The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming.

[oraldude55]

John McCain and his side kick Joe Lieberman said they were going to fight the russians for invading Georgia. They called George Wrong at the white house for directions. When their plane landed they got their guns out and left the plane only to find out they were in Atlanta Georgia.

 

[2322]

No surprise there:

WASHINGTON - John McCain's chief foreign policy adviser and his business partner lobbied the senator or his staff on 49 occasions in a 3 1/2-year span while being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the government of the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

The payments raise ethical questions about the intersection of Randy Scheunemann's personal financial interests and his advice to the Republican presidential candidate who is seizing on Russian aggression in Georgia as a campaign issue.

McCain warned Russian leaders Tuesday that their assault in Georgia risks "the benefits they enjoy from being part of the civilized world."

On April 17, a month and a half after Scheunemann stopped working for Georgia, his partner signed a $200,000 agreement with the Georgian government. The deal added to an arrangement that brought in more than $800,000 to the two-man firm from 2004 to mid-2007. For the duration of the campaign, Scheunemann is taking a leave of absence from the firm. -AP

 

[Calboner]

The Russians are comming, The Russians are comming.

"Comming"?

 

[transformer_99]

I don't know how this works for Obama, the reality is that Russia has stood down in a truce and that was with Bush and Rice handling it. Granted it's not a withdrawal at this point, but at least it's a cease fire. Like I said, don't know whether Obama or any other Democrat for that matter gets those results other than Bill Clinton, surely not Jimmy Carter ?

 

[D_Davy_Downspout]

I don't know how this works for Obama, the reality is that Russia has stood down in a truce and that was with Bush and Rice handling it. Granted it's not a withdrawal at this point, but at least it's a cease fire. Like I said, don't know whether Obama or any other Democrat for that matter gets those results other than Bill Clinton, surely not Jimmy Carter ?

What are you talking about? This barely makes sense. What does Obama, Clinton, or Carter have to do with it?

Not to mention, Russia broke that truce and both sides know we're not going to do anything but offer aid. Georgia was retarded for thinking the Russians wouldn't put them down hard because of the Olympics.

 

[uncut1234]

ww3 ... here we come

 

[bobabooey69]

John McCain and his side kick Joe Lieberman said they were going to fight the russians for invading Georgia. They called George Wrong at the white house for directions. When their plane landed they got their guns out and left the plane only to find out they were in Atlanta Georgia.

Awesome!

 

[D_Davy_Downspout]

The Russians aren't coming, they're just breathing hard.

 

[transformer_99]

What are you talking about? This barely makes sense. What does Obama, Clinton, or Carter have to do with it?

Not to mention, Russia broke that truce and both sides know we're not going to do anything but offer aid. Georgia was retarded for thinking the Russians wouldn't put them down hard because of the Olympics.

It's an election year in the USA isn't it ? What was the 2004 election mostly about ? I know it sounds selfish to be concerned with the ramifications from the US perspective, but there's little that can be done about USSR & Georgia. Although not quite as volatile or covered by the media as the Middle East (Israel vs others) is, it's something that is similarly cyclical.

 

[Deno]

John McCain and his side kick Joe Lieberman said they were going to fight the russians for invading Georgia. They called George Wrong at the white house for directions. When their plane landed they got their guns out and left the plane only to find out they were in Atlanta Georgia.

stupid joke, I never heard that one before. I'd say you are confused

 

[Deno]

Its not even clear that this guy being a lobbist for Georgia is wrong. He didn't do it as an employee of McCain. THis is still being debated by those paid to do so.

 

[Notaguru2]

Thanks to Bush, McCain and Lieberman... that start of the 2nd cold war has begun. Way to go fuck-tards. See what "experience" gets us? Is it November yet????

 

[Jason]

Thanks to Bush, McCain and Lieberman... that start of the 2nd cold war has begun. Way to go fuck-tards. See what "experience" gets us? Is it November yet????

