U.S.: Tracking Russia-Georgia war frustrating

For me, this story merely reaffirms the Bush administration as a one-trick pony. The obvious lack of credible intelligence where Russia is concerned is troubling. This Georgian skirmish was almost five days old before our Intel got a grip on what was happening ~ and even then it appears that little of the Intel was considered reliable. While I agree McCain was reactionary and completely out of line in his direct involvement, that in no way lessens the concern that we are largely intelligence-deficient in areas of extreme strategic importance. This raises concerns that what we allegedly know about the entire Middle East may also be faulty and unreliable. We have traveled that road already and the results speak for themselves.

Billions of dollars spent reorganizing the Intellegence resources of the USA after 9.11 and we still can not find out who is shooting who?

Sounds like a majority of the press out there are pointing the finger at the Russians and it is confusing the heck out of me. I thought Georgia invaded them. If Georgia invaded Russia, shouldn't Russia be able to act aggressively towards Georgia?

Georgia thought it could run the Russians out of South Ossetia. They fired the first shot, attacking Russia's so called peacekeeping force. Sounds like a bad idea to me. Maybe Georgia does need new leadership? Very biased reporting on this. Russia was not doing anything the US would not have done.

Russian was justified in responding to an act of aggresioon on the Georgian's part. Spin it any way you want. Georgia needs new leadership that clown is gonna get them absorbed back into Russia.

You're kidding me!?!?! Are you telling me (and I was in Intel at one time) that, even in a supposedly friendly country, which is so poor that you can buy a boatload of informants for pocket change, that we have NO HUMINT capabilities there which could track this war? Are you telling me that, with a bunch of US Military advisors and trainers over there that we have NO local military eyes on events? Are you telling me that, in a small country, with barely a half a dozen roads suitable for pushing armor across country, that our satellites can't see a freakin' Soviet tank division? All those State Dept. types over there and not one attache' who can count Soviet forces as they roll past?

To those of my fellow Republicans who think that George W. Bush is a worthy successor to Ronald Reagan (or even to his own father), can you explain this incompetence and inattention? This is the same Administration, after all, which tracked Katrina for over a week before it hit New Orleans and which then claimed to have been "surprised"! Maybe McCain isn't your first choice, litmus test "conservative" but he sure as the dickens is a lot more "conservative" (and competent) than Bush-Lite. And yeah, for you Obama-ites, you're right, could your man be any less "prepared" for the job than the current Bozo in the White House? He'd have to be in a coma to do worse.

I love the way the left has gone immediately political on this. People, a great many of them non combatants are dying and we're using the issue to reinforce our views of the current administration.
Do you really believe what you read in the press that we have no idea of what is going on. Please, we, the US told Georgia not to invade South Ossetia. We knew what was going to happen before it happened, the problem is what response should the US and the world make.

What scares me and no one is mentioning it, is we have 100K plus troops as well as multiple squadrons of US fighters not 600 miles to the south of the conflict. Its a little place called Iraq. A fighter could be over the combat area in 30 minutes with weapons specifically designed for this type of warfare. With US troops performing "Humanitarian" missions in Georgia we need to be concerned about more than scoring political points.

Why is every one all of a sudden concerned with the lack of credible intelligence.... It's no big deal...
Come on you guys... it has not been that long since that very lack of credible intelligence convinced us of the idea that Iraq had weapons of Mass Destruction.... Same intelligence agency that told us that Bin Ladden was in bed with Sadam.... "God rest his soul" See... Nothing happened... Only 4,500 of us died... A few Iraqis perished here and there... i just don't get it with this fuss about "lack of credible intelligence..."

A couple of points, I am not going to hold this administration up as a beacon of hope for future, BUT,
expecting them to be able to stop another nation from doing something extremely stupid, "Russian roulette" is a great way of saying it, is going too far. The world is a complicated place and one can argue that the US has made it worse in some areas but I still believe our actions overall make it a better place, not worse. If you want a current example, the refusal of this administration to sell Israel more weapons last week does show an understanding of the geo political realities the sale would have caused.

One thing we Americans have a problem understanding is the rest of the world doesn't think like us or have our values. This area and the Middle East have had ethnic violence for longer than we have been a nation. Quite often when we stick our noses in the situation we do it with the American point of view and this is something we need to learn. What motivates an Americans thinking and values is not what motivates people in this part of the world. This is not a Republican or Democratic, its a blunder we all make. In the current situation Russia is using the pretense of violence to obtain a political and geographical reality they wish to have occur. My point after all this is what could we do in the "best of circumstances" to influence the situation in Georgia, short of deploying our assets in Turkey and Iraq? That is something any rational person would want to avoid. Remember people Putin has played games with democracy since he came to power, manipulating the system to remain in power after he left the presidency. Don't forget he's ex KGB for those of you old enough to remember the cold war I know he does.

