Has Mr. Obama Seen the Light?
Filed under: Russia
I seriously doubt that there is anyone in the country who would be more delighted to cast a presidential vote in favor of a black candidate, or a woman (ideally, both) than I would. I've had deep concerns about Barack Obama's fitness for office, however, based in part on what I consider to be irresponsible statements he's made about Russia in the past, and been frustrated by my inability to consider him a reasonable candidate because of it (not that I'd be likely to vote for him over a competent Republican).
However, nobody would be more delighted to be proved wrong than me. Obama has hired a fairly hardcore critic of the Kremlin, Michael McFaul, as his Russia policy guru -- McFaul recently published a long scholarly paper arguing that Russia would have been far better off without Putin. And now, he's fired a blistering broadside at the Kremlin which seems to indicate that all three remaining presidential contenders are on the same page where Russia is concerned. Kommersant reports on the most recent presidential debates:
Obama began with criticizing the Bush administration for being too soft with Russia, as Obama regards it. "Just think back to the beginning of President Bush's administration when he said -- you know, he met with Putin, looked into his eyes and saw his soul, and figured he could do business with him. He then proceeded to neglect our relationship with Russia at a time when Putin was strangling any opposition in the country when he was consolidating power," said Obama. That statement, both in style and in content, resembled the notorious statement by Arizona Senator John McCain, who also tried to ridicule Bush's utterance about the soul he saw in Putin's eyes.The Russian theme of the Democratic debate in Ohio was not over yet. Russert asked Obama what would he do, in the president's capacity, if "President Medvedev says to the Russian troops, you know what, why don't you go help Serbia retake Kosovo."
"Fortunately, we have a strong international structure anchored in NATO to deal with this issue," replied Obama, adding that "the Clinton administration deserves a lot of credit" for "the way in which they put together a coalition that has functioned" [in 1999, the U.S. persuaded its NATO allies to launch a joint military operation against Yugoslavia].
I can't see how I could ask for anything more than that. The Kremlin's jaws are on the floor, that much I can guarantee. If this keeps up, I will sleep content in the event Obama is elected, at least insofar as Russia policy is concerned.
Perhaps Mr. Obama has seen the light. If so, I will be the first to laud his insight. This is exactly what should be happening, there should be total bipartisan cooperation when the issue is neo-Soviet Russia. Hopefully, we are now on the road to making that reality.
Imagine this scenario if you will: Obama is elected. Already inclined to crack down on Russia because of its anti-liberalism, he finds its wonderfully convenient to do so since he appears hawkish, and this mollifies the right. He cracks down further. Upon actual study of the country, he learns it's populated by some of the most furiously insane racists on the planet. He ups the ante yet again, and when he actually meets some Russians and sees that racism flashing in their eyes, he becomes an even more fervent opponent of the Kremlin than John McCain would have been.
It's a nice thought, isn't it?