By passing Ukraine help, the unintentional speaker became an unexpected Churchill.

 

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson demonstrated unusual political courage in Washington and impressive legislative acumen for an untested leader by getting a long-delayed $60 billion aid plan for Ukraine through the House of Representatives on Saturday.

Johnson jeopardized his own position to defend a democratic nation that had been invaded unprovoked by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, as well as to strengthen America's leadership in the West. His measures could save thousands of Ukrainian lives, even if Russia's determination to win a terrible war in which people are being targeted remains unwavering.

Johnson's support for the law came after a time of self-reflection and political change, which is also unique in the hyperpolarized Capitol. One of his senior colleagues in the House stated that the "transformation" featured prayer by the devout Louisiana hardcore conservative, who professed a desire to be on the right side of history.

After months of bitter infighting that split the GOP, Johnson piloted the bill through the House, siding with his party's reduced internationalist Ronald Reagan wing while rejecting the "America First" camp where he had previously found his political home.

Johnson argued that if the US did not continue to provide weaponry and ammunition to Ukraine, Russia may prevail and march deeper into Europe, bringing the US into another world war. He stated that failing to intervene would support the burgeoning de facto totalitarian axis of Russia, Iran, and China. Johnson shepherded two other pieces of legislation through the House in a rare Saturday session, which will also deliver fresh aid to Israel and Taiwan. Reinforcing other critical US national security interests in two different global hotspots. Johnson's decisions also safeguarded and extended the major pillars of President Joe Biden's foreign policy, less than seven months before he sought reelection. Classified briefings from US covert agencies appear to have played a significant influence in his shift in attitude, which is sure to irritate "Make America Great Again" Republicans who see the intelligence establishment as a "deep state" targeting former President Donald Trump.

However, Johnson said that the geopolitical situation is so dire that the House has no choice, warning that Russia, China, and Iran are "a global threat to our prosperity and security." Their progress endangers the free world, necessitating American leadership. If we turn our backs right now, the implications might be disastrous.

Zelensky praises Johnson, but he has severed relations with MAGA Republicans.

The significance of the astonishing events on a tense floor of the House was emphasized by a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had spent months warning that he could lose the war if US aid worth tens of billions of dollars ran out. "I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track," he stated in a message sent to his Telegram account. "Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it."

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reported from Ukraine on Saturday that US help might soon begin flowing into the country provided the Senate approves the package as expected. Zelensky's forces, in particular, require anti-aircraft missiles and modern air defense systems to confront Russia's growing air supremacy and widening attack on civilian and energy infrastructure targets. Ukrainian soldiers fighting in harsh trench combat conditions have been rationing ammunition and artillery. The House vote will also provide a much-needed lift to morale as the savage battle has turned against Ukraine in recent months.

Johnson's actions, on the other hand, represented a clear challenge to the Republican Party's populist base, which is adamantly opposed to more Ukraine aid, leans closer to Putin than Zelensky, and sees America's traditional leadership of the West as supporting globalist policies that are antithetical to US interests.

This line of thought is quite powerful in the Republican Party, and Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, has used it extensively over the years. And 112 Republicans, or the majority of the conference, voted against the Ukraine bill. Millions of Americans agree with the former president that America's allies, who pleaded with Johnson not to forsake Ukraine, are freeloading on the country's military umbrellas, and that the US should have a far narrower view of its international commitments. They do not believe Ukraine is America's struggle and fear that standing up to Russia could result in World War III.

Johnson is also becoming more vulnerable: bypassing the Ukraine bill, he rejected right-wing Republicans' insistence that the aid be used as leverage to force the Biden administration to implement severe tactics at the US-Mexico border. In this, however, he was undermined by his own team. The president had already agreed to many of the GOP's criteria in the most conservative immigration package in years — but Trump's House allies killed the proposal, ostensibly to deny Biden a victory on an issue that the ex-president sees as a way back to the White House. That maneuver, which denied Johnson's minuscule majority a substantial policy victory, combined with the use of Democratic votes to pass Saturday's Ukraine resolution, demonstrates the complete chaos of a Republican Party at odds with itself. The optics became much more problematic for Johnson when Democrats hoisted Ukrainian flags on the House floor, resulting in a scene that has already gone viral among conservatives on social media and one the speaker quickly condemned.

