May 6, 2008

McCain Wants a League of What Now?

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Recently, McCain proposed a League of Democracies to replace the United Nations. It wasn’t well-received:

The approach lacks any strategic framework…. How would the League of Democracies fight terrorism while excluding countries like Jordan, Morocco, Egypt and Singapore? What would be the gain to the average American to lessen our influence with Saudi Arabia, the central banker of oil, in a world in which we are still crucially dependent on that energy source?

McCain may now be suggesting an alternative — a League of Nations.

McCain may have misspoken. The League of Nations was established by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919-1920 and folded just after World War II in 1946. McCain was nine at the time. Perhaps he just got confused. Or maybe he’s serious and he’ll propose the Great Compromise next. We should see some development of this issue over the course of the day.

Update: McCain is speechifying about judicial nominees today. MyDD speculates about the possible nomination of William Howard Taft.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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