The Russia Connection

I've seen a good deal of mockery of this McCain campaign poster on the grounds that he seems to be more angling to be God's successor than George W. Bush's but less on the underlying claim that he somehow possesses a unique level of wisdom necessary to bring about peace:

In fact, McCain has a notably thoughtless approach to the world situation. A good case in point is his Russia policy which is focused around the silly idea of needlessly antagonizing Moscow by kicking them out of the G8. This hasn't gotten a ton of attention because there hasn't been much focus on Russia issues throughout the campaign. Which is fine as far as it goes, but as Matt Duss points out Russia policy has broader implications including for high-profile issues like Iran. But to deal with the Iranian nuclear program in a reasonable way, we need more rather than less cooperation from the Russians. That means, among other things, showing the wisdom to avoid picking fights with them on secondary subjects.

Comments

This fall from Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay...John McCain...will bring...PEACE FROM WISDOM. Rated R.

http://thesebastards.blogspot.com/

Posted by Matthew | July 23, 2008 4:44 PM

It looks like something you'd see an ad for on late night cable.

Posted by CJ | July 23, 2008 4:50 PM

Keep this up, Yglesias, and you'll never make ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

Posted by EndofTheWorld | July 23, 2008 4:51 PM

It looks like something you'd see an ad for on late night cable.

Posted by CJ | July 23, 2008 4:53 PM

If it's so damn peaceful, what are those military planes doing up in the sky?

Or are they the little angels?

Posted by David in Ny | July 23, 2008 4:54 PM

Can someone please explain to me how "wisdom" is defined as "adhering to a policy that tells 60% of the electorate they're wrong?" Does John McCain World have rivers of flowing ice cream, too?

Posted by James F. Elliott | July 23, 2008 4:55 PM

is that even John McCain's face? that looks like a totally different man. but the glint off of his forehead is a nice touch.

Posted by Cody | July 23, 2008 4:57 PM

The planes appear to be physical manifestations of his steely gaze.

Posted by someBrad | July 23, 2008 5:00 PM

And don't forget OMG it shows his face in PROFILE! Just like Obama and HITLER!

Posted by Ryan | July 23, 2008 5:00 PM

It looks like he bought a motivational framed print from Successories.

http://www.successories.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.home/home.cfm

Posted by blah | July 23, 2008 5:04 PM

I am a McCain supporter who typically does not find much to agree with MY when it comes to foreign policy. However, I think he is spot on here wrt our stance towards Russia. Trying to kick Russia out of the G8 is plain stupid.

Posted by Keith | July 23, 2008 5:05 PM

I am a McCain supporter who typically does not find much to agree with MY when it comes to foreign policy. However, I think he is spot on here wrt our stance towards Russia. Trying to kick Russia out of the G8 is plain stupid.

Posted by Keith | July 23, 2008 5:08 PM

The text originally read "Si vis pacem para bellum", thus explaining the planes. But somebody realized the cold war was over and so any old thing about peace was substituted.

Posted by Retief | July 23, 2008 5:08 PM

Wisdom? That's not really the word I associate with John McCain. Cranky? Yes. Senile? yes. I'm worried that a McCain presidency would try to improve relations with the Ottoman Empire. He's not really up to speed yet on what happened in the last century. And until what has happened in this century comes out on wax cylinders, he won't know about it. Somebody buy this guy an 8-track so he can catch up on what happened 30 years ago.

Posted by fostert | July 23, 2008 5:10 PM

I generally tend to disagree with your Russia related posts but this one is right- needless antagonism and showmanship is really stupid and not likely to help. It's a piece with McCain's generally stupid approach to foreign policy.

Posted by matt (not the famous one) | July 23, 2008 5:14 PM

This is about artistic tone. The profile view. The serious expression. The shading. When I saw the McCain campaign poster, my mind immediately called up Hitler images and I was struck by how unsimilar they are in feel. Reassuring really.

Posted by Melissa Couthier | July 23, 2008 5:20 PM

Much like someBrad, I think too little attention is being paid to the fact that he can shoot fighter planes from his eyes.

Posted by J.W. Hamner | July 23, 2008 5:21 PM

Ooooh! Look at the pretty planes!

Cindy's pills must be kicking in!
.

Posted by Grand Moff Texan | July 23, 2008 5:30 PM

The picture actually makes me think of "The Rocketeer" more than anything. Where's the helmet?

seanfucious.blogspot.com

Posted by Seanfucious | July 23, 2008 5:34 PM

I don't think the poster is that bad for them-- its message just seems to be "Our guy knows that we have to fight to achieve peace in the long-run, and the liberals aren't willing to do that." It keeps them in their over-all frames/message, makes John McCain sound less like a war-monger without putting him in a position of having to say or promise something he's not going to actually follow up on, and it keeps the actual debating (not the advertisements) in the campaign focused on things like whether or not we need to be fighting now, whether the fights the Republicans will start will make us safer, etc. So they will be arguing around uncertain, future events, and fact the average voter is ignorant about-- comfortable stuff for a politician trying to get elected.

The poster doesn't even have any offensive content, which is less and less common for the Republicans when they open their mouths nowadays.

Posted by Swan | July 23, 2008 5:34 PM

The first thing that poster brought to mind was this:

http://english.people.com.cn/90002/91620/index.html

I love that "Peace Mission" banner with jet fighters and guys with rocket launchers on it. McCain is truly learning from the masters now.

Posted by jim | July 23, 2008 5:40 PM

If they'd have gone more abstract they could have captured that TCM/WWII film poster look.

With that head at that size at that angle
- "you the bomb in Phantoms, yo!"

