John McCain and Barack Obama disagree on many things, but in response to Russia's invasion of Georgia, they were of one mind about what the United States should do: Redouble efforts to bring Georgia into NATO.
They're wrong, and dangerously so.
Consider that if President Bush had gotten his way over European objections, Georgia would already be a NATO member country. The recent Russian invasion would have committed NATO to go to war with Russia which, despite its weakened state, still has a sizable army and thousands of nuclear missiles to defend Georgia.
Are Americans willing to engage in a shooting war with Russia over this former Soviet republic ? What is the vital U. S. interest at stake worth paying that kind of price ? Others say that were Georgia in NATO, Russia never would have invaded. Maybe. Maybe not. Is that a chance worth taking ? If the U. S. is not prepared to fight for Georgia, it has no business extending security guarantees to it. Despite American warnings, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili rashly attacked South Ossetia, giving Russia an excuse to invade. Were Georgia in NATO, treaty obligations would likely have made this local dispute an event that either shattered the alliance or a fuse that ignited World War III. Georgia's fight with Russia is not our fight, nor should it be. Russia has drawn a line in the sand, right in its own backyard. We would be prudent not to cross it.
- The Dallas Morning News
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