Should the United States not send arms to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia because our country would be angered if Russia armed Mexico against Texas? A strange analogy, no?
But it's the one Joe Scarborough made on today's Morning Joe: "what is Vladimir Putin's response going to be to the United States arming Ukraine? Certainly I would guess no better than, you know, the Russians arming Mexico with weapons against Texas."
Scarborough was riffing off the statement by Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter at his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday to the effect that he would seriously consider supplying lethal arms to the Ukrainians.
It's not clear what scenario Scarborough was envisioning. President Obama going all James Polk and launching an invasion of Mexico? Or perhaps a Mouse That Roared a la Mexicana, in which Mexico launches a quixotic invasion of the US?
Yes, the geopolitical implications of providing lethal arms to Ukraine need to be considered. But it's impossible for anyone--from Scarborough to President Obama--to deny that such aid would amount to helping Ukraine defend its sovereign territory against a foreign aggressor. Scarborough's analogy is not just strange--it's pointless.
