Cold War Divisions to Return?
Justin Katz
Not to scuttle all that harmony over dreams of a "working waterfront," but something's too eerie about this not to highlight it:
Launching an invasion while the world news is focused on the Olympics is pretty savy... and a grand first step towards a renewed, major US/Russia confrontation.
Yes, quite a clever fellow, that Putin, with his savvy first step toward the reascension of a leftist counterweight to that otherwise irredeemably vain, shallow, superstitious, greedy U.S. of A. Guess we should all take our usual sides on the escalation of global tensions.
(I'm curious from where Matt took the map. Note that South Ossetia and North Ossetia are the same color — as if to visually imply that Georgia is attempting to break apart a country.)
Quid Pro Quo thy name is Georgia.
We've done NOTHING to assist our ally and NATO hopeful.
Why?
In return the Russians will give us no trouble when we deal with Iran.
Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Once that naval armada is in place, you can expect the middle east to be a very hot place indeed.
Get those oil prices right back up where they 'belong'...
"a grand first step towards a renewed, major US/Russia confrontation."
It is grand, isn't it? Because there cannot be enough hostility and confrontation in the world, especially between well-armed superpowers.
It's quite simple. Russia is doing what Russia always does when she is strong. She pushes her borders and gobbles up smaller neighbors. It's been going on since Czarist days and it caught the Bush administration, again, with its pants down. Not even Condi Rice, the Russian studies expert, was on this. We relaxed as a country after Bush famously looked Putin in the eye and saw his soul. Problem is that Putin then spit in Bush's eye. McCain, the resident neo-warrior and tough guy, with worlds of experience was caught off guard. Somehow this blog will get around to blaming Obama for situation and tie it to 1) his lack of experience, 2) his naivete, 3) Michelle Obama.
Russia knows very well that we're helplessly bogged chasing weapons of mass delusions in Iraq in a war that we were to win by expending a blitzkrieg force, subdue the country and reap it's oil crop. All at little or no cost to us as the oil revenues would rapidly recover initial expenses and then roll in monthly profits like the rose petals Iraqis were going to strew in our path.
Bush was soul sighting when he should have been soul searching, and he was definitely wishfully dreaming while a mesmerized, stars in the eyes, bunch of Washington politicians got in line behind him, as their constituents cheered the U.S.'s grand march to mediocrity. Obama opposed all that crap, and he's portrayed as the poor innocent who knows nothing, while at the same time as a cynical grasping effete elitist politician who is bound to ruin the country. Well it's too late for the latter, the Republicans have already managed to do the job.
OldTimeLefty
We kissed Judo Boy's tush for too long, and this is the thanks we get.
Putin is a bigger danger than Adminejad or Chavez has ever been, but after all, he wears nicer suits and has no facial hair. He looks the part of an American ally, even when he's corrupt as hell.
It's a shame Vince McMahon isn't running for president - he'd put Putin and Jintao in a Hell in a Cell match and let them destroy each other.
Well, someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!
Justin - anyone with an ounce of political or historical knowledge of Europe knows that a Russian territorial invasion involving (a) a former Republic on the verge of NATO membership and (b) an important oil pipeline IS A BIG DEAL FOR OUR NATION'S SECURITY. It is disturbing to me that this humors you.
As for the image, it is pretty simple. When you see a picture on the series of tubes known as the Internet, you can "right click" on the image and select properties to identify the picture's origin. If you are using an Apple, you hold down "control" while clicking on the image and do the same.
...And foreign policy comes back as a major campaign issue, just in time.
PS Have to hand it to McCain for actually managing to upstage the president on this ... one might almost think it was all part of the master plan (you do know that Putin is on the CIA payroll, right?). ;)
One more thing. Even your people get my point:
Moscow’s Sinister Brilliance
Who wants to die for Tbilisi?
By Victor Davis Hanson
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDcwY2I4MjhjMTc0Y2Y4ZmJmMWNmNzJlOTA0Y2MxYjg=
Lost amid all the controversies surrounding the Georgian tragedy is the sheer diabolic brilliance of the long-planned Russia invasion. Let us count the ways in which it is a win/win situation for Russia.
In February 1997, George Kennan wrote on The New York Times's Op-Ed page that the Clinton administration's decision to back an enlargement of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to bring it to the borders of Russia was a terrible mistake. He wrote that "expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold war era."
"Such a decision may be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion; to have an adverse effect on the development of Russian democracy; to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking," he wrote. His views, shared by a broad range of policy experts, did not prevail."
