Biden on Georgia and Russia

Barack Obama’s candidate for Vice President Sen. Joe Biden made the Russian invasion of Georgia a heavy focus of the foreign policy piece of his speech to the Democratic National Convention last night. It would have been hard to imagine just a few months ago that the word “Russia” would barely even make it into anyone’s speech at the DNC. This is pulled from the full text:

As we gather here tonight, our country is less secure and more isolated than at any time in recent history. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has dug us into a very deep hole with very few friends to help us climb out. For the last seven years, this administration has failed to face the biggest forces shaping this century: the emergence of Russia, China and India as great powers; the spread of lethal weapons; the shortage of secure supplies of energy, food and water; the challenge of climate change; and the resurgence of fundamentalism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the real central front against terrorism. In recent days, we’ve once again seen the consequences of this neglect with Russia’s challenge to the free and democratic country of Georgia. Barack Obama and I will end this neglect. We will hold Russia accountable for its actions, and we’ll help the people of Georgia rebuild. I’ve been on the ground in Georgia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms: this Administration’s policy has been an abject failure. America cannot afford four more years of this.

I find that lots of politicians are talking about holding Russia accountable, but very few are able to articulate what that would mean.