Folks are saying McCain has the advantage with the conflict between Russia and Georgia.
It seems that Obama is holding back, letting McCain hang himself and McCain is doing a great job.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Georgia, a US ally, had been strongly advised not to react confrontively with Russia. They didn't listen and Russia came back hard.
McCain makes like Billy Goat Gruff and threatens, huffing and puffing.
It is remarkable that CNN, at least, keeps putting on partisan political experts, not real experts on the region. So it is not surprising that the commentary they get is incredibly dumb. Richard Bennett suggests that the US might deliver stinger missiles to the Georgians. Simply brilliant! That would pretty much be the same as declaring war on Russia. Do we really want to do that?
McCain is talking tough with Russia. Problem is, he's a gnat on a lions ass and he doesn't realize it. McCain is having a flashback to 1969. Back then, in THAT cold war, the US was a superpower and Russia was a hollow chimera. We know that now. But now, we also know that Russia is up to its eyeballs in oil money. The Russia of today is far more powerful and capable, massively more so than was true in '68.
McCain talks about putting pressure on Russia. Right. So does Bush. Problem is, they are impotent. The Viagra they've been delivering to their white male supporters who get their sense of masculinity by supporting war doesn't work in the real world. The real world says the US is helpless and all the nations of the world know it. McCain has multiple phone conversations with Saakashvilli and then Saackashvilli used it on national TV. Didn't McCain talk about Obama being manipulated by Ahmadinejead? But it's okay to meddle with the workings of real diplomatic efforts. ...Well, as real as you're going to get with Condi Rice, the worst Secretary of State n the history of the US.
Gee whiz, Condi speaks Russian. That means she can say things like, "Huh," and "what" and " didn't know that," and "Nobody told me that"
McCain and his team seem to be set on demonstrating that he can be a tough, bellicose commander-in-chief. What he's showing is total lack of nuance. He's showing that his experience during the war was as a prisoner, not a leader. His willingness to jump into confrontation so fast when the stakes are so high, is astounding. Who knows what Russia is willing to do in response? Well, they have demonstrated what they were willing to do in response to Georgia's affront to their expectations.
Meanwhile, Obama just holds his own, keeping his powder dry, letting McCain run his mouth and fully show what kind of leader he really is and is not. I don't think today's Americans are in the same throes of anti-communism, or fears of the "red menace." I don't think Americans like to see McCain talking so tough, putting the US at risk of a big war we managed to avoid going nuclear in for nigh on 40 years.
Ironically, McCain plays games with politics, even though his surrogates accuse him of stealing the stage with his Commander-in-Chief Demonstration. But McCain and his surrogates are milking this tragedy to the mad.
We'll see where the coming poll meanderings lead us. Meanwhile, Israel must be watching this with great interest.
The Russian incursion into Georgia sets the precedent. They get away with it, so, does that mean Israel does too, when it goes after Iran?
Some say we're re-entering the cold war. Seems pretty hot to me.