Alliances? With Communist Oligarchs? No thank you. We as a freedom loving people should be bare knuckles brawling with the criminal regime who presses the Chinese People into servitude.

I share your feeling about China’s oppression of their people. But there is an opportunity here to drive a wedge between China and Russia over Iran. And does China really want to see the return of the USSR empire?

It’s not where the President of the United States is, it’s how it looks. He’s there playing grabass with Commie thugs while Putin drops houses on innocents.

ronsfi on August 11, 2008 at 1:30 PM

It’s a calculated risk. It would also weaken the Georgian president’s image to look like he was crawling to Bush to save him. Bush also didn’t send the message that Georgia was a US puppet state. You’ll notice that in his editorial the Georgian President called on both the US and Europe.

This situation has to be handled in a fashion that returns us to the status quo without losing either Georgia to Russia or their democratically elected president to a Putin puppet.

Your characterization of Bush playing grabass seems of an advanced case of BDS.

Wake me up when any Russian ship reports to Ukrainian authorities.

Texas Gal on August 11, 2008 at 12:10 PM

Alliances? With Communist Oligarchs? No thank you. We as a freedom loving people should be bare knuckles brawling with the criminal regime who presses the Chinese People into servitude. It’s not where the President of the United States is, it’s how it looks. He’s there playing grabass with Commie thugs while Putin drops houses on innocents.

I would like to note that while Russia tries to re-claim the former USSR satellite states, George Bush is in China making whoopie with Communist Oligarchs

Politically speaking in regard to building alliances to address this Russian aggression, it actually might have been advantageous that Bush was in China when Putin decided to invade Georgia.

What major world powers stand with Russia now?

but the administration’s response has been pretty strong. I saw an interview of Bush done by Bob Costas tonight and Bush said he’d expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms to both Putin and the new “president” of Russia in person.

funky chicken on August 11, 2008 at 3:02 AM

lol.

Bush: You are a bad Pooty Poot.

Putin: Oh go #uck off George.

1. The Costas interview was very good, IMHO. Tough but fair questions, polite response, etc. Bush did a great job. He hesitated and spluttered a bit on the questions about Georgia because the new president’s name is a real tongue twister, and (guessing) he had naughty curse words on the tip of his tongue but obviously was self censoring a bit.

2. Bush 41 is with Bush 43 in China, and the whole family is spending time with Hu Jintao and other top folks in their government. Pooty Poot is way, way outflanked if he thought the Chinese would actively assist his grand new adventure … the Chinese remember Bush 41 from way back.

good night!

The administration big guns are on it (Negroponte and Cheney) and now we’ve got strong statements from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, and Finland siding with Georgia.

Sarko wants to send somebody to “mediate?” I don’t like it, but as I said earlier France and Russia have been chummy for decades, so it doesn’t surprise me. I surely haven’t heard Gordon Brown or even Angela Merkel try to take a leading role in dealing with the crisis.

…..Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace– but there is no peace. Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it…..The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Hey,Yegevney…!

Would someone suggest to the Obama campaign that they send Obama over to Ossetia tomorrow so he can show us live and in person how his penchant for wanting to talk to foreign leaders with no preconditions will end all wars, stop all conflicts, and bring on the wonderment of the new day?

coldwarrior on August 10, 2008 at 10:56 PM

Maybe the Oabama world tour could have another opening act. Maybe this time a Reggae act…..oh wait…..

Whether ruled by Tsars, Communists, or democrats, Russia has been and is an aggressive, imperialist power all-too willing to bully those around it. Take the Republic of Georgia, for example. A former territory of the Russian Empire and the late,…

… Khalilzad then looked straight at Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and asked if Moscow was looking for “regime change.”

“Is the goal of the Russian Federation to change the leadership of Georgia?” he said.

Churkin did not directly address the question but said there are leaders who “become an obstacle.”…

Khalilzad told reporters the telephone call between Rice and Lavrov was “disturbing,” adding that the days of overthrowing European governments by force were over….

Khalilzad said Russia was waging “terror” in Georgia.

“We must condemn Russia’s military assault on the sovereign state of Georgia … including the targeting of civilians and the campaign of terror against the Georgian population,” he said.

Khalilzad also accused Russia of preventing the withdrawal of Georgian forces from South Ossetia to prolong the conflict and prevent Georgia from laying down its arms.

“Since Russia is impeding Georgian forces from withdrawing, rejecting a cease-fire and continuing to carry out military attacks against civilian centers, its claims of a humanitarian purpose clearly are not credible,” Khalilzad said.

Churkin was furious that Khalilzad used the word “terror”.

“This statement, ambassador, is completely unacceptable, particularly from the lips of the permanent representative of a country whose actions we are aware of, including with regard to the civilian populations in Iraq and Afghanistan and Serbia,” Churkin told the council. (Editing by Philip Barbara)

To me this is about Putin wanting the oil pipeline and wanting to teach that young upstart in Georgia a lesson. Remember that he is the one that brought down Putin’s proxy without some much as a shot fired, with a red rose above his head no less!! Then he made Bush his BFF, moved towards NATO and even had the audacity to sent 2000 troops to Iraq! Putin must be pissed!! He wants to see him in the Hague as payback for Milosovich.

Bush must be livid! And from what I read in the archives of that Georgia Daily newspaper this has been building since about March intensely when Condi made a visit to Georgia and Putin went ballistic about it.

So let’s not jump the shark just yet… ;)

Sarkosy is supposed to be in Moscow this week, offering to mediate.

coldwarrior on August 10, 2008 at 10:44 PM

Mediate? WTF? It’s time to act now. See this is what I mean. People trained in business management are not equipped to handle pressing international crises. When immediate action is required, they schedule several planning sessions. Then meetings to discus and formalize. Then convene group sessions to plan implementation. Then organize the the roll out. Meet to select the team. Meet to schedule the roll out. Then postpone it pending review and further testing. Then cancel the roll out because a new technology has made it redundant. Our Georgian Allies need help NOW!

Hopefully Sarko is over his man-crush on The One by now…

funky chicken on August 10, 2008 at 10:52 PM

I think that was just diplo-speak and my read of Sarkozy’s body language during that presser, he was somewhat pertrubed by the arrogance of Obama.