The Republican shift from opposing war to saber rattling happened almost overnight after Israel was violently attacked from Gaza.
Writing for The Daily Beast, Ben Burgis made the observation Wednesday that the hard-liner Republicans fighting spending and weapons donations from the U.S. in Ukraine have been among the first to demand the U.S. back conflict in Israel. Burgis is known for his liberal beliefs and progressive philosophies, particularly about war.
"In February, several Republicans signed on to a bill, introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that was aimed at ending U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine," wrote Ja'han Jones in a similar piece for MSNBC. "The 'Ukraine Fatigue Resolution' was part of a broader push among Russophilic Republicans to slow or stop such defense aid in the face of Moscow’s deadly invasion."
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“America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war,” Gaetz said in a statement. “We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately.”
But after the attacks in Israel, Gaetz is singing a different tune. Speaking to “Meet the Press" Sunday, he said, “The reason we have this multibillion-dollar commitment each and every year to Israel is because we want Israel to have a qualitative military edge over everyone” in the region.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Donald Trump Jr. are spreading a story made to look like a news video. The story alleges Ukraine has been linked to arms sales to Hamas and that these same weapons were used to kill the Israelis over the weekend. It has been exposed as false.
"No one should be surprised that it’s all complete nonsense," Burgis said in his piece. "A lie from start to finish. Straight-up intentional disinformation."
Don Jr. pushed a conspiracy that Hamas' weapons were given by the Taliban after being left in Afghanistan in 2021 is also unfounded, experts said.
"What’s interesting, though, is that the 'Ukraine is arming Hamas' conspiracy theory is a kind of transitional fossil in the rapid political evolution of their wing of the right," said Burgis.
"For the last year and a half, President Joe Biden has championed U.S. funding for the war in Ukraine. Many on the right have been led by their partisan positioning to disagree, with some MAGA firebrands cosplaying as critics of the military-industrial complex. About a week ago, Greene even did a photo-op with protestors from the peace group, Code Pink."
Under the Biden administration, Republicans reversed their historic position supporting various wars, including their problems with Russia.
Burgis explained some are in favor of other members in the West paying for the war, while others are advocating for an outright withdrawal of all funds and military support.
"Some of them have used anti-war rhetoric that has made them sound disconcertingly like Noam Chomsky or (full disclosure) me," he confessed.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Fox over the weekend that the US must help Israel. This comes after he repeatedly tried to stop all aid to Ukraine.
"We need to give Israel the time, the space, and the resources so they can win and win decisively and send a message to these evil people who did this to our great friends and great ally, the state of Israel," he said.
"They oppose any aid to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, but they’re licking their chops to back Israel’s assault on Gaza," quipped Burgis.
