Associated Press: CAUGHT IN THE CROSS HAIRS: A wounded Georgian woman lies in front of a building that was damaged by a Russian air strike Saturday in the northern Georgian town of Gori. (Picture 1 of 2)
Posted on 08/10/2008 7:58:33 AM PDT by ETL
Russia and Georgia appeared headed to a wider war Saturday, with Russia targeting military and civilian sites outside the conflict zone in the breakaway region of South Ossetia and rejecting an offer of a cease-fire from the government of Georgia.
The military action, which began Thursday when Georgian troops tried to retake control of South Ossetia, has left hundreds dead and sent hundreds of others fleeing from the area.
Georgian officials reported some 210 people dead and 400 wounded. Russian officials, who blamed Georgia for inflicting heavy causalities against Russian citizens in the breakaway South Ossetia enclave, put the death toll at 1,500.
Neither count could be independently confirmed.
Georgia's president, Mikhail Saakashvili, on Saturday issued a decree establishing martial law and putting Georgia in a state of war so that it could prepare for a full-scale Russian invasion. He has already summoned 2,000 soldiers home from Iraq, where they are fighting alongside coalition forces.
But Mr. Saakashvili also issued an urgent plea to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for a cease-fire and a call for international mediation of the crisis.
"We call on Russia to stop this madness immediately," he said. "I ask President Medvedev to cease fire and begin negotiations right away."
Russia's ambassador to NATO said Saturday his country is not at war with Georgia, but there would be no cease-fire until Georgian troops returned to positions they held before their South Ossetian offensive.
Dmitry Rogozin urged the Western alliance to stay out of the "limited" South Ossetia conflict and said Russia was there to protect its nationals.
"We do not consider ourselves in a state of war. We are just [keeping] the peace and helping our peacekeepers and the civilian population," he said.
Article: Russia broadens South Ossetia conflict [4-page article]:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/10/russia-broadens-south-ossetia-offensive/
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Look, the Olympics and Edwards affair are more important.
Stop interrupting
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia's Foreign Ministry says Georgian troops have begun observing a cease-fire in the breakaway province of South Ossetia and officials are ready to negotiate with Russia. The ex-Soviet state says troops have ceased fire on President Mikhail Saakashvili's orders.
I do rather wonder whether it isn’t time for President Bush to come home from watching the Beijing Olympics, and do something about this.
What we should do, I don’t know, after Bush signed on to clinton’s Yugoslav atrocity and gave Russia the perfect excuse of an independent Kosovo, against all the basic tenets of international law. (I mean real, traditional international law, as it has been recognized in the West for a thousand years, not the pale UN version.)
In a time of war, with a cowardly Russian assault against our ally Georgia, including bombing of civilians, shouldn’t the President return to the White House and do something?
Love it or hate it, you got to appreciate Russian “diplomacy” ...
Questions.
1. Has the Russian press declared it a Quagmire yet?
2. Have the peacenik Russians started chanting No Blood for Oil. Is Cindy Sheehan in a ditch in siberia somewhere protesting?
3. Did Sy Hersh see this coming and write about it? HA HA HA
/s
What do you suggest President Bush do? Send in American ground troops? Launch air attacks against the Russian positions? Bomb the Russian fleet in the Black Sea?
Where is Amnesty International’s condemnation of the Russian air force bombing runs on the civilian apartment buildings in Georgia? Only thing I hear from the peacenicks are the crickets chirping...
"The crisis was sparked earlier this week when Georgia sent troops into the breakaway province of South Ossetia to quell a Russian-backed separatist uprising."
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Russia-On-Verge-Of-All-Out-War-As-Troops-Clash-In-Georgias-South-Ossetia/Article/200808215074261?lpos=World%2BNews_4&lid=ARTICLE_15074261_Russia%2BOn%2BVerge%2BOf%2BAll-Out%2BWar%2BAs%2BTroops%2BClash%2BIn%2BGeo
Putin on "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century":
"World democratic opinion has yet to realize the alarming implications of President Vladimir Putin's State of the Union speech on April 25, 2005, in which he said that the collapse of the Soviet Union represented the 'greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.'
http://www.hooverdigest.org/053/beichman.html
From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
Russia, China flex muscles in joint war games
Reuters: Aug 17, 2007
CHEBARKUL, Russia (Reuters) - Russia and China staged their biggest joint exercises on Friday but denied this show of military prowess could lead to the formation of a counterweight to NATO.
"Today's exercises are another step towards strengthening the relations between our countries, a step towards strengthening international peace and security, and first and foremost, the security of our peoples," Putin said.
