The reactions to Joe Biden’s handling of Russia crossing his redline and invading Ukraine (by claiming parts of it are now independent) have come fast and furious. On the right, you have, expectedly, seen a lot of criticism surrounding the administration’s nonsensical strategy that has now devolved into a chaotic response.

On the left, the opposite has occurred, with some even going so far as to praise Biden despite the fact that the situation is objectively negative for the United States, NATO, and Ukraine. Of course, in the least shocking development to date, much of the commentary has also centered on Donald Trump, who represents a desperate deflection from the current president’s failures.

Those two positions collided after the House GOP levied some relatively mild criticism on Biden — which resulted in an immense triggering. That culminated in a pretty clear demand by some that loyalty be shown toward the president, lest one be labeled a traitor.

As still “technically” a member of house Republicans, let me, with all my might, condemn this damn awful tweet during this crisis. You can criticize policy but this is insane and feeds into Putins narrative. But hey, retweets amirite? https://t.co/1b22DGMENl

— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) February 22, 2022

This is what disloyalty at home looks like. https://t.co/XOfs56RsjG

— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) February 22, 2022

My first reaction to this was just how overwrought it is. It’s not like the House GOP praised Putin or used a naughty word to go after Biden. All they did was call him weak, something he unequivocally is. Everyone has seen the consequences of that, and we are all going to feel them as well, via rising energy prices. How does pointing out how weak Biden has been on the world stage dictate that someone is disloyal to their country?

Or are these clowns actually charging disloyalty toward the president himself? Because I’m old enough to remember when Trump’s quibblings about loyalty caused great consternation from the anti-Trump faction. Besides, Kinzinger and Steele, among the many others who freaked out about the House GOP’s criticism, had no problem at all attacking Trump when he dealing with America’s adversaries.

Now, after half a decade of vicious attacks on literally everything the previous president did, they want to demand a “rally around the flag” moment with Biden? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I know these guys get the vapors anytime Vladimir Putin is in the mix, as if he’s the only despot to ever exist, but that still doesn’t mean critiquing Biden’s weakness is out of bounds.

Further, while you expect such hypocrisy to be shown, I think the problem goes deeper. There is a certain emotional immaturity that exists among so many mediocrities in Washington, where they can’t delineate between expressing reality and supporting our enemies. Putin is actually a very cunning and smart individual. Understanding that and not underestimating him is how you develop a viable counter to his machinations.

On the other side of that, nothing is to be gained by covering up Biden’s weakness. Putin does not care about what the House GOP says or faux shows of unity, yet Kinzinger has now spent more time gnashing his teeth over a tweet vs. Russia’s actual invasion of Ukraine.

That’s not an accident. These pro-Biden apparatchiks, including those that claim to be on the right, are singularly focused on virtue-signaling their supposed superiority to the Republican Party than actually doing anything of value. Everything revolves around that goal for them, and that’s what drove these inane responses to what was, at worst, a meek rebuke of Biden’s foreign policy.