Stuck in the Middle With Mac

I like Mark Kleiman's joke about John McCain's unfortunate situation:

Much too crazy for Fareed Zakaria. Not nearly crazy enough for George Will.

It's hard out there for a maverick:

I'm not sure I would describe McCain as a Dylanesque pop bubble-gum favorite, though.

Comments

Both will vote for him in November.

Posted by JoshA | May 13, 2008 3:56 PM

That is some of the worst lip syncing I've ever seen. It isn't even close. I'm almost suspicious that Bob Dylan is the real singer of that song after-all and that is just some guy that pretends(poorly) to sing.

Posted by Corey | May 13, 2008 4:17 PM

Sweet Reservoir Dogs reference, but the still for this video is disturbing.

Posted by Trevor J | May 13, 2008 4:18 PM

Fareed does McCain's idea little justice.

"The neoconservative vision within the speech is essentially an affirmation of ideology. Not only does it declare war on Russia and China, it places the United States in active opposition to all nondemocracies. It proposes a League of Democracies, which would presumably play the role that the United Nations now does, except that all nondemocracies would be cast outside the pale."

It would not declare war on Russia and China. It would set a standard of morality that a nation must reach before it is allowed into the elite economic councils. Including India and Brazil is very wise and farsighted. Russia has almost no military power, and is completely dependent on its oil and gas exports both for economic growth and international influence. Why should we not take a stand against Putin? Is Fareed suggesting that in the interest of not offending this "great power" we should auction off our friends in eastern and central Europe? He is right that it would be a departure from the previous policy, but with good reason. The previous policy did not work. Trying to lure Russia into the democratic world failed, for a number of reasons. The 90's were a disaster for Russia, and created a sense of national humiliation which Putin has ably capitalized on. He has played off this sense of outraged nationalism, and because the democracies have not done anything to seriously threaten his economic interests, he has been allowed to bash the West day and night while still benefiting from G8 membership.

I'm puzzled by Matt's posting, and by some of the comments I have seen on this page. Have we entered an era in which the Left has completely abandoned any sense of morality in foreign policy? Why should we allow a nation that murders journalists and praises Stalin in the most exclusive economic club in the world?

As for China, their economic might will ensure that they have considerable influence in international affairs, whether we like it or not. But why not reward India and Brazil, two rising democratic powers, for their moral superiority to Hu Jintao and his cronies (or goons as Jack Cafferty would say)?

Fareed does not even attempt to have an honest discussion about the League of Democracies idea. McCain has explicitly said it is not intended to replace the United Nations. Moreover, Fareed essentially criticizes it for not solving all of the world's problems. I don't think this is the intention.

Liberal internationalism has some good things to say about how the world should work, and how it does work. But the UN has proved time and time again that it will not act to fulfill its mission to protect the innocent due to the repeated objections of Russia and China. The League of Democracies would be an institution that would bind the democracies together and allow the responsible, moral leaders of the free nations to act when they deem it necessary. The League would give greater legitimacy to such action. Instead of the US having to consider acting alone or with NATO, the inclusion of Japan, South Korea, India (someone said India might not be included, I think this would be a huge mistake), Brazil, and other non-Western democracies would be huge in terms of legitimacy. It would be a clear signal that democracy is not just a "Western" phenomenon.

I think the leadership in Beijing and Moscow would be terrified to see this idea bear fruit. Delicate diplomacy would be needed to ensure them that we are not planning on undermining their rule. But by including non-Western democracies we would be taking a strong diplomatic stance that in the long run will strengthen the forces of democracy in the world.

Posted by Frog Priest | May 13, 2008 4:23 PM

The joke is really sort of ridiculous. 90% of the George Will column is spent attacking McCain for being too extreme on foreign policy. Meanwhile, Zakaria excoriates McCain for holding a position also held by many liberals, as Matt points out in his book.

Posted by brendan | May 13, 2008 4:27 PM

Frog Priest: "But the UN has proved time and time again that it will not act to fulfill its mission to protect the innocent due to the repeated objections of Russia and China."

In other words, the UN has no power to unilaterally attack anybody without the support of its member nations. Which has been pointed out here repeatedly.

