Posted on 08/13/2008 12:55:16 PM PDT by Schnucki
President Bush dispatched US military hardware to the heart of the Caucasus today and warned Russia that it could be frozen out of international bodies as punishment for its aggression in Georgia.
In his toughest criticism of Russia since becoming President, Mr Bush accused Moscow of breaching the provisional ceasefire agreed with Georgia just 24 hours earlier.
He cited intelligence showing that Russian troops had again taken the town of Gori and could now divide the country and threaten the capital Tbilisi. He insisted that Moscow respect the former Soviet republic’s territorial integrity.
There were also reports of Russian-backed militia in South Ossetia looting ethnic Georgian villages and killing their inhabitants.
“To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis,” Mr Bush said.
It is understood that talks are already taking place with US allies, including Britain, about whether to suspend Russia’s prized membership of the G8 club of industrialised nations. There is also a growing clamour to block Russia from becoming part of the World Trade Organisation and to rescind an invitation for it to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Mr Bush’s statement, delivered in stern tones outside the White House, was a significantly stronger than that made last week, when his initially cautious comments reflected the State Department’s unhappiness with Georgia’s use of force against pro-Russian separatist rebels in South Ossetia.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
U.S. troops to be deployed, airforce and navy on the way.
Oh boy!
Condi apparently tomorrow.
I had a wonderful phone call from my friend in Tbilisi just a few minutes ago and she asked me to say this to all Americans - Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
By the way I know some things about who and what was in Tbilisi when the Russians were bombing the rest of Georgia.
And you betcha the Russians were never going to bomb Tbilisi.
This is why the leader of the free world absolutely has to have both brains and grit; spine tingling oratory skills are not a suitable substitute!
Dont you mean Leg Tingling?
Me, too - and I agree. This may get very interesting.
Colonel, USAFR
She is going to call me back in a few days.
Now picture the same situation with Obama replacing Bush.
I saw the start of this confrontation on TV....Bush sought Putin out like a Stinger missile...Putin was trying to avoid him.
Great catch on the pic, “The Look” only a Texan knows how to do that.
I saw that a few days ago and couldn’t pass it up, all I could think of was intense.
************************EXCERPT*******************
Aug 13, 3:22 PM (ET)
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA and MATTI FRIEDMAN
OUTSIDE GORI, Georgia (AP) - Russian troops and paramilitaries rolled into the strategic Georgian city of Gori on Wednesday, apparently violating a truce designed to end the conflict that has uprooted tens of thousands and scarred the Georgian landscape.
In Washington, President Bush said the United States planned a massive humanitarian effort involving American ships and aircraft, includiung a C-17 military cargo plane loaded with supplies that landed on Wednesday.
He said Russia must ensure that "all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, roads and airports," remain open to let deliveries and civilians through.
Georgian officials said Gori, a central hub on Georgia's main east-west highway, was looted and bombed by the Russians before they left later in the day and camped nearby.
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"Russia has treacherously broken its word," Georgia's Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said Wednesday in Tbilisi, the capital.
An AP reporter saw dozens of trucks and armored vehicles leaving Gori, roaring southeast. Soldiers waved at journalists and one soldier jokingly shouted to a photographer: "Come with us, beauty, we're going to Tbilisi!"
ok.. now you got me wondering. What was in Tbilisi?
Prayers up for our brave troops and for the freedom-loving people of Georgia.
Not for long. I understand OUR military is heading for Gori or even there now.
President Bush dispatched US military hardware to the heart of the Caucasus today
Course that is C-17s with Humanitarian Aid......
Squaring up is one thing. But what is needed is a good poke in the nose.
But Gori is full of Russians! That would be a huge battle.
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