The Russians have pretty clearly stated their position on the former "member" of the Soviet Union
Russia's foreign minister declared Thursday that the world "can forget about" Georgia's territorial integrity, and American and Georgian officials said Russia appeared to be targeting military infrastructure — including radars and patrol boats at a Black Sea naval base and oil hub.
I have for a long time now pointed out that Russia is not our friend. (See this and this too.)
So has John McCain
The intensifying warfare in the former Soviet republic of Georgia has put a new focus on the increasingly hard line that Senator John McCain has taken against Russia in recent years, with stances that have often gone well beyond those of the Bush administration and its focus on engagement.
Mr. McCain has called for expelling what he has called a “revanchist Russia” from meetings of the Group of 8, the organization of leading industrialized nations. He urged President Bush — in vain — to boycott the group’s meeting in St. Petersburg in 2006. And he has often mocked the president’s assertion that he got a sense of the soul of Vladimir V. Putin, who was then Russia’s president and is now its prime minister, by looking into his eyes. “I looked into his eyes,” Mr. McCain said, “and saw three letters: a K, a G and a B.”
The current situation in Georgia has to be dealt with strongly, not with equivocation.
It took first-term Sen. Barack Obama three tries to get it right. Headed for a vacation in Hawaii, the presumed Democratic candidate for commander in chief issued an even-handed statement, urging restraint by both sides. Later Friday, he again called for mutual restraint but blamed Russia for the fighting. The next day his language finally caught up with toughness of McCain's.
Making matters worse, Obama's staff focused on a McCain aide who had served as a lobbyist for Georgia, charging it showed McCain was "ensconced in a lobbyist culture." Obama's campaign came off as injecting petty partisan politics into an international crisis. This was not a serious response on behalf a man who aspires to be the leader of the Free World. After all, what's so bad about representing a small former Soviet republic struggling to remake itself as a Western-style democracy?
A few days ago, the Obama campaign took McCain to task for talking tough on Russia. Susan Rice, the Obama campaign's foreign policy advisor said
"John McCain shot from the hip, [with a] very aggressive, very belligerent statement," she said. "He may or may not have complicated the situation."
More belligerent than Russia bombing facilities in Georgia? More belligerent than Russia saying that everyone can just forget about Georgia's territorial integrity?
So how is One to deal with such aggression?
In a statement issued on August 9th, Obama said
“Over the last two days, Russia has escalated the crisis in Georgia through its clear and continued violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Friday, Aug. 8, Russian military forces invaded Georgia. I condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire. Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia. Both sides should allow humanitarian assistance to reach civilians in need. Russia also must end its cyber war against Georgian government websites. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected.
But talk is cheap, and an Obama Presidency would be a cheap executive
“As I have said for many months, aggressive diplomatic action must be taken to reach a political resolution to this crisis, and to assure that Georgia’s sovereignty is protected.
I wonder if Russia's statement about people forgetting about Georgia's territorial integrity was a direct rebut of Obama's statement.
Bush has sent Secretary Rice into the hot zone along with military flights to bring aid. And we are not asking Russia for permission to enter their airspace to do these things.
This is the danger point.
We have stated we do not want to directly engage Russia in a shooting war, and Russia has condemned our aiding Georgia.
Bush is daring Russia to attack the US contingent.
Russia's bet is that the world too desperately needs their oil to piss them off. Russia is betting that the world will not interfere militarily with their adventure in Georgia.
And they are probably right on that.
But the game will change if any US airship is attacked.
Do you think we will stand down if either Rice or the humanitarian aid we are bringing are in anyway attacked?
Forget about it.
UPDATE: New York Times: McCain Displays Credentials as Obama Relaxes
Meanwhile, Russia threatens Poland
Western leaders engaged in intense diplomacy Friday to persuade Russia to pull troops out, but regional tensions soared after a top Russian general warned that Poland could face attack over its missile defense deal with the United States....
As the West pressed for peace, Russian Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn was quoted by Interfax News Agency on Friday as saying that by accepting a U.S. missile defense battery Poland "is exposing itself to a strike."
He pointed out that Russian military doctrine permits the use of nuclear weapons "against the allies of countries having nuclear weapons if they in some way help them," Interfax reported.
