The Democrats' priorities in a dangerous world

By Jerome J. Schmitt

Reportedly on the short-list to be Sen. Obama's running-mate, Sen. Tom Daschle appeared on ABC's This Week. And he reveals the Democratic mindset by listing recruitment of Russian-cooperation on "climate" (see video, minute -5.33) as one of the principal national priorities compelling the US to maintain an cordial, open, diplomatic relations regardless of recent events.

So let's review. Sen. Daschle expects that while the Russians are very busy invading Georgia, asserting strategic control over the fossil-fuel energy-flow to Europe, threatening Poland with nuclear weapons, judging carefully western countries' political and military responses both individual and multilateral, and calculating whether to further escalate the conflict in attempts to reconstitute the Soviet Empire, they will also be prepared to simultaneously devote a lot of selfless attention and angst over a hypothetical climate-crisis with consequences that might appear 100-years hence. Needless to say, Siberians would likely welcome as much global warming as they can get.

In the "Great Game" of Realpolitik involving armed conflict the "climate-change card" bears a low face-value. The fact that the Democrats think otherwise does not bode well for American foreign policy.