'America Only' is the Less Polite Follow-up to a Rejection of 'America First'

Before I go further, I will state that I am not an isolationist nor “America Only,” but I find myself getting pushed that way when my government cares more about the integrity of Ukraine’s border than about the US border.

I’ll also point out that I am a die-hard defender of Israel, and of my Jewish brothers and sisters across the globe. I enthusiastically support Israel for religious, political, cultural, and civilizational reasons, and I consider the war that Israel is fighting against Hamas to be part of the long-term defense of the Unites States and its values. I do not feel the same way about the Slavic turf war in eastern Ukraine.

But…neither I do not begrudge those principled “America Only” folks who feel isolationist toward Ukraine, Israel*, Taiwan, and all the rest. I understand where they’re coming from, and how sick they are of the uni-party always putting America last.

(*Unless they utter something about Zionism or the suffering of Palestinians. Then I know they’re not standing on principle, they’re simply anti-Jew.)

[I’m not America First or Only as articulated in the current political environment, but I am more sympathetic to those positions than ever these days. The resistance to border security for the US while demanding hundreds of billions of dollars for border security elsewhere is so hypocritical — especially after nearly three years of Biden’s border crisis — that it’s impossible to ignore. — Ed]