Gary Franks: Ukraine is down but not out

In 1991, former President George H.W. Bush gave me and every member of the 102nd Congress a major decision to make: Should the U.S. use force to remove Iraqi troops who invaded neighboring Kuwait?

The majority voted “yes,” and the operation was successful.

I am sure Bush is rolling over in his grave as President Biden once again makes the wrong decision. It bears remembering that when he was a senator at the time of the Gulf War, Biden voted against America helping to save a smaller country from a despicable dictatorship. And he has been far too hesitant to make the right moves today.

For any smaller country to be attacked by a larger country for no legitimate reason, membership in an organization should not be a prerequisite for being saved. It is a moral issue. It is what you would want to have happen to you if the shoe were on the other foot.

Bush did not look to a “club” of nations for help. Instead, he called upon the entire world to stand with the U.S. Nearly 40 nations answered the call, helping to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Overwhelming force was used, and it all ended in days with very few casualties on the part of the U.S. and our allies.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the nation of Ukraine are crying out for MiG-29s for their pilots to fly. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thought the proposal was a good idea. Biden, however, overruled him. The destruction and deaths in Ukraine have been increasing rapidly ever since.

Everyone, including Biden, knew sanctions would take time to kick in. In the meantime, what happens to the Ukrainian people?

We would not be seeing all these atrocities in Ukraine had Biden handled the U.S. exit out of Afghanistan in a more professional manner. Imagine if we had handled the J.V. Taliban like a major power should have and could have, with dominant force instead of the debacle exit. Imagine if every American who wanted to leave Afghanistan had a peaceful escort out of the country while U.S. forces demonstrated their resolve to kill anyone who would even think about harming them.

Imagine if, in addition to sanctions against Russia before Putin invaded all of Ukraine, we built up a wall in the western part of the country, composed of allied troops from some 40 or more nations — much like what Bush did during the Gulf War.

With Ukrainian support, an early display of overwhelming force — 600,000 plus troops were deployed in 1991 — would have prevented everything we are witnessing today. That would be a true reflection of the world’s sentiments if multiple nations, inside and outside of NATO, demonstrated that kind of resolve. It is probably too late now. We’re on the defensive.

Instead, the Biden administration brags about the European Union being a “union,” being united. They are supposed to be united; that is the definition of a union.

And let’s break this down in terms we all can relate to. You may have arguments with your siblings. You may even dislike one of them. But if your neighbor attacks one of your siblings, you’ll embrace your siblings.

Today, it seems like no one fears the U.S. When world leaders do not answer or return phone calls from the U.S. president, that lack of respect truly causes me to cringe.

Fighting directly in Ukraine’s war is a big no-no. But helping them fight their war — most definitely. In this case, no one should stand in for the kid against the bully, but everyone should stand by the kid.

If the U.S. agrees to give the Ukrainians the MiG-29s, which I support, it should come with an understanding that if the war continues to go in the wrong direction, the leadership of Ukraine must agree to a peaceful solution with Russia, as distasteful as it may be. A solution that NATO and the U.S. would agree on is in the best interest of everyone involved.

One more metaphor: This is like the underweight boxer fighting well over his weight category. It’s a middleweight fighting a heavyweight. We are witnessing the former getting hit mercilessly by the latter. We see his blood and pain. But the middleweight thinks everything is going well. “Just give me a few more rounds and I will wear the heavy weight down and defeat him,” he says.

But as the fight manager in his corner sometimes has to say (for the good of the fighter): “If you don’t get him in this round, I’m going to throw in the towel.” He does so because he wants the middleweight to fight another day.

And that is what must happen here. Win or come back another day. The constant pounding by the heavyweight can cause irreparable damage to everyone involved.