Ross: Zelenskyy’s speech to Congress has historic influences
Dec 22, 2022, 9:03 AM | Updated: 10:56 am
Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, hold up a Ukrainian flag autographed by front-line troops in Bakhmut, in Ukraine's contested Donetsk province, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyas addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
“Against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios. Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
President Zelenskyy of Ukraine stood before Congress last night, declaring that Ukraine had more than enough of its own soldiers, and more than enough courage to beat Russia. And that all he was asking for from us was to send more weapons.
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“We have artillery. Yes. Thank you,” Zelenskyy said. “We have it. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.”
His speech was immediately compared to the speech delivered to Congress 81 years ago by Winston Churchill just after Christmas in 1941, three weeks after Pearl Harbor, promising to punish Germany and Japan.
“What kind of people do they think we are? It is possible they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget,” Churchill said in his famous speech.
Last night, Zelenskyy said the United States needed to teach a similar lesson to Russia, and its ally, Iran.
“It is just a matter of time when they will strike against your other allies if we do not stop them now. We must do it,” Zelenskyy said.
And to remove any doubt about his resolve not just to survive, but to win. He quoted FDRs Pearl Harbor speech.
“The American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory. The Ukrainian people will win too, absolutely,” Zelenskyy said.
“The American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory,” FDR said.
And while it’s tempting to end this commentary on that stirring quote, I have to point out that while we did achieve that absolute victory — It ultimately involved dropping an atomic bomb.
In a world where we were the only country that had one.
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