To refresh ourselves on the basics, conservatism encourages respect for the law, devotion to duty, and fidelity to oaths, particularly those taken in service to one's country. With that context, it was a stark surprise to learn that each of those is completely dismissible in some conservative circles if the offender helps score momentary political points.
How else to explain the peculiar wagons circling around Jack Teixeira, the air national guardsman trusted with deep American military secrets that he chose to leak? In a normal universe, this action is sinister at the least, and treason at worst. Individual men and women in uniform don't get to divulge top-secret intelligence matters on a whim. But the politics of America's involvement in Ukraine has fostered deep resentments, some so malignant that this latest betrayal has earned sympathy and even outright admiration from those enjoying the new revelations.
The leaker's legal defense team will have to work hard to match the glowing spin of Tucker Carlson, whose Fox News show brimmed with admiration the night of Teixeira's arrest. "He revealed the crimes, therefore he's the criminal," the host argued. "That's how Washington works. Telling the truth is the only real sin."
The "truth" valued by Carlson and other members of the leaker's fan base? The wholly unsurprising prospect that Ukraine's air defense capabilities may be dwindling, clearing a path for Russia to strengthen its grip on Ukrainian soil. That unfortunate development would also constitute a much steeper climb for America and its allies in the shared campaign to help Ukraine repel Vladimir Putin's invasion.
The Biden administration and a contingent of interventionist Republicans have been trying for more than a year to sell the Ukrainian cause as central to U.S. global interests. This pitch has often had a dramatic flair, boosting Putin into the Hitler-level range of world danger. That argument has fallen flat for some conservatives, and sparked outright resistance in others.
Reasons for this opposition may differ. For some, Ukraine is "Biden's War," a rare occasion for Democrats to favor American involvement in a distant trouble spot, a familiar stance for Republicans over the years. A successful Ukrainian repulsion of the Putin invasion would be a massive political win for Biden, lofting Democratic prospects in 2024. But before that, it would be a success for America and a net benefit to the region and the world. One would think that would carry more weight.
But for the segment of conservative America sour on our Ukraine efforts, there are opponents to be bloodied, and the leaker is easy to weaponize. Call it MAGA, or America First, or just voters wary of another endless war—these are people in no mood to be wheedled into a conflict they do not see as vital to American interests.
For them, there is no distinction between Democrats and the hawkish Republicans joining them to scold anyone who fails to support billions in additional aid. Both are considered guilty of sugar-coating the chances of success to guard against the erosion of public support. Distaste for that perceived dishonesty runs so high that a leaker violating his nation's laws and his military oath takes on the mantle of heroism for scoring points for what some have lofted to a greater good—damaging the Ukraine PR effort.
This is the same myopic fixation that led to twisted admiration for the treachery of Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. Every citizen is free to object in moments of seeming deception from government, especially in sweeping matters of global significance. But those who take it upon themselves to defy our laws and trash their oaths are narcissists, not heroes.
This leaker didn't even aspire to some noble whistleblower status; his posts were apparently designed to draw admiration from other infantilized denizens of a gaming server. But whatever their motivations, these self-styled intel-leaking luminaries deserve rebuke, not praise.
Is there an imaginable global crisis so profound, with an accompanying pack of lies so pernicious, that some future rogue disclosure might be defensible? Perhaps. But this is not it. Eyes are already peeled in the direction of our Ukrainian efforts, and skeptical attention already runs high. Success will be easy to recognize, and so will failure. We did not need a leak to make clear the slim chances of success in Ukraine, and when leaks occur, we do not need to react with delight if the result is a fleeting political win.
Mark Davis is a syndicated talk show host for the Salem Media Group on 660AM The Answer in Dallas-Ft. Worth, and a columnist for the Dallas Morning News and Townhall.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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