Posted by Aaron | July 23, 2008 5:44 PM

I made a more appropriate poster:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28873980@N03/2696192699/

Posted by Ohmmade | July 23, 2008 5:55 PM

I find it hilarious that Ruffini et. al. are not screaming about this poster. And they call Obama's German poster fascistic? You can find more on this at my blog.

Posted by Undiplomatic | July 23, 2008 6:55 PM

What's up with those planes? They should look like the plane McCain flew.

Posted by croatoan | July 23, 2008 8:13 PM

My brain first processed the poster as "War is peace." Looking at it a second time, I think the Orwellian jump was a reasonable one.

Posted by Kyle | July 23, 2008 9:23 PM

To me it looks like it should read:

"John McCain. 1936-2008."

In other words, to me it doesn't look like McCain is campaigning to be God. Rather, it looks like others are suggesting McCain has gone to meet Him.

Posted by DTM | July 23, 2008 10:00 PM

So let me get this straight, Matt, being quiet while Putin, became more involved in the 'war of choice" and real quagmire in Chechnya; which did serve as a rallying point for AQ, (Al Midhar, Al Hazmi, Moussaoui,) Keeping quiet while Putin, turned Russia into a neo-czarist police state, crushing the independent press, including more direct ways if you consider Politskaya; using the Beslan tragedy to abolish regional governors, something out of Star Wars. While providing materiel, personnel and expertise to the Iranian nuclear program; and the capstone is targeting the Czech republic with nuclear missiles, for trying to stop nuclear tipped missiles; oh and the return of the Backfire bombers, to Cuba; what's the proper response to that .

Posted by narciso | July 23, 2008 10:41 PM

I don't know, narisco, maybe alienating Russia even more so that we can empower ultra-nationalists in Russia, support a tiny country's irredentist wet dream in Abkhazia and Ossetia for no good reason, pretending to set up useless missile defense systems against a nation we are supposed to be friendly with, kick a rapidly growing economy out of the G8 because of political lapses, further alienating and angering Russia? Does that sound like a good response?

Russia has the capacity to send this whole planet back into the Pre-Cambrian in one big mushroom flavored holocaust. Granted, Russia's relationship with the world (and the US specifically) reflects internal Russian politics more than anything else, but pissing off Russia for no good reason, our policy for the last 10 years, hasn't worked.

Posted by Карамзин | July 23, 2008 10:50 PM

I don't know, narisco, maybe alienating Russia even more so that we can empower ultra-nationalists in Russia, support a tiny country's irredentist wet dream in Abkhazia and Ossetia for no good reason, pretending to set up useless missile defense systems against a nation we are supposed to be friendly with, kick a rapidly growing economy out of the G8 because of political lapses, further alienating and angering Russia? Does that sound like a good response?

Russia has the capacity to send this whole planet back into the Pre-Cambrian in one big mushroom flavored holocaust. Granted, Russia's relationship with the world (and the US specifically) reflects internal Russian politics more than anything else, but pissing off Russia for no good reason, our policy for the last 10 years, hasn't worked.

Posted by Карамзин | July 23, 2008 10:53 PM

I think "wisdom" is trying to put a positive spin on "age". Turning his liability into an asset, etc.

Posted by Bram Boroson | July 23, 2008 11:11 PM

Matt, how could you not mention the profile view and deep shading?

Posted by Deborah | July 23, 2008 11:14 PM

"At the McCain 08 Retirement Community of Boca Raton, the Air Force will protect you from young people and giant old man sky faces."

Posted by Reality Man | July 23, 2008 11:33 PM

Matt: "But to deal with the Iranian nuclear program in a reasonable way, we need more rather than less cooperation from the Russians."

Uh, Matt, just so we don't get into my having to play "Twenty Questions" for months with you again, why the FUCK does it matter what the Russians have to say about Iran?

Putin has already said what he means: there is NO - repeat NO - evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. Russia doesn't want to seem to be backing Iran against the West, so they tend to go along with demanding that Iran somehow be more "forthcoming" about various issues. But they clearly don't believe Iran is doing anything wrong. They'd just like to defuse the war preparations the US neocons are making, so they call on Iran to be "accommodating".

But the bottom line is: there IS NO Iranian nuclear weapons program. So exactly what do you think Russia - or anyone else - can do to convince Iran to act any differently than it has been doing?

Or are you suggesting being friendlier with Russia would somehow mean Russia could influence THE US to behave differently?

Because it's not Iran that needs to change its behavior - it's the West, specifically the US.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | July 24, 2008 6:21 AM

The McCain foreign policy: Belligerence Towards All.

Posted by bob h | July 24, 2008 6:50 AM

I think it's a good poster for him. I'm sure it feeds into the narrative about him.

Of course, you're right, that narrative is a false one. And Obama has to hammer that home. And the media should pay more attention to it.

McCain is a rash, hot-headed man and an unsophisticated thinker. His MO for a long time in the senate has been to grab onto an issue and worry it like a bone. He takes all issues he latches onto personally. And he gets attached to them illogically.

The biggest myth of this campaign is that McCain is the foreign policy expert. His understanding of foreign policy is too simplistic to be expertise. Maybe he's the warmonger, maybe he has more knowledge of military expertise than Obama, but the president isn't a general. The president is the leader of the united states. The president has to have vision. All McCain has is strong opinions.

I will never never understand how being a prisoner of war thirty some years ago makes the guy a foreign policy expert.

He's a one issue guy. Literally. Running for a million issue office.

When is somebody in the media going to expose this paper tiger?

Posted by ccnr | July 24, 2008 9:39 AM

Like they were saying over at Ballon Juice,
nothing says peace like fighter jets flying in a fiery red sky.

This poster point to so many unintentional truths about McCain that it's not even funny. One for the ages.

Posted by Northern Observer | July 24, 2008 10:55 AM