«
»

Obama fails his "3 a.m. moment" with Russia

Posted 12 Aug 2008 in 2008 election, Barack Obama, foreign policy, John McCain

naivetyAs if America needed more proof that Barack Obama is not qualified to lead this country as Commander-In-Chief, the recent Russian crackdown in Georgia provides sharp contrast between the approaches of a McCain or Obama administration.

Last week, Russia staged a brutal de facto invasion into two breakaway provinces of the new Republic of Georgia; South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And leaders around the world have speaking out about it. Bush issued a direct rebuke of Russia’s aggression:

US President George W. Bush sharply warned Russia to end its war in Georgia, saying a “dramatic and brutal escalation” of the bloody fighting could cripple Moscow’s ties to the West.

In his strongest condemnation yet of violence that began late last week, Bush on Monday charged that Moscow may be aiming to overthrow the former Soviet republic’s pro-Western government led by President Mikheil Saakashvili.

“Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century,” Bush said in a hastily announced statement at the White House.

The US president, emerging from a crisis meeting with his national security team, urged Moscow to accept a Europe-backed peace plan calling for an immediate ceasefire and the pull-back of forces on all sides.

“Russia’s government must respect Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Russian government must reverse the course it appears to be on and accept this peace agreement as a first step toward resolving this conflict,” he said.

McCain was similarly strong and unequivocal in his statement of support for our stalwart American ally (they sent troops to Iraq and have aspirations of joining NATO) and his stance alongside our European allies.

“This afternoon I spoke, for the second time since the crisis began, with Georgian President Saakashvili. It is clear the situation is dire. Russian aggression against Georgia continues, with attacks occurring far beyond the Georgian region of South Ossetia. As casualties continue to mount, the international community must do all it can to avert further escalations. Tensions and hostilities between Georgians and Ossetians are in no way justification for Russian troops crossing an internationally recognized border. I again call on the Government of Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces from the territory of Georgia.

Given this threat to Euro-Atlantic security, I am pleased to see the United States, the European Union, and NATO acting together by sending a delegation to the region, in an effort to broker a cease fire. This is an important first step.

The United Nations has been prevented from taking any meaningful action by Russian objections. In view of this, I welcome the statements of democratic nations defending the sovereignty of Georgia and condemning Russian actions.

I strongly support the declaration issued by the Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and their commitment that ‘aggression against a small country in Europe will not be passed over in silence or with meaningless statements equating the victims with the victimizers’.”

And what was Barack Obama’s approach? He issued a weak statement which blamed both sides and essentially ran to hide behind the UN’s skirt.

“I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict,” Obama said in a statement. “Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full-scale war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected.”

Obama called for direct talks among all sides and said the United States, U.N. Security Council and other parties should try to help bring about a peaceful resolution.

Who is advising this guy? Rodney King? “Can’t we all just get along?” is not a sufficient foreign policy. Hoping everybody will play nice won’t get the job done.

After being roundly criticized for his milquetoast approach, Obama attempted to beef it up a bit, but still displayed his naivety of basic foreign policy.

No matter how this conflict started, Russia has escalated it well beyond the dispute over South Ossetia and has now violated the space of another country. Russia has escalated its military campaign through strategic bombing and the movement of its ground forces into the heart of Georgia. There is no possible justification for these attacks.

I reiterate my call for Russia to stop its bombing campaign, to stop flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and to withdraw its ground forces from Georgia. The Georgian government has proposed a cease-fire and the Russian government should accept it. There is also an urgent need for humanitarian assistance to reach the people of Georgia, and casualties on both sides.

The United States, Europe and all other concerned countries must stand united in condemning this aggression, and seeking a peaceful resolution to this crisis. We should continue to push for a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Georgia – the UN must stand up for the sovereignty of its members, and peace in the world.

When faced with an international crisis, Obama chose to pass the problem to a group of talking heads who are virtually guaranteed to do nothing but sit idly by while Russia violently subjugates their pro-Western neighbor. The UN is not the solution here. One would think Obama would at least have advisers that could point this out to him: Russia is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and could veto any UN move in Georgia.

Obama’s statements also display an appalling ignorance of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 as well as the more recent history of Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. Conversely, McCain has been unafraid to voice his well-founded suspicions of the Russians. I may disagree with him on several issues, but I firmly believe that the events of the past week have demonstrated that his experience and approach make him a much better choice to lead America through the next four years.
—
UPDATE: Never fear, VA gov. Tim Kaine tells us the Obamessiah has already ended the conflict single-handedly.

Posted by FullMetalPatriot
12th gen. American, Constitutionalist, Harley-riding Texan, gun owner & NRA member, blogger, illustrator, Florida Gator alumnus. #TCOT

Leave A Comment