The article is a good summary. So how do we get Charles Gibson to read it?
Posted by DeanOR at September 11, 2008 07:07 PMto media hacks, it's much easier to just dumb it down to big bad russia invading poor innocent little georgia.
Posted by Turkana at September 11, 2008 07:11 PMIt's a great piece, and I strongly recommend Friedman's first book. The essential element for Democrats to drive home, perhaps for Biden to do in his debate with Bambi, is to tell voters that Putin couldn't have done what he did without GOP mistakes.
Posted by Steve Soto at September 11, 2008 07:32 PMCondi Rice: Yet another gift from the White House screw-up squad.
Posted by idiosynchronic at September 11, 2008 08:21 PMYou know, honestly, I'm kind of getting bored with Palin. It was really interesting for the first week. But, I'm over it. I think we need to pressure the media to get her on the record on abortion, sex ed, religion, Alaskan independence, and her corruption problems. But, I think we need to get back to McCain. Also, I think one way Obama could really go back on the offense is to announce his proposed cabinet. And, guess what, make Hillary Clinton Secretary of State. She'd be great for this job! Also, pick Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. A great Republican who can trump McCain's bipartisan message. Maybe pick Richard Luger for another position. Form up a dream team. McCain won't be able to counter this, because his choices would be a bunch of partisan retred, reruns or one might be Joe Lieberman. But, nobody likes Joe. The Dems don't respect him and the Repubs rejected him for VP. I think it would really energize the discourse.
Posted by Joe B at September 11, 2008 08:27 PMIt wasn't GOP mistakes. This was an intentional war, designed for Georgia to invade South Ossetia then lose. Saakashvili was trained in the U.S. through the State Department under the "Freedom Support Act". He went back to Georgia, slipped the shiv to Shevardnaze, and once he was in power began getting loads of military aid and training from the U.S. and Israel.
Why would Georgia expand its military budget by 44 times the budget previous to Saakashvili's ascendancy? To attack Turkey? To attack Armenia? Azerbaijan?
The purpose of the militarization of Georgia was to start a war in South Ossetia to which Russia would have to respond.
Why?
Well, wars these days always seem to favor Republicans. Putin was on to something suggesting that one of the candidates would gain political benefit. Isn't one of McCain's team Georgia's lobbyist?
Then there's the overall benefit for the military-industrial complex. Even if Obama wins and withdraws from Iraq, there's still money to be made from the next Cold War. Fear sells the military.
Finally, someone in power in our country will have to admit to the American public that the war in Afghanistan isn't about catching Osama, or bringing democracy to people who'd just as soon we stop bombing their weddings. No, the real reason why our troops are in Afghanistan has to do with the oil to the north and the pipeline that's being constructed across that country to the Indian Ocean. To have a Russian attack near the pipeline running through Georgia will serve to justify the pipeline being built.
There you go. Three reasons have a little war. Point being, whether Palin knows it or not, this isn't about Georgia at all. It's about creating reasons for other things.
Posted by Bob In Pacifica at September 11, 2008 08:35 PMThanks for the article Turkana.
Bob in Pacifica has a valid point...there was no intention of Georgia to win....if it had been, US and Israeli advisors would have had Georgia take out the Roki Tunnel. In fact this tunnel was a base cause of the troubles from its inception.
Although the Russians were quick to capitalize on Saakashvili's incompetence, the fact that the Russian military was able to flow freely through the tunnel, sealed the fate of Georgia from the outset.
As for Randy Shueneman (Isn't one of McCain's team Georgia's lobbyist?)....typically he had a hand in the shenanigans, but really this missile defence bullshit and the hasty acceptance of Kosovo independence were the fuel for this conflict...the GOP simply lent more of its misguided war mongering philosophy to exaccerbate a volatile situation...as for Moosebreath...no clue.
Posted by Goyo at September 11, 2008 09:01 PMHe spends a lot of time claiming Russia thought this and Russia believed that, but it's a) unsupported mindreading of b) dubious merit and c) irrelevant. Also the stuff about Kosovo is just a lie.
Posted by rilkefan at September 11, 2008 11:04 PMSarah Palin didn't say anything that Joe Biden, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, didn't already say.
Biden completely agrees with rushing Georgia & Ukraine into NATO.
In fact, Biden wants to rush legislation through to send a BILLION DOLLARS to Georgia to rebuild their military at our expense.
So, where's the beef?
Posted by Mary at September 12, 2008 10:27 AM