John McCain today suggested that Nato's delay in accepting Georgia to the alliance encouraged Russia to pursue military action against its neighbour, pulling the Caucasus conflict deeper into the US elections.
McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama have traded fire over the crisis in Georgia since hostilities erupted there last week. Obama issued a measured call for restraint on both sides, while the Republican nominee was quick to condemn Russia for its aggression - a response that began to appear prescient as Moscow escalated the conflict.
McCain seized on the conflict again today during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, remarking that Nato's decision to delay Georgian membership in the alliance this year "might have been viewed as a green light by Russia for its attacks".
"I urge Nato allies to revisit the decision," McCain said. Echoing his past support for removing Russia from the G8, he urged the US to convene an emergency meeting of G7 foreign ministers.
The decision to critique Moscow is a risky one for McCain, whose senior foreign policy adviser has profited from lobbying contracts with the Tbilisi government of Mikheil Saakashvili.
But the gamble looks to be paying off. When the Obama camp cited McCain's Georgia-connected adviser, Randy Scheunemann, as proof that the candidate is too close to lobbyists, the Republican fired back.
McCain accused his opponent of being "bizarrely in sync with Moscow," angering Obama backers who perceived the dig as a subtle invocation of communism.
His statement today indirectly jabbed at Obama with a reference to "Americans wishing to spend August vacationing with their families … [who] may wonder why their newspapers and television screens are filled with images of war in the small country of Georgia". Obama is currently on a weeklong holiday in Hawaii.
McCain went further than the White House has by proposing a US package of "immediate economic and humanitarian assistance" for the Georgian government. Obama has yet to address the prospect of formal US aid to Georgia.
