The War Between Georgia and Russia: Why the Republicans Are Involved

I agree with your statement.

Georgia attacked and killed around 2,000 Russians in South Ossetia.

The Russians took the bait, as South Ossetia is about 90% Russian and is an autonomous state and Russia went to help them defend their state from the invading Georgians.

It’s beginning to look like a planed event to support Mc Cain, set up by Rove.

It seems everything is about oil these days.

Well, maybe not entirely, or even largely. But the oil pipeline was definitely in Russia's mind for its "strategic national security interests." [Where have I heard that phrase?]

The pipeline is even more critical given China's increased need for petroleum resources and their very high activity trying to get exclusive rights to oil supplies from several of the foreign Soviet Republics.

Lest we get carried away with this Georgian affair, we shouldn't also drop the ball on the Ukraine, which is actually a much more important potential conflict waiting to happen.

The cost of oil has gone down the past couple of weeks. This is a good thing. But....could you imagine what would happen if the Georgian pipeline were shut down?
The US has a $4 million investment in this pipeline. Regardless of your political persuation, we must protect this investment.

http://www.nysun.com/foreign/russia-jets-bomb-georgia-oil-pipeline/83547/

Yep, the entire conflict in Georgia is a Republican ploy. GET REAL!!!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, Ivan. Thanks for sharing yours.

This is only about the Republican desire to win elections.

One needs to stay focused on why Georgia attacked the Russians and killed around 2,000.

If the Republicans attacked in Iraq, why wouldn’t they cause Georgia to attack and provoke the Russians now.

This is all about the 2008 election and nothing more,

I agree, Richard. I don't think there is much they wouldn't do to keep a Republican in the whitehouse.

Lie,cheat,steal,or kill.

Carla, the bill you reference was also co sponsored by Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd, so I suppose this means they are implicated in this as well? While we are at it, lets cast blame on Barack Obama as well, as this bill passed by Unanimous Consent, why wouldn't Obama have objected to it?

Interesting

Thank you for the information. I knew about the pipeline, but not about the bill or McCain's campaign chief. That is certainly interesting.

Thanks for the reminder, Jim. And it wouldn't surprise me. The Bush motto has always been, "Be afraid, be very afraid."

Ivan--so how many American soldiers are you willing to sacrifice to protect a $4,000,000 investment?

In the grand scheme of things, $4,000,000 is a drop in the bucket. I think Blizzard makes more than that in a month with World of Warcraft subscriptions.

Why are people so reluctant to believe that Republicans(and the corporations that fund them) would go to any length to stay in power? Does no one remember the hostages in Iran(Reagan cut a deal), Iran-Contra, Valerie Plame, we could go on and on. You must feel like Cassandra sometimes Carla.

Got that right, Wilma. Yes, the Americans have a short memory. There is a new book out about how the Republicans govern. It's called "The Wrecking Crew" by Thomas Frank. It's well worth the read. He is the one who wrote, "What's the Matter With Kansas?"

An article by Charles Bremmer in the "The Times" of London reported in his article "Back to the Future With the Old Superpower":


As the sun rose over a hot Moscow this morning, it was hard not to imagine that we are in the remake of an old movie. I was criticized by some here yesterday for making the cold war comparison, but it’s difficult to escape.

The radio I was listening to was not the old Radio Moscow of Soviet days. But Vesti FM, all jingles and sizzle, opened the morning news with an attack on the United States for fanning the flames of cold war via the Caucasus. The Georgian attack on South Ossetia was part of a plot masterminded by Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, we were told. The war-mongering neo-conservatives are using it to get the Republican John McCain elected to the White House in November. The Washington plot line, widespread in Moscow commentary this week, was last heard in the days of Presidents Andropov and Reagan.

The world is a different place since those times a quarter of a century ago, but the plot is familiar. The Russians are using military power to assert their authority over troublesome small neighbours in their “near abroad”. The Americans are flexing their muscles and trying push the frontiers of the Atlantic alliance eastward – this time into the Caucasus, a region which Russia has for centuries deemed to be its back yard.

As President Bush ordered the US military to take humanitarian relief into Georgia, Condaleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, made a direct comparison: “This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten its neighbours, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.” Just like the old days, the tough stance in Washington is making the Europeans nervous.

There are 35 ethnic minorities in the region, and Georgia has a number of them. The Georgian President has behaved badly to all of them, supressed political opposition and established an authoritarian regime. He has devoted his effort to building a military ( I expect the Israeli generals and hundreds of Israeli military trainers have got the hell out of Georgia since the Russian invasion? ) and foolishly invaded S. Ossetia? S. Ossetia was already "gone" months ago, Putin had made that clear : If Kosovo goes, S. Ossetia goes. The US knew it, but didn't make it clear to Georgia's President , in fact, Rice had visited Georgia a few months ago and stupidly flattered the idiot. What was she thinking?

Thanks for your comments, Clarke. Rice is a puppet. She didn't even return from vacation when this whole war erupted. What does that tell you?

I wrote about this on the 14th..

Gerogia on my mind

The cold war was an (will be another ?) excellent time for the corporations involved in the military industrial complex, where our fear assures our approval of the cost PLUS budget expenditures for ever more advanced weapons systems "purportedly" to "protect us" ... even as those systems are sold around the world also, to those "on our side" at the same time we keep all kinds of smaller conflicts going around the world as a part of our "divide and conquer" routine ... the same routine used right here at home between we the "voters" ... everything is highly choreographed by what is effectively a secret government of the ultra wealthy ... deny at your own risk folks, as so many will do who live relatively comfortably in the box our controlled media has constructed around us. ...
(original before corrections at Jerry Kays, Aug 18, 2008, 11:55am EDT)

Talk about greedy! McCain wants Georgia's oil? If he becomes president, he'll become oil companies' biggest lobbyist. See if it won't happen.
I have already decided months ago to vote for Obama.

We should not warm up the cold war.

It amazes me that none of you Obama supporters are upset that Obama has condemded Russia's actions as well as McCain. This is an issue both candidates are on the same side of, yet you feel this was something Republicans orchestrated in order to get McCain elected. Presumably your assumption comes from the Russian press release which declared exactly that, but ask yourself one question, if that were true, why would Russia be the only nation to announce that. Why wouldn't the United Nations, or NATO proclaim the incident was Georgia's fault, rather than Russia's?

It wasn't just the fact that Georgia initiated it. Russia should be condemned for continuing on with the conflict and not really backing down. But my belief and what I'm hearing from others is that there are certain factions, including McCain and Rove and Cheney that don't want Russia to back down. They want the conflict to continue and a real cold war to develop.

If Russia keeps its word, and we don't back off, there will be a nuclear holocaust. Bet the neocons can find a way to sell that to us.

Neocons feel better when there is an external enemy. That justifies all the things they want to do here in the U.S. So much for our freedoms.

Hawks like McCain and Bush love war. It makes for a great distraction from economic problems in our own country. But this time it won't work.