The scenes from Ukraine are riveting and horrid. Not only on TV, but in the video that President Zelensky showed Congress on Wednesday.

So it was logical that Rep. Tom Malinowski was asked if the United States can do “more” to help during a telephone “town hall” Wednesday night with constituents.

This is a common question these days, but not a simple one.

The U.S. has sent millions of dollars worth of military equipment to Ukraine and imposed harsh economic sanctions on Russia.

If there is a next step, it would logically be U.S. troops on the ground or U.S. planes enforcing a “no fly” zone over Ukraine.

But does the United States want a war, a “real war if you will, with Russia?

Malinowski, like many across the political spectrum, says no. As he noted, Russia, like the U.S., is a nuclear power.

To those old enough to have lived through the Cold War, just the thought of a nuclear confrontation with Russia seems like a suppressed nightmare from long ago. It’s as if the Cuban missile crisis – along with JFK and Nikita Khrushchev – have returned after a 60-year absence.

Back to today’s reality.

“Don’t discount what we are now doing,”  the congressman said. By that he meant military aid and sanctions, which he said have been “devastating” to the Russian economy.

Problems back home aside, Malinowski also said the economic crunch can make it difficult to feed and sustain the Russian army in the field.

No talk about politics today can ignore rising gas prices.

In stark political terms, the war gives cover to politicians, especially Democrats who are playing defense here. It’s easy to blame rising gas prices on the Russian invasion. Of course, gas prices were on the upswing before the invasion began.

The price of oil is really a complicated thing. The Biden Administration of late has drawn attention to the fact oil companies hold about 9,000 permits to drill, but are not doing so.

This suggests that “big oil” may be contributing to high prices for their own benefit. Imagine that.

Malinowski said he wants to combat that possibility with a temporary windfall profits tax and use the proceeds to provide average Americans with rebates.