Johnson's position remains far from safe.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch opponent of aiding Ukraine's war effort, said after the vote that Johnson was a "lame duck," though she did not call the vote to remove him that she had threatened in an attempt to block the Ukraine bill. Greene chastised Johnson for subsidizing what she called America's "murder industry" by supporting foreign conflicts, warning, "It's unbelievable." I'm grateful that America can see who this man is.

The Georgia hardliner is one of at least three Republicans who have stated that they will support an attempt to remove Johnson, whose majority is so narrow that he cannot afford to lose any Republicans on a party-line vote and would likely require Democratic support to stay speaker.

Greene predicted outrage among grassroots Republicans as lawmakers returned home for a brief recess after Johnson also fought to pass critical funding bills that funded the government, which Greene considers a betrayal of GOP voters. She may be true in her assessment, and a gradual building of pressure may be Johnson's greatest vulnerability.

However, even among Republicans who were dissatisfied with Johnson, there was no appetite for another catastrophe that would undoubtedly occur in the search for a new speaker so soon to the elections. If Johnson correctly reads the mood of those members, he may survive in a display of political dexterity that few observers expected to see after he was elevated to the speakership from the backbenches in October as almost the last resort after better-known figures failed to garner a majority following Speaker Kevin McCarthy's removal. However, his odds of retaining his position if the GOP wins in November remain remote. Nonetheless, in sending money to Israel and Ukraine, Johnson may have helped vulnerable freshmen Republicans in swing districts whose triumphs in the 2022 midterms paved the way for their party to take control of the House. Rep. Marc Molinaro of New York told CNN's Manu Raju that after meeting with his constituents, "It is clear to me that there are moments in time where we must do the right thing, and today we did that."

Questions about Trump's role.

One intriguing topic Saturday was Trump's position — a lifelong opponent of Zelensky and mentor of Greene, whose insistence on Kyiv to probe Biden resulted in Trump's first impeachment. Johnson recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago and backed up the former president's phony charges of election fraud in an apparent attempt to strengthen his own position. The former president, who has traditionally deferred to Putin, kept out of the Ukraine issue. It's unclear whether he was trying to protect his choices in case he becomes the next commander-in-chief and wants to keep his promise to halt the war in Ukraine. Perhaps Trump was busy with his own political aims — and his first criminal trial — before Monday's opening arguments.

With the GOP in outrage after Saturday's vote, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries refused to say if his party will support Johnson if Greene and her allies use a technique called a motion to vacate. Even if Democrats save Johnson as a reward for passing the assistance packages, which was a top Biden priority, a long-term campaign to keep him in office appears doubtful. The speaker may be the most conservative individual to hold the position in contemporary US history, and many Democrats despise his efforts to push Trump's election fraud claims. And any Republican speaker propped up by Democrats risks losing support among GOP lawmakers and being forced to quit.

Some Democrats, however, showed lukewarm support for the speaker. Rep. Mike Quigley, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, was asked if he had new respect for Johnson. "I guess I do," the Illinois Democrat replied. "The old saying goes, 'It's never too late to do the right thing.'" "We tested it," Quigley added. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Johnson and Jeffries, saying, "I know it was a difficult road, but the House is on the right side of history for approving this bill."

America's adversaries, including Putin, had been betting that US internal divides, aggravated by previous Russian election involvement, would render the US unable to defend its traditional interests in the global arena. But Johnson put those assumptions on hold, even if the long-term prospects for ongoing US backing for Ukraine and traditional Western leadership are dismal if Trump wins in November.

But House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who previously reported Johnson's prayer for guidance, said the speaker demonstrated true leadership. "He stated, 'I want to be on the right side of history.' And I believe he will be. And, once again, I believe that placing the nation ahead of himself was a true act of courage."

As the argument over Ukraine aid heated up, McCaul drew parallels between the US approach to Putin and Britain's appeasement of Nazi Germany under one prime minister and the steadfast opposition of his successor. "As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?" stated the Prime Minister.

The accidental speaker makes Churchill appear impossible, but on Saturday he proved to be a considerably more daring and significant character than many of his Republican and Democratic adversaries had previously assumed.