Russian arrogance

From an AP story.....

"A Russian military convoy defied a cease-fire agreement Wednesday and rolled through a strategically important city in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which claimed fresh looting and bombing by the Russians and their allies."

The Russians don't give a rats ass about all the "talk" coming from the West in regards to this situation.....Georgia miscalculated on a grand scale when they decided to attempt to retake these areas, and in truth (though it's unlikely anyone would admit it) Russia was just waiting for a reason to do exactly what they are doing. The pipelines through Georgia drive them insane because they disrupt Russia's potential monopoly on swift and easy energy transportation to Europe. With such a monopoly Russia would be capable of holding Europe hostage, politically, to a point, with the threat of closing the valves on petroleum shipments from oil rich areas.....Something that the European economies could not afford to have happen.

"President Bush said a massive U.S. aid package was on the way for tens of thousands uprooted in the conflict and demanded Russia 'keep its word and act to end this crisis.'

"'The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected,' Bush said sternly in Washington."

Bush can speak "sternly" all he wants, but the short version is that it's all hot air and the Russians know it.....Inspite of the fact that we have 170,000 troops within a few hours flight of the conflict zone those folks are mighty busy where they are, and aren't likely to be dragged into a conflict that could conceivably trigger World War III if we were to react militarily. The situation would probably be different had Georgia not made the initial provocative attack.

What should we do? Well.....I think as Georgia's president stated we should assume control of Georgian civilian airports, military airfields and their ports, temporarily, to guarantee that humanitarian aid flows where it's supposed to. We could even put enough boots on the ground to do the transportation. Russia may be arrogant, but it's leaders are not stupid. I believe that they would keep their South Ossetian and Abkhazian comrades from getting frisky with American troops because of where that would lead. Inspite of our being engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan I cannot imagine a scenario where Russia's leadership would want to get into a shooting war with the U.S. at this point in time.....(If Obama wins the Presidential election in November and the Socialists like Pelosi, Boxer, Reid, Schumer, and the other far left democrats continue to control Congress and continue their fine work at crippling our economy then all bets are off.)

But the bottom line is that unless Russia gets a good old-fashioned bitch slap via "action" by the West instead of "rhetoric" they will not be inclined to leave Georgia any time soon, and they will continue to allow their "comrades" in Georgia to commit whatever acts of violence they choose, as evidenced by this little part of the story.....

"Georgian officials said the Russians had looted and bombed Gori before they left. Moscow denied the accusation, but it appeared to be on a technicality: A BBC reporter in Gori said Russian tanks were in the streets while their South Ossetian allies seized cars, looted homes, and set houses on fire.

The Russian bitch slap to us.....

"In a sharp response to Bush's speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Georgia's leadership 'a special project of the United States. And we understand that the United States is worried about its project'."

Apparently because the election wasn't rigged for Saakashvili and he won on his own merit and popularity the Georgian exercise in free democracy becomes our "project"?

"Russian news agencies quoted him saying the United States would have to choose 'support for a virtual project' and or 'real partnership' on issues such as U.S.-Russian cooperation on Iran and other world tension spots."

This is a no brainer......"WHAT FRIGGING COOPERATION???????" For Putin and Medvedev the Cold War is alive and well......and that is just the way they want it.....

And Finally......

"The border has been along this river for 1,000 years," separatist official Ruslan Kishmaria told AP on Wednesday. He said Georgia would have to accept the new border and taunted the departed Georgian forces by saying they had received "American training in running away."

I think that any one of those 170,000 troops I mentioned above would happily meet with him at any location, without weapons, or designation of nationality just for the pleasure of giving him a good old-fashioned American Ass Kicking.

Not politically Correct, never claimed to be, but to let that slide without comment would be unconscionable......It's very easy for Mr. Kishmaria to play the tough guy when he has the whole Russian Army to back him up.....Without that he's just a punk with an AK-47.

Good Day!