McCain's Schizophrenic Foreign Policy
By Nicole Belle Sunday May 04, 2008 1:00pm
I begin to believe that "McSame" is not the right appellation for John McCain...he so clearly aspires to be "McWorse". It frightens me that he could be considered a legitimate candidate by any one with more than a two digit IQ. Unfortunately, the Media/McCain Man-Love is so strong that rarely does any news that detracts from "Maverick/Straight Talkin'" meme get through to the average Joe.
But Fareed Zakaria at Newsweek (I know, I was surprised too) broke away from the hivethink to chronicle just how dangerous McCain's understanding of foreign policy is:
On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.
In his speech McCain proposed that the United States expel Russia from the G8, the group of advanced industrial countries. Moscow was included in this body in the 1990s to recognize and reward it for peacefully ending the cold war on Western terms, dismantling the Soviet empire and withdrawing from large chunks of the old Russian Empire as well. McCain also proposed that the United States should expand the G8 by taking in India and Brazil-but pointedly excluded China from the councils of power.
We have spent months debating Barack Obama's suggestion that he might, under some circumstances, meet with Iranians and Venezuelans. It is a sign of what is wrong with the foreign-policy debate that this idea is treated as a revolution in U.S. policy while McCain's proposal has barely registered. What McCain has announced is momentous-that the United States should adopt a policy of active exclusion and hostility toward two major global powers. It would reverse a decades-old bipartisan American policy of integrating these two countries into the global order, a policy that began under Richard Nixon (with Beijing) and continued under Ronald Reagan (with Moscow). It is a policy that would alienate many countries in Europe and Asia who would see it as an attempt by Washington to begin a new cold war.
By what perverse metric could this possibly be seen as in our country's best interest? It's not bad enough that Bush has alienated all of the Middle East against us, now we have to piss off the entire world?
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wow... that is some dangerous crackpottery. Confused and aggro is no way to go through life, grampa.
Yeah, ticking off China -- that's a good move. Who holds our debt these days?
And a new cold war with Russia? "Mr. Putin, Build up that Wall?"
Yikes.
Sounds McCrazy to me.
He's gonna attack heaven?
Between his statement about oil and the war and his penchant for lucky charms, I'm getting a little freaked out about now. If he wins I'm going to Canada, that is if I'm not living in box then.
I think Grampa wants to be the man who ushers in the apocalypse.
Republican Party: All War! All The Time! There's nothing a little War never solved!
Seriously, can we just shut these hacks up once and for all, or are we going to be subjected to four to eight more years of scary people who want to accelerate the Rapture?
Yep...But Obama's not far behind:
"Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months." Obama '08 website.
"There are still going to be U.S. forces in the region that could intercede, with an international force, on an emergency basis," Obama said between stops on the first of two days scheduled on the New Hampshire campaign trail. "There's no doubt there are risks of increased bloodshed in Iraq without a continuing U.S. presence there." Sen. Obama, July 21, 2007
"A key adviser to Senator Obama's campaign is recommending in a confidential paper that America keep between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in Iraq as of late 2010."
Huff Post, April 4 '08
Remember the Nineties? Why can't Bush wave the magic wand he's always talking about, and send us back in time before he screwed up the country?
It makes sense that McCain wants to rile up Russia. According to the eschatology of his good friend, Christian Zionist John Hagee, Russia is likely to be the "Magog" named in the Old and New Testaments. According to McCain's close friend, Russia will be a necessary player in the End Times, in which Hagee's (and, presumably, McCain's) god will brutally destroy approximately six billion people.
So McCain's foreign policy makes sense, when one considers the perfectly rational religious beliefs of the people he must appease to get elected.
didn't Hitler also try to gather a like minded coalition of states?
The media is trying to suck all the air out of the news by dragging up the Rev Wright every ten seconds. Sorry, but they just have no time left to talk about a man who wants to be president and talks like a lunatic.
If this were Huckabee or one of the others we would hear more about it, but because it's McCain, he seems to get a pass on him mental qualifications.
