This is the kind of stuff you expect to find on DailyKos, but not in the Financial times:
Why we should fear a McCain presidency
It may seem incredible to say this, given past experience, but a few years from now Europe and the world could be looking back at the Bush administration with nostalgia. This possibility will arise if the US elects Senator John McCain as president in November.
Update [2008-3-25 10:19:57 by Jerome a Paris]:: go see this longer diary on the same topic by Troutfishing.
The problem that Mr McCain poses stems from his ideology, his policies and above all his personality. His ideology, like that of his chief advisers, is neo-conservative.
The author goes on to describe his plans for Iraq, his views on American exceptionalism, and his permanent call for warmongering, whether against Iran or other unnamed "rogue States."
Mr McCain’s promises, during last week’s visit to London, to listen more to America’s European allies, need to be taken with a giant pinch of salt. There is, in fact, no evidence that he would be prepared to alter any important US policy at Europe’s request.
This would be the continuation of the "dialogue = we let you talk and agree with us" diplomacy of the Bush times. To some extent, this is the natural diplomacy of the US, but it becomes a real problem when there are serious underlying disagreements on what common policies might be. While McCain has talked about global warming, nothing indicates that he would be willing to impose the kind of carbon constraints that Europe already has (whereas both Clinton and Obama have said they would); and of course, as regards Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or even Russia, his belligerant policies are highly unlikely to be supported by Europeans, thus leading quickly to more clashes.
But the article goes on that this is not the only problem with McCain, whose explosive personality makes him essentially unfit on the world stage:
Mr McCain’s policies would not be so worrying were it not for his notorious quickness to fury in the face of perceived insults to himself or his country. Even Thad Cochran, a fellow Republican senator, has said: "I certainly know no other president since I’ve been here who’s had a temperament like that."
For all his bellicosity, President George W. Bush has known how to deal cautiously and diplomatically with China and even Russia. Could we rely on Mr McCain to do the same?
And the conclusion is quite dire:
Not just US voters, but European governments, should use the next nine months to ponder the consequences if Mr McCain is elected and how they could either prevent a McCain administration from pursuing pyromaniac policies or, if necessary, protect Europe from the ensuing conflagrations.
McCain is the promise of more wars, more ocnfrontations with the rest of the world, and more international disorder. I'm sure Sarkozy will be happy to pretend to suck up to him, and to send a few French soldiers in harm's way in Afghanistan or elsewhere, but the parts of Europe led by sane leaders (starting with Germany and the EU bureaucracy) are unlikely to be quite as cooperative, and even Sarkozy is likely to balk at mor blatant warmongering.
but the message is clear: seen from the distance, a vote for McCain is a vote for more war and mayhem.