Russia And The Candidates

The Presidential Campaign Got Away From Silly Stuff, But It Took A Crisis

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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I suppose the good news is the presidential campaign finally got off the silly stuff last week. The bad news is it took a crisis with Russia to do it.

When the Russian tanks rolled into Georgia, we were reminded what we elect presidents to do: deal with the unexpected events that often receive scant attention in the campaigns that precede them.

Foreign policy usually gets short shrift in presidential campaigns - the political consultants say people get bored with events in far-off places that have no direct bearing on their lives. Iraq was hardly mentioned in the campaign in 2000.

This time we got a preview of the next president's work schedule. He will spend a lot of time deciding how to deal with Russia, not a pocketbook issue to be sure, but maybe a life-or-death issue.

I can't believe that any rational American official wants to go to war with Russia - the Secretary of Defense said as much - but how do we deal now with Russia? What can we actually do to influence the country? What is best for our security?

This is a dangerous time; great powers have blundered into war for reasons far more frivolous than what we saw this week, and the candidates would do well not to meddle. We have one president at a time and they are not yet it.

What we do need to know is how each of them sees all this, how they approach the whole idea of managing relations with Russia. Those are the kinds of things campaigns should be about.

For the rest of us, what happened this week should be a warning: There is too much at stake to allow this campaign to drift back to the silly stuff that had begun to consume it.

We deserve better and should demand it.

[billmar42]

Posted by Dave Johnson at http://seeingtheforest.com/

Here are three questions for John McCain. They will not be asked.

1) IF your military commanders tell you that The Surge needs to be continued, and that more troops are needed in Afghanistan, will you implement the draft to keep the country protected?

2) IF your statement that lowering taxes brings more revenue to the government turn out not to work, and the deficit continues to grow, what will you do?

3) AT the Saddleback Forum you were asked, "At what point does a baby receive human rights?" You answered "At conception."So I have two questions for you.

One: There is a fire at a fertility clinic. In one room there is a 3-month-old baby. In another is a thermos with 3,000 fertilized eggs. You have time to save the baby or the thermos. Which do you save?

Two: If a woman has intercourse and an egg is fertilized, but the woman stands up before three days pass, the egg might not implant properly. Is it murder if a woman stands up within three days of intercourse?

[timelag]

"I suppose the good news is the presidential campaign finally got off the silly stuff last week. "

Don''t bet on it. This Saddleback debate led to one of the most hilarious, but also telling, lines of the whole election battle so far, the McCain''s camp officially issued statement "How dare anyone suggest that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, could cheat!"

The McCain campaign has now become a caricature of itself, expecting to be able to say "POW!" as a response to any scrutiny at all and have people just drop the question.

We''re coming very close to a parody of Biden''s famous "A verb, a noun, and 9/11" about Guiliani, except this time it''s "POW" swapped for 9/11.

There''s nothing wrong with being proud of a truly awesome ordeal and sacrifice the candidate experienced, but good grief. Next I expect any question at all to be met with the same "Divorced? How dare anyone suggest that McCain, a former POW, is divorced!"

No, McCain campaign, not everyone will just cower and bow down when you invoke the holy "POW" as a non-sequitur, claiming that this alone makes it a kind of blasphemy for anyone to question any of your qualifications or actions.

We''re not all Bob Schieffer, sorry.

[greg44442]

Mr. Schieffer, I was very disappointed yesterday that you didn''t challenge Ms. Rice''s comments concerning Russia''s actions in Georgia. She echoed the sentiments voiced earlier by the president which admonished them for their actions by invading a sovereign state and occupying it''s capital. This statement begged the question of how this differs from our actions in Iraq.

I am surprised and disappointed that a distinguished journalist such as yourself wouldn''t see this as an obvious question and ask her given that opportunity unless you were under specific orders or agreement not to do so.

[kevingrze]

I am not a Georgian; I am a proud American. I dislike what this 72 year old, confused man is saying. He wants wars to relive his past; elect a intelligent man, not a war monger!

[allurfears]

Ol'' McWar and his foreign-lobbyist run campaign can''t wait to start another war. McWar thinks, "What is good for military contractors (war profiteers) is good for America."

[claydowner]

Mr. Scheiffer:
You''re right the candidates should be focusing on more important things like foreign policy. I believe strongly that the energy policy is the common thread for our economic, fiscal, and national security problems. I would have like to have seen Russian diplomatic activity to help solve the Iranian nuclear problem. The Israeli Air Force keeps training and Israeli leaders have said Iran''s nuclear program is a threat to its security. Russia''s probable absence in the diplomatic process could prove fatal in trying to keep those Israeli fighter planes at their bases. A prolonged war between Iran and Israel could turn the whole Middle East into a fireball of war and terrorism driving oil prices to the moon. Let us hope this does not happen but I am afraid this Georgia issue made it that much harder to prevent. Vice President Gore''s renewable energy plan may be just what the doctor ordered to get us off of imported oil which is America''s achilles heel.

[mudcatii]

Mr. Schieffer,
Your commentary was right on the money. Yes, we should expect and demand that the presidential candidates focus on the important issues and avoid meddling in foreign policy and above all not drift back into the silly stuff. IF you take your own advice and focus "Face The Nation" on the issues that matter it would serve as a model for your fellow hard news journalists. Mr. Schieffer you should take the Schieffer Challenge and pledge not to participate in super market tabloid journalism.
Mudcat Jackson

[james77773]

McCain only saw an opportunity to start the "cold war" again


agreed.

[allurfears]

I''m sure the corporate war machine (KBR, SAIC, etc.) are salivating at the possibility of a new re-arming of Europe. Makes you wonder if McCain''s National Security adviser (And lobbyist for Georgia) Randy Scheunemann is pulling McCain''s strings on this one.

[veteran188]

The republiCons and McSame jumped onto this red herring,

with their typical greed driven agenda; showing their

true colors, The Karl Rove computer banks immediately

spewing out "Ruskie Threats", ''Nukes raining down on america'',

funny how the conservatives love the communists in china , with their slave labor, but start the "SCARE"
engine when the other communists are involved

[eltalion]

"I suppose the good news is the presidential campaign finally got off the silly stuff last week."

Excuse me, but when you make a statement such as this, the honest thing to say is that it was McSame the one that went s.tupid on his campaign, and imply that both candidates contributed to this "ingredient" is to misinform the public at the same idiot level Rush Limbaugh does.

[pvperson]

McCain only saw an opportunity to start the "cold war" again. Something like Bush used 911 to start the Iraq war. Both demonstrate a lack of judgement and concern over the real issues involved. They only want to exploit.