On Wednesday’s 11th Hour on MSNBC, during a segment on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Stephanie Ruhle claimed it was a “far-right narrative” that the United States isn’t doing anything to help Ukraine as if there are a significant amount of people on the “far-right” who claim nothing is being done to help Ukraine.
“There’s been a narrative that people are falling for including in the media — that the United States is not doing much in terms of helping Ukraine. That is not true,” Ruhle claimed when starting off the segment. She then listed a variety of different weapons and other military supplies the Biden administration is providing Ukraine so they are able to successfully fight off the Russian invasion of their country.
Turning to Politico Playbook editor Eugene Daniels she frantically asked, “Isn’t the White House strategically doing a lot already?” To which Daniels responded, “no absolutely.” Apparently, he forgot that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged the Biden administration to place sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin BEFORE he invaded Ukraine, as well as his consistent request to allow the transfer of fighter jets from Poland, neither of which the Biden administration has provided.
Despite that, Daniels still insisted enough has been done including “working to build a coalition of countries around the world. As well as try[ing] to figure out what sanctions would work to working with our allies building and keeping this coalition together.”
Ruhle then jumped back in and claimed: “it is also a far-right narrative that keeps getting pushed that the U.S isn’t doing anything. And those same Republican lawmakers that are pushing President Biden to do more quicker are the same people who didn’t want Trump to do anything.”
This is of course a strawman argument, nobody is claiming the United States isn’t doing anything to help Ukraine. There are however many people, including bipartisan majorities in Congress who don’t believe the Biden administration is doing ENOUGH to provide support to that country.
Apparently finished trashing conservatives, Ruhle switched gears and gushed over the “extraordinary coordination” by the Biden administration. Turning to her other guest former Ambassador William Taylor, she asked “can you speak about how President Biden — has he done a good job uniting our allies around the world? From my little seat, it seems extraordinary, the coordination.”
Predictably, Taylor claimed: “the coordination has been extraordinary, Stephanie. One of General McCaffrey’s colleagues, General Doug Luke who knows something about surges in the military, he has observed that this has been a diplomatic surge. He’s never seen such a diplomatic activity intense, consistent, high-level, time after time, President Biden, Blinken, Sullivan, Austin, all the way down — this has been an amazing surge, an amazing accomplishment.”
Ruhle then wrapped up the segment and went to a commercial break.
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To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
MSNBC’s 11th Hour
3/16/2022
11:11:53 p.m. EasternSTEPHANIE RUHLE: Eugene, I want to start with you. There’s been a narrative that people are falling for including in the media — that the United States is not doing much in terms of helping Ukraine. That is not true. For facts’ sake, please take a look at this list. 800 stinger anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, that includes 2000 javelins, 7000 rifles, machine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, 100 drones. And 20 million rounds of ammunition. And I have not even mentioned the massive sanctions that are crippling their economy so much Putin had to acknowledge it in his address today. Isn’t the White House strategically doing a lot already?
EUGENE DANIELS: No absolutely. And that’s not to mention what happened way before the invasion even started. Right? Working to build a coalition of countries around the world to do the exact same thing. To try to figure out what sanctions would work to working with our allies building and keeping this coalition together, as it’s become more dangerous as it’s become scarier for countries to give whatever they can to Ukraine. And the stuff you outlined today, just, now is the additional things, this country has given a lot of help to Ukraine over the last few months and year, as they’ve been dealing with what’s going on with Russia. And that aspect of it, I, think has been lost a lot of the time because people are seeing all of these terrible, terrible images of kids, pregnant women, people being attacked, who are clearly not in the military or not in the army. And so it makes sense that people are saying, well, what are we doing to help? And not acknowledging all that’s been done.
The administration knows this they know that people are going to come to the United States and say, they should do more. Which is why they continue to do more. Which is why you see the President going over to Europe next week to make sure that everyone knows that he is still and this country is still doing all they can to make clear that what’s happening in Ukraine is not going to stand and America’s going to continue to get resources as we move forward.
RUHLE: The situation on the ground in Ukraine is devastating. But we should remind our audience it is also a far-right narrative that keeps getting pushed that the U.S isn’t doing anything. And those same Republican lawmakers that are pushing President Biden to do more quicker are the same people who didn’t want Trump to do anything.
(…)
RUHLE: Before we go, Ambassador Taylor, what the General was just mentioning, you know sort of Europe coming together, can you speak about how President Biden — has he done a good job uniting our allies around the world? From my little seat, it seems extraordinary, the coordination.
WILLIAM TAYLOR: The coordination has been extraordinary, Stephanie. One of General McCaffrey’s colleagues, General Doug Luke, who knows something about surges in the military, he has observed that this has been a diplomatic surge. He’s never seen such a diplomatic activity intense, consistent, high-level, time after time, President Biden, Blinken, Sullivan, Austin, all the way down — this has been an amazing surge, an amazing accomplishment. I served at NATO for a time when there were 16 nations, now there are 30. And keeping those all together is a challenge. And then you’ve got the Japanese and the South Koreans and Australians. This has been a major effort, and it’s a big success.