Crisis in Georgia Beginning to Turn Into a Big Political Liability for McCain

At first the unfolding conflict between Russia and its neighbor the Republic of Georgia seemed to be just what the McCain candidacy needed: a foreign policy crisis that would allow him to demonstrate a "tough, decisive, experienced" mastery of foreign affairs, and a new rationale for why Americans should choose experience over change in a dangerous world.

But it hasn't taken long for the developments in the Caucuses to become a growing political liability instead.

First, the unfolding conflict provides a fresh example of how McCain's War in Iraq has sapped American power and weakened American security.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned last week that Russia's actions in Georgia might fundamentally alter its relationship with the United States. Of course that is exactly what the Russians have in mind, since they are not at all happy with their current role in the world -- or the way they believe the United States and Western Europe have sought to limit their influence, especially with their neighbors and former client states.

Russia has been smarting for years over its inability to prevent the US-lead NATO action that allowed Kosovo to secede from its long-time ally Serbia. It is none too pleased at the agreement to base a US "anti-missile" defense system in Poland.

First and foremost, the Russian action in Georgia has been intended to support separatist pro-Russian enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But it is also intended to demonstrate to other former Soviet Republics that their alliances with the West have very little value if they come into conflict with Russian interests. The Russians know that the Bush Administration's management of U.S. security policy has left the US with very few options to limit resurgent Russian influence.

Of course the crisis in Georgia is just the latest example of how the War in Iraq has massively limited American's ability to respond to this -- or any other -- security crisis.

America already had one major military operation underway in Afghanistan when the Bush administration -- with McCain's full support -- recklessly poured most of our other military assets into the invasion of Iraq. Today most Army and Marine units are either deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, preparing to deploy or recovering from deployment. The fact is that at the present time, we do not have the wherewithal to respond militarily to a crisis even if such a response were necessary or appropriate.

As a result, John McCain's strident statements following Russia's military actions only place into relief the reality that he has continuously supported Bush policies that make us weaker -- in spite of his tough talk.

Secondly, as the situation in Georgia develops it becomes clearer by the day that the Bush-McCain Iraq policy has severely undercut our diplomatic options as well. Apart from generally poisoning the good will of countries around the world, the Bush-McCain invasion of Iraq lowered the bar for the rest of the world when it comes to justifying the invasion of one country by another.

It has made it very difficult for the U.S. to take the moral or political high ground against Russia when just six years ago our country invaded and occupied another nation that had not attacked or immediately threatened us -- and didn't have the weapons of mass destruction that were used to argue that they might "potentially" threaten our security.

Finally, the Georgia conflict has shined a spotlight on McCain's chief foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann.

Scheunamann was a major organizer of the campaign to get the U.S to invade Iraq. He was a board member of the Project for a New American Century that circulated the now-famous manifesto signed by key Neo Cons that first called for the Iraq invasion. He was a founder of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq. More recently he has been a paid lobbyist for a number of foreign governments including Macedonia, Taiwan and, most importantly, the Republic of Georgia.

According to records from the Justice Department's foreign agents registration office, Scheunamann's two-person firm has received $830,000 from Georgia since 2004. Though Scheunamann now claims to have taken a leave of absence from lobbying, his latest contract, with Georgia's National Security Council, was signed as recently as April 17th. According to the Los Angeles Times, McCain spoke by phone with Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili that day and then issued a statement denouncing Russian moves to "undermine Georgian's sovereignty."

The paper also cites lobbying forms filed by Scheunamann's firm Orion indicating that McCain sponsored or co-sponsored four Senate resolutions on behalf of Georgia and other Orion clients: Latvia, Macedonia, Romania and Taiwan.

The poor judgment McCain showed by appointing a man who was serving as a paid foreign agent to be his chief foreign policy adviser is simply breathtaking. It is even more so because of the history of the current conflict.

