John McCain went before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council yesterday morning to showcase his foreign policy credentials and convince Americans that he is the only candidate experienced enough to take that 3am telephone call. While Clinton and Obama are distracted by a pre-Pennsylvania primary food fight, McCain's address constituted a dress rehearsal for a future national security agenda that, at its very core, resembles nothing more than discredited cowboy diplomacy. It is essentially fermented old failed warrior wine in new bottles...camouflaged unilateralism gussied up in a Potemkin village of storefront global engagement.
Democrats should not ignore the content of McCain's speech while our internal bout continues, or remain passive at the free ride McCain will enjoy from a fawning media lauding the speech's "presidential" character and its perceived break with Bush/Cheney/Rice foreign policy catastrophes. To remain impervious to McCain's attempted act at presidential statesmanship risks cementing in the minds of voters a dangerous perception that McCain will chart a new, more responsible and appealing foreign policy course that represents a break with neoconservatism orthodoxy.
Caveat Emptor: read between the lines!
First and foremost, McCain reasserts his ominous commitment to an endless engagement in Iraq. He justifies his bottomless pit commitment by arguing that a "premature" withdrawal will lead to a wider Middle East war because Al Qaeda will be able to turn Iraq into a cauldron of sectarian strife. This, he argues, will ultimately embolden Iran to confront Sunni Arab states and Israel, and lead to a regional war that will surely force the United States back into a wider conflict that it will have to wage against adversaries far stronger than they are today. In other words, the domino theory of Middle East extremism lies at the core of McCain's endless summer in Iraq.
McCain would like to convince voters they face the choice of accepting his Churchillian "never surrender" approach, or a dangerous Democratic "cut and run" alternative. In other words, leave Iraq and America will be in more danger and have to fight a more bloody and costly war later on many Middle East fronts, or stay the course in Iraq (courtesy of McCain's surge policy) and vanquish Al Qaeda and quell the sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shiites and we will be marginalize the threats arrayed against us throughout the region.
The trouble with this set up is that McCain's core premise is dead wrong. By our own senior commanders' accounts, Al Qaeda is but a minor player in Iraq, and there is no way the U.S. presence, surge or not, that will keep a lid on sectarian tensions. Just look at what is going on in Iraq at the very tragic milestone of 4,000 Americans killed: the worst sectarian violence in months has broken out with hundreds of lives lost despite a McCain's surge that he continues to tout as the fire extinguisher that will stop sectarian strife from igniting once again.
How inconvenient timing just when McCain keeps claiming that the surge has succeeded.
McCain's black and white version of the Middle East is what I find so troublesome. There is absolutely no redemption possible for adversaries such as Iran and Syria and no room for creative diplomacy other than his beloved surge strategy. In a nutshell, we must stay in Iraq to contain regional threats or risk engaging in a fool's errand by resorting to defeatist diplomacy.
I just don't buy that equation, and neither should the American people.
Moreover, McCain claims that an unending presence in Iraq can be legitimated by a new "League of Democracies" (a.k.a. a new Coalition of the Willing) that would conveniently marginalize those pesky international institutions such as the United Nations that seem to always stand in the way of American unilateralism or the McCain version "semi-unilateralism."
Creating parallel international organizations composed solely of "acceptable" democratic states would create a 21st century version of a new bi-polar world: A U.S./European Union plus India, Israel, Japan and other democracies lined up against Russia and other authoritarian governments. Democracies banding together to set a new global course has that soft, sweet appeal to our patriotic virtuosity, with every other undemocratic nation outside the McCain's democratic tent left to create their own mischief from the stage of the UN General Assembly, or create their own "anti-democratic" alliances and competing anti-democratic groupings.
What is so strikingly and inherently wrong with McCain's world vision is that America's global leadership will not be restored by ignoring adversaries that, left to their own devices, may further challenge and undermine America's national security.
Democrats should not permit McCain to gain further traction by falsely asserting he is charting a new foreign policy course that will restore America's image, global leadership, and reduce the threat posed by Al Qaeda and its spinoff terror groups. Despite McCain's assertion that he no warrior at heart, he is no prince of peace either. Any national security policy that, at its core, leaves America stranded in Iraq with hundreds of thousands of troops fighting whatever enemy we can conveniently label is a calling card for extremists and ultimately risks creating stronger adversaries. It is nothing more than a continuation of the failed Bush/Cheney/Rice status quo. The surge that McCain is so proud of will, by most impartial assessments, fail to stop the very civil strife that it is designed to prevent.
Sadly, there is nothing in McCain's speech that will convincingly steer our ship of state back on a truly righteous course that will undo the damage that the past seven years of failed national security policies have wrought. McCain is offering America nothing more than more of the same, and more of the same is what got America into this mess in the first place.
How does a public servant for over 20 years become a multi millionaire
First, we attacks with tactics that make very little distinctions between civilians and combatants. Yet, we always say the death of civilians was accidental or unavoidable.
