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Russia Helps McCain By Attacking Him

by Josh Kahn | August 10, 2008 at 2:39 PM
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The Russian government’s incompetent attack against John McCain has handed him a great weapon against Obama.  The attack makes clear that the Kremlin wants Obama to win the election but the open support of a nation busy doing this is hardly going help a candidate who’s already fighting a reputation for dictator-coddling.  John McCain’s statement on the crisis was excellent, but there’s a lot more his campaign can do.

The McCain campaign and the RNC should directly tie Obama to the Russians.  The message: “Russia wants Obama to win because they know he’ll be a weak President.”  

McCain couldn’t have said this without the Russian attacks against him, but their on the record implicit endorsement of Obama gives him full license to seize the message.  The McCain campaign has been starting to tiptoe around this already, but they should hit Obama at full force for standing by while an American ally is invaded.

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I don't think handing Randy Scheunemann

Submitted by markg8 on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 16:18.

McCain's top foreign policy advisor best known as one of Chalabi's buttboys to Obama as an issue is going to help. This guy shouldn't even be on the campaign let alone angling for a job in McCain's administration.

 

So, how come. . .

Submitted by Walt Gilbert on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 17:27.

. . .Obama has suddenly yanked his position so close to McCain's that even John Edwards is embarrassed for him?

Last I saw...

Submitted by markg8 on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 18:52.

...both Obama and McCain talked to Saakashvili today. McCain can thump his chest all he wants but our big stick is bogged down in Iraq. The best we can do is airlift the 2000 Georgian troops serving in Iraq back home. The actual president president of the United States? I guess he's busy playing "overseas celebrity" in China. If you're going to push Putin around with what he considers repeated insults like the useless anti-missile system in Eastern Europe and inviting the Georgians to join NATO it pays to have something to push them around with. I'm sorry but the Russians just pointed out how weak we really are. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait a sec. . .

Submitted by Walt Gilbert on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 19:21.

. . .in your entire paragraph, what you didn't explain was how come Barack Obama yanked his position all the way from calling for Georgia to show restraint as Russian "invaded -- err -- 'encroached'" on its sovereignty to a full-throated denunciation of Russia's aggression.  Is that a question you'd rather not answer?  'Cuz I'd fully understand if you didn't.

In any event, if the Obama folks want to take the case to the voters that America is impotent in the face of Russian aggression, and try to turn that into an electoral winner, they're more than welcome to try it.  It'll look even better when he's in Switzerland raising money with George Clooney.

As for our capability to respond militarily, I highly doubt Putin would want to push that line too hard, and I'm even more skeptical that Barack Obama likes the idea of running for president with the prospect of a confrontation with Russia hanging over the rest of the campaign.

And, finally, the difference between Barack Obama and John McCain's positions on the matter is that McCain's position is the same today as it was yesterday -- before he spoke to Saakashvili.  Obama's has changed considerably -- and so has the administration's.  They're all pretty much falling in line behind McCain.

So, if you're going to try and make the silly case that McCain is full of bluster and waving around a big stick that just isn't there -- well, then you're going to have to explain why it is that Obama is trying so desperately to appear as though he's waving that same unavailable stick.  Whatever the explanation, it boils down to the fact that one man is leading (that would be McCain) and everyone else seems to be falling in line behind him.  And, for Barack Obama, there's no explanation that makes him look good.

Walt...

Submitted by markg8 on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 20:21.

...if McCain's trying to gin up a war against the Russians with most of our military stuck in Iraq - the red army armor can be in Tbllisi faster than we reached Baghdad in 2003 - isn't it pretty dumb to rattle a dull saber? The Obama folks don't have to make the case to the voters that America is impotent in the face of Russian aggression, it's pretty plain to see because ya know...the surge is working! So far it's workiing in Afghanistan, Darfur, Iran, Tibet, and now Georgia for all the wrong people. That's to name a few, I'm sure I'm leaving someone out. 