There is more than appearance of conflict of interests. Before Georgia's President Saakashvili sent Georgian troops to reassert control in the semi-autonomous region of Ossetia, even the US State Department says it repeatedly warned him against precipitous action that might provoke a Russian response. He did it anyway. In other words, the government of the United States and Georgia had different agendas, different interests, and different policies with respect to the Ossetia conflict.

Where were Scheunamann's loyalties? Did he represent the position of the government of the United States, or of his old client Saakashvili. Do the actions and statements of McCain represent his independent judgment of what is in the best interests of the United States, or the views of a top adviser who made just short of a million dollars representing a foreign power?

What's more, if Scheunamann and McCain did encourage Saakashvili to send troops to Ossetia, it once again calls into question their simple strategic judgment. Saakashvili's action has been a disaster for the Georgian government that has lead to the rout of the small Georgian army, and increased the likelihood that he will ultimately be replaced by someone more acceptable to Russia. This is exactly the kind of poor strategic judgment that McCain and Scheunamann used to lead America into the War in Iraq. Americans don't want more of that kind of judgment.

Odds are, the more we learn about the involvement of McCain and Scheunamann in the Georgia fiasco, the more that McCain's foreign policy judgment will be called into question. Many Republicans have prayed for a foreign policy crisis that could refocus voter attention on foreign affairs and away from the domestic economic disaster. Sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.

Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight. How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.

Comments

[retarius]

It has occurred to me that the war in Iraq might be a 'good thing' insofar as it has prevented the outbreak of WWIII. Imagine what Bush/Cheney's response in Georgia might have been if they didn't have so many soldiers tied up in Iraq.
Hey maybe it was God's plan?

[CRayD11]

Richard Nixon creepy or Uncle Fester creepy?

[BottomLine2008]

McCain is full of it. Talking through his hat. "We are all Georgians." What a load.

[Mickeleh]

Creamer lays out why the Georgia situation may turn into a political liability for McCain. But it won't do so unless the Obama campaign gets sharper about pressing the case. Without that, all we'll hear is the repetition of the McCain talking points from him, his surrogates, and the cable news readers.

[Hedonist88]

McCain is knee deep in this - and it's a gamble that has turned out very badly indeed. His ally (and pay master) the Georgian president bombed civilian residences and killed scores of innocent men, women and children sheltering in their own homes.

McCains war mongering can not be allowed to progress any further and this man and the war criminals around him should be denied the global platform from which they launch their naked agression at the cost of the common American citizen.

[BrenDavis]

This is easily the best and most succinct take on the fundamentals of this situation that I've read; I learned a few things for sure.

Thank you.

[chabuka]

John McCain is such a brave hero, such a Maverick...perhaps he can go to Russia and whip them all by himself...a "man's man" don't need no stinking army..you go John..! LOL

[Franksa]

Condi Rice is beginning to look a lot like April Glassby. We can be sure that this "crisis" in Georgia will be kept on the front burner boiling all the way to November. (not enough for Bush to stop cutting brush though) It has been obvious the "War on Terror" shelf life was about to expire. The big 5 oil companies have their drilling leases; it's time to claim victory and go home. But we can't do that until we have a new (old) boogie man to replace Osama. He'll be paraded out sometime in October.
Well welcome back the new and improved Russian bear! This time powered by triple digit oil prices. This little fracus in Georgia is just the thing for the Republicans to give the electorate a good scare and bring back the a bipolar Cold War that Reagan & Bush unfortunately let slip away.

[RENREVARD]

Pew poll released today asked who would be better handling Russia.McCain beat Obama by 28%.My jaw dropped.

[Conejo]

I would never have thought that McCain and Scheunemann coerced Saakashvilli into sending troops into S. Ossetia to quell an uprising. I simply assumed it was Saakashvilli's idea. Certainly it was a very bad decision and it appears the Russians were just waiting for something like this to happen so they would have an excuse to invade Georgia. Suspecting events or ideas of this sort requires a knowledge of the affairs of the men involved which I, as a rank layman, have no awareness whatsoever. If this is correct, and I have to assume it is, then it really shows how stupid a man McCain really is. Gosh, after supporting the invasion of Iraq, and seeing what an unmitigated disaster that has been, it would seem that he wouldn't be poking his nose into yet another potential fiasco.