I have always given McCain a bit of credit because he began talking about the environment a long time before most other pols did (except of course for a few) But recently he was talking about something and he mentioned that the "extremist environmentalist" were a problem. It sounded to me as though he was trying to put a little or a lot of distance between himself and part of the environmental community. I guess he has decided $$$ outweighs the environment.
Instead of seeking the Presidency McCain needs to seek professional help.
xoites (Bitter before Country was Cool) defends Constitution @ 12:
I agree and anyone who is going to vote for him should do the same.
Pissed off patricia, McCain used to be more moderate, but he's trying to appease the religious-right nut balls he's flipped on everything. From tax breaks to the environment. Like Hillary, I don't trust him at all.
I don't know whether to file this under stupid or nuts? What a f@ck head. We spent all that time under Clinton building a partnership for peace with the Russians and this dweeb just spits in the face of the Russians. Does this moron even know that we were trying to bring Russia into NATO. We were trying to bring about real peace, cooperation, and stability for the industrialized world. Why? Because, we have so much that we could gain and so much that we could lose. Modern warfare between industrialized nations has become to costly. This is the lesson of the 20th Century.
P.D. @ 4:
It will be that much easier to pack.
Do you suppose we'll hear Obama and McCain discuss their respective foreign policies in a debate, or will we still be talking about flag pins and Rev. Wright?
Nicole:
Do we really need to use these tired puns for candidates names? We can leave that to the conservative side of the internet can't we? It's rather childish and doesn't really help anyone out -
jgr4, You're right. Maybe we should go off on journey of enlightenment. At the rate we are going we all will have nothing anyway.
That's the GENIUS of McCain's foreign policy: make the whole world hate us! Then we can build that big wall all the way around the country (Halliburton no-bid contract, of course) and then nobody could get in or out!
OK America, do you prefer the uppity, racist, Chicago style, black MUSLIM, elitist with the crazy baptist CHRISTIAN preacher or this caring, stately American hero who was tortured to ensure your freedoms? LOL.
Rusty Shackleford @ 9:
You know what kills me about those end time nuts. The land of Magog isn't in Russia anymore. It is part of the Ukraine. It's like those morons have not looked at a map in almost 20 years.
P.D. @ 4:
I bought a really nice tent; just in case.
Remember the GOP candidate pool, Nicole. It was slim pickins. McCain is all they've got, the best Republicans can show for themselves. The GOP leadership vacuum we're looking at now is because of the 8 years of conservative wretchedness...starting with the dismantling of the EPA, onto Enron, Abramoff, Delay, Iraq, torture, the corruption of the DOJ and dozens of other scandals in between. Who wants to stand up and lead the mess? McCain.
Max and the Marginalized wrote a song about Teflon John.
Someone needs to set this photo against a black backdrop saying Big Brother is Watching
Suitable for X-mas gifts of coffee mugs, posters, t-shirts and mousepads.
xoites (Bitter before Country was Cool) defends Constitution @ 12:
I think cops discourage that
and his sugar mama.
Damned good thing that McCain and Hillary aren't on the same ticket. Between the two of them they could do some damage, huh? She's going to obliterate Iran and he's going to piss off China and Russia.
Hillary has spent the weekend telling us that she's a fighter and that she is tough. I'm thinking many of us are shopping for someone who might at least try to be a peacemaker.
jgr4 @ 17:
substance? no way! i'm hoping for a future first lady swimsuit competition. that's only sane way to choose a leader.
pissed off patricia @ 27:
chainey comes close, he has a pace-maker.
Mpls_Dem @ 28:
You wanna see Bill in a Speedo?
P.D. @ 14:
He's never been a moderate. With the exception of about 3 times working with the other side of the aisle, he has been a conservative right down the line and the worst kind: party over country.
ysbaddaden @ 30:
No!
Anyone see McCain's "speech" this morning from Phoenix? Home state and all and he looked half dead. No energy, no punch, like a dead fish reciting the lines. Geez, Dole as a more inspiring campaigner. McC was un-listenably dull and duller. I don't know if he can make it to November.
Me thinks Gramps needs a nap. (Mayhaps retirement...?)
Well i will agree we need to do something about China's And Wal-mart's anti-American trade practices. But what the hell is he talking about Russia for? He still pissed they didn't back our wonderful adventure to Mess o'topia?
