US Tweedle dee & Tweedle dum in Georgia

Herr Bush's administration is guided by hawks and born again moderates. On one side the vice president Dick Cheney & gang of thugs and on the other a more hard nosed but realistic Condoleeza Rice. We can see the tug of war between the two in today's Georgia. President Saakashivile took the bold and some would say provocative and dangerous step of sending troops into the breakaway province of South Ossetia. His move brought him defeat and Russian troops not only on his doorstep but into the heart of Georgia itself. It is an open secret that Herr Bush has encouraged Saakashivili to taunt the Russian bear by sending in US military advisers and material, and sending up a red flag by expressing a desire for membership in NATO. Although there has been a running dog and cat fight between Moscow and Tiblisi for years, a status quo obtained nonetheless. Saakashivili upset the applecart with the results we know today. Condi Rice sternly warned Medvedev and Putin that Washington will not standby as she sees a replay of the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. She's using the wrong example. It's more a replay of Hungary in 1956. Then president Eisenhower & his cold warriors hurrahed and egged on the 'freedom fighters' as they were called, but he did sat on the sidelines and let the Russian troops crush the uprising. Now, Herr Bush is doing the same or almost. No US troops will intervene; sanctions against Russia will be applied for sure; Gates, the US war secretary announced, no troops will be sent to Georgia, only humanitarian and military aid. And as a result we see another wall of Washington's forward policy collapse. Russian has reasserted its historical rights in the Caucasus and by the stupidity of Saakashivili and his American manipulators a la neocons. Georgia is paying a huge price for its 'war'. Saakashivili says Sarkozy's agreement with Moscow to end hostilities and with Russian troops from Georgia is his Munich. A false analogy and once again shows the naivete and wet behind the ears bluster of his. Now, Rice to snatch a modicum of 'victory' from this bad Russian drubbing is flying to Tiblisi to read Saakashivili the riot act; to twist his arm sharply; and to have him sign the Sarkozy agreement thereby ending the war. Has he learnt his lesson? That depends on how you read this sorry story.