Patrick Moore, writing for Radio Free Europe reports,Sergei Markov, a State Duma deputy for Unified Russia and the director of the Institute of Political Research, was quoted by Interfax as saying on February 6 that it does not matter greatly to Russia who wins the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, but a victory for Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona) would be the "worst-case scenario."
Markov argued that a victory for the Democrats "would indicate the abandonment of the mad policy of the national leader's putting all money not into education, the social sector, or the development of peaceful trends on the planet, but into the effort to surpass the entire planet in terms of military might." He noted that "U.S. and Russian political analysts wonder why McCain hates Russia so much. There are different views here. Some believe he cannot overcome his wounds suffered in Vietnam, for which he blames the Soviet Union. McCain is the last Cold Warrior."
Markov said that New York Democratic Senator "Hillary Clinton poses a slightly less dramatic option for Russia, because, while she criticizes Russia as well, she does this more pragmatically and coherently" than McCain. But Markov argued that a victory for Clinton would give the State Department "back to the people who bombed Belgrade" in NATO's Kosova campaign of 1999.
He concluded that "Barack Obama is the most preferable option for us. First, his coming to power would mean a turnaround in American foreign policy and closer links between the United States and the EU. Obama symbolizes a renewal of American political life in general and generates hope for the future, no matter how illusory it might be."
McCain has called for dropping Russia from membership in the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries on the grounds that it is not a democracy. He also advocates setting up a League of Democracies, which would exclude Russia until it becomes fully democratic.