I Like Pie @ 22:
The beauty of their belief system is that they can make anything mean anything. Remember how Bill Clinton was the antichrist? Now it's Obama. And they can PROVE IT! Using numbers and everything.
I think that McCain's foreign policy towards Russia should definitely be examined in the light of the religious beliefs of his pledged supporters, like John Hagee, who pray fervently for Armageddon to come as quickly as possible. It is reasonable to suppose that Hagee supports McCain because McCain is the most likely to bring about an apocalyptic war in the Middle East.
And the democrats are F**king up to such a remarkable degree that we'll likely end up with this POS for president - despite all his faults.
Rove will be vindicated.
*
Mpls_Dem @ 28:
I always said as long as candidates engage in mudslinging
They should at least have the first ladies mud wrestle.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the "average Joe" doesn't get factual news. they don't look for it and they don't want it. it's always been true the people who pay attention and get angry about the BS going on are in such a minority that we are time and time again snuffed out by the mass-ignorance shared by the rest of the country.
And when I say mass-ignorance I'm talking about smart fuckers with jobs! people who would otherwise be critical thinkers except they have this aversion to facts and sometime even basic reality. and when you try to talk to them about it they say "I know what's going on" and the reality is they know what you just told them and they won't really even remember that in a day or so and they certainly won't get angry about any of it (except sometimes they get angry but direct it at the wrong people).
To get an average Joe to care about their country is next to impossible. it's not impossible, but it's damn close to it!
And as Ian Hunter said, You're never alone with a schizophrenic...
pissed off patricia @ 27:
Y'know, when Hillary entered the race, I used to worry that she would have to act like she had balls just to prove that she was tough -- and now that it is coming to pass, I am very sad that she has gone down that road.
arjay8 @ 33:
Just think what he will look like next to a youthful Obama.
arjay8 @ 33:
I didn't see that particular speech but I watched him at one last week. Not only was he flat, but the expressions on the faces of the people there to hear him looked bored as hell. No enthusiasm for what he was saying at all. They looked like they were just counting the minutes until they could get out of there.
McBush. McBush. McBush.
That is the perfect moniker for McCain. Handcuff him linguistically to Dubya now and forever. Don't give him any wiggle room. Keep calling him McBush, both in print and in person, until the entire left side of the blogosphere is doing it. Eventually it will seep into the mainstream, and the average peroson won't be able to look at an image of Johnny Mac without a little voice in the head whispering, "McBush..."
Sing it loud and proud, sister.
LibertyLover @ 40:
I know what you mean. She is trying to play a role instead of being herself. The harder she tries, the more pitiful she looks. She doesn't have to come off as a tough guy to be a smart woman president.
And I don't know which is worse - that McCain might actually do this, or whether it's just tough talk & blather to scare up a few more votes.
Either way it's dangerous talk.
The Iranians have complained to the UN about Hillary's threat to obliterate them.
The world watches and reacts.
The Fools, The Fools, The Fools!
Mpls_Dem @ 28:
Too bad Elizabeth Kucinich won't be participating.
Ummm yea... evidently, that's what we're out to do.. Piss off the entire rest of the world.... I ranted about this on a similar thread last week when C&L first brought up this story.. I find it interesting that this thread leadin sees the potential here pretty much the same way I saw it last week... A resumption of the cold war... Probably the same way anyone with even a smattering of understanding of recent U.S. and world history and an IQ above say 40 would see it. As the saying goes... 'Even a caveman'.... It just doesn't take a rocket scientist to get the implications of what McCains big shot policy speech really means... IF anyone is paying attention, which apparently rules out the MSM with their socalled liberal bias.....
Ya know, I think this nations current behavior at the top of our leadership food chain, almost across the board now, is a big reason why the term 'rogue nation' was coined. It might have been applied originally to Cambodia in the 70s, or Iraq or Russia or someone else in the past, but now it's us....the freaking United States of America who is the bad actor on the world stage today..........Pathetic, we are fucking pathetic and internationally we will remain chained to this image of increasingly being viewed as a dangerous pathetic rogue nation as long as we continue to allow this generation of republicans to run our nation even further into the ground........JD
McSame? McWorse? How about McCypher?
