We, the People

Today marks the first day that Sarah Palin, the surprise pick of Republican nominee John McCain, has been on an interview with a member of the press to answer questions. This comes nearly 2 weeks after the historic announcement and falls on the 7th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks. And, as Ms. Palin sees her son off to an overseas deployment on this very day, she opened herself to an interview with ABC news, giving herself an opportunity to display her human side.

The mainstream media is now chomping at the bit to ask questions, to have the kind of access that the presidential candidates have allowed on the campaign trail. The McCain camp has yet to turn her loose to the 4th estate in our democracy, and is guarding her earliest moments on the world stage with tender care.

For the Democrats, a window of opportunity exists to draw another comparison to the Bush administration that has rung true to most Americans.

American was formed as a response to despotic tyrants, who, through birthright or inheritance, limited the outcomes for people by denying freedoms that allow the individual to make choices. These choices and freedoms should not be constrained by our government, but venerated and enshrined in its administration. To preserve our democracy, we must hold our leadership accountable for upholding these freedoms.

McCain and Palin have packaged themselves as reformers and mavericks, outsiders who understand the values of God, Country, and Family as the cornerstone of the American Way. These things, while truly apart of the historic lexicon of our nation, are actually byproducts of the principles that have defined America- Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, the Right to bear Arms, and the Freedom of Religion.

Part of the change that the public has demonstrated it so desperately wants, is around the issue of accountability to the people. The Bush administration has been wroth with examples of hiding the truth from Americans, and creating a feeling that the preamble states "We, the ones in power" as opposed to "We, the people". The lack of accountability by the Bush administration is the central issue in this election, for all people.

Sarah Palin's sequestration from the media , furthers this albatross of the Republicans as they seek to limit her access to the questions of Americans. She must be put before the media and let her answer questions. Otherwise, she is no better than Dick Cheney, hiding from the media behind the mountain ranges of the West.

In their refusal for Palin to be vetted by the public daily press, the basic tenets of American society are abrogated, smacking of the tendencies that have led to a distrust of the American leadership in the free world, by the hiding or distorting of the truth.

Reform from a Bush policy is not what America wants; Change from it is what is needed.

The Devil went down to Georgia

The Russian Military was once seen as a vaunted force, the lethal arm of the communist movement, and the counterweight to spread of the Western world and its ideas of freedom. The Red Army imposed the will of the Soviet party leadership at home and abroad, and ensured the Soviet state with its stability.

This military would meet its match in a place called Afghanistan, against a band of freedom fighters called the Mujaheddin. This stalemate would be a definitive point in the challenging of Soviet aggression as it sought to encroach upon the contemporary age, showing its fallibility in a world where asymmetric events would challenge the old order of power.

It would be this same military that would, in the August of 1991, begin a coup of that would signal the imminent demise of the Soviet regime, and the Soviet bloc of nations that they controlled. These actions would change the geopolitical landscape for the next 15 years, as Russia proper began to embrace capitalism.

15 years later, a shooting war erupts between the Russian Military and the Republic of Georgia, a former Soviet satellite, over a small province called Ossetia, a place seeking its own independence.

As the Georgian forces sought to stop the secession of Ossetia, Russian forces pounced on them and drove quickly into the Georgian interior, disabling the Georgian forces in 4 days worth of fighting, in spite of the heavy American advisory presence.

Whoa.

The stretched US military forces were not in a position to be a deterrent, nor were the NATO forces who could not reach that area with enough forces to be effective.

Has the West just ceded the flexing of Russian military muscle, with little noise?

Part of the irony is that President Bush is in Bejing at the Olympic Games as this is unfolding, and is chatting with Vladimir Putin of Russia in the spectator stands as if nothing is happening, while the Russian military is catching its second wind. Wow.

It is almost inconceivable that with the various sources of intelligence, the US Military and indeed, the national security apparatus had no clue as to what the Russians would do. I mean really, the devil goes down to Georgia and we didn't know he was coming to play his fiddle? Did we just watch our regional ally step into the proverbial hornets nest and didn't warn them?

This seems to be another case of the failure of the Bush administration to properly assess data, and provide real time advice with respect to defense matters.

The next president needs to deal with the gaps in intelligence better, or be prepared to deal with the devil when he shows up around the world and decides to play his fiddle. The Russian military isnt what it once was, but is still among the top 5 militaries in the world, by the experts opinion. We need not let Russian spread her influence, especially where US allies are impacted.