Multilateral Like Bush Posted by Ilan Goldenberg

Max and I have a piece today over at the New Republic on John McCain's historical record of working with allies.  The basic summary:

Try as he might to distance himself from George Bush's abrasive foreign policy, John McCain has too long of a record to outrun. On Russia, Iran, and North Korea, he will have a policy of confrontation and escalation. His dismissive approach towards international institutions (and at times our closest allies), as well as his long history of verbally belittling other countries, cast real doubt on his ability to handle delicate diplomatic situations. In short, John McCain's claim that he is the right man to break with the Bush administration and build a "global coalition for peace and freedom" simply strains credulity.

This is part of a broader trend.  After McCain's much hailed foreign policy speech in late March he was lauded by the press for breaking with Bush's policy.  But as more and more independent analysts take a look at McCain's foreign policy record and they are all coming to the conclusion that his record completely contradicts the idea that he would be much different on foreign policy then President Bush. 

Fareed Zakaria recently wrote about McCain's dangerous great powers policy.  Ron Brownstein has made the point that aside from trying to make excuses for the 100 years comment by arguing that his intention was for a South Korea like presence, McCain has not actually articulated a plan for getting to this magical level of no violence in Iraq.  Matt Yglesias has come to the conclusion that McCain had embraced a hawkish neoconservative influenced foreign policy during the late 1990s and the 2000 campaign (Before Bush).    The record is extensive and it speaks for itself.

Comments

[Don Bacon]

Excellent piece, really good. Let's not let its main points die. They cry out for repetition until everybody thoroughly knows what a stupid man McCain is.