Apparently everybody supporting McCain is convinced that upon his hypothetical ascendancy he will be the president they always dreamed of: environmentalist, moderate, hardliner, pro-Isreal, pro-peace, tax-cutting, free-market-loving, you name it, he'll be it. just like my imaginary eighth-grade boyfriend.
DC @ 46:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRq80QNnJM
New editorial film about John McCain.
You get locked in a Tiger-box for several years and see how YOUR opinions of your captor's masters are affected.
Never mind that that was all two generations in the past, this loon is still pissed at the commies! Even though we have a generation of adults living now that (thankfully) have no clue about the RED SCARE, this guy keeps on and on...sigh.
That particular picture of McCain reminds me of that campaign commercial Gravel made where he put his face real close to the camera. They both have the same look in their eyes and it's creepy.
Why do I get the feeling that McSenile is still fighting the cold war. Expelling the communist and including the 'more important 3rd world' powers comes from the same geo-political thinking of the 1960's? Maybe McSenile is reliving his childhood?
Primary theft underway http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Let's not forget that it's the corporations who really call the shots.
McWorthless is just shooting his mouth off, but it won't come to anything.
Capitalism as we know it means that we need the rest of the world. The US is so broke that we don't have a choice but to continue as we are.
Does anyone notice that Hillary's staunchest supporters rarely critique McWar on his pathetic foreign, economic, domestic policies. They only seem to come out of the woodwork to slam Obama on anything(especially non-issues) while giving McSame a pass. I believe these "progressives" prefer McFraud over Obama.
100 is the median IQ. 50% of the population -- that's right, one half of the American people -- have a two-digit IQ. So keep that in mind as you compose your next snark.
Left&Left @ 57:
Yes, McSame and McClinton will run such a decorous and respectful campaign...and the right wing nutosphere will spew mysogynistic tripe at McClinton, and McSame will ride above it (neither condemning it nor supporting it, but allowing it to spew in his name) and McClinton will cry.
Ruthless People @ 55:
OT, but Hillary's still behind, even if you count FL and if none of the uncommited delegates from MI vote for Obama.
Liberal AND Proud @ 59:
or Obama will comfortably win the exit polls, but the election count will mysteriously declare McCain the winner.
Glad somebody finally noticed this article.
Looks like some more of the GOPs legendary expertise in foreign policy.
xoites (Bitter before Country was Cool) defends Constitution @ 51:
Awesome. Two thumbs up!
I know mine's over a hundred, but I've been told it's hard to measure, because I think from the wrong side of my brain.
The entire world is already pissed...
cervantes @ 58:
64 ysbaddaden Says: I know mine’s over a hundred, but I’ve been told it’s hard to measure, because I think from the wrong side of my brain.
Dax @ 65:
In England, that would mean we're all drunk.
ysbaddaden @ 67:
lol
LibertyLover @ 40:
LibertyLover @ 40:
That’s now known as “testicular fortitude”.
I wonder if McCain is going to be the nominee?... mayhaps a health concern will snuff out his run and the GOP convention will pick someone utterly new to the Dems?
I couldn't help but feel as I watched the GOP debates that those were NOT the best they could come up with in a real contest. But the power blocs behind the curtains felt there was no use entering the race when the chances were so small. If McCain is grounded by a negative medical report or some other mishap, who could the GOP trot out?
did I just hear Rudy drop his tiara?...
pissed off patricia @ 42:
What health concerns does he currently have? If he is too tired to run will the Repubs have a redo at their convention? Is Romney and the Rev. Huck staying warm?
My friends pay no attention to that man behing the curtain! The debates should be very entertaning, McBush trying to answer questions w/out a script. The above picture shows him pointing his finger at us, but during the rep debates he pointed his finger downward to the floor, sort of like a youngster kickin' & screamin'.
With (6) months to go his handlers must be extremely nervous & the rep will soon realize the good ole days were the last (8) years w/Bush once McCain has to take center stage & think on his feet.
