OUT-HAWKING THE HAWKS.

Randy Scheunemann, foreign policy adviser to John McCain, recently gave an interview with RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty that should put to rest any fantastical notions that a McCain administration would be more diplomatic than George Bush's (see Matt's piece for more on this). Even Donald "Old Europe" Rumsfeld would have thought twice before saying this: "traditionally, we have seen that the Russians will push and push until they meet opposition. And what they need to understand is that all European countries and the United States are united in opposing the latest Russian moves, which is really the culmination of years of what they've been doing". Or this: "I think first of all the administration has said very clearly and publicly that there will be no trade-offs. Trade-offs like that are kind of a relic of a bygone era of power politics."

Whoa daddy. McCain's got another thing coming if he thinks Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev and Zangief are just going to roll over the in the face of some tough Euro-American talk. Rather, they'll more closer to China and Iran and anyone else who will consider their interests. And since America needs them all to counter terrorism and WMDs, we might be rather upset when all of them don't help us out. And why should they help us? After all, trade-offs are just a thing of the past.

--Jordan Michael Smith