McCain and Russia

From Joe Klein's column in Time:

But that's the point: McCain would place a higher priority on finding new enemies than on cultivating new friends.

The entire thing is very good. Klein does his usual good job of blending policy and politics into a coherent analysis - something a lot of journalists struggle with.

The most baffling part of McCain's foreign policy is his extreme dislike of Vladmir Putin and Russia, which Klein calls "rather exotic." I would call it retarded.

From what I know, his plan to kick Russia out of the G8 has no supporters outside of his campaign and certainly none outside the United States. The G8 is an informal body with no real power - kicking Russia out would have no positive effects. But it would force them closer to China and perhaps restart the Cold War, generating a whole new set of enemies for the United States.

McCain's view of the world seems to be like The Dark Knight in reverse. Where in The Dark Knight, the presence of Batman creates the Joker, in McCain's world, the presence of Batman requires a Joker. He seems to think that because the United States is good, there must be evil.