WHOO-HOO!!! I loved this one.
anything short of these is giving in to the russians.
Like Georgia.
Pu-leeeze, there are no slammites in this picture. Every body involved are orthodox Christians and they are not going to rape and loot eachother over oil.
The successor of Artaxerxes, Varanes, or Bahram, though he had subdued the Segestans, one of the most warlike nations of Upper Asia, was alarmed at the approach of the Romans, and endeavored to retard their progress by a negotiation of peace. His ambassadors entered the camp about sunset, at the time when the troops were satisfying their hunger with a frugal repast. The Persians expressed their desire of being introduced to the presence of the Roman emperor. They were at length conducted to a soldier, who was seated on the grass. A piece of stale bacon and a few hard peas composed his supper. A coarse woolen garment of purple was the only circumstance that announced his dignity. The conference was conducted with the same disregard of courtly elegance. Carus, taking off a cap which he wore to conceal his baldness, assured the ambassadors, that, unless their master acknowledged the superiority of Rome, he would speedily render Persia as naked of trees as his own head was destitute of hair .... The ministers of the Great King trembled and retired.
A refreshing take on the Russia question. But incomplete. But it makes me wonder: is Russia going to drive Europe to us or drive Europe (the one that is more interested in economic stability than in regional security) away from us? If Russia really has western Europe and to a certain extent eastern Europe under her thumb because of her ever tightening grip on the flow of oil, then what can we do about that? Drilling in North America might benefit Europeans a little bit but not much, and there will be no revolution in oil alternatives that will turn the tables. The only other competitor for oil is the Middle East. And what are we going to do about Georgia whenever the dust settles?
Seriously, all that is nice, but its parlor diplomacy that doesn’t have the impact we need to overcome what just happened.
The image that will turn all of this on its head, is the image of a truck convoy carrying American humanitarian aid from the Black Sea coast into Tblisi. The image of American sailors ashore off-loading the supplies, the marines pulling security detail while they do it. The people watching as the trucks come rolling in. The Russian soldiers standing by and watching us do it.
Those are the images that will undo everything Putin has accomplished and most importantly undo the damage he has done to our alliances all over eastern Europe.
We need more tangible actions, a tripwire force in the Ukraine for instance. Immediate NATO membership for the Ukraine and Georgia as an example if we really want to confront the Russian actions.
Moving the Olympics is also problematic. Do we have the influence on the IOC to get that done? We are talking tough and sending Rice to Paris, but the Russians seem to have moved past this stage to the old axiom that power flows from the barrel of a gun. This is a tough one because our options are limited and Russia has the strategic advantage.
The chicoms have shown they can't be trusted. Displaying what everyone's known all along - their deep rooted commie philosophy of 'end justifies the means' in pure 'olympic' fashion for the entire world to see. Complete with fake fireworks, Milli-Vanilli performances, and censored news.
Oh, don't forget. Those same thugs are looking for permanent residence in our neighborhood.