“…to [mess] things up.” That’s a characterization of Joe Biden attributed to ex-President Barack Obama (D) during Biden’s 2016 campaign for the Presidency.

Now comes the latest example of that…talent. Recall that now-Progressive-Democrat President Joe Biden agreed to lift economic sanctions on Venezuela in return for Venezuelan capo di tutti i capi Nicolas Maduro’s promise to hold free and fair elections.

Following the request of preventative protection and in consequence, all the effects of the distinct phases of the electoral process conducted by the National Primary Commission are suspended[.]

Maduro won’t even allow the opposition party to pick its candidate for future defeat in a rigged general election. This should have been easily predicted, even by Biden and his “advisors.” Isaias Medina III, who resigned from a number of diplomatic posts he held in Venezuela’s name at the UN in protest of Maduro’s policies, had this on the matter:

Anticipating elections without a strong foundation of the rule of law is akin to expecting an apple tree to bear figs; a fundamental principle must be in place for the desired outcome to manifest[.]

But Biden says Maduro is an honorable man whose word is gold.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R, AL) says that

the war in Ukraine is “costing American taxpayers an arm and a leg[]”

And

We have to get this conflict over with.

He’s right, so far. But then he said

Right now would be a great time to negotiate over in Ukraine and Moscow to get this thing stopped, because they pretty much have a stalemate as we speak[.]

This would be a terrible mistake. Aside from the fact that there’s no stalemate in Ukraine—they are making slow, grinding progress against the barbarian—now is a terrible time to negotiate. Forcing Ukraine to a negotiating table with the barbarian would be as big a betrayal, if not bigger, as was our betrayal of Ukraine regarding the Budapest Memorandum. It would reward the barbarian for his invasion by giving him a path to retain Ukrainian territory. On top of that, it would tell the barbarian in unequivocal terms that the rest of the prior Russian—Soviet—empire, Poland, the Baltic States, etc, are fair game for his conquering.

No. Contra Tuberville, the way to stop our own financial bleeding and to get this conflict over with, is for the Biden administration to stop its own timidity in the face of barbarian bluster and get Ukraine the arms, ammunition, and logistics support it needs, in the amounts it needs them, and at the pace it needs them so it can decisively defeat the barbarian and drive him back out of Ukraine. Out of all of Ukraine. As a side note, that complete expulsion is the clearly stated, by Ukraine, pre-negotiating position.