I'm not suggesting that Russia's invasion of Georgia and annexation of South Ossetia is motivated by some desire to influence our election. They're doing it for their own reasons, but the disastrous policies of the last eight years have made it possible in the first place. They're doing it because they can and there's basically nothing we can do to stop it.

The hot tempered McCain is feeling is oats more and more as he embraces full neoconservative warmongering rhetoric. If Bush has led us to this place where we can do little to stop Russia from invading a sovereign ally, surely McCain will lead us to a place where Russia can far more drastically do whatever it pleases.

People often worry about the growing influence of China threatening American security and our way of life. The truth is China is more than happy with their economic relationship with us. They make everything and we're their best customer. It works.

Putin has long stated that he wishes to see Russia's power restored to what it was at the height of the Soviet Union. He's done a good job, and Bush, unintentionally, has done a spectacular job of helping to make this possible. Putin is happy to gaze into Bush's dim witted eyes and make the best of the stupid cowboy's mistakes. Who do you suppose Putin would rather see in the white house? On the one hand, a crazy war mongering maniac like McCain could be unpredictable and destabilizing in ways Russia would not want. It might be refreshing for him to deal with a thoughtful, intelligent American president again. On the other hand, commitment to misadventures like Iraq and the possibility of starting new ones, over extending our military further, could give Putin a blank check to do whatever he wants. What are we going to do about it?