Except, of course they did with Bush and McCain, and where in hell was Conjob Rice, the presumed Russian studies expert?
OldTimeLefty
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Quid Pro Quo thy name is Georgia.
We've done NOTHING to assist our ally and NATO hopeful.
Why?
In return the Russians will give us no trouble when we deal with Iran.
Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Once that naval armada is in place, you can expect the middle east to be a very hot place indeed.
Get those oil prices right back up where they 'belong'...
Posted by: Greg at August 12, 2008 7:52 AM"a grand first step towards a renewed, major US/Russia confrontation."
It is grand, isn't it? Because there cannot be enough hostility and confrontation in the world, especially between well-armed superpowers.
Posted by: Monique at August 12, 2008 8:06 AMIt's quite simple. Russia is doing what Russia always does when she is strong. She pushes her borders and gobbles up smaller neighbors. It's been going on since Czarist days and it caught the Bush administration, again, with its pants down. Not even Condi Rice, the Russian studies expert, was on this. We relaxed as a country after Bush famously looked Putin in the eye and saw his soul. Problem is that Putin then spit in Bush's eye. McCain, the resident neo-warrior and tough guy, with worlds of experience was caught off guard. Somehow this blog will get around to blaming Obama for situation and tie it to 1) his lack of experience, 2) his naivete, 3) Michelle Obama.
Russia knows very well that we're helplessly bogged chasing weapons of mass delusions in Iraq in a war that we were to win by expending a blitzkrieg force, subdue the country and reap it's oil crop. All at little or no cost to us as the oil revenues would rapidly recover initial expenses and then roll in monthly profits like the rose petals Iraqis were going to strew in our path.
Bush was soul sighting when he should have been soul searching, and he was definitely wishfully dreaming while a mesmerized, stars in the eyes, bunch of Washington politicians got in line behind him, as their constituents cheered the U.S.'s grand march to mediocrity. Obama opposed all that crap, and he's portrayed as the poor innocent who knows nothing, while at the same time as a cynical grasping effete elitist politician who is bound to ruin the country. Well it's too late for the latter, the Republicans have already managed to do the job.
Posted by: OldTimeLefty at August 12, 2008 9:31 AMOldTimeLefty
We kissed Judo Boy's tush for too long, and this is the thanks we get.
Posted by: rhody at August 12, 2008 11:16 AMPutin is a bigger danger than Adminejad or Chavez has ever been, but after all, he wears nicer suits and has no facial hair. He looks the part of an American ally, even when he's corrupt as hell.
It's a shame Vince McMahon isn't running for president - he'd put Putin and Jintao in a Hell in a Cell match and let them destroy each other.
Well, someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!
Justin - anyone with an ounce of political or historical knowledge of Europe knows that a Russian territorial invasion involving (a) a former Republic on the verge of NATO membership and (b) an important oil pipeline IS A BIG DEAL FOR OUR NATION'S SECURITY. It is disturbing to me that this humors you.
As for the image, it is pretty simple. When you see a picture on the series of tubes known as the Internet, you can "right click" on the image and select properties to identify the picture's origin. If you are using an Apple, you hold down "control" while clicking on the image and do the same.
Posted by: Matt Jerzyk at August 12, 2008 11:42 AM...And foreign policy comes back as a major campaign issue, just in time.
PS Have to hand it to McCain for actually managing to upstage the president on this ... one might almost think it was all part of the master plan (you do know that Putin is on the CIA payroll, right?). ;)
Posted by: Will at August 12, 2008 12:02 PMOne more thing. Even your people get my point:
Moscow’s Sinister Brilliance
Who wants to die for Tbilisi?
By Victor Davis Hanson
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDcwY2I4MjhjMTc0Y2Y4ZmJmMWNmNzJlOTA0Y2MxYjg=
Lost amid all the controversies surrounding the Georgian tragedy is the sheer diabolic brilliance of the long-planned Russia invasion. Let us count the ways in which it is a win/win situation for Russia.
Posted by: Matt Jerzyk at August 12, 2008 12:28 PMIn February 1997, George Kennan wrote on The New York Times's Op-Ed page that the Clinton administration's decision to back an enlargement of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to bring it to the borders of Russia was a terrible mistake. He wrote that "expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold war era."
"Such a decision may be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion; to have an adverse effect on the development of Russian democracy; to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking," he wrote. His views, shared by a broad range of policy experts, did not prevail."
Posted by: OldTimeLefty at August 13, 2008 2:11 PMExcept, of course they did with Bush and McCain, and where in hell was Conjob Rice, the presumed Russian studies expert?
OldTimeLefty