ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style1 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="24"> <td width="624" height="24" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <font size="5" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"><b>Bush&#39;s Hot Air</b></font> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>(310) 204-8700</b><br> </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright August 14, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style1">W</span>aving his Amercian flag watching swimming phenom Michael Phelps win his first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, President George W. Bush returned to Washington to watch helplessly as Russia steamrolled over Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When Russian tanks rolled into Georgia Aug. 8, the country s 40-year old President Mikhail Saakashvili begged the U.S. to intervene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>After trying to annex Russian-separatist South Ossetia with the Georgian army, Russia lashed out, rapidly deploying a massive military force across the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush watched Phelps while thousands of Georgians were crushed and thousands more displaced by Russian tanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney , Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and GOP presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain blasted Russia for unwarranted aggression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. officials warned Russia to pull out or face nearly certain consequences.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Not one U.S. official or conservative pundit acknowledged that Saakashvili, not the Kremilin, crossed the line, blaming Russia to trying to conquer its former Soviet territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When French President Nicholas Sarkozy brokered a ceasefire Aug. 12, Russia had no intention of just pulling out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We have no idea what they re doing there, why the movement, where they re going, said Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, puzzled by Russia s apparent refusal to get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> One explanation could be they re trying to rattle the civilian population, ignoring report that the Russian army is seeking out and destroying military hardware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Russia is well-aware of U.S. and Israel efforts to beef up Georgia s military.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before Russia retreats inside its borders, it s intent is nothing short of de-fanging the Georgian military.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Mired in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. can only watch.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Russian officials like the Iranians are acutely aware of how the U.S. military is spread too thin to intervene anywhere else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>All the gunboat diplomacy won t get Russia out of Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush must let U.S. diplomats try to comprehend the Russian perspective, not simply condemn it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili refuses to capitulate to Russian demands for a public apology for trying to annex separatist territories in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Until Saakashvili publicly acknowledges aggression toward Russian provinces and apologizes, Russia will be in no hurry to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More belligerent talk from Saakashvili and the White House gives Moscow added incentive to destroy the Georgian military.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> So far, Saakashvili appears content to whip up more anti-Kremlin rhetoric pandering to U.S. presidential politics where talking tough to the Russians wins brownie points.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Former Russian President, and now Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. on repeated occasions about deploying missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush went full throttle without regard to damaging U.S.-Russian relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Cutting deals with Boeing and Eastern Europe on the hypothetical premise that Iran or some other rogue regime or terrorist group might fire ballistic missiles was more important than keeping Russia onboard with containing a very real Iranian nuclear threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Getting Russia on the U.N. Security Council to back tougher sanctions now isn t realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili, a so-called strong U.S. ally, grossly miscalculated Moscow s response to military aggression against South Ossetia and Abkhazia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He gave Russia the perfect excuse to invade Georgia, de-fang the military and occupy the country for an indefinite period.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Saakashvili s blunder comes with a draconic price to Georgians and the West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His incendiary rhetoric pushes the two superpowers to the brink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I think the world should think very carefully about what is going on here, Saakashvili, pleading with the U.S. to intervene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We need to stop everything that can be stopped now, showing, the kind of narcissim warranting his immediate removal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Russia has already said there will be no business as usual with Saakashvili.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Putin and newly minted Russian President Dimitry Medvedev have no intention of leaving Georgia until Saakashvili steps down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> One can forget about any talk about Georgia s territorial integrity because, I believe, it is impossible to persuade South Ossetia and Abkhazia to agree<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>with the logic that they can be forced back into the Georgian state, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Larov, rejecting a quick exit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;<span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>White House hot air and idle threats will only embolden Russia to park themselves in Georgia indefinitely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Russian officials won t tolerate Saakashvili whose closeness to the U.S. has made it impossible to reconcile with Russia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Instead threatening to boot Russia out of the G-8, the U.S. should try to understand Russia s aversion to a U.S. puppet who attacked its separatist provinces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With Bush moving ahead with missile defense in Eastern Europe, the Kremlin won t feel inclined to negotiate an end to the current crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; &quot;</span>This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslavakia where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital. Overthrow a government and get away with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Things have changed, said Rice, showing vexing blindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If Rice s mission is going bear any fruit, she d better keep her cool, bring some carrots and leave the stick back in Washington.<br> </p> <p><b><u>About the Author</u></b><br> </p> <p><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>