Traveling to the Baltic States and Ukraine, Senate war hawks Sen. John McCain (R-Az) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) hope to sabotage PresIdent-elect Donald Trump’s attempt to reset U.S.-Russian relations. Blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for hacking the Democratic National Committee and other members of Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign, Graham insisted Russia must be punished, despite the lack of proof presented. “It is now time for Russia to understand—enough is enough,” said Graham, stirring the pot in Latvia, where President Raimonds Vejonis fears a Russian takeover since Putin invaded Crimea March 1, 2014. Graham and McCain seek to make a case against Trump’s plans to improve U.S.-Russian relations. Both want to continue the Cold War strategy citing Russian hacking in the 2016 election.
Graham and McCain, both failed presidential candidates, want to usurp Trump’s authority to set U.S. foreign policy as commander-in-chief. With limited power in the Senate to set foreign and military policy, Graham and McCain are so far out-of-line it smacks of pure sabotage to Trump’s plans. Both Graham and McCain were some of Trump’s worst critics during the 2016 campaign. Meeting with foreign leaders in the Baltic States and Ukraine, Graham and McCain have become the darlings of the liberal press. Covering every word on their overseas trip, CNN continues its policy of ripping Trump, now using GOP senators to accomplish it. “There are 100 United States senators. Amy Klobuchar is on this trip with us. She’s a Democrat from Minnesota. I would say that 99 of us believe the Russians did this and we’re going to do something about it,” said Graham, pretending to set U.S. foreign policy.
Graham and McCain continue to fan the Cold War hysteria on Capitol Hill, all because of alleged Russian hacking. Neither talks about foreign hacking from other countries, including China. Both don’t admit that U.S.-based hackers do their utmost to compromise the security of foreign governments, including Russia. Given the deteriorated relationship with Russia under Obama, it’s no wonder the Russians continue to distrust the U.S. Obama joined the Saudi proxy war in 2011 against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, pitting the U.S. against Russia. After invading Crimea, Obama with his European Union counterparts imposed punitive economic sanctions. With the EU seeking end Russian sanctions, Graham and McCain want to impose more for alleged U.S. hacking. Graham and McCain want nothing more than to play president, despite confined by their Senate jobs.
Russian sanctions only antagonized Russia to find clever ways to evade the punitive economic consequences. “We’re going to put sanctions together that hit Putin as an individual and his inner circle for interfering with our election, and they’re doing it all over the world—not just in the United States,” said Graham, playing commander-in-chief. Graham wants to pressure Trump to sign legislation imposing more economic sanctions. Given that Trump was elected to reset U.S.-Russian relations, it’s doubtful he’d sign Graham and McCain’s new sanctions. Taking office Jan. 20, 2017, it’s disturbing that war hawks already plot to sabotage Trump’s U.S.-Russian reset. Graham and McCain only seek more confrontation with Putin, doing nothing other than meddling in Trump’s foreign policy. Neither Graham nor McCain back Exxon-Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.
Trump faces more battles with Capitol Hill war hawks than Democrats when he takes office Jan. 20, 2017. Trump’s foreign policy team will have to do a lot of arm- twisting to put Graham and McCain in their place. McCain said he hopes Trump would “change his view” based on what he calls overwhelming evidence of Russian hacking in the 2016 election. When German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeir warned about Hillary’s foreign policy pushing the U.S. and Russia to WWIII, he was talking about U.S. war hawks pushing things to the brink. McCain urged Obama Oct. 12 to set up a no-fly zone in Syria and, if necessary, shoot down Syrian and Russian warplanes. It that’s not pushing the world to the brink, then what is? With Graham and McCain making trouble in the Baltic States and Ukraine, it shows how much Trump has on his plate trying to change directions.
Whatever happened with regard to hacking in the 2016 election, it shouldn’t upend Trump’s plans to reset U.S.-Russian relations. More economic sanctions create more suspicion and hostility, doing nothing other than drive U.S.-Russian relations even lower. When Tillerson faces McCain and Graham in confirmation hearings, he needs to be clear about why it’s important to reestablish U.S.-Russian relations. With Putin cooperating, the new U.S. president will have a far easier time managing hot spots around the globe, especially in North Korea and terrorist-infested areas of the Middle East. Going down the sanctions route is exactly the opposite of what’s needed to put U.S.-Russian relations on a new footing. When Trump takes office in three weeks, he needs to let Graham and McCain know who sets U.S. foreign policy. Trump was elected to start with a fresh slate.
