Slate.com isn't exactly a bastion of conservative thought, but Fred Kaplan, in "How Much Does John McCain Really Know About Foreign Policy? Not as much as he'd like you to think," raises some valid points the presumptive Republican nominee needs to consider, if he is to remain a serious contender for the presidency. One example:
"It may be time to reassess this narrative's premise—or to abandon it altogether and simply examine the evidence before us. Quite apart from the gaffes, in formal prepared speeches, McCain has proposed certain actions and policies that raise serious questions about his suitability for the highest office. As president, he has said, he would boot Russia out of the G-8 on the grounds that its leaders don't share the West's values. He would form an international 'League of Democracy' as a united front against the forces of autocracy and terror. And though it's not exactly a stated policy, he continues to employ as his foreign-policy adviser an outspoken, second-tier neoconservative named Randy Scheunemann, who coined the term "rogue-state rollback" and still prescribes it as sound policy."
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Although I disagree with Kaplan's interpretation of other events, I have to admit that the paragraph above cannot be easily dismissed. My military experience has taught me that the right combination of civilian and military brainpower can make even the most bone-headed general or politician sound brilliant. Whether McCain - or Obama - see the light and assemble a foreign policy team to help him make wise decisions, or whether they delude themselves into thinking they can do it all, remains to be seen.
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