Fighter jets swooped overhead, commandos jumped from helicopters on to rooftops and the boom of artillery shells shook the firing range in Russia's Ural mountains as two of the largest armies in the world were put through their paces.
The exercises take place against a backdrop of mounting rivalry between the West, and Russia and China for influence over Central Asia, a strategic region that has huge oil, gas and mineral resources.
Russia's growing assertiveness is also causing jitters in the West. Putin announced at the firing range that Russia was resuming Soviet-era sorties by its strategic bomber aircraft near NATO airspace.
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29030120070817?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
U.S. Navy Intercepts Russian Bombers Flying Near Ships
Monday, February 11, 2008
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330362,00.html
From National Public Radio (NPR):
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764
From the Russian News and Information Agency:
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html
From WorldThreats.com:
"Chavez pledged that his country would 'stay by Iran at any time and under any condition,' state television reported. Ahmadinejad said he saw in Chavez a kindred spirit." "'We do not have any limitation in cooperation,' Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. 'Iran and Venezuela are next to each other and supporters of each other. Chavez is a source of a progressive and revolutionary current in South America and his stance in restricting imperialism is tangible.'":
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/29/world/main1847331.shtml
_____________________________________________________
"the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century"-Vladimir Putin (2005) on the so-called 'collapse' of the Evil Empire (formerly known as 'The Soviet Union')
_____________________________________________________
"'The Black Book of Communism,' a scholarly accounting of communism’s crimes, counts about 94 million murdered by the supposed champions of the common man (20 million for the Soviets alone), and some say that number is too low."
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmY0MjI1MDgyYjg1M2UwNDMzMTk2Mjk5YTk0ZTdlMWE=
I just read the history of Georgia and checked out the maps, Georgia and Azerbaijan stand between Russia and Iran, is there more to this than just Russia? Think Iran will get some target practice?
I wonder if the jocks flying out of Incirlik are starting to ponder "Ace" status...
Incirlik Air Base Units
39th Air Base Wing
39th Maintenance Group
39th Mission Support Group
39th Civil Engineer Squadron
39th Communications Squadron
39th Contracting Squadron
39th Logistics Readiness Squadron
39th Mission Support Squadron
39th Security Forces Squadron
39th Services Squadron
39th Comptroller Squadron
39th Medical Group
39th Operations Squadron
728th Air Mobility Squadron
Geographically Seperated Units
CAOCSIX
425th Air Base Group
425th Air Base Group Det. 1
Why? There will be no direct U.S. involvement in Georgia. No U.S. administration is going to place its forces into direct confrontation with Russian forces.
-- Senator John McCain 3/26/08
Russia broadens South Ossetia conflict
Georgian president pleads for 'madness' to stop:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/10/russia-broadens-south-ossetia-offensive/#
I have never trusted the Russkies, but we did stupidly play into their hands. The ineptitude in foreign policy of this administration is going to rank right up their with Carter's. While Carter was an isolationist, this neo-con wish to engage whomever whenever and wherever has left our military exhausted, our purse empty and the CinC's political capital pretty so spent that we're hard pressed to fight a battle really necessary to protect American interests.
LOL. Not a chance.
All three of the following are from the website of the Revolutionary Communist Party (rwor.org or revcom.us)...
"Create Public Opinion, Seize Power: We are preparing minds and organizing forces for the time when there is a major crack in the system, whenever it comes and wherever it comes from: an opening that makes it possible to bring the future Revolutionary Army of the Proletariat (R.A.P.) into the field and wage a revolutionary armed struggle that actually has a chance of winning. And we have said that building our party itself is the most important part of organizing forces for revolution. This is true now, and it is true looking forward to the creation of that future R.A.P. and the waging of that armed struggle.":
http://revcom.us/a/v20/1000-1009/1000/barw.htm
"Tearing Up the U.S. Paper Tiger in Korea: How 300,000 Chinese Troops Snuck into Korea and Kicked the Ass of the U.S. Armed Forces" RW #1059, June 18, 2000:
http://rwor.org/a/v22/1052-059/1059/korea.htm
Revolution interview with "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan: October 29, 2005:
('Revolution' is the newspaper of the Revolutionary Communist Party)
http://rwor.org/a/021/cindy-sheehan-interview.htm
Yep, you said it.
Russian:...”We do not consider ourselves in a state of war. We are just [keeping] the peace and helping our peacekeepers and the civilian population”
That was the clarion call for every Soviet aggression in the Cold War. We are here to give you peace with a boot on your throat rifle at your head and a tank barrel on your city.
As I said, I don’t know. And after he signed onto the illegal separation of Kosovo from Serbia, it’s hard for him to say that South Ossetia has no right to break away from Georgia.
Hopefully Bush is at least working the wires in the back room.
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