Obama adviser: McCain too 'belligerent' on Russia, Georgia conflict
 Even under an EU-negotiated cease fire, blood still flows in Georgia as Russian tanks continue to advance. The fighting between both nations, which began as an attempt by Georgia to retake a rogue city, quickly followed by an immediate, overwhelming response by Russia, has increasingly become a political football in the United States.
On Tuesday night's Hardball, guest hosted by David Shuster, an Obama foreign policy adviser argued that Sen. John McCain's 'aggressive, belligerant' comments on the Russia-Georgia conflict "may or may not have complicated the situation." Conversely, a prominent McCain supporter and national policy expert took the Republican's posture a step further, suggesting the US rearm Georgia and station US troops in the country.
"We need real peace-keepers inside of Georgia that aren't Russians, and we need a negotiated political settlement, which has been lacking," said Obama foreign policy advisor Susan Rice. "We have known about this crisis for months, and yet we haven't been actively engaged in negotiations, and that's in part because we've been focused on Iraq and our foreign policy has become monolithic.
"[Obama] said that we need to review all bilateral and multilateral aspects of our relationship with Russia ... We need to be there for the people of Georgia. Barack Obama has said for many months that the United States ought be in the lead in pushing for Georgia to be a member of NATO. We still need to take that step."
Shuster argued that such a move would be provocative to Russia, but Rice countered that even the Bush administration has been pushing for the same.
"We didn't succeed with our European allies in getting their agreement to a membership action plan for Georgia to join NATO, and that's in part a consequence of our frayed alliances and relationships that have suffered because of Iraq and so many other poor decisions that John McCain has supported and Bush has advocated."
She added: "John McCain shot from the hip, very aggressive, very belligerent statement, and he may or may not have complicated the situation."
Obama, in a recent statement, demanded Russia "immediately sign and implement a cease fire."
Sen. McCain however, has taken an increasingly strident tone against Moscow, claiming recently, "We are all Georgians."
The senator's campaign has suffered recent criticism over McCain's top foreign policy adviser's co-ownership of Orion Strategies, a lobbying firm employed by Georgia for its D.C. connections.
"The question is, who is the client? Is the adviser loyal to income from a foreign client, or is he loyal to the candidate he is working for now?" said James Thurber, an ethics expert with American University, to the Washington Post. "It's dangerous if you're getting advice from people who are very close to countries on one side or another of a conflict.
"I'm not saying we are reigniting the Cold War, but, this is an act of aggression in which we didn't think we'd see in the 21st century," said the presumptive GOP candidate, who referred to Georgia as a "brave little nation."
McCain's supporter on Tuesday's Hardball was perhaps even more strident.
"You take them out fo the G8," said Frank Gaffney, president of the Security Policy Institute. "They shouldn't have been in there in the first place. I think we should stop the kinds of consultations we've been doing at NATO with them.
"It seems to me that Americans should be encouraged not to invest in the various Russian, state-owned enterprises, which are increasingly being used as engines for this kind of behavior. Make it clear that the behavior they're engaged in today, and that they have in mind for Krimaya and Ukrayne next, and quite possibly for a lot of other places, including Eastern Europe, is not in the cards."
Gaffney added the allegation that Iran is building nuclear weapons with Russia's help, and said Sen. Obama's policy angle toward Russia is similar to the Bush administration's.
Then he said, rather ominously, that while he does not speak directly for the McCain campaign, he would like to see the US rebuild and rearm Georgia.
"If that entails having American trainers, if that entails having American forces there to help them do it, I would do it," he said. "I think that's the sort of signal we need to send to the Russians at this time."
This video is from MSNBC's Hardball, broadcast August 12, 2008.
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