McCain's critical weakness on foreign policy is that he knows next to nothing about it.

Although I have a lot of respect of McCain, I think he falls into the typical trap of myopic patriotism. Many people love their own country so much that they are blind to the reality of the world outside their borders.

The outside world is a place where America is a pretty good nation, but has certainly seen better days. The outside world is a place where our enemies occasionally have legitimate points, and certainly have lives and families much like our own.

In the reality beyond our borders, the US isn't guaranteed to win every fight, especially when we go in on shaky ground.

In the reality beyond our borders everyone has to talk, whether they like it or not, because in the end, nations, like people, are created equal.

McCain knows everything about the US Military, but knows nothing about our enemies. With a perspective like that, how can we expect to win?

Actually, I was just raising this point in another clip.

People talk about McCain having "Foreign Policy Experience" but honestly, I have no idea what they are talking about. McCain's ideas on foreign policy are singularly un-helpful, un-insightful and often shockingly un-informed.

He seems to simply be presuming a lot of swagger and a big stick will solve all our problems. This is cave-man diplomacy! Is there some nuance to his approach on Cuba or Iran or Iraq that I am missing? If so, I would love to hear about it!

Fuckin leprechaun

Experience is often more perilous than innovation, for it is blinding.

I'm reminded of the Swiss watch industry, which regarded the digital watch as "not a watch." Its market share fell from ninety-something to, perhaps, twenty-something in short order. They were experienced; they knew a watch when they saw one.

McCain, Bush, Cheney - even Clinton - are experienced in how foreign policy has been. They can't see that the world has changed. Their experience is the kiss of death.

Change risks failure; staying the same guarantees it.

Experience is worthless if you learned the wrong lessons.

All certainly good points about experience, and they would be a lot more relevant if we were dealing with candidates who had any. But when it comes to McCain, and even Hillary, what exactly is their "experience"?

McCain's "foreign policy" experience consists primarily of dropping bombs on countries we don't like, with a "diplomatic exchange" in a tiger cage.

Just because he is a war veteran doesn't mean he understands how to win wars. Just because he has fought for America doesn't mean he understands anything about other countries.

In fact, his record and his statements demonstrate the exact opposite.

Indeed, we may be working around to the inevitably snobbish idea that you really do have to know something to negotiate with the world. Bush, and now McCain, are masters of simplistic reasoning. They are untrained minds.
Obama, at least, would buy into the idea that it really does take enlightened study, careful thought, and deep understanding to interact well with the world.
Bush and McCain - and to some extent, Clinton - reek of conservatism's anti-intellectualism, favoring the slap-em-upside-the-head approach that looks like fearlessness, but is simply the hubris of the ignorant.