Not Just Romney: John McCain Warned About Russia Back in 2008

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have been receiving a second look from the press in recent days following their repeated warnings of Russia’s geostrategic ambitions. But Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also warned the public of the threat to international stability posed by a resurgent Russia during the 2008 presidential campaign.

On Tuesday, POLITICO’s Dylan Byers flagged this moment from the 2008 campaign in which McCain warns explicitly of a scenario in which Russia targets the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

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“This whole thing has got a lot to do with Ukraine, Crimea, the base of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. And the breakdown of the political process in Ukraine between [Yulia] Tymoshenko and [Viktor] Yushchenko is a very serious problem,” McCain said, addressing Russia’s incursion into Georgia that summer. “So watch Ukraine, and let’s make sure that we — that the Ukrainians understand that we are their friend and ally.”

Watch the clip below, via C-SPAN:

[h/t POLITICO]
[Photo via screen grab]

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