Release

Somewhere between Simone Biles' total awesomeness and Donald Trump's effort to define racial identities on his own terms in a matter redolent of the Nuremberg Laws, there is great joy over the release of American prisoners from Russia in a swap of detainees that included deals to send Russian prisoners home from Germany and Slovenia, which involved great deal of diplomacy from President Biden with both of those countries, which resulted in the breakthrough that freed Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and others. 

The proof of Biden's point that alliances matter, which should help Kamala Harris - who was instrumental in the negotiations - probably won't.  While MAGA Republicans are no doubt happy to see these Americans come home, they're not likely to give Biden much credit or give Harris any credit at all.  They're just glad to see Whelan and Gershkovich home; they don't want to be bothered with the details of how it got done. Trump has already pooh-poohed it, saying the U.S. gave away too much.  

On the other hand, it might - might - work just enough to help Harris with swing voters.  We'll see. 

Exchange Politics

You would expect folks to be happy that basketball star Brittney Griner is home after being in a Russian penal colony for ten months, after she was exchanged in  prisoner swap with a Russian arms merchant held in the States.  You'd think Republicans would be happy, even.  Uh, no, they're not.

President Biden had hoped to get Griner (above) and ex-Marine Paul Whelan out, but the Russians made it clear that only Griner, who was arrested while playing professional basketball in Russia for carrying a bottle of cannabis oil back in February 2022, could be part of a trade.  Biden made what he knew was a difficult decision and agreed to the trade.  Republicans are bashing the President for trading an arms merchant who has caused the deaths of many people for an athlete in jail for a misdemeanor.  Now why do they have a problem with that - especially when they had no problem with Trump not doing anything to help Whelan, in Russian custody since 2018, get out earlier?

Donald Trump, Jr. let the cat out of the bag.  He accused the Biden administration of letting Griner, a black lesbian, come home over the white guy because they wanted to score "DEI" (diversity, equity, and inclusiveness) points with the Democratic base .

Republicans are quite happy to let an arms merchant or a terrorist free in exchange for an American, so long as that American is more likely to be a fan of Travis Tritt than a fan of Travis Scott. I'm sure GOP pols like Kevin McCarthy - who also hated the prisoner-trade deal and is probably going to have the Republican House investigate that if he becomes House Speaker - hated the mere optics of a black lesbian in cornrows come home while her wife - also black, also with cornrowed hair - was gushing with joy in the White House with President Biden and Vice President Harris.  David Whelan, who is Paul Whelan's brother and also a white guy, must similarly be pissed at Biden!

No, he isn't.  He's cool with the prisoner swap and has confidence that Biden will get Paul out of Russia, or at least he'll continue to try getting home out for as long as he's President. Which, David Whelan noted, was something Donald Trump, Sr. never bothered with.

Boomerang!