[Jeff Head]

Russian widens the war and enters Georgia proper. Also flanking in from the coast where they have made amphibious lanings.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

My guess is that Georgia is pretty much finished.

[Jeff Head]

FYI...Russia continuing to escalate and drive deeper.

[Gay State Conservative]

Time to grant Georgia full NATO membership.Today! Filthy,worthless knuckledragging Soviets!!!!!!!

[ex-snook]

Danzig revisited?

[McGruff]

It doesn't look good for the home team right now. I hope there's something significant going on behind the scenes but I'm not optimistic. Pretty soon it may too late.

[squarebarb]

Are these fotos of Georgians or Soviets -— I mean Russians? The two soldiers on the tank look Russian.

God save Georgia.

[Carry_Okie]

Putin just may have have done more for US/European relations than any person since Ronald Reagan.

[Centurion2000]

So much for it just being about taking care of ethnic cleansing. They are making a full court press now.

[reagan_fanatic]

A terrible, terrible situation for an ally of ours. Unfortunately, the Georgians are on their own. I just don’t see the U.S. getting involved militarily in this, and there is no one else who is has the power to turn the russians back.

Russia has this right where they want it, and they know it.

[toddlintown]

Where, oh where was our intleligence community? This reaction is too well organized to have been a mere (over) reaction by the Russians.

The timing couldn’t have been better while the world and its leaders were at the Olympics.

[Ebenezer]

Based on this and a BBC report posted earlier, nothing short of a Georgian surrender will stop the neo-Soviets. The West might as well realize that its call for a cease-fire is falling on deaf ears.

Pray for Georgia.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/home/9630093.asp?gid=244&sz=57367

Russia launches operation outside Georgia's breakaway regions

"..."Russian peacekeepers and support units are carrying out an operation aimed at... preventing Georgian forces from regrouping to carry new attacks on South Ossetia," a ministry spokesman said. "Senaki is one of the places where such actions were underway..."

Russia confirmed on Monday that its troops had advanced from the breakaway region of Abkhazia to the town of Senaki inside Georgia proper. Georgian Interior Ministry said Russian troops have moved into another town in western Georgia. (UPDATED)

Latest on Russia-Georgia conflict

* Turkey proposes formation of a Caucasian union

* G7 urges Russia to accept ceasefire

* Russia seeks emergency Russia-NATO summit.

* Russia says said operation in South Ossetia is near conclusion

* Russian army says its forces have not gone beyond South Ossetia

* Putin slammed West over the conflict

* West increases pressure on Russia

* Cheney says Russian aggression must not go unanswered

* EU demands Russia halt Georgia military activity

* Georgia rejects to lay down arms outside Abkhazia

* Conflict signals a cold atmosphere between Turkey and Russia

The Defense Ministry justified the operation in Senaki, which lies outside the so-called security zone along the de facto Abkhaz boundary, by a need to avert news attacks on another breakaway region of South Ossetia.

"Russian peacekeepers and support units are carrying out an operation aimed at... preventing Georgian forces from regrouping to carry new attacks on South Ossetia," a ministry spokesman said. "Senaki is one of the places where such actions were underway."

The deployment follows Russia's threat to move into western Georgia from Abkhazia if Georgian troops in the area refuse to lay down arms.

Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said Russian forces moved into the town of Zugdidi outside the breakaway province of Abkhazia and seized police stations there Monday.

Russian and Georgian officials say that Russian forces also have seized a Georgian base in the town of Senaki, further east.

The simmering conflict between Russia and its small, former Soviet neighbor erupted last Thursday when Georgia suddenly sent forces to retake South Ossetia, a pro-Russian province that threw off Georgian rule in the 1990s.

Moscow responded with a counter-attack that drove Georgian forces out of the devastated South Ossetian capital Tshkhinvali on Sunday. Russia says more than 2,000 people have been killed in the fighting and thousands more are homeless but these figures have not been independently verified.

Earlier on Monday Russia had rejected the ceasefire claim, saying Georgian attacks had continued in South Ossetia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that a military operation in South Ossetia was nearly over, Interfax news agency reported.

