here). Describing World War II as being about “democracy” versus “dictators,” and likewise “the battle between freedom and tyranny,” Biden then said that, after defeating tyranny in World War II, “we established NATO, the greatest military alliance in the history of the world.” Biden then took on Russia‘s invasion and war against Ukraine, comparing it directly to World War II:
The struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending. Here in Europe, we see one stark example. Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant bent on domination. Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses, but never backing down…. The United States and NATO, and a coalition of more than 50 countries, standing strong with Ukraine. We will not walk away. Because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbors will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened. And make no mistake: the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine, to see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked. We cannot let that happen. To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable.
Besides being correct on the merits and on moral grounds, Biden’s Normandy speech also had some political bonuses for him. First, the speech was yet another reminder that President Biden is sharp, forceful and even articulate, in contrast with false Republican attacks on the president’s cognitive abilities, which are repeated so often that they get replayed by the “news” media, giving them something approaching a level of phony legitimacy. Indeed, President Biden is quite experienced in foreign policy matters, not only having been president for over three years and vice president for eight years, but also having served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for four years, as well as its ranking minority member before that.
Second, by taking on Russia and its dictator Vladimir Putin, President Biden was indirectly attacking U.S. Republicans, who, following Donald Trump‘s lead, have cozied up to Putin and hindered Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, by delaying U.S. aid. Biden’s use of the term “freedom” in his speech thus had a double meaning, since, as we have noted, this is a theme that Biden and other leading Democrats are using against Republicans in domestic matters such as abortion and contraception. Likewise, the Republican Party has become the cult of Donald Trump, who acts more like a would-be dictator with each passing day.
On Friday, President Biden is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. Coming from his Normandy speech, Biden will be in a position of both domestic and international strength. Meanwhile, if anyone wants to experience what a rambling, incoherent presidential candidate looks and sounds like, they need only turn to any recent (or not so recent) speech by Donald Trump.
Photo by Adam Jones, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/0Qr70Y
