After receiving depressing briefings that showed Ukraine was on the verge of collapse, Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly changed his role from congressman representing Benton, Louisiana (population 2,048) to the guardian of the transatlantic alliance.
Johnson told me, referring to his discussions with the American brass at European Command, “It was the intelligence, it was the Europe generals who are in charge of the freedom of the world and of course it was the developments as well; everything has escalated.”
If the speaker was finally spurred on by those developments—namely, that Ukraine is running out of weapons—calling the foreign aid vote on Saturday provided a sobering dose of political reality in Washington.
When you consider that Johnson was raised in the 1980s at Barksdale Air Force Base under the shadow of B-52s, it becomes simpler to understand. He belongs to the “Red Dawn” generation of Republicans. All it needed for him to take up that old Cold War anthem was access to higher level intelligence briefings, which were given to congressional leaders.
Recall that Johnson changed his mind about the aid bill practically instantly after taking office, despite his months-long procrastination. Shortly after being elected to the position in October, Johnson informed Senate Republicans that he was in favor of funding Ukraine, provided that aid to Israel was subject to a separate vote.
At the time, I was curious about the turnaround and questioned a perceptive House GOP aide about it. The aide remarked, “Wow, what some intelligence briefs will do.”
Johnson began to sound less like Rand Paul and more like Dick Cheney by the spring.
Adding that “we stand in the defense of freedom,” Johnson stated last week, “this is a projection of American strength.”
