Liberalguy

A Trip of a Different Kind By Monica Crowley (bio)

Much hoopla surrounded Barack Obama’s recent trip to the Middle East and western Europe: his quick drop-ins to Iraq and Afghanistan (”Hi! Bye!”); the faux “listening tour” of the generals there; the throngs who stood underneath the Victory Column in Berlin to hear his tautological nothings–and for the free beer. Now it is time for a serious trip, but not for Obama. For John McCain. His response to the Russian invasion of tiny, democratic Georgia has been—from the beginning—principled, tough, and unwavering. In his statements, there was no moral equivalence between the barbaric, slaughtering invaders and the little democracy trying to fend them off. (Of course, drawing that equivalence was Obama’s first reaction. He has since come around to McCain’s position, seven days later. I know the Hawaii sun is draining, but come on.) McCain is a true cold warrior, having served with distinction on its front lines in Vietnam. He knows the Russians. He’s seen their brutal handiwork up close–directly and through proxies. He knows their mastery of deception. And he’s under no illusions about what their objectives are: to smother democracy in their sphere and have effective control over their old empire. And oh yeah: to checkmate us in every corner of the globe. This is why McCain should go to Tbilisi. Meet with the brave pro-western president. Walk with him through the shelled streets, past the bombed-out buildings. Visit refugee camps and comfort those who have lost loved ones. Assist the American humanitarian airlift. Stare the Russians down the way Vladimir Putin stared down the Georgians (and us) when he dropped into the region to direct the war. President Bush can’t do it: the sitting president is too tied up in diplomatic nonsense. But McCain certainly can. And he should. He wrote a terrific op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal (www.online.wsj.com) in which he declared U.S. solidarity with the victims: “We are all Georgians now.” Democratic values, the principles of liberty and sovereignty, the support of alliances, the duty and honor of the world’s greatest superpower: Go show the Georgians all of those things, Senator McCain. Go show them America stands with them. Go show the world the difference between you and your opponent. Go to Georgia, Senator. Go to Georgia.