Thanks to Putin and Medvedev the whole world has become a more dangerous place - the term "cold peace" seems as good as any for the new reality.

Thanks to Bush, Rice, Sarkozy and even Saakashvili there is hope for a withdrawal of the Russian army of occupation from Georgia.

Russia has invaded a sovereign state in a breach of international law and punished it by an occupation which has destroyed much of its transport infrastructure, its military structures, and may still topple its democratically elected government. Whatever wrong action might have been committed by Georgia this response is wholly disproportionate and an act of barbarism.

In the face of this Bush and Rice have presented a strong diplomatic view, Sarkozy has come up with a cease fire agreement, and Saakashvili has led his nation in the face of an invasion. Whatever any of us think about their politics in the context of Georgia these are the good guys.

 

[transformer_99]

Russia has invaded a sovereign state in a breach of international law and punished it by an occupation which has destroyed much of its transport infrastructure, its military structures, and may still topple its democratically elected government. Whatever wrong action might have been committed by Georgia this response is wholly disproportionate and an act of barbarism.

So be it ! A democracy rides on capitalism even if it is as fragile as Georgia's is. There was risk and reward in that. Georgia chose to wrong South Ossetia. They weighed the risk and reward of it and now they regret that the reward was in reality a loss and results in a punishment. Irresponsible leadership in Georgia has brought the wrath of Russia upon itself. Russia had no designs on Georgia nor South Ossetia, that is until Georgia perpetrated it's acts of aggression on South Ossetia.

Excite News - Russia says Georgia pullout to begin Monday

War is never proportionate. And the pissant little nation that has the audacity to provoke the Big Dogs can't get away with it and cower at the USA's left leg when a big dog like Russia puts the hammer down on them and gives them a dose of what they were doling out to South Ossetia. Sometimes your opponent believes in ten-fold, that is whatever you deliver, they give you back ten-fold. Georgia in my opinion should get as good as they give. Russia has every right to occupy and fortify positions in South Ossetia upon pulling out of Georgia. Georgia should not bemoan the response to their aggressions. They had their asses handed to them and rightfully so. The leadership of Georgia put their civilians at risk, that falls on Georgia too, not Russia. Maybe in the next election that gets reflected in the vote ?

 

[Jason]

So be it ! A democracy rides on capitalism even if it is as fragile as Georgia's is. There was risk and reward in that. Georgia chose to wrong South Ossetia. They weighed the risk and reward of it and now they regret that the reward was in reality a loss and results in a punishment. Irresponsible leadership in Georgia has brought the wrath of Russia upon itself. Russia had no designs on Georgia nor South Ossetia, that is until Georgia perpetrated it's acts of aggression on South Ossetia.

Excite News - Russia says Georgia pullout to begin Monday

War is never proportionate. And the pissant little nation that has the audacity to provoke the Big Dogs can't get away with it and cower at the USA's left leg when a big dog like Russia puts the hammer down on them and gives them a dose of what they were doling out to South Ossetia. Sometimes your opponent believes in ten-fold, that is whatever you deliver, they give you back ten-fold. Georgia in my opinion should get as good as they give. Russia has every right to occupy and fortify positions in South Ossetia upon pulling out of Georgia. Georgia should not bemoan the response to their aggressions. They had their asses handed to them and rightfully so. The leadership of Georgia put their civilians at risk, that falls on Georgia too, not Russia. Maybe in the next election that gets reflected in the vote ?

It is comfortable to see the South Ossetians as some plucky little nation sandwiched between two bigger nations and attacked by the Georgians. This isn't true. South Ossetia is not and never can be a nation - there are not enough of them, they are sandwiched between two other nations, parallels with micro-states in Europe or island states just don't work. Options are that they are a part of Georgia (the position in international law), or a part of Russia - this latter an outcome so dangerous to the region that it must never be allowed to happen. Of course the rights of the people of South Ossetia must be looked after - just as the South Ossetian terrorists, criminals and smugglers should be locked up. Abkhazia is more complex, but it is South Ossetia that is the big problem right now.