Second, we attack in the name of “freedom and democracy”. Since WWII our attacks were to defend dictators controlled by USA interests and sometimes to prevent locals from installing a democratic government to their liking.
Third, we always characterize violence by others as “terrorism”, “atrocities against civilians”, or “ethnic cleansing,” but minimized or defended the same actions by U.S. or our allies. We have a double standard.
Fourth, while we portray ourselves as a neutral peacekeeper, we divide the country into friends and foes that enflames rather than dampen the conflict.
Fifth, our interventions are counterproductive because we fail to solve the root political and economic problems. Factions polarized and destabilize the country. These countries continue to reappear on the list of 20th century interventions.
Sixth, US efforts tend to strengthen rather than weaken the hold of the enemy leader. The enemy leader then blames the US internal problems on the US economic sanction.
Most Americans are in denial about what we have repeatedly done. They see themselves as an international John Wayne character who always does good. How can we change that?
Absolutely! As usual you pinpointed the core of the thing. With the region in turmoil few people will be paying attention to what Haliburton, KBR and Blackwater are doing. Of course, they'll still be there!
The fawning media moonies who described McCain's speech as "presidential" are simply corporate shills for the Republicans. The only thing that scares the Bejesus out of me is the notion that McLoonie might actually win the election.
If the Democrats don't get their collective acts together that just might happen.
Gramma Rose
Now john McCain, the heir apparent to the Presidency, thanks to a brainwashed media and a pathetic Democratic opposition with zero leadership skills, wants to make this occupation of the wrong battlefield and a raging religious civil war the keystone of his 4 more years of Republican expensive and mis-guided foreign policy.
The Republicans just keep dumbing down the spin and the lap dog media accepts it. The spineless Democrats argue among themselves, and the world and it''s people suffer the consequences.
If, by some stroke of unlikely good fortune, the Dems capture enough of a majority to step over Republican obstructions and cut off the Iraq war funding (like the majority of the country has already told them to do), what will McCain do then? His entire presidency will be based on the premise that he has the authority and funding to make war. Without that, what does he have?
A good book to read:
"The Tragedy of American Diplomacy"
By, William Appleman Williams
New Edition, 1972
Get a good intellectual "view -full" of the "Open Door Policy" of the US and how it views the countries, peoples, their natural resources and our desperate necessity of "expanded overseas markets" so as to fulfill, "prosperity (and perceived democracy) at home."
If you can't afford the paperback edition (even used on major bookstore sites) you can order it thru your local libraries.
John
He's already reaching back for the Charl...er....Domino Theory!
If we want to win the hearts and minds- Or at least show them No One is Above the mankind - we Must Do so Here First.- Gov' & Industry Leaders who allowed this Enterprise to be spawn and thus Placing Our Citizens in Danger.
It is far past the time to bring Cheney et al to Justice.! REAL Democracy=2/3 e .If the 'minority' in '01 would have at least had theopportunity to be heard- this may have gone differently- We were Effective silenced from paritipation in Our Democratic Process! Public Officials should Remeber their Oathe to Protect and Defend the People and the Constitution From Foreign and Domestic enemies. WE've got a list an arm long (in 8 font). !And Perhaps the World will stop and look at their 'leaders' and decide they have not live Up to their Duties. . If Not US then Who, If Not Now Then When. It has gone on far too long already!
this is not the mac I recall all these years- He is not only different in his Rhetoric, but his body mechanics- Possble mini Strokes? My mom's 74 and my dad 76- very sharp (well ok Dad- moms always been a bit ditsy) and still will run up the stairs (but not down- smart). they even think something has happened to his agelessness.
I fear our Formidable Admirable Foe has Health issues which I hope ( no malice) he decides to Place Higher on the priority list than this Sh* t pile from Bush
John you have served this country with distinction- It's time to let the next generation take the reins, just as the generation before you did when your turn to serve came. Don't let this admin do to you what they did to so many Other Great patriots over the last 7 yrs (Col. Powell)
Go ahead John You can let go of the back of the bike Now- We'll be fine, We're AmericaNs!
As I am honest George I have to honest .When W was savagely attacting McCain I felt so sorry for the man and I sent him an E-mail telling him W sure is nasty for using the attack machine against him. Many might not know but it was brutal. I have thought many time since this election cycle what a damn fool I was. McCain might be right about the domino thery. Look what happened to Cuba. They went communist anf all the countries in the area went communist as well as Central and South America. Just making a point because McCain is full of something about his theory,You are right he is getting a free ride. I ama Democrat so I will vote for the nominee. I am afraid if Senator Obama gets it we have not seen anthing yet from the Republicans. Lee Atwater would lok like a Saint. I am 77 years old now and I have never seen such a nasty and crooked administration in my life. I still can't get over the Senator Max Cleland ad.
An interesting read is
U.S. Interventions:
1945 –1999
http://thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/US_Interventions_WBlumZ.html
After reading this, our failures seem minor in comparison to the death, carnage and suffering we have caused because of the corporate greed that really runs this country!