As far as Israel bombing Jordan, I assume you meant Lebanon. I assure you the moment Hezbollah and Syria and Iran and Hamas stop attacking Israel they stop retaliating. I'm not a big fan of Israel and their actions but you have to admire their tenacity and ability to survive in the face of all these adversaries. Here's another issue created this time by the UN, carving out a nation for one people without taking into account another, this time the Palestinians, but what do you expect Israel to do roll over?

I AM NEITHER DEMOCAN OR REPUBLICRAT, BUT I DO WONDER IF THIS MAY BE LOGGED IN AS ANOTHER OF THE BUSH'S ABJECT FAILURES? HOW CAN THIS MAN LOOK INTO THE MIRROR TO SHAVE HIS UGLY PUSS? TO FAIL AT EVERYTHING YOU ATTEMPT, ALL YOUR LIFE WOULD GIVE AN INTELLIGENT MAN A SEVERE COMPLEX! THE STAGE IS BEING SET RIGHT NOW FOR THE BIG ONE, CAN ANYONE SAY"ARMAGEDDON"?

It's amazing how much complaining and saber rattling Bush is doing...that idiot we call "Our President" has done the same thing when he invaded Iraq. He stated, " this invasion was a surprize to his administration." That also shows Bush and the people he placed in key positions of the governmant have no idea how to use their Intel Assets...Morons.

Once again Bush and the Republican administration are clueless. Rice is babbling, nervously using goodspeak to try to pretend she knows what she is doing. So what the hell has happened to the national intelligence organizations this time? Is the problem that they are again telling Bush and Cheney and McCain things that they don't want to hear? Is the problem that they were trying yet another stupid neocon gambit in Georgia and screwed up again, so they really don't want anybody to know the truth (remember that they did this in Iraq, so there is a long track record).

Now they've signed the agreement with Poland to install anti-missile missiles, which they know would piss off the Russians and are still deluding themselves that there is a satisfactory probability that these systems will actually hit anything in a situation in which everything is not completely controlled. Ackkkk.

Maybe Congress should tie Bush up with impeachment proceedings that were filed by Rep. Dennis Kucinich so that Bush and Cheney stop causing more problems for the U.S. and the World.

The first lie - The Georgian government has been saying since beginning of August 2008 that the situation in South Ossetia is escalating and the Russian "peacekeepers" are staging provocations together with illegal armed forces of South Ossetian separatist regime. They started killing Georgian police officers and firing artillery shells at the Georgian villages located in South Ossetia, but the world was preoccupied with getting ready for the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympics.

When the Georgian government officials told the Europeans in Brussels that we were at the brink of war, the Europeans politely warned the Georgians not to use the word "war" in the city of Brussels, because they do not like the word "war." It seems that old Europe is getting older each day and with the age, because numerous warnings and cries by the Georgian officials fell on the deaf ears of old Europe. Never mind the fact that it took Hitler conquering Poland and Czechoslovakia, before the Western Europe realized this was a war.

And what about the Americans? The American society is in the midst of elections, the Democrats want to see Europe take more responsibility for security in Caucasus region, the Republicans are divided and worried about gay marriage and abortion rights… The friends of Georgia in new Europe are trying everything to force the old Europe take harsher approach towards Russia, but Europe is dependent on Russian natural gas and oil.

Giving up on a young democracy does not seem plausible for the Europeans, but the old Europe is scared of the new Russian bear. The new Russia is controlled by a xenophobic psychopath who has decided to break all the rules of the game, in order to change those rules. And the question comes: how can you stop a bully? Everyone can keep condemning the Russian government, but that paper will wind up in Putin's toilet again… The only way to stop a bully is bully up against the bully – simple rule of life.

With the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Russian government has proven the world that they will violate international laws whenever they feel like it and they will use aggression in the name of peace as they did in Prague 1968. If the world would not stand up for Georgia, who will be the next prey of the hungry Russian bear? Maybe Ukraine? Or Moldova? Or who knows… The Russian government is as unpredictable as the weather in England…

The Georgian people are united and stand united, we have survived the onslaught by Mongols, Persians, Arabs, Turk-Seljuks throughout the history and we have still survived and we are not scared of the Russian bear either.

Just last question to Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin, if you are so concerned about the freedom of small minorities, why not recognize the independence of Chechnya? Then Daghestan? Then Ingushetia? And then all the other autonomous republics where the citizens do not even speak Russian? Think about that at first and then lets discuss the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, after 300,000 Georgian refugees return to their own homes.

And to my fellow Abkhazian and South Ossetian brothers and sisters. Yes, there will be dancing and celebration in Sokhumi and Tskinvali, Yes you will be smiling and waving flags - Georgian flags of course….