REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA ONCE AGAIN THREATENING RUSSIANS IN SOUTH OSSETIA

The Republic of Georgia and its hot-head president Saakashvili are again threatening South Ossetia. The Ossetians claim that two mortars were fired by the Georgians into Ossetia. Saakashvili is a dangerous player in the region, and this is the same guy for whom Biden recently expressed effusive admiration. Does anybody in Washington know the real story?

Philip P. Pan reports for The Washington Post in tomorrow's edition:

"Russia accused Georgia on Saturday of firing mortars and grenades into South Ossetia and warned that it would defend the separatist territory with "all available forces and means" as tensions mounted ahead of the anniversary of last year's war.

"Georgia condemned Russia's assertion as "groundless and misleading," saying it was aimed at "further destabilizing the situation and causing the unfolding of a dangerous scenario of events.""

BUSH PLEDGES AMERICAN AID TO SAAKASHVILI OF 1 BILLION, EU KICKS IN ANOTHER 3 BILLION

The U.S. and the European Union have decided to pledge some 4.5 billion dollars to Georgia for aid in rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed in its foolish war with Russia this past August.

So it seems that if a former Soviet-bloc country starts a war with Russia and then gets trounced, it can rest assure that the Western World will bail it out and extend it aid. This seems a dangerous precedent and a moral hazard.

Furthermore, even though he ordered the war and the shelling of Russian civilians in South Ossetia, Georgian president Saakashvili receives praise from world leaders like Bush who have used him as a front man against Putin, Medvedev and Russia. Saakashvili has it made. Of the 4.5 billion in aid, how much do you think his cut will be?

Forget about Saakasvili's crackdown on Georgian newspapers and dissidents who wanted more freedom of the press and more democratic protections of civil rights. The world does not give a care about these things or lack of civil protections in Georgia, only that Saakashvili has provoked the great Russian bear.

One last point. How come there is no pledging of aid for the civilians in South Ossetia who were on the receiving end of Georgia's unprovoked shelling and lethal missiles?

OBAMA NEEDED MORE PREPARATION FOR DEBATE, ALWAYS ON DEFENSIVE, FAILS TO WHACK MC CAIN ON CIA TORTURE, GEORGIA OR WAR WITHOUT END

The New York Times reports in today's paper that after John McCain said that he was breaking off his campaign to return to D.C. for the bail-out talks and that he wanted to cancel last night's debate, Barack Obama too stopped preparing for the debate. Apparently, the Obama camp had set up an elaborate training site in Florida with stand-ins for the moderator Jim Lehrer and for McCain. Maybe this is what McCain's transparent ploy had in mind.

Obama last night seemed flat and not well-prepared. For example, he said nothing to contradict McCain's claim that he always opposed torture in interrogations even though McCain sided with Bush in voting to allow the CIA to continue that abominable practice.

Obama failed to point out that it was Georgia and Saakashvili who started the Russian/Georgian war by lobbing lethal shells and missiles at the mostly Russian civilian population in South Ossetia. And he stayed mute even when McCain derided him for saying at the beginning of the conflict that both sides need to exercise restraint.

Obama said nothing when McCain said he was naive for saying that he would have talks with world leaders such as Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (whose pronunciation McCain slaughtered along with Ahmadinejad of Iran) and Cuba's Raul Castro.

Obama was too laid back, too placid, too boring. I attribute all of these failings to his suspension of debate preparation. If I was a campaign adviser, I would read him the riot act.

GEORGIA & SAAKASHVILI START WAR, THEN GET BILLION DOLLARS FROM U.S. FOR RECONSTRUCTION

Now the United States rewards Georgia and Saakashvili by giving grants for reconstruction of infrastructure so Georgia can rebuild what was destroyed in the two-week war with Russia. What lessons should we learn from this?

For Georgia the lesson is clear: start a war of aggression against those in South Ossetia and Abhkazia who want independence. Send in the army, the tanks, the soldiers. Fire missiles and artillery at the civilian population to force them to give up claims of independence. Kill hundreds of civilians. Then claim victimhood after Russia enters the fighting and kicks your ass. Receive a reward from the U.S., get one billion from George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice in American money.

Something is wrong with the above story line.

WHAT BARACK OBAMA SHOULD SAY ABOUT CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA

Instead of repeating the Bush line that Russia is to blame for the recent outbreak of fighting between Russia and Georgia, I want to see Barack condemn Georgian president Saakhasvili for starting this whole mess by ordering Georgian tanks and war planes to shell and bomb civilians in South Ossetia.
Saakhasvili's initiation of this bloody conflict rates him on a par with Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Saakhasvili turns out to be another war criminal.
The people of South Ossetia don't want to belong to Georgia which insists on its "sovereignty" over them. Instead of Georgia killing them to force them to belong, how about a referendum?
This is what Barack should say. Not that Russia is to blame, or that Georgia is pursuing "democracy," so the Georgians must be right.
Forget about U.S. "interests" in the area. Do what is right for the people in South Ossetia being killed and bombed by the Georgians. Protect them from these crazy Georgian nationalists. If they want to secede and they vote and win, let them.

GEORGIA COMMITS WAR CRIMES BY BOMBING CIVILIANS IN SOUTH OSSETIA

An editorial in today's The Washington Post is about the outbreak of hostilities between Georgia and South Ossetia. The WashPo's editors seem to blame Russia for starting this bloody conflict. But wait. Anyone who has been watching BBC News knows that Georgia started the war by shelling civilians in South Ossetia and its principal city, Tskhavili.

And why did Georgia, led by its "democratic" president Mikheil Saakashvili, shell innocent civilians? Because many residents in South Ossetia want to belong to Russia, not Georgia. So Saakhashvili starts a war because he does not want South Ossetia to have its way and attach itself to Russia. Instead of shelling and bombing, Mr. Saakhasvili, how about calling for a referendum and then abiding by the vote of the people?

No wonder the Russians intervened in the conflict. Georgia was bombing and shelling civilians, a true war crime, if we need yet another example. Saakhashvili should be brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

And what about the biased and/or incomplete editorial in the WashPo? These guys are just following the Bush line which takes Georgia's side to counter what some think is inordinate Russian influence in South Ossetia.