Georgia Found a Superhero

Mikheil Saakashvili honored the “Georgian” John McCain for his achievements by decorating him with a medal and a gun.

Former U.S. presidential candidate John McCain was promoted to the rank of an official national hero of Georgia. On Monday, in a ceremonial display, Saakashvili gave this honorable title to the American senator, who, during Georgia’s five-day war, had made the emotional statement that he is actually “a little bit Georgian” himself. Along with the medal, the Vietnam War veteran was also given a pistol, which, according to the Georgian leader, was sold by a Russian general during the Caucasus conflict.

McCain has continually demonstrated his compassion for Georgia publicly. Now he became a national hero of this country. On Monday, Saakashvili personally decorated the elderly senator with a “National Hero of Georgia” order in Tbilisi, honoring McCain’s significant achievements in Georgia.

“I will never forget that John McCain left his election campaign to come to Georgia with his wife, when 1,000 tanks were heading for Tbilisi. He supported Georgia several times a day when other like-minded people were hindered by evil forces,” said the Georgian leader, recalling the heroism of the Former U.S. presidential candidate.

In doing so, Saakashvili decided not to leave it at a speech of praise, but awarded the man, who had previously declared, “Today, all Americans are Georgians,” with a pistol as well.

According to the president, the ceremonially presented pistol carries deeper meaning: Saakashvili assured that some “Russian general sold the gun to a local businessman” during the incident in August 2008. Reportedly, the general had taken the pistol from one of the detained American pilots during the Vietnam War.

“The businessman handed the pistol over to the local authorities after the Russian armed forces and the general had left. I don’t know who the American pilot was, but I want to symbolically return this pistol to senator McCain,” Saakasshvili explained, pointing out the symbolism of the act.

The senior Vietnam War veteran acknowledged the gift appropriately by anticipating further democratic development in Georgia and the stabilization of friendship between the Georgian leader and the U.S. “Of all my awards, this award is the most important one. I will keep it in my heart. This award is an expression of the friendship, which connects myself with president Saakashvili and both of our countries. This award is a result of the accomplishments of Americans and Georgians, who demonstrated heroism,” the senator said, as quoted by Georgia Online.

However, the senator did not specify the nature of heroism demonstrated by Georgians and Americans. Incidentally, the Caucasian War allowed Barack Obama’s biggest rival a voice at the very least: More than once, McCain publicly defended Tbilisi and openly accused Moscow of aggression. He even promised Georgia a fast admission into NATO if he were elected.

Moreover, the fiery speeches of the Republican candidate in support of Georgia were not entirely honest, as sharp-tongued commentators confirm. In fact, Randy Scheunemann, the principal foreign policy adviser to McCain, ran a company over the course of several years, lobbying the interests of Tbilisi in Washington. This is a strange coincidence indeed. Estimates say that the contracts between the lobbying firm and Georgian authorities are worth at least $800,000.

The Washington Post reported at that time that these payments raised ethical questions concerning the personal financial interests of Scheunemann and his role with the Republican presidential candidate, who used the issue of Russia’s aggression in Georgia for his campaign.

McCain’s election staff, as was expected, rejected any relationship between these circumstances and its candidate’s position regarding Georgia and Russia.

Be that as it may, McCain’s recent visit and his belief in Tbilisi was another assertion of the senator’s compassion for Georgia and its leadership.

“McCain is one of the most influential figures in foreign policy. His visit is not only important because he is Georgia’s friend and the support of such a significant person is very important to Georgia; his visit also emphasizes how important Georgia’s and the whole region’s security is for our strategic partner, the U.S.,” Nino Kalandadze, Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, said, as quoted by Russian Information Agency Novosti.