The first stop of Kamala’s two-day trip to Europe was Poland. She met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Andzrej Duda. Later in the day, she met refugees from Ukraine and the US embassy in Ukraine’s staff. Her last meeting was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was also in Warsaw. The idea of sending Kamala to Poland to show American commitment to our relationship with Poland, especially after the botched fighter jet transfer may have been ill-considered.

Has no one in the Biden administration noticed just how terrible Kamala is when she gets behind a microphone? During Kamala’s joint press conference with the President of Poland, she cackled inappropriately after being asked a question about Ukrainian refugees. She made an awkward reference to international friendship when she said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” The Polish president tried to discreetly wave her off of saying that but she persisted. The combo of the expression and the cackle was embarrassing.

Kamala clearly does not have a deep understanding of either domestic or foreign policy. She speaks as though she is addressing young children and regularly just serves up a helping of word salad. Nonetheless, she is the designated representative of the Biden administration overseas lately so that she can get some experience on the international stage and world leaders can become acquainted with her. Kamala was roundly slammed in conservative-leaning media outlets after the cackle heard around the world yesterday. Who knows what today will bring? She will be in Romania. She is to shore up support for Ukraine’s neighbors.

There may have been a couple of things that Kamala did right, though, during her time in Poland. The reason Kamala’s cackle was so unfortunate during the question about Ukrainian refugees is because Poland has taken in over a million refugees so far and the number will get larger. The war in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis that some bordering countries are trying to help. Polish President Duda said the refugees streaming into Poland in the past 10 days is overwhelming the country though they want to help. The humanitarian crisis is turning into a “humanitarian disaster.” The prices of gas and goods have increased the financial burden on those helping them.

Poland has taken in 1.5 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine, and many of them are staying with Polish families — “a reason to be proud,” Duda said.

Harris praised the generosity of those in Poland who are taking in strangers.

“We recognize the burden that it places on the government of Poland, on the president and the infrastructure of this country,” Harris said. “So the United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland in terms of the burden that they have taken on.”

Harris announced that the United States would donate $50 million to the U.N. World Food Program, and she met with displaced people later in the day.

She visited the American School in Warsaw. The vice-president told the audience the world is watching.

“You are not alone. And I know there’s so much about the experience that you’ve had that has made you feel alone. You are not alone — we around the world are watching.”

One thing I don’t think is getting a lot of attention but was an eyebrow-raising moment was when Kamala said that she supports an investigation into war crimes being committed by Putin. We are all horrified to see Putin’s troops target innocent Ukrainians. Women, children, the elderly have all been murdered from their attacks. Putin’s troops are hitting civilian areas, not military targets, in an attempt to break the will of Ukrainians to fight for their country and to destroy the infrastructure of the country. Many Ukrainians have no way out of the country. The bombing of the maternity hospital was an unthinkable horror. However, acknowledging war crimes while she is in the neighborhood, so to speak, could be seen as a commitment to launching a separate investigation into war crimes, apart from the United Nations. Staff walked her comments back.

“Pregnant women going for health care? Being injured by, I don’t know, a missile or bomb? In an unprovoked, unjustified war? Where a powerful country is trying to take over another country, violate its sovereignty, its territorial integrity for the sake of what?” Ms Harris asked. “Nothing that is justified or provoked? Absolutely there should be an investigation. And we should all be watching. And I have no question the eyes of the war are on this war.”

A senior administration official later said that Ms Harris’s comments were in line with the administration’s line that targeting of civilians would be defined as a war crime. The official added that she was referring to the United Nations’ commission for inquiry and that the administration is gathering information, which it will share at a time it considers appropriate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also in Warsaw yesterday. Kamala met with him to discuss security and humanitarian aid for Ukrainians.

“And we value, of course, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and look forward to continuing our partnership in that regard,” she said before the bilateral conversation.

There is irony in that statement. Too bad Kamala and Biden aren’t as concerned about the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” of the United States. Kamala should have gone to the border and met with troops there but, like in the United States, she avoided doing that.

As I write this, Kamala landed in Bucharest where she will meet with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis today. Let’s hope the cackle doesn’t make another appearance. With her history, though, that is unlikely.