Surprise, Surprise!

 The trip that people never said would happen happened.

President Biden left Washington by plane in the dead of night and then, after a stop in Germany, landed in Poland, where the President boarded a train - a favorite way to travel of his - to Kyiv, where he met President Zelensky to stress his and the United States' commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty.  People had pleaded with Biden to make the trip, but the White House insists that it was too dangerous.  So long after everyone gave up on the idea, Biden took the initiative.

It's been a real boost to the people of Ukraine, where they've held off the Russian advance for about four months and are possibly ready to strike in a counteroffensive.  Biden's visit to Kyiv has made it clear that the West's commitment to Ukraine is real and unrelenting.    

To respond to the inevitable complaint from some Republicans that this was a shameless publicity stunt, I recall George Walker Bush showing up in Iraq in a surprise visit to the troops on the first Thanksgiving of the war in Iraq that Bush started.  He also presented a turkey to the servicemen, which, as I recall, was as fake as the reasons for going to war in Iraq.