Posted on 02/06/2010 4:28:11 AM PST by lizol
Near the brink in Georgia - Ben Smith: Near the brink in Georgia
February 03, 2010
Near the brink in Georgia
I have a story today on a fascinating new book on the Georgia war of 2008:
President George W. Bush and his senior aides considered — and rejected — a military response to Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, according to a new history of the conflict and interviews with former officials in the Bush administration.
With desperate Georgians begging for American help in closing down the key route through which Russian soldiers were pouring into the country, Bush’s national security aides outlined possible responses, including “the bombardment and sealing of the Roki Tunnel” and other “surgical strikes,” according to a new history of the conflict and independent interviews with former senior officials.
“In that moment of desperation these issues came onto the table, and came to the principals committee” consisting of Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and top Cabinet members, said Ron Asmus, a Clinton administration State Department official whose book, out this week, is called “The Little War That Shook the World.”
“There were people on [Vice President Dick] Cheney’s staff and [National Security Adviser Stephen] Hadley’s staff who said, ‘We can’t let Georgia go down like this.'”
Hadley, Asmus writes, thought the action too risky — but he formally raised the question with Bush, Cheney and other top officials in a meeting on Aug. 11 in order to prompt an “open discussion” and put Cheney and others on the record.
“No principal advocated the use of force,” said Asmus, who is now executive director of the Transatlantic Center in Brussels.
Hadley, in an interview, declined to comment directly on the substance of conversations among the principals but confirmed that there had been consideration — and dismissal — of the use of force.
"There was a discussion of, ‘Should we consider military action to achieve our objectives?’ and the view was that that was not an attractive option,” he said. "It was a long way away, and it would be a direct military confrontation with Russia.”
B.H. Obama would probably consider giving a really good speech regarding this issue.
In any international crisis various options are discussed including a military response. This is really a “nothing to see here, move on” moment...
Obama would have spent 3.5 months making a decision, then he would have wrote a strongly worded letter.
Probably just a standing contingency plan that was rejected.
He would travel to Moscow and bow to Putin and Medvedev.
Absolutely. This is just red meat for whacky leftists.
Also, while the same thing will happen during Obama's Administration, it will not be reported.
It might be reported but only to give the impression of Obama and his henchmen as thoughtful and tough.
No, Obammy’s first response would be to inquire if he could mobilize the National Guard in the bordering States along the I-95 corridor to get troops into Georgia faster...
It would have been very irresponsible to NOT consider military action in this case.
This just goes to show how dangerous lunatics as Mikheil Saakashvili really are, and why America should distance from him.
He's earned it. /s
Good one.
This is another good comment (posted under the original, linked article):
“#
When Biden was told of the Russo-Georgian problems, Old Joe craftily mentioned he never knew those two were enemies, but he wasn’t sure about Russia and Mississippi.
Posted By: J. Patrick Ryan | February 03, 2010 at 06:59 PM
Report Abuse”
LOL!:-)
Not even 0bama on crack would remotely consider it, as I trust Bush and team did not. Not seriously. I'm trying to be serious here, ok?
Thank you for enlightening me!
No they are not. Please do not lie.
60% of Abkhazians identify themselves as Christians, and only 16% as muslims
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abkhazia#Religion
I, Cheburashka, informed another poster that he was wrong when he said Georgia was a Moslem country. I said it was Christian, and in a later post he admitted I was right.
You must read more carefully.
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