Today's Opinions: DeSantis is sitting on the Ukraine fence. Here are 10 reasons to hop off.

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PUBLISHED BY READ ONLINE | SIGN UP Get the news — and make sense of it, too.   By Drew Goins Assistant editor For a limited time, all of the Post articles linked in this newsletter are free to access from this email. Or subscribe today for unlimited access. In today's edition: Ten reasons to support Ukraine — enough for DeSantis? Put an Asian American museum on the National Mall Voting is becoming less racially motivated Why "Succession" was bad for us ADVERTISEMENT   The case for Ukraine (for America) A lot of conservatives argue that the United States doesn't have a good reason to keep supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. To them, columnist Marc Thiessen, also a conservative, says: Here are 10. Marc's essay lays out in clear, discrete points what he calls the "America First" rationale for supporting Ukraine. You will not find soaring rhetoric about defending democracy here. This argument is aimed at the people who need supporting Ukraine to be good for the United States. Marc argues that continued support would be very good. His first point is that a Russian victory would embolden U.S. enemies the world over. The second point, related, is that a Ukrainian victory would help deter China: If the United States protects Ukraine, China will think it more likely to protect Taiwan, too. His next eight reasons run the gamut from a revitalized defense industry to nuclear nonproliferation to — conservative catnip — the restoration of the Reagan Doctrine. Maybe if Marc can consolidate enough conservatives to support Ukraine, presidential candidate Ron DeSantis will finally pick a side in the fight. Columnist Josh Rogin writes that the Florida governor has refused to reveal an actual position on whether the United States should continue its aid to Ukraine. "By trying to placate everybody," Josh writes, DeSantis "is pleasing no one." Josh reports that many Republican insiders assume DeSantis will come out as pro-aid if he can make it past the very anti-aid Donald Trump in the presidential primaries. But what if that's wrong? Right now, the electorate is left to guess — and that's an insult to voters. Chaser: The Editorial Board sees nuclear danger rising regardless of how Ukraine plays out. It has a blueprint for the U.S. response. A spot on the Mall Did you know Asian Americans fought against Britain in the Revolutionary War and died fighting in the Civil War, too? I'll confess I didn't — and I live in a state where Asian Americans make up a plurality of the population. Stories of Chinese railroad labor and Japanese internment only got touched on in my schooling. Former labor and transportation secretary Elaine Chao — the first Asian American woman to be appointed to a president's Cabinet — writes that a key step to educating this country about the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is to build a museum on the National Mall that honors them. "Our history is too often overlooked," Chao writes, "our contributions to this nation are sometimes forgotten, and our right to be here is too often questioned." Think back to the wave of anti-Asian hate that crashed over the country during the early days of covid-19 — and continues to swirl today. Chao writes that a museum would not only educate individuals against those prejudices but also show the whole country standing behind the AANHPI community. Chaser: Journalist Arthur Tam explained in 2021 why it is so critical to #StopAsianHate even after the buzzy social media campaigns peter out. ADVERTISEMENT   From Henry Olsen's column explaining that while voting is still pretty racially polarized, it is decreasingly racially motivated. Not so long ago, he writes, it would have been very surprising for a largely Black electorate to turn out for a White candidate or vice versa, but now it's happening all over the place. Henry cites the cross-racial voting in the Kentucky governor's race, as well as mayoral races in New York, LA and Philly. "All of this suggests that today's racial voting differences have less to do with skin color and more with issue stances and priorities," he writes. These are obviously baby steps — but at least they're quick ones. Less politics Okay, you all have had an extra two days — it's been long enough now that we can talk about the "Succession" finale. Columnist Michele Norris wasn't a big fan of the show, which she likens to "candy you can't put down even though you know it will ruin your teeth." But instead of cavities, she worries that all the "spoiled people with sawdust in their souls" on screen will inure us to the very real characters rotting our democracy and society. There's no redemption in the end, either. Michele writes that an undeserving "lightweight" makes off with the title of CEO. (This is not a spoiler, as all the possibilities were lightweights. Well, except Gerri. Sorry, Gerri.) It doesn't feel good — but neither did anything about the Waystar Royco world. Is ours so much better? Smartest, fastest Nancy Gibbs of Harvard provides a dispatch from the college's commencement, where Tom Hanks's speech "was a healing energy in a sorry time." Columnist George Will writes that the Supreme Court's evisceration of the Clean Water Act is a refreshing demand that Congress provide some clarity. As the MAGA crowd faces defeat on the debt ceiling, columnist Greg Sargent reports, some Democrats worry it will be fleeting. It's a goodbye. It's a haiku. It's … The Bye-Ku. It's a special skill To sit so long on a fence Covered in barbed wire *** Have your own newsy haiku? Email it to me, along with any questions/comments/ambiguities. See you tomorrow!     Manage my email newsletters and alerts Unsubscribe from Today's Opinions | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for Today's Opinions or because it is included in your subscription. ©2023 The Washington Post 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071