01:28 am
The Georgian President Americans Have Been Waiting for
McCain today:
“And he wanted me to say thank you to you, to give you his heartfelt thanks for the support of the American people for this tiny little democracy far away from the United States of America,” McCain said of his conversation with Saakashvili. “And I told him that I know I speak for every American when I say to him, ‘Today we are all Georgians.’”
A couple of thoughts.
1. I’m guessing that most Americans have no idea where (the country) Georgia is, even after the events of the past week. While some right wing pundits were hysterically hyperventilating about this being the beginning of World War 3, 4, or 5 (depending on who you asked), most Americans were going about their lives, which involved watching the Olympics, going to work, taking care of their kids, etc. I was in northern Michigan over the past few days, where the post-Olympics local news did not have a single report (in three days) on Georgia. It was too busy covering the local lumberjack constest and a beauty pageant. Seriously. That’s the reality of daily life in America. And those are the stories that most Americans are interested in seeing.
2. McCain is either a huge cynic who will do anything to get elected, or he’s crazy. Is he trying to suggest that we should go to war against Russia to protect Georgia? Is he suggesting that as President he would? And if so, does he seriously think a majority of Americans would want to get involved in another war? Does he actually believe our military could handle it? The reality is that Americans are war weary. They want their government to stop mucking around overseas and start focusing on problems at home. I don’t say that with pleasure, but it is a reality.
3. I find myself deeply affected by the Georgians’ plight, in large part because they’re a tiny country getting pounded by a very large country with a very large military. But contrary to the wingnuts’ assertions, this is not Hungary 1956. Well it is in one sense: like Hungary then, the United States made promises to Georgia it had no intention of keeping. Otherwise, the current conflict is not even remotely relevant. It’s not even that significant geopolitically.
4. We are no more all Georgians than we are all Sudanese. See point two above.
5. This wasn’t even the most important story this week. The most important story was that the United States is losing its lead in manufacturing capacity to China. That will have a much larger impact on world politics than the fate of South Ossetia. And notice that John McCain has not said one word about that.
If I sound callous, I apologize. I have spent most of my career working on human rights, and I have deep sympathy for the victims on both sides of the conflict. But right now, that’s not what John McCain cares about. He doesn’t really care about the victims of the conflict. Instead, he’s interested in using the crisis to convince American voters that he is more prepared to be President.
The only problem is that the more he opens his mouth, the less qualified he sounds.
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