On Wednesday, CNN's Chris Cillizza was hoping, desperately hoping that this could "finally," after all this time of utter ineptitude and awkwardness, be a "Kamala Harris moment" when she jetted off to Europe to address the crises caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. You could almost see Cillizza rubbing his worry beads of concern in "Is this, finally, Kamala Harris' moment?"
It's been a rough first year as vice president for Kamala Harris.
Beset by staff departures and lingering questions about how good a fit she is for the job, Harris has struggled to find her political footing. (Worth noting: That's not terribly unique. Being vice president is a notoriously difficult and, at times, thankless, job.)
But with Harris jetting to Europe on Wednesday -- amid the ongoing Russian invasion into Ukraine -- the possibility exists that she is about to meet her moment.
...If Harris can find a way through the this fraught period with Poland, as well as the ongoing push by Ukraine for a no-fly zone, it would amount to a major win -- not just for the Biden administration, but for Harris in particular.
And the simple fact is that, to date, Harris has had very few of those during her time as vice president.
Yes, Harris certainly had a rough time this past year in large part because she appeared so unprepared for the tasks assigned to her but perhaps things could finally change for her on her latest trip to Europe...or so Cillizza desperately hoped:
Diplomacy and foreign policy tend to be, primarily, the mandate of the executive branch. This is not the sort of mission with which a House member or a senator is tasked. This is uniquely a job for a president or a vice president.
That matters -- because when talking about Harris (and her performance in office), it's impossible not to mention her own future presidential prospects, whether in 2024 if Biden decides not to run again or in 2028. The world stage is where politicians prove their mettle, and persuade voters as to whether they have what it takes to represent the entire United States as its leader.
Harris badly needs a moment to show that she could step into the top job. Those moments don't come along very often, but this week's trip is very much one of them.
And if this were an episode of the West Wing Kamala Harris would both meet and exceed the challenge with flying colors including perhaps negotiating a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine leaving all spectators in awe of her incredible diplomatic skills. You would expect nothing less from an Aaron Sorkin script designed to make liberals and Democrats victorious in the end.
However, alas, Cillizza was doomed to be slammed by harsh reality that veered sharply from any such feel good script as we can see by this typical cringeworthy Kamala Harris moment below after she arrived in Poland on Thursday.
But wait... There's more! Yet more almost predictable cringe:
"I am here. Standing... here..." ::checks notes:: pic.twitter.com/lylvfZj4qO
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) March 10, 2022
And so poor Chris Cillizza's hopes for a "Kamala Harris moment" crashed and burned upon the cold hard rocks of sad, sad reality.
