The Hill's Christmas Wish: More War, Less Trump
The Hill 's recent opinion piece, urging Trump to 'bolster, not undermine, Ukraine’s fighting Christmas spirit,' offers a masterclass in framing perpetual war as moral fortitude. It conveniently ignores the reality that for many, the 'fighting spirit' is less about Christmas cheer and more about survival, bolstered by a steady flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars. The article criticizes any move towards
de-escalation as a weakness, subtly promoting the idea that the only acceptable outcome is continued conflict. This narrative carefully sidesteps the defense industry's role, where stock prices often correlate inversely with peace talks. While The Hill focuses on 'spirit,' it's worth remembering that defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon don't run on good vibes; they run on
contracts. One might wonder if their 'Christmas spirit' is directly tied to the sustained demand for their products, and if the 'undermining' Trump is accused of is simply a threat to their bottom line. How many proxy wars does it take before 'fighting spirit' becomes plain old, disastrous escalation?