Putting country first
One of McCain's major themes is he's the guy who puts country first, ahead of his own interests. But Attaturk asks the right question about that today. Which country is talking about? McCain is front and center on the interests of Georgia today, but where was he when NOLA was drowning? Here.
I don't recall that he was holding any press conferences or writing impassioned op-eds calling for Americans to stand fast with our fellow citizens who became the victims of Katrina.
I don't recall that he was holding any press conferences or writing impassioned op-eds calling for Americans to stand fast with our fellow citizens who became the victims of Katrina.
Labels: Bush, McCain, Republicans
posted by Libby Spencer at 11:49 AM
7 Comments:
Reckless Rhetoric about the Baltic States
Senator McCain is engaging in empty, flag-waving rhetoric about defending freedom and democracy. A more informed opinion would conclude that the war between Georgia and Russia represents yet another giant foreign policy blunder by the Bush administration.
It should be pointed out that it was Saakashvili himself who started the war by sending a military force into Ossetia. Saakashvili started hostilities on the opening day of the Olympics, thus violating an ancient tradition that especially offended his adversaries.
Saakashvili miscalculated by assuming the Americans would rush to his aid, an erroneous assumption based on misstatements and misguided assurances from officials in the Bush administration and from Senator McCain himself. It should be pointed out that Senator McCain's foreign policy advisor is Randy Scheunemann, a registered "cash for access" lobbyist for the Republic of Georgia. Of course, ardent McCain supporters conveniently ignore the obvious conflict of interest in having lobbyists craft the public policy pronouncements of a presidential candidate.
What Bush, Rice, and McCain did not say is that Saakashvili failed to confer with Washington before embarking upon this misadventure. When one cultivates an ally in a troubled region, it helps to make sure your ally is on the same page
and consults with you about impending actions before going off half-cocked.
War with Georgia is Russia’s payback for a belligerent and unilateral foreign policy that has irked Russia for years, most notably the American handling of Kosovo’s independence, and the American plan to install a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
At least Obama had the good sense to point out what America lost in the bargain. We lost Russian cooperation on the issue of nailing down “loose nukes.” We lost Russian cooperation on the Security Council with respect to containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Because of Saakashvili's misadventure, America and Russia have returned to cold war conditions at a time when we can least afford it. With friends like Saakashvili, who needs enemies.
The Cold War was such a bottomless cornucopia for the Republicans, I have to suspect they'd love to have it back.
What's clear to me is that McCain wants to be a war president too and the neocons he's surrounded himself with would be happy to invent one for him. They'll worry about paying for it later.
I swear if he shows up in public in a flight suit, I'm outta here!
LOL Fogg. You and me both.
Fogg: I swear if he shows up in public in a flight suit, I'm outta here!
If the neo cons get their way, you'll need a radioactive hazmat suit before this is over. On the Beach, anyone?
LOL SC. Everybody is funny today.
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