McCain Steps Up Criticism of Russia
By Amy Chozick.- John McCain said Monday that Moscow appears determined to take down the Georgia government. “Americans wishing to spend August vacationing with their families or watching the Olympics may wonder why their newspapers and television screens are filled with images of war in the small country of Georgia. Concerns about what occurs there might seem distant and unrelated to the many other interests America has around the world. And yet Russian aggression against Georgia is both a matter of urgent moral and strategic importance to the United States of America,” he said in a statement while campaigning in Erie, Pa.
The Republican candidate who has largely staked his campaign against Barack Obama on national security called for an emergency meeting of G-7 nations to handle the escalating crisis. He also said NATO should convene an emergency meeting to demand a ceasefire. He said NATO should begin discussing deploying an international peacekeeping force to South Ossetia, one of two separatists regions of Georgia that are pro-Russia.
“What the people of Georgia have accomplished – in terms of democratic governance, a Western orientation, and domestic reform – is nothing short of remarkable. That makes Russia’s recent actions against the Georgians all the more alarming. In the face of Russian aggression, the very existence of independent Georgia – and the survival of its democratically elected government – are at stake,” McCain said.
McCain, a former prisoner of war who has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has hit his opponent on national security claiming Obama isn’t ready to be commander in chief. The Democrats meanwhile have focused on high gas prices and the faltering economy, issues that voters say top their list of concerns this election year.
Obama’s initial reaction to Russia’s attacks on Georgia was less severe. He did not blame either side, but called on both to stop the fighting. “Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full-scale war,” he said in a statement released on Friday.
Later that day, Obama toughened his position and called for restraint on both sides but blamed Russia for invading Georgia. On Saturday, he took that stance even further saying “Russia has escalated the crisis in Georgia through its clear and continued violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
It is still unclear whether the fighting in Georgia will shift voters’ concerns to national security.
The Republican candidate who has largely staked his campaign against Barack Obama on national security called for an emergency meeting of G-7 nations to handle the escalating crisis. He also said NATO should convene an emergency meeting to demand a ceasefire. He said NATO should begin discussing deploying an international peacekeeping force to South Ossetia, one of two separatists regions of Georgia that are pro-Russia.
“What the people of Georgia have accomplished – in terms of democratic governance, a Western orientation, and domestic reform – is nothing short of remarkable. That makes Russia’s recent actions against the Georgians all the more alarming. In the face of Russian aggression, the very existence of independent Georgia – and the survival of its democratically elected government – are at stake,” McCain said.
McCain, a former prisoner of war who has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has hit his opponent on national security claiming Obama isn’t ready to be commander in chief. The Democrats meanwhile have focused on high gas prices and the faltering economy, issues that voters say top their list of concerns this election year.
Obama’s initial reaction to Russia’s attacks on Georgia was less severe. He did not blame either side, but called on both to stop the fighting. “Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full-scale war,” he said in a statement released on Friday.
Later that day, Obama toughened his position and called for restraint on both sides but blamed Russia for invading Georgia. On Saturday, he took that stance even further saying “Russia has escalated the crisis in Georgia through its clear and continued violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
It is still unclear whether the fighting in Georgia will shift voters’ concerns to national security.
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2:23 p. m.
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