One of the bigger news stories emerging from last week was the decision by the Biden administration to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to assist in its war effort against Russia. The announcement raised eyebrows not only because of widespread objection to the use of the weapons — including by this administration previously — but also the rationale for the decision expressed by the president.

Defending the decision, Joe Biden told CNN that we’re running low on ammunition — which seems like a rather unwise piece of info to share with a world in which not just Russia, but China — and others — are licking their chops at the prospect of a weakened U.S.

Beyond that, Biden’s own team has previously characterized the use of these types of weapons as potential war crimes, so the sudden about-face on using them begs the obvious question: Are they only criminal when used by enemies, but just hunky dory when used by allies?

Setting aside the Biden team’s hypocrisy, I find it fascinating the number of talking heads and media types who previously condemned these weapons but now find their use justifiable because a Democratic administration is suddenly in favor of it. Why, it’s almost like their stances on any given issue — even those involving life and death — are purely a function of partisanship rather than principle. Who’da thunk it?

President Biden is prepared to waive U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1 percent to send them to Ukraine, amid concerns about Kyiv’s lagging counteroffensive against Russian troops. https://t.co/oesF6SwVH3

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 7, 2023

This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Monday, July 10th. Audio included below.