This is the Friends Mystery Debating Society with Professor H.J. Maccandor in International

Relations.

I'm John Bachelor to Washington.

The event of the week, Professor, the announcement by the President of the United States in a

three minute video released in the morning on Tuesday that he is a candidate for re-election

in 2024.

Of note, in the three minute video to my observation, there was no mention of Ukraine,

nor of the contest between NATO and the Russian Federation, nor of the risks that you have

illustrated in your remarks over these last months.

The explanation I was offered during the week is the American people vote their pocket

book, the election will turn on domestic issues.

And yet, gravity of the situation in NATO, I follow your reporting, is such that the

American people will be hard pressed to rationalize and defeat in Ukraine.

What is your measure of the Washington point of view leaving Ukraine out of a re-election

campaign video?

Well, it reminds me of there are certain sort of catch phrases of an attempt to sum up American

politics.

So you say, well, the election will be about domestic issues.

Well, Mr. Dooley said the Supreme Court follows the election returns.

And that isn't really true.

It isn't really true.

Sometimes they do, but they don't always.

...