Are we marching toward war with Russia?

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

After the Russian invasion of Georgia, John McCain said, “We are all Georgians now.” Randy Scheunemann, a former lobbyist for Georgia, has been a part of McCain’s campaign, and McCain favors Georgia’s inclusion in NATO. That would mean the United States would be bound to go to war with Russia over the actions of the Georgians.

Although Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was elected, he has shown tyrannical aggression toward his political opponents and the people of his country, most of whom are very poor. Saakashvili was the aggressor in the latest conflict by attacking South Ossetia, whose residents fear the Georgians more than they fear the Russians. The Georgian president knew the Russians protected the Ossetians, but he must have figured America had his back.

The main interest America has in the area is gas and oil pipelines that go from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey, cutting out the Russians. The people along the pipeline play so poorly with one another that the American taxpayers have to guarantee the financiers’ investment in the likely case that someone blows up the line.

It is clear that it has been the policy of the United States to wage a political and economic war on Russia, and with our plans to install missile systems in the face of the Russians, there is a threat of an arms race or worse. The Russian leaders may not be nice people, but getting in their face and bringing a loose cannon such as Georgia into NATO does not represent sound leadership for our country.