As Russia goes to war, McCain camp sees benefit

John McCain’s presidential campaign and his supporters are pressing the argument that the escalating conflict in Georgia verifies the Republican’s foreign policy judgment and gives him a boost against his Democratic opponent Barack Obama.

Sen. McCain (Ariz.) as a presidential candidate has taken a tough tone toward Russia. Last year, he called for the exclusion of the former Cold War foe from a new League of Democracies and from the G8, the group of economically developed nations that currently includes Russia, Japan and Western powers.

{mosads}Though McCain this spring had supported a new nuclear weapons agreement between the United States and Russia that would go beyond Bush administration proposals to limit the two countries' arsenals, McCain’s campaign is now his stressing tougher rhetoric toward Russia. McCain backers have noted that, as violence broke out Friday over the separatist South Ossetia province, the Republican called on Russia to withdraw its forces while Sen. Obama (Ill.) gave a more even-handed statement condemning the violence.

McCain’s campaign sent e-mails to reporters Sunday noting praise for McCain’s positions as “prescient” by pundits and by his supporters.

“I think this [conflict] is another example during these uncertain times, where we need experienced leadership,” said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), a McCain surrogate, on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “We need somebody like Sen. McCain who will take a stronger view, a more experienced view, when it comes to international security and protecting America's interest.”

Jindal then noted the differences between McCain and Obama’s responses. “[McCain], as soon as this crisis emerged, in no uncertain terms, said that Russia should withdraw its forces, observe a cease-fire, suggested that there need to be true international peacekeepers there,” Jindal said.

This latest international conflict has little political downside for McCain, said political analyst Charlie Cook. “It’s important to keep in mind that we have two running mate selections, two conventions and over two months of campaigning to go, so it’s hard for any event today to make a real difference,” said Cook, publisher of the Cook Political Report. “In theory though, anything that shifts the focus onto the theme that ‘the world is a complicated place and foreign policy experience is important’ has a lot more upside for McCain than for Obama.”

The Democrat’s campaign has pushed back against McCain’s rhetoric by saying that it could isolate Russia and lead to further problems.

“I believe what Sen. McCain is proposing is totally, totally wrong,” said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who appeared on the same show. “Keeping them out of the G8? Russia is a major superpower. We have to build the kind of relationship with Russia so that we can deal with them on restraining Iran from building nuclear weapons, so that we can deal with Russia in the Middle East, help us in the situation in Iraq.”

Richardson added: “Sen. McCain wants to isolate Russia further. That’s not going to work. That will make Russia more detrimental in the relationship with the United States.”

An Obama spokesman also pointed out that previous lobbying work for Georgia by McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann has given off the “appearance of a conflict of interest.”

“John McCain’s top foreign policy adviser lobbied for, and has a vested interest in, the Republic of Georgia, and McCain has mirrored the position advocated by the government,” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan told The New York Times.

But McCain has kept up its hard-nosed stance, releasing a statement on what it called the “Obama Campaign/Kremlin Attacks” on Scheunemann. It noted that both the Obama campaign and representatives of Russia had called reporters about Scheunemann’s Georgia ties.

“Today, many are dead and Georgia is in crisis, yet the Obama campaign has offered nothing more than cheap and petty political attacks that are echoed only by the Kremlin,” said McCain aide Tucker Bounds in the statement. “The reaction of the Obama campaign to this crisis, so at odds with our democratic allies and yet so bizarrely in sync with Moscow, doesn’t merely raise questions about Sen. Obama’s judgment — it answers them.”