And BTW how did the Russians mass such an armored attack which can't be hidden without us hearing about it from our government and media beforehand? 

Let's be real

Submitted by Ironman on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 20:26.

1. The Russian army could get to Tblisi in a matter of days in any of the following years...1989, 1990, 1991.... It would be like trying to keep the 2nd Armored from getting to Monterrey. The fact that the Russians could organize an attack within their own boundaries is hardly shocking.

2. Given the revanchist behavior of Putin and his Mini-me, the last message we ought to sent to NATO allies is we are going wobbly on missile defense and integrating new members.  

3. I suspect many of the folks who cheered Obama at the Berlin Victory columm also marched against the deployment of Pershing II missiles by Reagan. Yep, the decrepit clueless warmonger then, who now "everyone" supported after this strategy won the Cold War. Obama 2008 = the freeze voter agenda 1983.

I would like the Cold War to stay won. The Obamatons and the Ron-ulans, not so sure about that one.   

Mark. . .

Submitted by Walt Gilbert on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 21:03.

. . .if that saber was as dull as you'd have us believe, Russia would be moving in on Afghanistan and trying to pin us down right now.  And, if you believe condemning Russia's aggression and calling on them to end it is "saber rattling", and an attempt to "gin up war", what you're advocating is the very height of impotence: complete moral impotence.

What's truly sad is that folks like you actually delight in the actions of the Russians because it gives you a sense of self-satisfaction.  The same folks had the same self-assuredness when the plan for the surge was first announced -- truly convinced that it would achieve nothing and would in fact make things worse.  Well, it turns out you were wrong on that.  So, what do you do?  Well, you wait for some event to flare up somewhere else and say, "See?  If it weren't for the surge, we'd be able to deal with this problem," knowing full well that you would oppose doing anything about that problem, surge or not.

With regard to Afghanistan, for all your desire to paint it as a disaster due to resources being deployed in Iraq, it seems even Harry Reid now concedes that it's in "pretty good shape".  And to bring up Darfur or Tibet in this context is nothing more than an attempt to say that the inability to deal with every trouble spot in the world at one time means that you shouldn't deal with any of them.

In any event, like I said -- if the Obama campaign, or the Paulites want to campaign on American impotence in the face of Russian aggression and say that we should simply sit back and say nothing, they're welcome to it.  Yet, I think it's worth noting that Obama has already chosen to take a path completely at odds with that, falling right in line behind McCain on the issue.  If it makes you feel better to scoff at the success of the surge and paint a picture of America as a hapless giant tied down in Lilliput, I suppose that's your business.

Just remember -- there were a lot of folks just like you who swore up and down that we'd need 50,000 body bags the first day we entered Iraq.  You were wrong then, you're wrong now, and I suspect you'll be wrong well into the future.

Yeah let's be real

Submitted by markg8 on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 21:15.

Stalin was Georgian, so was the last defense minister of the USSR Eduard Shevardnadzewho who said "we're going to do you a real disservice. we're going to deprive you of an enemy."

Georgia was part of the USSR until 1991. So I'd say getting to Tblisi wouldn't be any big deal for them back then either. More like moving the 2nd armor to San Diego than Monterrey. 

A few F-16s and a missile defense system isn't going to make the difference to a continent full of people freezing in the dark without Russian nat gas anytime Putin feels like cutting them off son. That;s why the German government is paying farmers to plant wind turbines instead of crops. If you care about the Republican party and this country you'll wise up.

I got wise in the 1980's

Submitted by Ironman on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 21:37.

I suspect your diet then was mostly made by Gerber or Beech-Nut

Well no actually son...

Submitted by markg8 on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 22:54.

...I'm 52 years old. I've owned my own business since 1982. And you?

Old enough to spot trolls of any age

Submitted by Ironman on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 23:01.

whatever.   I'm sure if I lived in your state I'd be casting ballots for the next century in any event