No, not in November, silly.  If you’re reading this blog, I’m going to assume that you plan to vote in November.  If you’re not, go away or I shall taunt you a second time.

As for the vast majority of you, please take a moment to vote in the Undip poll, which this week asks which country neoconservatives should settle on as the one most resembling Nazi Germany.

If you’re on the site at the moment, you can find it in the column to your left.

If you have subscribed via an RSS reader (thank you!), you need to go to the home page.

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I, like everyone else, has assumed that the neocons’ foaming at the mouth over Russia-Georgia has been genuine — in the sense that they really want to view Putin’s Russia as a reborn USSR, and really believe that we should defend Georgia.  I’m sure that’s probably the case for some.

But to play conspiracy theorist for a moment, what if they don’t really believe any of it?  What if they could care less about Georgia?  What then would be their motivation?

Well, how about this:  they’re making it almost impossible for the next Administration not to take a hard line against Russia without being portrayed as weak.  And since McCain is already supporting their cause, what we’re really talking about is a ploy to limit Obama’s options should he get elected.  President Obama, they will argue, isn’t standing up to Russia.  And in doing so, he’s making America look weak in the eyes of Putin and all our other potential opponents.

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.  In fact, it’s the Jimmy Carter edition.

Think I’m crazy?  What’s Option A in the neocon playbook?  Force your opponents to go along with what you want by making them fear looking weak.  And if you can’t get them to go along, make them look like traitors.

Of course I could be wrong.  The neocons could actually be stark raving mad, willing to risk World War Whatever (they can’t seem to make up their minds on the number) to protect a tiny state whose significance to the United States lies primarily in the fact that the Bush Administration is embarrassed that it made promises that it had no hope of keeping.

That means your choices are a) they’re deeply cynical or b) they’re completely crazy. And by “they” I mean not just the Kristols, Kagans, and Boots of this world, but also John McCain.

I can’t think of a better argument for supporting Barack Obama.

Of course I’m probably just saying that to score a job in his administration.

Heh.

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Yowza, boys and girls, we have a new poll!  Please be sure to vote:

If you’re using an RSS reader, you’re going to need to go to the Undip home page to vote. You can find the poll in the left-hand column.

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McCain campaign advisor, New York Post columnist, and paleocon Ralph Peters, during an American Enterprise Institute discussion yesterday on the Russian-Georgian conflict:

The Russians, on whom I have wasted far too much of my life, are drink-sodden barbarians who occasionally puke up a genius. And we should make no mistake. Vladimir Putin is one such genius. As this brilliantly planned and executed operation illustrates, he is the most effective leader in the world today, certainly of any major country. No one else comes close.

Obviously the ruthlessness helps. He is just uninterested in international law, precedent etc. and for now, for Russia he’s great. In the long run he may be very negative factor for Russia but for now he’s riding very very high.

[snip]

We’ve done this before. The message we’ve sent to our allies yet again or would-be allies, would-be clients yet again is america won’t come through for you, especially if you don’t have oil or gas. We did this to the Hungarians in 1956. We encouraged them to rise up, and they rose up and we did nothing.

In 1991 with the Shia in Iraq we encouraged them to rise up and they did and we let Saddam’s troops slaughter them. And we have been cheering Georgia on, free-wheeling democracy, go get ‘em, and in the pinch, we failed them utterly…

We’re faced with a resurgent major power, not super power, with imperialist megalomaniacal ambitions led by the most effective and, I would argue, the most brilliant leader in the world today, outclassing everyone I can see. Ladies and gentleman, I find this terribly reminiscent of the 1930s.

Those wacky wacky neocons.  They always want to party like it’s 1938.

You know, I understand the urge to want to revel in history, pretend you’re Churchill, and portray your opponents as appeasers, but come on, folks.  Wasn’t it just a few months ago that you were claiming that Iran was the new Nazi Germany?  Make up your minds already.

Hat tip:  The Swamp

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