Unwinnable wars
John McCain said that Barack Obama "would rather lose a war (in Iraq) in order to win a political campaign." Perhaps the same could be said of McCain and the White House with regard to Georgia. Although most Western analysts scoff at the idea, the ill-fated assault by Georgia on Russian-controlled South Ossetia fits perfectly into the modus operandi of Dick Cheney, who likes to fight unwinnable wars. Georgia paves the way for a new Cold War, an arms build-up, and a "third Bush term." The idea that Saakashvili - whose name McCain can't pronounce - would defy his 130 U.S. military advisers and the White House to go it alone against Russia is hard to swallow. If the U.S. did indeed egg him on and then hang him out to dry, it serves as a warning to the radar-happy Czech government. When push comes to shove with Russia, the U.S. is now unable or unwilling to come to the aid of an ally.
Glossary of difficult words
would rather - grammatically, McCain should have said Obama "would prefer to lose a war...";to scoff at - to mock or treat with derision;
modus operandi - a particular way or method of doing something;
"third Bush term" - used by Democrats to link McCain to Bush's policies;
to defy - to openly resist or refuse to obey;
to swallow - to believe something unquestioningly;
to egg someone on - to urge or encourage someone to do something foolish;
to hang someone out to dry - to leave someone in a difficult or vulnerable situation;
when push comes to shove - when one must commit oneself to an action or decision.