"A significant part of the operation to force the Georgian authorities to make peace in South Ossetia has been concluded," Medvedev said. "Tskhinvali is under the control of a reinforced Russian peacekeeping contingent."

[popdonnelly]

Those two Russian dudes look pathetic, and not too happy to be there. Notice that the Croatians are turned out better.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

RUSSIA ? MSM ? LIBERALS ? NO BLOOD FOR CASPIN OIL !!!

Were is all the anti-war protesters in all this ? why are they not protesting Russia's actions ?

[TheBattman]

Russia is taking this “excuse” to take back the Georgia Republic before they can gain membership in NATO (thus making it much more difficult to take them back).

We are at a crossroads - we either take action, or turn our backs on the small country that has been our friend.

But the apparent lack of any meaningful action by GW indicates that he is willing to stab his friends in the back like any good politician...

[mad puppy]

“Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on signed a cease-fire pledge ...”

Mikhail...you screwed up, bad. Do the right thing...stand up, say sorry and resign. Did you really think you could slap at Russia and hope they wouldn’t slap you back just because of the Olymipics? It no longer matters how valid your issues may have been last week. Now the people you are supposed to represent and protect will pay a much higher price for your mistake.

[elhombrelibre]

Scale, scope, and logistics of this Russian invasion show that this was not some self-defense measure; it was a pre-calculated attempt to force Russia's will on Georgia. Russia has returned to its Soviet/Tsarist roots as an Imperial power. It's sales of uranium to Iran, its sales of weapons including air defense to Iran, its sales of weapons to Syria, its sales of weapons to Venezuela, and its blocking of effective sanctions against Iran all show that it intends to play the role of the supporter of barbarism in the world. Russia is turning inward towards its dark past. Its journalist are murdered and its neighbors are threatened and actually attacked. Putin is an evil man.

[Natchez Hawk]

Russians take Gori.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

I hope this open the eyes of the fence sitters ( Independents, Moderates ) who were going to vote for Obama and change their minds and vote for McCain.

[Bobalu]

These are quickly becoming “Interesting times”.

It’s dangerous for the US to act...but perhaps vastly more dangerous not to act.

I suggest sending an unmistakable signal...and killing 2 birds with one stone.

A massive attack on all Iranian underground nuclear research sites using nuclear bunker busters. There would be no significant radioactive contamination and the whole world would quake as the news broke. Follow up with the greatest shock and awe conventional attack of all time on Iranian infrastructure...have no mercy, leave them in the dark ages. Take control of their oil fields to ensure their safety. Rebuild Iran on their own dime...this time actually use their oil revenue to rebuild...not US taxpayers money. Unleash Israel, tell them it is time to clean out all the trash.

Raise the Defcon level just prior to the attack on Iran...the Russians would know immediately...the sweat would pour in Moscow.

Supply Georgia with an enormous supply of anti-aircraft munitions, cluster weapons, millions of mines of all types and real-time surveillance of all Russian forces. It would be nice if there were some F22 trained Georgian pilots. Tell the Nato countries to admit Ukrain and Georgia (minus the 2 breakaway areas) immediately or the US will withdraw from the alliance and leave them to their own fates.

We would not be in this mess if we had not made an ass of ourselves over Kosovo :-( The legacy of the Clintons lives on..and was made worse by Bush’s recognition of Kosovo. And if not for Carter, Iran would be a US ally instead of what it is now.

We are in a position now where inaction will cause every despot on the planet to lose fear of US power...and a world without US power would be a frightening place to live.

Taking action will cause great economic hardship...but there are things far worse than being hit in the pocketbook.

We need a Churchill in times like these....I like to read Churchill in bad times.

Winston Churchill quotes.

“One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never! “

“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others. “

“I never worry about action, but only about inaction. “

“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons. “

“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time-a tremendous whack. “

“In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might. “

“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. “

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result. “

“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. “

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. “

“Some people regard private enterprise as a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look on it as a cow they can milk. Not enough people see it as a healthy horse, pulling a sturdy wagon. “

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. “

“The first quality that is needed is audacity. “

“The power of an air force is terrific when there is nothing to oppose it. “

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they’ve tried everything else. “

And here is a good quote to go along with my overly long post.

“The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read. “