It might have been a rather cheap act of political theater, but Joe Biden will benefit from his “Stand up for Vindman!” moment at the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire on Friday.

Vindman being Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a U.S. Army officer who, until Friday, was serving on the White House National Security Council. On Friday, Vindman was removed from his position, almost certainly at the direction of President Trump and almost certainly in retaliation for Vindman’s testimony before the House of Representatives during its impeachment investigation.