Russia has not pulled back from Georgia despite its statements that it is doing just this. It has stated that the cease-fire specified no timetable - true, but delay is not in the spirit of the agreement. It has stated that it will require "buffer zones" around South Ossetia and Abkhazia, something which is not in the treaty. It has caused serious damage to the infrastructure of Georgia with enormous numbers of Georgians now refugees - as well as South Ossetians. In Poti the Russian army is permitting the rape of Georgian women by Russian soldiers and the looting of Georgian banks by Russian commanders. This is barbarism.

Russia is testing the west. It has found a new style of war, where the US and Europe decide they are too thinly stretched to intervene, and anyway Russia has the nuclear bomb so we won't do anything. It is directly threatening the Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The timetable for the next invasion is Aug-Oct 2009, with a fall-back position of Christmas 2009. Russia has got away with an invasion, occupation and punishment of a free democracy. Right now its soldiers are raping the women of the occupied nation. This is barbarism from the middle ages.

 

[faceking]

Get ready ... for a SHITLOAD of posts regarding Russia circa 5 months from now.

I'm VERY curious how "negotiations" are going to work with a body that WON'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE BARRAH OBAMA....

Maybe that's the US' responsiblity. Let Russia just shoot a head-to-toilet video on neighboring nations, while we say "bad boy... no Rocco behavior is good". And they, like China on alleged global warming, give us and the softi European nations the middle finger... and say... so fucking what, mate mate, what's it to you?

 

[faceking]

Thanks to Bush, McCain and Lieberman... that start of the 2nd cold war has begun. Way to go fuck-tards. See what "experience" gets us? Is it November yet????

Dumber than a bag o' hammers. Seriously/literally.

 

[houtx48]

Russia has invaded a sovereign state in a breach of international law and punished it by an occupation which has destroyed much of its transport infrastructure, its military structures, and may still topple its democratically elected government. Whatever wrong action might have been committed by Georgia this response is wholly disproportionate and an act of barbarism......................................any thing like IRAQ?

 

[Elmer Gantry]

And the USA paid for an election to be won and has been building a "missile defense sheild" that looks awfully offensive to some.

Two sides to every coin.

 

[Jason]

This is an old thread that has come back to life, but interesting to see the position now.

We still await proper international assessment of what each side did and didn't do, though as pointed out above there are "two sides to every coin". Right now we have continued Russian occupation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in beach of international law. More than half of the population of each of these territories are now refugees, and any concept of valid self-determination by the people who happen to remain cannot be justfied. Both territories are exporting crime and terrorism, destabilising Georgia and potentially other countries. At this moment Russia is in illegal occupation of two territories against the wish of the majority of people who used to live there, against international law, and Russia is supporting criminal and terrorist gangster "regimes" in these territories.

Russian threats to put nuclear missiles in Kaliningrad were made on the day Obama was elected and can reasonably be interpreted as a challenge to Obama. Kalingrad is Russian territory (a legacy of the Soviet take-over of part of the old German territory of East Prussia, when Kaliningrad was added directly to Russia) but it has no land or sea frontier with Russia or its ally Belarus. Nuclear missiles there are a direct threat to Western Europe. Additionally the only way you can realistically get them there and service the military infrastructure around them is by rail. Russia's challenge to Obama is that it is threatening to take nuclear missiles targetted on NATO countries through the territory of NATO member Lithuania (and indeed through its capital Vilnius). This is a direct threat to NATO and indeed to the EU. I cannot see how the NATO alliance could stand by and see this happen, but if Russia does send its military convoys through Lithuania what is America prepared to do about it? Some European countries would act, but Russia seems to be gambling that America will not support Lithuania, and without American support there is a problem.

Lithuania has a substantial Russian minority. Russia has claimed that it will support Russians living outside the borders of Russia. Russia is busy fermenting discontent among the Russian community in Lithuania, just as it did in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia is taking on America and Obama. Russia believes it can get away with it.