Русская версияIn a rare show of solidarity with the Republican incumbent,
Democratic presidential hopeful Obama said on Thursday, Aug.
21,
that he agreed with President George W. Bush's stance toward Russia
following the recent five-day conflict with Georgia.
"I'm supportive of what George Bush has been doing," said Obama,
who disagrees with Bush on most foreign policy issues. "There will
be a time later for politics. I'm a big believer that when you're
in a crisis, America speaks with one voice."
Bush, who has nurtured positive personal relations with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin over the past eight years, has firmly
denounced Russia's decision to send troops into Georgia after the
former Soviet republic attacked the separatist region of South
Ossetia on Aug. 8.
While the West has largely condemned Russia's military involvement
in Georgia, Russia has sharply criticized Georgia for attacking its
breakaway provinces.
New chapter in US-Russia relations
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Obama agrees with Bush -- at least as far as the Caucasus war is
concerned
The US president has insisted that Georgia's territorial
sovereignty be respected. The pro-Russian provinces of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia have enjoyed de facto independence from
Georgia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Nevertheless, the clash with Russia has put the chill on US-Russian
relations.
The conflict in the Caucasus "indicates a new stage in the
relationship between Russia and the West," said Obama Thursday.
"We've got to be firm with the Russians, in alliance with our
European allies, that this kind of behavior is intolerable."
Both Obama and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain have
warned Russia of severe, long-term consequences from its conflict
with Georgia.
The United States is caught somewhat between a rock and a hard
place as it is dependent on Russia's approval in the United Nations
Security Council, where Moscow enjoys veto power, on a number of
international issues.
Georgia becomes presidential battlefield
McCain, who is slightly behind Obama in polls, has used the
Russian-Georgian conflict to draw attention to his extensive
foreign policy experience. A Vietnam veteran, former prisoner of
war, and long-time US senator, McCain has said he is better suited
than his significantly younger opponent to take on the position of
commander-in-chief.
Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois with no military
experience, recently made a highly publicized tour of Europe in an
effort to boost his image on the foreign policy front.
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McCain, seen here with US troops in Iraq, said his military
experience better qualifies him
McCain has gone beyond the White House's stance in his response to
Russia in light of the fighting in Georgia, demanding that Russia
be expelled from the Group of Eight highly industrialized nations,
at least for a time. He has also expressed opposition to Russian
membership in the World Trade Organization.
"In matters of national security, good judgment will be at a
premium in the term of the next president -- as we were all
reminded ... by the events in the nation of Georgia," said McCain
earlier this week.
Advice from all sides
Obama promised Thursday, addressing supporters in Virginia, to call
on the "best and brightest" foreign policy advisors, should he be
elected.
"And by the way, they don't have to be Democrats," he said, naming
Republican Richard Lugar, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, among others.
As far as foreign policy matters are concerned, McCain and Obama
differ most notably in their approach to the war in Iraq, which is
largely unpopular in Europe.
Obama has pledged to withdraw nearly all US troops from Iraq within
16 months, while McCain has promised to remain until victory.
Addressing US foreign policy as a whole on Thursday, Obama
conceded, however, that "there are times when we are going to have
to use military force."
(Deutsche Welle)
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