OPINION: When did Russia become 'critical ally' of U.S.?

Posted

When did Ukraine become a "critical ally"?

This question was posed by Pat Buchanan in a commentary in The Sumter Item on Tuesday. Mr. Buchanan has made a living by being a contrarian for decades. He was rejected by the Republican Party when he sought high office in the 1990s.

Buchanan "makes the case" for Russian involvement in Ukraine trying to interfere in and try to take over Ukrainian territory using the same logic Germany used to take over the Sudetenland 80 years ago.

Here are some significant facts. Russia's economy is smaller than Italy's. Russia is our 32nd-largest trading partner. When was the last time you bought something made in Russia that wasn't vodka?

Russia interfered in our 2016 elections. Russia has conducted cyber attacks around the world and is on track to interfere in our 2020 election.

The question Mr. Buchanan needs to address, a question of much more significance to our country, is: When did Russia become a critical ally of the United States? Mr. Buchanan makes a living spreading extreme ideas as if they are mainstream. Therefore, the question, when did Russia become a "critical ally" of the United States to be courted and supported and acknowledged needs to answered by our current president. The answer should not come via tweet or on the driveway at the White House but via an Oval Office address to the nation. As the late Sen. John McCain put it, the answer needs to be done according to normal order.

PHIL LEVENTIS

Former S.C. senator