Already in 2006 McCain has tried to convince President Bush to boycott the Group of 8 meeting in St. Petersburg, because it wouldn’t expel a “revanchist Russia.” McCain had the insight of seeing deeper than the mask President Vladimir V. Putin was wearing, that of a man truly concerned for his people and country. McCain saw right through him as the totalitarian, power hungry and fanatic communist that he is. McCain said “I looked into his eyes and saw three letters: a K, a G and a B.” The aggression in Georgia proves McCain right.

This foresight and in-depth knowledge of military dictatorship is an asset that serves McCain well and proves the shadow of a doubt he is ready to answer that “3:00 a.m. phone call.” It takes more for a president to be a marvelous orator, it takes that 6th sense plus experience to fend off a subtle and hidden enemy, and McCain has that quality.

Oftentimes joked at as too old and lacking the charisma that Obama has, and derided by his colleagues for his hard-line toward Russia, one cannot help but ask these same condescending people what they think of McCain’s view today. After befriending Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, over several visits there, McCain had a clearer view of their political, geographical and especially economical situation vis-à-vis Russia and Putin’s intention to use Georgia’s oil as a leverage in becoming another pawn to be reckon with in this fight for oil and its high revenues.

McCain has been wanting Georgia to join NATO for a while, and saw this move as a way of holding Russia in check. “NATO’s decision to withhold a membership action plan for Georgia might have been viewed as a green light by Russia for its attacks on Georgia,” Mr. McCain told reporters on Monday in Erie, Pa., “and I urge the NATO allies to revisit the decision.”

Of course, Obama had a different view as we all know, willing to talk with various dictators and/or enemies of the USA, though now he seems to be changing his tune again. The amazing fact is that Obama is so good at agreeing with plans set up or initiated by other nominees, such as when his plans were only 5% different from those of Hillary Clinton, and now maybe 30% different from McCain. He has a knack of acquiring someone else’s hard work and editing it here and there to make it seem to be his own.

Food for thought.

WAS MCCAIN RIGHT ABOUT RUSSIA?
By Michael Cooper
Abstract by Johana Nadler
click here to view original abstract