2008: The Battle-Weary Foreign Policy Soul of John McCain

Is yesterday’s New York Times, David Sanger had a brief analysis piece on the continuing battle for John McCain’s foreign policy soul (or “heart” in this case), a war of attrition that has raged since McCain’s grip on the Republican nomination became unshakeable many months ago.  In this special convention edition, Sanger quotes McCain “hero” Henry Kissinger, who, in a speech this week, “urged the next president to go slow on promoting democracy around the world”.  Kissinger, referencing China’s rise, alluded to the Nixon administration’s strategy with the Soviet Union, which was “not to democratize them, but to normalize them.”

Sanger also calls on Richard Haass, who labels the democracy vs. stability argument “the single most important fault line in American foreign policy today.”

Sanger’s conclusion is that it’s still difficult to categorize McCain’s foreign policy philosophy.  And so the struggle endures.