Glenn Beck adds one other factor to the “deeper historical background” in Marc’s link.

Darth Vader, aka, Dick Cheney, decided to go over to Georgia because they built this giant pipeline and Dick Cheney being an evil oilman, knew exactly what Ronald Reagan, who wasn’t an oilman was, just kind of like that freedom thing, decided, you know what, we really can’t have only one pipeline coming out of this area. Otherwise Russia will control everything. So he got together with a few states and they decided to build a pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Baku, wherever the hell that is, okay? Putin didn’t like that. That was a very bad idea because it would challenge his pipeline that ran from Baku to Turkey. That’s the one Russia said don’t ever let them build this. Well, the Russians along with the Italians who are now in bed with Gazprom are doing everything they can to ensure that a bypass and a second pipeline isn’t built.
* * *
The real story is this truly is war for oil. What Russia is trying to do is take all of their money and they are trying to buy up all of the natural resources of gas and coal and oil and they are going to be the world’s leader in those natural resources. That’s why they are connecting to anyone that has it. They want to be the leader of the new OPEC. Why do you think they took a submarine and shot a torpedo tube with a flag in it to the top of the world? Because they are laying claim to all of the natural resources underneath Santa’s castle. They are consolidating their power through energy. They have replaced nuclear weapons with energy. Why use a nuclear weapon when you can just shut down somebody’s energy. Oh, yeah, Germany, you really need to go along with this or we’re going to shut down your power. Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to sell you any more natural gas. Oh, Georgia, you’ve got a problem with that? Boy, it’s January. Yeah, you hear that? I’m just shutting down the pipeline for you. They are intent on being the world’s superpower yet again.

It should be noted that Beck was channelling the far left in referring to Vice President Cheney as “Darth Vader” and “evil”.
More importantly, this development makes it clear that Beck’s analysis was not off base. [From Free Republic online.]

Russian jets targeted a key oil pipeline with over 50 missiles in a weekend bombing raid in Georgia that raised fears the conflict will tighten Moscow’s stranglehold on Europe’s energy supplies.
Deep craters pockmark the landscape south of the Georgian capital Tblisi in a Y-shaped pattern straddling the British-operated pipeline.
The attack left two deep holes less than 100 yards either side of a pressure vent on the pipeline. Shrapnel of highly engineered munitions litters the area.
There was no visible damage to the pipeline. Its vulnerability is summed up by a yellow hazard sign next to the vent warning against digging in the area. Anyone venturing on to the site is warned against smoking.
Local police recorded 51 strikes. “I have no doubt they wanted to target the pipeline, there is nothing else here,” said Giorgi Abrahamisvili, a policeman who witnessed the attack.