......from, of course, the fair and balanced WASHINGTON POST. We shouldn’t even seem to make promises to countries like Georgia that we aren’t prepared to keep or rachet up the confrontational rhetoric against countries we aren’t really willing to confront. That’s why I have real reservations about bringing Georgia into NATO, especially in view of Europe’s timid response to the recent invasion. Whatever Mac’s shortcomings, however, Obama is clearly worse. When it comes to real tyrants or even just real imperialists, displays of "soft power" just provoke contempt.
I spent this past weekend re-watching Yes Prime Minister in an attempt to cheer me up. But in all too many ways David Ignatius's op-ed had all the same rational for doing nothing as the Foreign Service bureaucrats portrayed in the BCC series. I suspect the more this [what the US govt did or did not do in Georgia] is looked we will find that our policy was more concerned with not scaring the Russians and being sensitive to their feeling. No. The actions of the BUSH administration have been lame and weak. But what can you expect from someone who appears to have pre-maturely retired. Instead McCain's comments, although only mere words, have actually given hope to those who desire that the West resists Russia's actions.
There's nothing reckless about telling an anti-democrat that he doesn't belong in a democrats' club. It's called telling the truth.
McCain's Munick "zinger" was for the mealy-mouthed appeasers, who simply are incapable of speaking clearly or honestly to a brutal despot. McCain woke up the dozing democracies for a moment. And as the last few weeks prove, he was right.
The West's big mistake was to pretend that Putin wanted to be part of law-abiding civilization. It only compounds the mistake now if we argue that McCain should have acted as oblivious as everyone else to Putin's abuses.
McCain's "zinger" did not provoke Putin to undermine democracy. Putin already had joined the dictators' club.
Munich, whoops!