Just in case you needed an after-the-fact reason to be glad we're not talking about President-elect McCain:
TBILISI, Georgia — Newly available accounts by independent military observers of the beginning of the war between Georgia and Russia this summer call into question the longstanding Georgian assertion that it was acting defensively against separatist and Russian aggression.
Instead, the accounts suggest that Georgia’s inexperienced military attacked the isolated separatist capital of Tskhinvali on Aug. 7 with indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire, exposing civilians, Russian peacekeepers and unarmed monitors to harm.
That's not to say that Russia and the scarily undemocratic Vladimir Putin shouldn't be watched with a jaundiced eye, but McCain's "Today we are all Georgians" bravado -- without knowing the facts on the ground -- is the dangerous shoot-first, ask-questions-later style he would have brought to the Oval Office. Thank God he isn't.
It had been rumored, but I don't think it was very firm, I guess in the fog of the battle. Both sides blamed the other, so I guess it was a little uncertain.— SteveMG- It's going to be a long 4 years if Will continues to gloat instead of focusing on more immediate issues like what's going on in Philly.— AngryWhiteMale
Indiscriminate attack? Not knowing the facts on the ground? Exposing civilians to harm? I'd say we've been Georgians since long before Georgians were Georgians.- AngryWhiteMale in the wilderness. The saga continues...
None of what McCain said matters. What matters is what President Obama is going to do about the Russia/Georgia crisis. So far we don't know.— jmc- "So far we don't know." . . . What do you think he should do, jmc?
- MSL, yes, the wilderness is beautiful place (I expect you would know, unless your name is a sham). I may become a Happy White Hunter. Sort of like being a Mountaineer.— AngryWhiteMale
Comment removed.- AWM, keep your powder dry, sun at your back, and wind in your face. Happy Huntin!
- Montani, jmc doesn't know what Obama ought to do if he were President, which he isn't yet. jmc is used to being told what he thinks by his talking point masters, which is why he and his ilk (Tom comes to mind) keep asking here to be told what they should think.— yoda
- Exactly who are "independent military observers"?— legatus
- So you're back to citing the NY Times, Will? The same NY Times that was the home of Walter Duranty? The same NY Times you said got things all wrong in the run-up to the Iraq War? I guess it was just coincidence that the Russians had a full-fledged invasion force ready to roll into South Ossetia and Georgia within hours of the Georgian offensive.— db_cooper
- "exactly who are "independent military observers"?" Anyone telling the NY Times what it wants to hear.— db_cooper
- Comment removed.
- "What do you think he should do, jmc?" Best thing the US can do is work to keep oil prices low - that is the most effective geopolitical weapon against Putin AND A-jad in Iran. I've cut my own person gasoline consumption by about 90 percent to help in that regard. Obama should ask Congress to prevent commodity speculative bubbles like we saw this year, encourage personal conservation, push increased oil exploration here, work with Iraq in boosting their oil production, and also the development of coal gasification until such times that alternative fuels can become viable. Unfortunately, I think he will only do two of the five. Our military options are rather limited, given that Georgia would be almost impossible to defend against Russia. Best thing would be to set up Georgia to be unpleasant for Russia to digest if it does invade further.— db_cooper
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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