28 September 2008
Understanding McCain’s Foreign Policy
During his debate with Senator Barack Obama on 26 September 2008, Senator John McCain repeatedly claimed that his Democratic opponent does not understand many aspects of the international strategic situation. He referred on numerous occasions to his own meetings with General David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, as well as to his visits to Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and other theatres of military operations.
What John McCain doesn’t understand is that there is a difference between international politics and military operations. He seems to assume that the foreign affairs job of a U.S. President is to find good spots for exerting American power through military action and subsequently to defer to the decisions of effective commanders in the field. In this way, he differs little from George W. Bush. His professed “Country First” ideals are very militaristic. They dictated his attempt to play a role in the creation of a rescue plan for the nation’s financial institutions. He appears to have been driven by the desire to preserve sufficient monetary resources to support America’s ability to deploy forces overseas.
Senator Obama’s approach is diametrically opposed. In his case, it is economic and social goals for the country that define whether and how to project American power in the world. His failure to make this distinction during the Candidates’ Debate conceded to Senator McCain the choice of power politics as the primary determinant of White House foreign policy. It’s as if the Presidency were a giant game of “Risk.” That’s better than Karl Rove’s reduction of the Presidency to an exercise in self-preservation. McCain’s goals may be loftier, but they are far removed from the welfare of average members of the country. It is that objective that Obama will strive to attain and he should make that clear between now and Election Day.
During his debate with Senator Barack Obama on 26 September 2008, Senator John McCain repeatedly claimed that his Democratic opponent does not understand many aspects of the international strategic situation. He referred on numerous occasions to his own meetings with General David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, as well as to his visits to Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and other theatres of military operations.
What John McCain doesn’t understand is that there is a difference between international politics and military operations. He seems to assume that the foreign affairs job of a U.S. President is to find good spots for exerting American power through military action and subsequently to defer to the decisions of effective commanders in the field. In this way, he differs little from George W. Bush. His professed “Country First” ideals are very militaristic. They dictated his attempt to play a role in the creation of a rescue plan for the nation’s financial institutions. He appears to have been driven by the desire to preserve sufficient monetary resources to support America’s ability to deploy forces overseas.
Senator Obama’s approach is diametrically opposed. In his case, it is economic and social goals for the country that define whether and how to project American power in the world. His failure to make this distinction during the Candidates’ Debate conceded to Senator McCain the choice of power politics as the primary determinant of White House foreign policy. It’s as if the Presidency were a giant game of “Risk.” That’s better than Karl Rove’s reduction of the Presidency to an exercise in self-preservation. McCain’s goals may be loftier, but they are far removed from the welfare of average members of the country. It is that objective that Obama will strive to attain and he should make that clear between now and Election Day.
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