"Basically, That's Wrong"

Vice-preident Kamala Harris was asked recently to explain in layman's terms what's going on in Ukraine. Her answer indicates that she has a pretty low opinion of the intelligence of the average layman:

OH… MY… GOD

Q: “What’s going on in Ukraine?”

Kamala: “Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine so basically that’s wrong.”
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— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 1, 2022

We've arrived at another distressing point in our cultural decline when our highest political officials talk to Americans as if they were talking to a class of pre-schoolers.

Or, and I just had this depressing thought, maybe that's how Ms. Harris talks to everybody!

In any case, I'd like to ask her what she means when she characterizes one country invading another, deliberately killing and terrorizing its citizens and destroying its cities, by saying that "basically, that's wrong."

Is that the strongest censure she can think of? Would she say that "basically," child abuse is wrong or that "basically," the holocaust was wrong?

Thankfully, she didn't use the one timorous construction so popular today among those who can't bring themselves to condemn any behavior, no matter how iniquitous or vile - she didn't say that killing thousands of civilians, including untold numbers of children, is "inappropriate" or "not okay."

Even so, must our leaders speak about right and wrong, good and evil in such milk-soppy language as Ms. Harris did employ? Why is she - and not just her - so reluctant to say categorically that what the Russian political leadership and many in the Russian military are doing in Ukraine is pure, unadulterated evil?

Why are so many so reluctant to speak as if evil really does exist?