Posted on 08/11/2008 8:16:28 AM PDT by Jeff Head
TBILISI, Georgia — Russia opened a second front of fighting in Georgia on Monday, sending armored vehicles beyond two breakaway provinces and seizing a military base and police stations in the country's west, the Georgian government and a Russian official said.
GEORGIAN FORCES
RUSSIAN FORCES
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
“IMO, this is payback as much as anything else.”
Yes. And the same thing was said of President Bush.
And both are likely true.
Yes. There are. IIRC Gazprom competed for the pipeline but lost. So now, the politicians used the power of the military to take control of a large energy resource.
GazProm wins. Politicians and Admin make more money. Pipeline can’t be used as tool against the nation.
In Russia, the oil merchants are the politicians.
I thought GWB looked into Putin’s eyes and saw his soul, and said everything was fine.
I think it would be sad, if the US didn’t provide some military support. Georgia, in her willingness to send troops into Iraq, became the third largest coalition force. It would be unfortunate, if the US didn’t return the favor, especially since their homeland is being invaded.
I agree. And that’s where the President’s ability to communicate is vitally important.
He needs to express a love for the Georgian people, as well as the Russian people. He needs to explain that he wouldn’t stand by and watch either of them be killed by neighbor states, and that Georgian territory is sovereign territory.
If Georgia were to invade Russian territory, the U.S. would oppose it. If Russia invades Georgian territory, the U.S. opposes it, and will put an end to it.
There is not reason for or intent of the U.S. to desire entering Russian territory, and it will not do so. But it will put an end to Russian treachery in Georgia.
By God I know who I want in charge of those two.
Obama is a pop-culture guy without backbone who thinks the global stage is like having a conversation with a hippy in the aisles of a Whole Foods.
Things like Russia’s invasion just make Obama seem even more bizarre as a candidate choice.
To Save Europe, President Bush Must Go to Tblisi
Sunday, August 10, 2008 | Kristinn
Russia's move into Georgia must be stopped--and stopped now. The cause of freedom in Europe, and indeed the world depends on it. For if they are not stopped here, Russia will act to place other former Soviet republics and captive nations once again under its domination.
Those now free nations are looking to America as their protector. They know that if Georgia is allowed to be absorbed by Russia, that it will only be a matter of time before a feckless Western Europe will once again stand by and do nothing as they too are swallowed up by an emboldened Russia.
There is much talk that there is not much America can do in this situation. Others say that America does not have a dog in this fight. Both points of view are wrong.
The dog we have in this fight is our own freedom and independence. Russia has been building an anti-American axis with leftist governments like Venezuala and the radical Islamic government of Iran to undercut America's dominance in world affairs.
Russia has also made clear that it will use its control of oil and gas supplies and pipelines to dictate behavior in Europe.
This move by Russia into Georgia not only immediately threatens the freedom of the Georgian people, it also threatens the one major cross-continental European pipeline that is not under Russian control.
It is true that America would ignite a world war were it to precipitously engage Russia militarily in Georgia. It is also true that diplomatic efforts in the United Nations and by the European Union will not accomplish anything to save Georgia.
The typical diplomatic response will not suffice. What is needed is a bold, game-changing step that no one expects.
That step is for President Bush to fly to Tblisi on Air Force One from Beijing and invite Putin to meet with him and Georgian President Saakashvili in Tblisi this week.
With this effort, President Bush will send a clear signal to the former Soviet republics and captive nations that America will stand with them against Russian aggression.
It will also send a strong message to Russia that their old ways of doing business are over.
Would Russia dare attack the President while he is on a peace mission? I think not. I think they would be forced to stop fighting and come to the negotiating table.
The negotiations would be ugly. Georgia would have to give something to placate the Russians so they would not lash out in humiliation. But the paramount goal of preserving Georgia's independence would be obtained.
This could be accomplished without America firing a shot. But it would only work with the Russians knowing a war with America would result if they harmed the President on his peace mission.
You saved the best for last.
In a political sense, these developments are disasterous for the Democrats. Shades of the cold war.
But I wish I had faith enough in the GOP to act as if they had a backbone. I have the feeling, as others have said here, that shrinking from this aggression may well have apocalyptic repercussions.
Georgia is a test run to see whether the U.S. will put up any meaningful resistance when they invade the Ukraine and Poland. It is also a way to show the former eastern block countries that U.S. support is only rhetorical. We will have a hard time finding allies in this world if we let Russia destroy Georgia.
I think you are right. This is much bigger than Georgia. This is about Russia and America.
Snipers up and out !
All hard targets have soft pink centers !
As well every Georgian serviceman that helped us in Iraq should be given a stinger missile as a going away gift when we airlift em home.
Ukraine yes. Poland no. In order to invade Poland they would have to transit through Belarus. I suspect that Belarus will fall to the new Soviet Union without a shot though.
>>these developments are disasterous for the Democrats
Yes, because to delve into the past, Clinton would never have won if the Soviet Union had still existed. By that time, the Dems had virtually no credibility in foreign affairs. Yes, and Perot helped Clinton to achieve that magical 43% number.
Now, as events focus America’s attention on the world, the picture of Obama sitting across the table from Putin or even Medvedev sparks a sly smile, underscoring the rather absurd image of a man out of his depth confronting a hardened experienced leader of Russia.
Judo vs Jive. I don’t think America goes for jive.
You are exactly correct. Nancy, et. al., is enjoying her vacation knowing that she's done her part to bring the US one step closer to being under control of the old Soviet empire.
I appreciate what you would be trying to accomplish by this move, but I don’t believe you expose your CIC to an active war zone in order to achieve it.
We need our leadership intact, to execute war policy.
I believe Jeff Head’s approach would be a better plan.
“This is the Democrats fault. We need Russian oil. If We had our own oil drilling in ANWR and off the coasts, we wouldn’t need to bow to Russian pressure.”
It seems that at every corner, the democrats hands drip with blood.
I would hope not. We shall see...
Georgia is one thing. Ukraine and Poland are another. Like comparing the invasion of Connecticut to the invasion of California and Oregon.
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