That brings us back to the infantry school’s motto. This principle of personal leadership underlines the importance of leaders who set an example through their courage. Standing amid the rubble and bodies of Bucha, Biden would show that America’s superpower status remains of absolute importance. The alternative leadership model, after all, is that of Communist China . A regime that turns its greatest cities into vast COVID-19 concentration camps, sends its minorities into literal concentration camps, and claims to own sole rights over the future of Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the entirety of global intellectual property rights and commerce.

Yes, the Secret Service will surely oppose any visit from Biden to Ukraine. Its latest scandal notwithstanding, the Secret Service is the finest protective force in the world. Its risk assessments deserve prudent attention and respect. Still, the Secret Service and the American president are not one and the same. Giving the service time to prepare and time to offer a degree of confidence for the president’s safety, Biden should visit Ukraine. This could be done in a manner that mitigates the risks to Biden. The deployment of Secret Service personnel and complementing elements from other government institutions could provide an umbrella of protection. The Secret Service retains highly advanced counter-sniper, counter-assault, anti-drone, and anti-surveillance capabilities to mitigate Biden’s vulnerability. And any Russian attack or attack by its proxies would be an act of war that would force Russia to choose between its destruction as a functioning state and its deposing of Putin from power.