"The League of Democracies would be an institution that would bind the democracies together and allow the responsible, moral leaders of the free nations to act when they deem it necessary."

In other words, let's divide the world up into "democracies" and "not democracies" (of course, the guys with the oil would be where?) - then let's HAVE A WORLD WAR!

Moron. In case you didn't notice, the "Cold War" happens to have been exactly what you are describing. And everybody is happy that's over with. Now nitwits like you and McCain want to re-create it again based on even more amorphous categories which will end up being entirely about oil instead of "democracy".

You're not living in a "democracy", clown. You're living in a fascist state that provides the illusion of "democracy". This is why Gorbachev was the world's first smart Communist - he understand that the old imperial way of being a dictatorship was inefficient. Much better to fake being a "democracy" and all the suckers will support the state. The US has been doing this for at least the last one hundred years, which is why it has been better off than the Communists. Slowly, even China is starting to learn this.

A "League of Democracies" is just McCain's way of re-starting the Cold War he grew up with and loved as the rationale for his military career.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | May 13, 2008 6:07 PM

It would not declare war on Russia and China. It would set a standard of morality that a nation must reach before it is allowed into the elite economic councils.

A standard of morality such as, for example, not waging an unprovoked aggressive war by travelling half-way across the world to attack, invade and occupy a sovereign nation and cause the death of a million of its citizens in the war?

Well, at least the US should have no problem clearing that hurd....oh, wait. Hmmm. Never mind.

Posted by Stefan | May 13, 2008 6:07 PM

"Both will vote for him in November.

Posted by JoshA | May 13, 2008 3:56 PM"

Zakaria basically endorsed Obama not too long ago. Will, on the other hand, is the guy who blamed Reagan for losing the Cold War for meeting with Gorbachev in Iceland.

"It would not declare war on Russia and China. It would set a standard of morality that a nation must reach before it is allowed into the elite economic councils."

That and $2.50 won't even get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. What you are proposing is making the perfect the enemy of the good. If you want to have the major economies being able to coordinate stuff economically, then you need all of the major economies there. Otherwise you are just masturbating. You can have platitudes that make yourself feel morally superior or you can be an adult and live in the real world where things actually get done. Personally, I think China should have been forced to wait for WTO membership until it became a lot more free-market oriented, but it's already in and kicking them out and Russia out of G-8 won't make them change their behavior, but instead piss off their populaces and help radical nationalists find more support among the offended populaces. It's times like this that it becomes clear that neocon ideology is drawn from Trotsky and his idiocy.

Posted by Reality Man | May 13, 2008 10:59 PM

Thanks for posting the Stealers Wheel vid, Matt. That was awesome.

Posted by when's the next bus to oswego? | May 14, 2008 10:08 AM

It would not declare war on Russia and China. It would set a standard of morality that a nation must reach before it is allowed into the elite economic councils.

A standard of morality such as, for example, not actively and flagrantly flouting the Geneva Conventions, not kidnapping innocent men and children off the street and shipping them off to be tortured and/or raped in secret prisons for years, not injecting captives with bizarre and unknown psychotropic drugs, not holding their own citizens without charge or trial for years on end, not staging show trials to imprison domestic political opponents on trumped-up charges for partisan gain?

Well, at least the US should have no trouble clearing that hurd....oh, wait. Hmmm. Never mind.

Posted by Stefan | May 14, 2008 10:39 AM

I think the leadership in Beijing and Moscow would be terrified to see this idea bear fruit. Delicate diplomacy would be needed to ensure them that we are not planning on undermining their rule.

China is now riding on a wave of resurgent national pride, due in no small part to China's "awakening" and astounding economic growth since 1978, creating beneficiaries among the CCP's most vital constituency, the urban middle class and elite.

In that context, Frog Priest stands by McCain's inspired plan to create an exclusive club of Awesome Western Countries + token developing nations. By creating a League of Traditional World Powers to serve as a conspicuous, external target of resentment, and to serve as an ever-present, concrete reminder that the Western world does not acknowledge China on the international stage, we will certainly lead the proud, Chinese nationalists to ...

rally around the League of Heroes and generate a mass movement for Western-style democracy, causing the PRC to reform itself into a democracy! Brilliant strategy!

Posted by StJoe | May 14, 2008 1:06 PM