Putin's initial thrust into Ukraine stalled out north of Kyiv last month and his "Phase II" Donbas fight has thus far made limited progress. Sensing Moscow's vulnerability, there is a desire in the United States to take increasingly proactive measures against Russia to increase the chances that Ukraine eventually wins the war.

Trying to accomplish that praiseworthy goal in a careless way, however, could not only diminish Kyiv's chances of winning, it might also expand the war into a Russia-U.S. conflict that could get Americans killed. Any war between Washington and Moscow stands a disturbingly high chance of going nuclear; an outcome that must be avoided at all costs.

On Sunday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger told CBS's Face the Nation that he intended to propose a new authorization for the use of military force that would enable the president to take action against Russia if Putin's forces used weapons of mass destruction.

The text of Rep. Kinzinger's proposed bill would authorize the president, upon confirmation Russia had used chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, to "use the Armed Forces of the United States" against Russian targets to "protect the national security interests of the United States" and to restore "the territorial integrity of Ukraine."