The Nigh Seen Creeder

There's a Simpsons episode in which Homer steers a submarine into Russian waters. Remember that'n?!

When Homer makes his inadvertent turn at the sea dragon (!), the Soviet Union immediately announces that it's back in business (tanks and goose-stepping troops appear in Red Square); the Berlin Wall literally springs back to life, replete with guard towers and machine guns; and Lenin smashes out of his mausoleum whilst exclaiming, "Must ... Crush ... Capitalism!"

What seemed like a joke a decade ago is today happening right before our eyes. The Soviet, er, Russian bear is again stalking the woods, and it's biting the hell out of democratic/capitalistic Georgia -- and by "biting" I mean shelling, bombing, strafing, etc. It's the work of former-Russian President/current-Russian PM Vladimir Putin, for sure, who not so long ago stated that the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest calamity of the last-half of the twentieth century.

If it were up to me, I'd start arming the Georgians like Nixon armed the Israelis in '73. But it ain't up to me. It may, however, be up to the next American president to do something of the sort to save Georgia from Russian domination. And, to be honest, what I've heard from one B. Hussein Obama in the face of the current crisis has convinced me - as if I needed any further convincing - that he ain't nowhere near ready to assume the position of Commander-in-Chief.

Gary Bauer agrees:

"Who do you want in the White House when the phone rings at 3 A.M. and there is a national security crisis?" It was a question worth asking this weekend as Russian tanks and bombers pummeled the pro-western democracy of Georgia in a dramatic display of brute force, reminiscent of the old Soviet Union.

When the news broke, Senator Barack Obama responded in the context of his leftwing ideology and "citizen of the world" philosophy. He refused to blame either side, just as the Left often does when it comes to Islamic terrorism against Israel, and he called on both Russia, the aggressor, and Georgia, the victim, to show restraint.

Senator McCain’s immediate reaction was quite different. He said, "Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory."

The contrast was amazing and extremely important. One candidate signaled weakness and neutrality in the face of blatant aggression. The other candidate demonstrated strength and resolve. If you were in the Kremlin and wanted to rebuild the Russian empire, which man would you prefer to be in the Oval Office?

The Russian invasion of Georgia is an important moment. Foreign policy analyst Robert Kagan suggested today that August 8, 2008 will be judged by history to be as important as November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell. He warned the U.S. to get ready for a new era of great power confrontations, battles over resources and aggression. "The next president had better be ready," said Kagan.

John McCain is ready. Barack Obama is not.

Indeed.