Posted on 08/16/2008 12:13:14 PM PDT by T.L.Sink
Henry Kissinger used to say that while it can be dangerous to be an enemy of the United States, to be a friend is fatal. The people of South Vietnam learned that bitter lesson when the United States abandoned them in 1975. The Poles learned it after Yalta, the Hungarian freedom fighters learned it in 1956, and Cubans learned it at the Bay of Pigs. And tens of thousands of Iraqis learned it in 1991, when at the urging of George H.W. Bush they rose against Saddam Hussein, only to be slaughtered when American support never materialized. Now we can add Georgia to that list. The current President Bush was a vocal champion of the young democracy and in 2005 in Tbilisi gave his "pledge to the Georgian people that you've got a solid friend in America." In return, the Georgians firmly aligned themselves with the United States, sending troops to fight alongside ours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first response from the White House to Moscow's naked aggression was milquetoast: evenhanded mush about the need for a "standdown by all troops." It took four days before Bush finally blasted Russia's "dramatic and brutal escalation" in Georgia. By then it was too late. This was a "3 a.m. phone call" if anything ever was and the White House bungled it. So did Barack Obama. It took Obama three tries to catch up with John McCain, who had recognized at once the import of Russia's military offensive.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
I think so, too. Woodrow Wilson said WWI was the “war to end all wars.” HA! I think what you’re saying is that you can’t change human nature. As long as men and nations succumb to the worst in human nature, rather than strive to make the best of our nature prevail, we’ll see more of the same. The illicit quest for power, territory, economic control won’t cease. One of the gravest threats facing us, in my opinion, is the inability to see true evil in ourselves and others.
From what I understand there were warnings sent by the Georgians of the Russian troop build-up. But worse was the failure to act (or even speak) decisively during the first days of the invasion. Even as of today there have been no serious non-military penalties enacted for Russia’s actions. Just some political hot air about the G-Eight, WTO, etc. As usual, a day late and a dollar short.
First of all, Bush wasn’t caught flat-footed. Condi Rice warned about this Soviet adventure months ago.
Second, sending in troops would have made the situation even more dangerous. I hardly think Putin would have been frightened away. And would the American troops actually shoot at the Georgians? Doubtful.
Putin was trying to exercise his power. Also trying to prevent Georgia from joining NATO. I don’t think 500 troops would have mattered although it would have warned Russia where NOT to shoot toward.
Putin is a strong Russian leader. Possibly the greatest since Peter the Great. And he's relatively young. That's the scary thing for the West.
Kinda lets you know where he stands.
Cool.
I didn’t realize that - thanks for the info.
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