Down with Russia

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What was Russia thinking? That it can get away by waging an illegitimate war on a country so weak by comparison, acting unilaterally without a UN mandate, causing hundreds of civilian causalities, supporting a faction loyal to it and trying to bring about regime change?

And who does Putin think he is - George W. Bush?


I fully agree with John McCain that Russia should be thrown out of the G-8, and the 3 battalions he wanted to send to Afghanistan should be diverted to Georgia.

As our ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said, "The days of overthrowing leaders by military means in Europe -- those days are gone," since we are now in the "21st century".

At an emergency session of the United Nations' Security Council, the U.S. alleged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili "must go." Mr. Khlilzad added: "This is completely unacceptable and crosses a line," since Georgia is a sovereign country, and toppling an existing government is a big no-no (in Europe in the 21st century).

President Bush had this to say: "Russia has sought to integrate into the diplomatic, political, economic, and security structures of the 21st century. The United States has supported those efforts. Now Russia is putting its aspirations at risk by taking actions in Georgia that are inconsistent with the principles of those institutions."

Meanwhile, Mr. Bush postponed his summer vacation at his Texas ranch because of the crisis in Georgia by a day. It is evident that this is not a very earth-shattering event; Ms. Rice did not feel it was important to interrupt her holidays to fly to Tbilisi in support of the Georgian government.

However, Ms. Rice is now on her way to Tbilisi. She said that "We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia", failing which, it will "deepen the isolation into which Russia is moving".

The United States is now seeking to win backing for a strongly worded UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

We have always believed only in actions backed by the UN.