There are many reasons why the rep machine did not elect McCain in 2000 & as Limbo has said many times McCain is not electable ...
you already pissed off the entire world, only that we choose to act civilized and tolerate you in exchange for quality tv series and webcomics.
Here's what I wrote the L.A. Times reporters who wrote about his speech that day. I read their whole article in the Times on March 27th, the day after McCain's speech. It did not include anything about his remarks about ejecting Russia from the G8 and excluding China. Not one word. And, to make matters worse, the article painted him as moderate and cooperative. Blechhhh.
Dear Paul Richtor and Maeve Reston,
Their email is paul.richter@latimes.com and maeve.reston@latimes.com
"On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed."
Not true:
"What's McCain thinking when he says boot Russia from G-8?
"By Matt Stearns and Warren P. Strobel | McClatchy Newspapers
"Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008
"WASHINGTON — John McCain dropped a little-noticed bombshell into his March foreign-policy address: Boot Russia from the G-8, the elite club of leading industrial democracies whose leaders try to coordinate economic policies.
"One major problem: He can't do it because the other G-8 nations won't let him.
"But the fact that he's proposing to try, risking a return to Cold War tensions with the world's second-largest nuclear power after 20 years of prickly partnership, raises questions about McCain's judgment. It also underscores that many of his top foreign-policy advisers are of the same neo-conservative school that promoted the war in Iraq, argue for a tougher stance toward Iran and are skeptical of negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program."
Actually, we've already pissed off the entire world. McWorse will just make sure nobody ever trusts us ever again - thus finishing the job.
Has anyone seen this reported on any station yet? CNN, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, FOX? Has any major newspaper reported it? What the fuck is wrong with our reporting? It doesn't seem to matter how many letters, e-mails or calls are made about these kinds of issues, nothing changes except for the worse. CNN, thanks for hiring ANOTHER Whitehouse mouthpiece from the least credible administration ever.
Rusty Shackleford @ 9:
Rusty, what the hell is a MAGOG?
McCain looks a lot like Colonel Tigh from Battlestar Galactica. Just give an eye patch andthey would look identical. Maybe he is a cylon?
Mike the Canuck @ 79:
Here's a taste. Plenty more kookiness out there if you Google "Gog and Magog."
Well what more can we expect from a man who's head is shaped like an unshelled peanut?
"our country’s best interest"? Since when is that of any relevance to a modern-day American politician?
McCain wants to kick Russia out of G8 and no one is on his case about being anti-Reagan?
The U.S. has moved about 5 steps too far to the right.
OK, this has been happening alot lately. I can't get any of your stuff to play. The usual QTime window comes up and says Done w/out playing anything. It ain't FF and it ain't me; I've retsarted and rebooted and when I try to DL I get an Object Not Found. WTF?
And while you're at it we might try figuring out why almost all the YouTube imbeds don't work unless I open a YT window. Cheers.
[Hackers attacking. Sorry-Sitemonitor]
pissed off patricia @ 27:
Both of them are fighting for the damned testosterone vote. I hope Obama doesn't feel the need to join in.
" ...many countries in Europe and Asia who would see it as an attempt by Washington to begin a new cold war."
The entire aim of the neo-con agenda was (as still is) to start another cold war. Once the Berlin wall fell, the ideas about Iraq, and Iran started almost immediately.
(I believe it was part of the soviet's decision to break apart Russia. It was a long term goal of bleeding us the way we bled them in Afghanistan. They KNEW we'd start imposing ourselves as soon as they widthdrew. Now they are sitting fairly poised to make inroads into our economic dependance on a resource they can exploit.)
Pearl, Wolfowitz, Podhoretz, all thought they could "capitalize" on the congressional/military/industrial complex need for funding "rationals" by casting the "axis of evil" as a replacement for Russia. They thought it would help Israel. And Israel, foolishly bought into it.
Now, clinging by their teeth, they hope that either Hillary, or McCain will come to their rescue.
I am convinced that in order for things to change in the middle east, there needs to be a revolution in Washington, not Iran.
We need guillotines more than elections, but I'm game for one more try.
Toss the bums out!
Right and if you had a brain you would be dangerous!