[El Gato]

It’s a mess. I don’t say the Georgians have no interests here, but this was a premedidated massive attack by Georgia which totally destablized a bad situation.

The attack was in response to the breaking of the ceasefire, by the Ossetia separatists. They bear the responsibility, and by the speed of the Russian response, they were egged on, at a minimum, by the Russians.

[Jeff Head]

It is clear to me that the Russians have been planning and preparing for this some time. Logistically they were ready, with the tanks and soldiers at the border.

The Georgians went into the region when the Ossetian fighters not only broke the cease fire, but threatened to hit the oil line, as I undertsand. Georgia could not tolerate that, either politically or economically.

The Russians, IMHO, probably egged thois on and maybe even staged it to give themselves the pretext when the Georgians responded as they had to do.

Now there is an ongoing, serious military confrontation and war. But there are choke points the Georgians can use, and a lot of the terrain is beneficial to them fighting against armor.

For example, if the Georgians were able to close down the big tunnel, that would severely hamper the flow of Russian equipment into certain parts of the Province and certainly would cut off (for a time) those who are there...hence the Russians getting as many through there as fast as possible.

Personally, as I have said before, I believe the Georgians will account well for themselves, both in terms of manuever warfare, and, if it comes to is, in terms of guerilla warfare.

That will depend on what the Russians aims are. Do they just want to push the Georgians back from this one province, bloody their nose and send them and the other former satellites a message? Or, will they expand to other provinces and move deeper into georgia with the purpose of deposing the current government and installing their own puppet and then, OBTW, being in defacto control of that oil line?

We can help, and I believe it has to be forthright, but also very measured and careful. IMHO, we should communicate directly, without fanfare but in unmistakable terms that we are serious about providing whatever logistical, material, and G2 support to the Gerogians that we can and that the situation is likely to be extremely costly for the Russians as long as they remain on soveriegn Georgian soil.

We have the satellite and the electronic capability to stand off from Georgia and help in this manner. We have the capability to provide all types of material support in trade.

I do not believe we are prepared or that it would be wise, short of Russians killing American soldiers in Georgia, to put any boots on the ground or combat aircraft in the air.

But I would watch the Ukraine and other satellite states in that regard, because they may provide more support.

This is a message the Russians are sending. it is a message to all the former block states, it is a message to Europe, and it is a message to US.

Part of it is Russian frustration over the move of so many of their former "satellite" states towards NATO and the EU and them not being able to stop it. Part of it is the old Russuan desire for lareg buffers between their soil and any large, capable nation's influence on their borders, another big part of it is oil and that major pipelie that Georgia has crossing it.

I do believe that we have to respond strongly to this message or the Russians will be emboldened on other fronts.

If the Russians bloody the Georgian's nose in that one Provence, push the Georgians back, and then pull back themselves...there is a chance that things can cool down.

But if the Russians expand this to other provinces and keep moving deeper into Gerogia with any aim to depose the Georgian government, install their own puppet, and gain defact contro over that oil, then you will see increasing aid of all sorts going to Georgia from a number of countries to try and prevent that.

It is a very dangerous situation, but one that the Russians have clearly thought out (and were prepared for BTW, the movement of their armor and large numbers of troops didn't happen in a few hours or a couple of days...they have been planning this) and one where they are risking a high stakes military gambit under the auspice of "protecting" their "people" who live in Georgia. Sounds all the world like Hitler and the Sudetenland in 1938 in that regard.

IMHO, we have to be firm and we have to be measured and careful at the same time...but we do need to respond strongly and with more than words. Words is exactly what Putin is counting on.

Now, having said all of this, at this time in history, with these types of situations going on, and with the only two candidates that stand a chance of winning the Presidency in the US, which one of these two men do you want at the helm?

CHOOSING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES




NOBAMA MOVEMENT SPREADS ACROSS THE NATION