Either way, and even if the US was caught flat-footed (highly doubt that), the fact of the matter is that it is an election year. Nothing will happen, apart from maybe some satellite info (which will not help the Georgians much). Even if it was not an election year, I do not know any politician who would risk himself over Georgia.
To be honest with you, I am not even looking much at the Georgia/Russia debacle (as I said, a pox on both houses. Neither nation is lily white in this), but rather looking at it as a precursor to what will happen when China decides to move on Taiwan.
Like this situation, all that Taiwan should expect in terms of aid is nicely scripted words and a lot of finger and tongue wagging at the UN. What is going on between Georgia and Russia should be taken as a precursor to what will happen between Taiwan and China.
Which is why the nation of Taiwan should realize that the only help it will get when the Chinese attack will be from Taiwan. It will not come from the UN, will not come from the EU, and will not come from the United States (again, no politician in ANY MAJOR PARTY will take any direct or large-indirect action ....just wax poetic and stop at that). That situation, like this one, will have blogs like FR saying that we should nuke this and that nation, that we should send our B-2 bombers, or that we should have Navy SEALs with limpet mines 'swimming towards ships.' That situation, like this one, will have the actual Governments doing nothing.
Some will ask for the Taiwanese to bomb the 3 Gorges dam, which if it happened would be a disaster that is almost unimaginable (millions of Chinese would die). That would instantly be met by a nuclear attack on Taiwan, which is something the 'attack the 3 Gorges' crowd to not get. Those who do claim that the US should respond with a SLBM strike on Shanghai and Beijing, but do not realize that (again) no US Government will do that (it does not matter whether the person occupying the White House is Obama, or if it is McCain. Neither will do it unless the Chinese are stupid enough to attack US interests, and they are not stupid ....again, look at this situation. It happened less than a day after the US army that was training the Georgians left ....)
That situation, like this one, will have the attacked nation asking for a cease-fire, which shall be refused by the aggressor. Then it will be over.
And Taiwan will be part of China in every way, instead of most ways as it is now (the infiltration of the Chinese into Taiwan is prodigious).
This is a play book for that.
In the same way China is supporting the Russians (even though the Ruskies did this during the Olympics), you shall also see the Russians support the Chinese. In the same way that the Europeans are doing nothing apart from a few nice and soothing words from Merkel (the words were touching), they will do nothing (Russia has them by the proverbial b@lls in terms of natural gas supply). As for the US ....again, even IF we were not in an election year, we would still do nothing. Even someone like JFK had more guts than the Hawkiest Republican alive today (I was not alive then, but I actually think the average Democrat in those days was more conservative ...both fiscally and socially ...than the average Republican now). We will do nothing.
Although the speeches given will surely be amazing ....the words eloquent, and the flow of diction and syntax beyond reproach! At the rate the US is progressing I would not even be surprised to see France (if it continues along the route Sarkozy has put it on) actually taking the lead in such matters. They may not have a full set of testicles, but they appear to at least have a scrotal sack (which the US appears to be on the verge of losing as well).
I believe we will supply logistical and material support to the Gerogians.
I believe we are much more apt to become directly involved over Taiwan.
But, like I said, it will depend on who is in the White House (both in terms of the agressor initiating the action and our response) and in both cases, only time will tell.
In retrospect, I believe Russia, China, and certainly Iraq and several European nations felt as you describe and figured that the UN and international outcry over Bush's plans were going to deter him...but they did not, Now, as a result, we are on the verge of having a much more friendly and much more free Iraq in the mid-east now as a result.
That example could well fuel someone like McCain into making a stand. We shall see.