Posted By: Patriot Tom  on Thursday, August 14, 2008

So, McCain called for several meetings instead of just one (Nato and EU instead of just UN), and that makes his response better how???  Bush did nothing (he is good at that), and, unfortunately, there is not much than can be done.  We have not army left to invade or confront the Russians, and nothing to do but wax indignant.  I applaud Obama for looking to the UN (which, as you said, McCain did eventually).  It shows that he intends to help make the UN back in to a viable solution, instead of just an ignored impedance per W.

Posted By: jack sprat  on Friday, August 15, 2008

I think it was tacky of the Russkies interrupting comrade obama's vacation. He's a busy man. After all he had to solve all the problems from Afghanistan to the mid east, to Europe and calm down Paris and Brittany and every thing. He’s got to go through the polls each and every day just to see what his position should be, and coordinate that with the map to see where he is, that’s way hard. After all as Mad Maxine Waters once said, "we don't know our position, we haven't come to consensus yet."

Gee, if it’s 3am in Hawaii, what time is it in the Kremlin? I think the guy that couldn’t get half the poor housing developments build without having to tear them down, certainly can handle a little gas problem with Vlad the Impaler, I just think obama was a bit miffed they didn’t hold the “party vote” for after the sun and fun.

Posted By: geoff  on Friday, August 15, 2008

Yes, there is a contradiction: a protest against infringements to a nation's sovereignty (in the case of Georgia) & also the UN's inability to... infringe against national sovereignty in the cases of Zimbabwe and Burma. One might also add UN impotence when the US exceeded its mandate vis-a-vis Iraq, and all those vetoes the US put down over anything dealing with Israel over the years.

Yes: the vetoes give the big powers too much control & then the big boys get angry when the UN acts in any way democratic (i.e. passing resolutions that the rest of the world supports).

Hmm.

And yes: Mona also seems to have a distorted view of history, here. It's only been - what? a week - and already she's swallowed the revisionist history. Mona: why did Russia attack? Was Putin just in a poopy mood? is it something genetic? or did it maybe have something to do with the Georgians attacking something that was supposed to be a semi-independent enclave? Didn't you also see the pictures of Russian refugees and put something like 2 and 2 together to make 4?

So anyway: the fact of the matter is, McSame decides to go all muscular which might, one assumes, mean something like withdrawing US troops from Iraq &/or Afghanistan to start yet another war. Or... stall things by negotiating with NATO et al., who would probably say something along the lines of: not much we can do anyway, so... Much ado about nothing, really.

Bush: we know he's a lame duck; who cares?

Obama: well: at least he didn't rush into saying something really stupid on the basis of false information, but it would have been better if he wasn't so wishy-washy and just said the obvious: not much the US can do, & Saakashvili was pretty stupid provoking a fight he couldn't win, even if he was responding to Russian provocation.

Now why would he do that, do you think?

Posted By: geoff  on Friday, August 15, 2008

"The Bush administration appears to be trying to turn a failed military operation by Georgia into a successful diplomatic operation against Russia.

"It is doing so by presenting the Russian actions as aggression and playing down the Georgian attack into South Ossetia on 7 August, which triggered the Russian operation.

"Yet the evidence from South Ossetia about that attack indicates that it was extensive and damaging."

Rest here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7562611.stm

Posted By: fencerider rob  on Saturday, August 16, 2008

Obamasiah absolutely did the red thing and waited until he could find what the middle wanted. Then pronounced it as his policy. That is his only play, his playbook can be written on his palm. Wait for the concensus and proclaim it as your view. Just another sorry sap of a politician, pandering to the masses until he wins.

Posted By: geoff  on Saturday, August 16, 2008

Fencerider:

"McCain's Focus on Georgia Raises Question of Propriety"; among other things:

"The extent of McCain's involvement in the military conflict in Georgia appears remarkable among presidential candidates, who traditionally have kept some distance from unfolding crises out of deference to whoever is occupying the White House. The episode also follows months of sustained GOP criticism of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who was accused of acting too presidential for, among other things, briefly adopting a campaign seal and taking a trip abroad that included a huge rally in Berlin."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403332.html?hpid=topnews



And: "Georgia's Recklessness": "Saakashvili's recent statements demonstrate how well he has learned to push America's buttons, probably with the help of his government's lobbyists in Washington. In several interviews and articles, including an op-ed in yesterday's Post, he has compared the recent Russian attack on Georgia to the Soviet invasions of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. He has also invoked former president Ronald Reagan and tried to frame the war as a Russian assault on Western values. "We are attacked because we wanted to be free," he said on CNN."

rest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403053_pf.html

Posted By: jack sprat  on Sunday, August 17, 2008

fencerider rob  

It worked for Willie J Jeffersonian, and since he was "liberal" the Euro Trash didn't Savage him, well except for the little matter of the war crimes charges by the world court, but who cares, the really bad guys die before being found guilty. It takes a long time to decide what the meaning of "Is", is. The Robamabots may have hated him, but Slick Willie led the way, Carter was just a ham fisted novice, who even though loved the world's commie dictators, was just a bit uncouth for the Jefferson "Elites", but he had the Polit bureau fiscal policies that osama obama really likes.

Posted By: John Handforth  on Sunday, August 17, 2008

Pass it on for the U.N. to make a decision?  If the U.N. actually did decide to send in a peace enforcement team, the United States, as usual, would be picking up 75% of the cost.

The U.N. has been a merciless drain on the United States and New York City for over 50 years.  The U.N. diplomats often act like illegal aliens with a free pass.

Seriously, though, the U.N. has not accomplished anything since Audrey Hepburn died.  She was the driving force behind U.N.I.C.E.F. which is really the best thing that the U.N. can offer.  Nothing can be done to Russia as long as they have veto power in the Security Council.  That is why McCain's answer was considerably smarter than Obama's.

Posted By: George  on Friday, August 22, 2008

"Sen. Obama flunked. His first response was to urge restraint upon "both sides"  "



Since Georgia started the whole trouble, and Russia overreacted. It seems, he was pretty right.

I must be blind, not seeing how blaming Russia for everything is the best reaction to a 3 a.m. call.