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McCain and the Georgia-Russia War: "a frightening foretaste of John McCain's warlike foreign policy"

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 11:56am.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

This morning, America received a frightening foretaste of John McCain's warlike foreign policy. Yesterday, after a long-simmering feud, the nation of Georgia, having enjoyed U.S. support for its claim of sovereignty over enclaves of South Ossetia (which Russia claims) marched on the capital. Russia has been angling for this fight for a while, and immediately launched a large-scale attack on Georgia and sent tanks across its border. Georgia stepped up its air defenses, and Russia is sending more troops and broadening its air attack. A glance at a map of the region confirms this conflict could get big and nasty very quickly.

While Obama and most of the foreign policy establishment call for cool heads to prevail, acknowledging that Georgia made the first incursion while deploring Russia's response, McCain has staked out a hard line against Russia, comparing Russia's actions to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the USSR's assault on Czechoslovakia. McCain has taken today's opportunity to step up his demand that Russia be expelled from the Group of Eight. And this morning, McCain launched a diatribe against Russia that can only be regarded as reckless.

Why? No mystery there. McCain's top foreign policy advisor, Randy Scheunemann, was until earlier this year, a paid lobbyist for the Georgian government. Currently, he is registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent working on behalf of the government of Georgia. The only reason Scheunemann is no longer on the Georgia dole is because his actions were uncovered earlier this year, so he had to choose his master.

 

Scheunemann didn't have to choose though. McCain will always look after the interests of his friends' employers, even if it means bringing the U.S. to the brink of war.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080809/pl_politico/12409

 

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/04/30/scheunemann-lobbyist-georgia/

 

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/07/hbc-90000594

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
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There are some problems

Submitted by Chabuka on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:45pm.
Russia did not attack Georgia first...Georgia attacked Ossetia (Ossetia claims allegiance to Russia) never mind the fact that Georgia was the aggressor (backed and trained by Israel, the U.S. military and mercenaries)..the U.S. can't fight any one...Bush/Cheney and McCain have broken our military...as in broke and incapable of fighting any one else, especially Russia..we are as vulnerable as a newborn baby...our military is broke, our economic situation is dire...we probably would have to borrow money from China to fight another war..you think Russia would loan it to us (snark)...? The U.S is in a very precarious situation right now... you better pray Russia or China leaves us alone....but with stupid-ass as President, running around shooting his mouth off, and breaking international laws as well as our own laws...who knows...?
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Implications

Submitted by Vierotchka on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 1:16pm.
For a real understanding of the situation and the dangers it represents for the whole world, click here
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could mccain be correct?

Submitted by potrerohillman on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 7:35pm.
Russia has shown that it has the power and will to invade Georgia. I am unsure what the author thinks is the appropriate response. Handwringing and a diplomatic "tsk tsk" have never worked. We have watched millions butchered all of the world in the last several years and now we watch Russia bombing Georgia. The sad part of our morally empty foreign policy is that situation in Georgia shows that aligning oneself with the USA is worthless in the face of a determined tyrant. The McCain-Georgia connection does not address the failure of America to support a west leaning democracy in this conflict. The putrid stench underlying this comment seems to be that the friend (Republic of Georgia) of my enemy (McCain) is my enemy. Reckless is better than feckless especially when it comes to friendship. History is replete with versions of the intellectual coward who asks the wolf to accept the little goat in appeasement. Those heads seem "cool" because they are the ones so far stuck up their rear-ends that they have never seen sunlight. I think McCain is not fit to be president. He frightens me. But, maybe his response, a la Churchill, is correct this time.
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Yeesh - NeoKon Cold Warrior Much?

Submitted by drprodny on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 11:02am.
How about how (1) Georgia is the aggressor in this case, invading South Ossetia which Russia has decided to "protect"...using equipment we gave them; (2) That whole "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" NeoKon so-called "logic" is what gave us Saddam Hussein, Al-Quaeda and the Taliban in the first place; and (3) We don't have the resources to fight Russia on TOP of Iraq and Afghanistan (and probably Iran too if Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez get their way), b/c Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez pissed it all away in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Okay, Russia's response is like your father beating you bloody for not putting gas in the family car after you borrowed it - but the fault is not Russia's alone by any means. "Diplomatic hand-wringing", as you so macho'ly put it, may actually do a LOT more good than charging once again like a blind maddened bull into a conflict most Americans have little knowledge of or interest in, just b/c it's a FIGHT! Would you be happy if, say, Russia decided to send troops to defend Puerto Rico against OUR occupation of their sovereign nation...?

Of course, your screed reads like something John McCain, Dick Cheney or Paul Wolfowitz would say - so I doubt you'll bother considering any non-militaristic response, no matter how much harm it would do to not just the world, but our own country as well.

PS: Long ranty single-paragraph responses make you sound even MORE tinfoil-hat and testerone-addicted than you do already - try using "<" "br" ">" twice between paragraphs so we can tell you've actually taken a mental breath once in a while...?
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Paragraphs

Submitted by Rednaxela on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 12:28am.
I always wanted to know how to make paragraphs, because if you just type them, they don't stay. I'll try it:

Did it work?
Thanks for the tip (hopefully).
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Is President Doofus still

Submitted by sulphurdunn on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 3:32pm.
Is President Doofus still still on vacation, patting female athletes on the ass in Beijing? If he's still running around there, making an ass of himself, then who exactly is playing Commander in Chief?
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