Posted on 08/11/2008 7:17:08 PM PDT by kristinn
Bush administration officials, worried by what they saw as a series of provocative Russian actions, repeatedly warned Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to avoid giving the Kremlin an excuse to intervene in his country militarily, U.S. officials said Monday.
But in the end, the warnings failed to stop the Georgian president — a Bush favorite — from launching an attack last week that on Monday seemed likely to end not only in his country’s military humiliation but complete occupation by Russian forces.
SNIP
Pentagon officials said that despite having 130 trainers assigned to Georgia, they had no advance notice of Georgia’s sudden move last Thursday to send thousands of Georgian troops into South Ossetia to capture that province's capital, Tskhinvali.
Not only did the U.S. troops working alongside their Georgian counterparts not see any signs of an impending invasion, Georgian officials did not notify the U.S. military before the incursion, a senior U.S. defense official told McClatchy.
SNIP
At the same time, U.S. officials said that they believed they had an understanding with Russia that any response to Georgian military action would be limited to South Ossetia.
"We knew they were going to go crack heads. We told them again and again not to do this," the State Department official said. "We thought we had an understanding with the Russians that any response would be South Ossetia-focused. Clearly it's not."
SNIP
The delicacy of the situation was underscored by the U.S. decision to leave its military advisers in Georgia, though, with Georgia's troops no longer in Iraq, there was little for the advisers to do.
"While their utility in country may be very limited, removing them might inadvertently signal to the world that we are abandoning our ally, which we most certainly are not," said a senior U.S. military official.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
So the State Department sold out Georgia. No wonder Condi didn't break off her vacation.
FYI.
S. Ossettia fought a war to be free of Georgia, and then voted 90% to allign with russia.
Why did Georgia attack them?
Cheers!
I think it is because Ossettia is part of Georgia.
It would rather be like the US Virgin Islands launching an attack on the US.
Cover story after the fact meant to excuse American inaction.
Since Stalin declared it so? Nonsense.
I don’t see how you come to that conclusion based on the article...
Well now, CYA is now in full effect....I despise excuses...
Because they were provoked.
This one sounds increasingly like a case of having rubbed Russia’s nose in it one too many times, starting with Kosovo. Does Foggy Bottom ever have earthquakes?
sounds about right CYA as usual.
The Georgians were provoked by the Georgian attack on the Ossettiens?
Wait, you lost me.
Well the new Stalin has a good apologist in you.
I am sure he appreciates the help,
You’ll have none of it from me.
I hope Georgia takes out as many Russian military personnel as possible. I hope Ossetia reaps what it has sown.
Ossetia was given considerable autonomy and yet it was not good enough becuase this entire affair was a fabrication of Russia’s energy imperialists.
The State Department gave the Russians the green light to intervene.
Knew it was coming???? Does anyone else see this as a failure of the CIA? Russia shouldn’t have been able to mobilize that many tanks/supplies/troops without setting off all kinds of alarms. This war was in the planning stage for months. Was the CIA sleeping?
Pardon, but what, exactly, did Ossetia sow?
Why did Georgia attack them?
Because Ossettia is in Georgia. So is Abkhazi. The Georgians didn't want their country chipped away by the Russians.
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