Friday, August 29, 2008

Nice speech. I was glad to hear it, but what counts is not what you and I think; what counts is what the pundits and the talking heads tell us. In other words, the spin's the thing whereby we'll crown a king.

NPR this morning focused once again - and it's not just NPR; it's all of the major news sources - on personality and not issues. "Was he charismatic, did he sound presidential, what will the Republicans do to counter", and on and on with no real emphasis or analysis of content beyond how the speech played to the public. Everything gets reduced to poll numbers, and content goes out the window. We seem to forget that the person embodies the policies, and it's the policies that count. The candidate is the salesman, the policy is the product, but the press insists on a cult of personality and obfuscates the issues. Obfuscation of issues is a great boon to Republicans.So, yes, I liked Obama's speech.

The policies are what counts and are how I'll base my choice. Pundits be damned.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

More Georgia
In March 1991, Georgian militia units loyal to Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first freely elected leader of Georgia in seven decades took over in South Ossetia. One of Gamsakhurdia's first acts as Georgian president was to cancel the political autonomy that the Stalinist constitution had granted the republic's 90,000-strong Ossetian minority.
The South Ossetian town of Tskhinvali had been ransacked by Gamsakhurdia's militia. The Georgians had trashed the Ossetian national theater, decapitated the statue of an Ossetian poet and pulled down monuments to Ossetians who had fought with Soviet troops in World War II. The Ossetians were responding in kind, firing on Georgian villages and forcing Georgian residents of Tskhinvali to flee their homes.
The Ossetians view Georgians in much the same way that Georgians view Russians: as aggressive bullies bent on taking away their independence. "We are much more worried by Georgian imperialism than Russian imperialism," said an Ossetian leader, Gerasim Khugaev. "It is closer to us, and we feel its pressure all the time."
When it comes to apportioning blame for the latest flare-up in the Caucasus, there's plenty to go around. The Russians were clearly itching for a fight, but the behavior of Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili has been erratic and provocative. The United States stoked the conflict by encouraging Saakashvili to believe that he enjoyed American protection, when the West's ability to impose its will in this part of the world is actually quite limited.
The points to be stressed here are John McCain's strong anti-Russia comments on the Georgia situation and the fact that his top foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, is part owner of a lobbying firm that provides strategic advice to the Georgian government in Washington. McCain's bellicose bluster will accomplish nothing towards settling the situation, and Russia will have its way. McCain, however may be able to gain a few more votes from the "kick ass" crowd here at home.
Get over the hysteria and look at the facts. We have the Monroe Doctrine which treats the Caribbean as one of the Great Lakes and Russia has historically looked to secure its borders, their own version of the Monroe Doctrine. Before some of you froth at the mouth let me be clear about what I'm saying which is that the Monroe Doctrine has no status under international law and is maintained by force of arms and that Russia maintains the states on its border via force of arms. No moral or international authority is in play here. It's straight power politics and all we can do is bluster about it.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Georgia on My Mind.
It's quite simple. Russia is doing what Russia always does when she is strong. She pushes her borders and gobbles up smaller neighbors. It's been going on since Czarist days and it caught the Bush administration, again, with its pants down. Not even Condi Rice, the Russian studies expert, was on this.

We relaxed as a country after Bush famously looked Putin in the eye and saw his soul. Problem is that Putin then spit in Bush's eye. McCain, the resident neo-warrior and tough guy, with worlds of experience was caught off guard. It's only a matter of time for the Republicans to blame Barack Obama for situation and tie it to 1) his lack of experience, 2) his naivete, 3) Michelle Obama.

Russia knows very well that we're helplessly bogged chasing weapons of mass delusions in Iraq in a war that we were to win by expending a blitzkrieg force, subduing the country and reaping it's oil crop. All at little or no cost to us as the oil revenues would rapidly recover initial expenses and then roll in monthly profits like the rose petals Iraqis were going to strew in our path.

Bush was soul sighting when he should have been soul searching, and he was definitely wishfully dreaming while a mesmerized, stars in the eyes, bunch of Washington politicians got in line behind him as their constituents cheered the U.S.'s grand march to mediocrity. Obama opposed all that crap, and he's portrayed as the poor innocent who knows nothing, while at the same time as a cynical grasping, effete, elitist politician who is bound to ruin the country. Well it's too late for the latter, the Republicans have already managed to do the job.