[ApolloSpeaks]

THE INDISPENSABLE HILLARY

The Bush-McCain invasion of Iraq? The Iraq War was a collective decision supported by the American people and their representatives in Congress. Nevertheless our prolonged stay in Iraq has greatly weakened our power, prestige and credibility in the world thus emboldening our enemies leading to Russia's invasion of Georgia with far worse to come. But Mickey Mouse in the White House is not the solution. Obama is failing the test as a candidate: He lacks the courage of his convictions, will not stand up for his beliefs; he is deathly affraid of offending people and losing the election. Such men great leaders do not make. Such a men would be ruinous as commander in chief. Such men are unfit to command in wartime.

Unless Obama picks Hillary as his VP he will be crushed on election day and go down in history as the second George McGovern, the black Ned Lamont.

Google: ApolloSpeaks-The Indispensable Hillary Clinton: The Revolt of the Femacrats and the Making of the Black Ned Lamont.

[MinuteMan]

So you want to fight fire with fire by having Obama bring the female McCain onto his ticket so she can use her sleazy campaign tactics on the GOPer. If Obama wanted to suck the life out of his campaign he would be hard-pressed to find a better way to accomplish that than adding Clinton to his ticket.

[Mosby007]

The female McCain. I like that one.

I so wish everybody would get over the Clintons. Their time has past. We are tired of the same ol' tricks from the same ol' politicians. If she weren't such a tired old corporate politician then maybe she would be worth considering. But that isn't the case.

I am hoping that Obama will be different. But if he proves me wrong, I'll be the first one to call him on it.

[sher2x4]

Please, I didn't support that tragic invasion
and i have never supported alfred e. bush
in fact when he was given the election i spent two days on the couch
unable to shake the worst depression i've experienced in my 65 years

Sorry i guess i took your second sentence a little to personally.

[Thebottomliner]

There should be something similar to SOX rules implemented for politicians. Accepted the money, do not have the right to render an opinion.

[bodo]

McCain's War will have repercussions, as does every such action. Later we forget how it all started, but we will be stuck forever with the consequences. After the almost identical Sudetenland incident,
it was Munich > Czechoslovakia > Austria > Poland > World War II -- in quick succession. When dealing with a volatile dictatorship, we are playing with fire. If McCain thought this will win him the election he should think again.

[MidaFo]

Nobody here seems to be aware of just how far whoever Bushco is will go. They will now proceed to demonise China, Venezuela, Cuba, and any one else they can think of , while inserting the threat of war into their bluster. This is just the start. They are not red faced at all. If you think so they will be laughing.
Bomb Bomb Iran!
Catchy tune you know.
You have a problem in the USA. Good luck! We all need you. But don't be fooled by this. If we look east it seems highly probable that a collapse of the 'world order' initiated by the present incipient ethical collapse of the USA will affect the the West primarily. For West read Anglo-America and hangers on. The west and the east will survive. Although the Brits will probably slime out of it I feel this is not too far fetched in that despite the litany of wars in recent history, America has in reality been dishonestly fighting a social and economic war by other means for many years: winning in your vocabulary of 'peaceful economic competition' is actually defeating. The War on Terror is not new: it is an extension of this reality.
There is Godzilla rampaging through your American society and he is what what was used in the movie to kill the lizard; is pushing the agenda in Iraq and Afghanistan; looms in the background of your economy at home. He waves the American flag.

[Harod]

This article talks alot about Iraq ,basically Iraq became a black hole hole for terrorist tying them down distacting them from attacking inside the US. And the left in this country got sucked into the same black hole exposing them as a acting, undermining, anit American 5th column so the next time this country gets into a real war with Russia or China and is in danger I look for congres (lead by Pelosi) to suspend Habeas Corpus and begin to round up left wing bloggers and journalist like they did the Japanese in WWII