Georgia: Vladimir Putin leads from front to send US a bullish message

TIMESONLINE ^ | August 11, 2008 | Mark Franchetti

[homeguard]

The fighting in Georgia has answered the question that world leaders have been asking since Vladimir Putin stepped down as President this year: who runs Russia?

The answer, of course, is Mr Putin. It came not from Moscow, but from Beijing – 4,500 miles away – where the Russian Prime Minister was watching the Olympics when Georgia mounted its assault on South Ossetia.

Attending the opening ceremony of the Games, Mr Putin strongly condemned the military attack and vowed retaliation. Only several hours later did President Medvedev, Mr Putin’s handpicked successor, take to the airwaves.

[Wiseghy]

Stratfor and others say this is about all the East Europe nations.
Russia is rebuilding the Soviet Union, right in front of us.

This is extraordinary. Putin is doing what tyrants have done throughout history; exploit confusion, weakness and dissension to build an empire.

Yeah, I can “see into his soul” too.

[wendy1946]

Albanian Kosovars are a bunch of narco-terrorists and savages who nobody could feel sorry for. Amongst the realpolitik reasons for SlicKKK wanting to do Kosovo there was one which came close to making sense and that had to do with an oil pipeline through Albanian territory but the hell of it was that Russia had an alternative pipeline plan at the time and all of the oil companies liked the Russian plan better. The overriding concern was getting Juanita Broaddrick off the front pages of American newspapers.

Russians probably don't like the idea of their legitimate interests being given priority behind that of protecting a psychopath American pol from rape allegations which he's brought upon himself and deserves. Just guessing, but I wouldn't like that and I assume they don't.

[RichInOC]

Vlad is full of bullish.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Putin just called the new president of Russia to make sure he’s involved in all this. His job will be to pick up Putin’s dry cleaning and wash his limo.

[ZULU]

Islam is inherently evil and to be opposed anywhere - here or in the Balkans.

[King Lazar]

BINGO!

[Rome2000]

I know a Russian girl that told me that they wont drink Russian wine because it usually has weird chemicals in it that cause headaches and worse.