Further Evidence of Why Elections Really Do Matter

Today John McCain blasted the "timidity" of the Obama administration’s sanctions on Russian officials in response to the Russia/Ukraine conflict. 

"One of the things that I would do is send some of our military to Kiev and find out how we can best assist them," said McCain.  

This is why elections really do matter.

In the six years of Obama's Presidency there have been major international incidents in Iran, Syria, Egypt, North Korea, and now the Ukraine (not to mention the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan) that have tested the Unites States' resolve regarding military conflict.

Obama's military record is quite clear. He has wound down the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and displayed restraint (the liberal word for "timidity") when faced with committing the US to military action in Iran, Syria, Egypt, North Korea, and the Ukraine. Whether you like Obama or not, the fact is that the US is not at war anywhere in the world at the moment. And if you think that would be the case under a President McCain or Romney, there is a newly legalized product in Washington and Colorado you should stop smoking.

Conversely, in each of these international incidents, John McCain has banged the drums of war and called for military intervention all while criticizing the Obama administration for its "timid" response to these conflicts. And John McCain is supposed to be the "moderate" conservative!

Given the vast neo-con influence in conservative policy making, does anyone believe any 2016 Republican candidate not named Rand Paul wouldn't behave similarly to McCain? Putting the minority libertarian strain of conservatism aside, the Republican party has moved so far to the extreme right that electing any 2016 Republican candidate for President virtually ensures an America that is permanently at war on multiple fronts (and borrowing from the Chinese to pay for it).  

Obamacare, NSA surveillance, the Keystone Pipeline, and the Great Recession are all important issues; but seriously, would any of these really matter if we were currently fighting wars on seven fronts with the accompanying loss of blood and treasure?