<p>"Speaking to reporters about the situation in Georgia, Sen. John McCain denounced the aggressive posture of Russia by claiming that:“in the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations.”</p>
<p>I’m waiting for the big transport planes to deliver supplies for the five million homeless refugees the American occupying forces have created.</p>
<p>Despicable. (or maybe he simply didn’t remember…)</p>
<p>I am not sure what to think of all of this. I feel very sad for my countries-and that is pretty much the only thing I am positive about. I was born in Telavi Georgia and and lived there for a couple years, then moved to Tbilisi Russia and lived there and then was adopted to the US. So I have a place in my heart for both countries. But I DO NOT think it is ok for either country to attack the other. It is just so sad. Who knows.</p>
<p>zoosermom:</p>
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<p>What do you think about the Iraq war then? Do you not see how the U.S. does not have the moral authority to argue this point with Russia? We did something even worse.</p>
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<p>I think we can and should assign blame to those who are at fault while addressing the threat.</p>
<p>Not only did Bush’s invading Iraq set a horrible precedent, it helped to significantly drive up energy prices and as a result it has made Russia significantly wealthier and enabled the country to reinvest in its military.</p>
<p>Grown people don’t need to “assign blame” they assess circumstances and make the best arrangements possible. That comment just shows the mindset that you have but makes clear that people with that mindset must never be in a position to affect policy.</p>
<p>zoosermom:</p>
<p>I guess that means “grown people” don’t need to be held accountable for their actions then either.</p>
<p>Two separate issues, nations, regions of the world, NewJack. That’s my point of contention with you “Yeah, but Bush started it” and “He did it first.”</p>
<p>So juvenile about something so serious.</p>
<p>When it comes to the U.S., the issues are not at all separate. And McCain recognizes that fully when he says, “in the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations.”</p>
<p>[Who</a> got Georgia into this? - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks14-2008aug14,0,289750.column]Who”>Who got Georgia into this?)</p>
<p>We all have Georgian lobbyists on our payroll. I guess that makes us all Georgians (except for those of us from Alabama).</p>
<p>zoosermom:</p>
<p>If I am being “juvenile,” you’re being naive.</p>
<p>According to your reasoning, invading a country is deemed acceptable based on where it is located.</p>
<p>No, NewJack, I didn’t say that. Do NOT put words in my posts.</p>
<p>What I said was that your approach and line of reasoning was juvenile and dangerous.</p>
<p>Saakashvili is an authoritarian demagogue elected on a nationalist platform of a greater Georgia, ala Milosevic in Serbia. He always knew that the only option of ever reuniting Abkhasia and South Ossetia to Georgia was by force as not a single inhabitant in these regions would ever have joined Georgia willingly. He thought he could take a shot assuming US support and failed. </p>
<p>He has now reduced to nil the chances of Georgia ever joining NATO, as no country except the US is going to be willing to support such a reckless fool. Russia will not leave him with as much as a slingshot to ever threaten anybody again. His chances of reelection are slim as his popularity among average Georgians has never been high. He may eventually find his way to the Hague after the details of the indiscriminate bombing of Tskhinvali become clear. Make room Karadzic!</p>
<p>“Saakashvili is an authoritarian demagogue elected on a nationalist platform of a greater Georgia, ala Milosevic in Serbia.”</p>
<p>Good Republican bedfellow.</p>
<p>I am not trying to defend Georgia, it was a dumb decision on Saakashvili’s part, but granting the population of the South Osetia Russian citizenship was not exactly a "by the rules " move. It’s not that easy to get a citizenship,the same osetins in Russia proper would most probably be denied one, but as long as they stay where they are…just using people as pawns, politics.</p>
<p>Perhaps off topic (or too literally on topic), but I thought it was odd that McCain delcared “We are all Georgians” after many anti-Obama commentators blasted Obama for saying in Berlin that not only is he a citizen of the U.S. he also is a “citizen of the world.”</p>
<p>The line was probably given to him by his top foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann, who was earning his $290,000 from a foreign power in order to do it.</p>
<p>All in a day’s work.</p>
<p>(It’s just what happens when you have no policies of your own independent of those written on your cue cards by Washington lobbyists.)</p>
<p>Some interesting background information on the Georgian president:</p>
<p>[Columbia</a> Law : Mikheil Saakashvili 1994](<a href=“http://www.law.columbia.edu/intl/intl_students/m_saakashvili]Columbia”>http://www.law.columbia.edu/intl/intl_students/m_saakashvili)</p>
<p>Hmm when he went he was just the right age to be of the CC demographic, though in the wrong era.</p>