Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Obama's judgment

Political posturing, or does Obama really think Georgia belongs in NATO?

"Going forward, the United States and Europe must support the people of
Georgia. Beyond immediate humanitarian assistance, we must provide
economic assistance, and help rebuild what has been destroyed. I have
consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and
transatlantic institutions, including a Membership Action Plan for
NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship."

If Obama is trying to neutralize McCain's "better dead than Red" posturing, this isn't the way to do it. Statements like this make it look as though he's playing catch-up, and it smacks of that faux tough guy posturing Dems are usually laughed at for. Obama could still harshly criticize Russia without having to take Georgia's side. In fact, if we had to choose sides at all, it would be in our long-term strategic interest to re-solidify our relationship with Russia. As two former superpowers whose time in the limelight is rapidly drawing to a close, we're both going to need to work together to provide a counterbalance to China.

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