Ceasefire, Georgia;.... and as today goes on we may see more response to that report on the ground, but according to Mick Ware, don't be so sure. Ware, reporting as usual for CNN, after his fantastic reporting in Iraq, is once again on the front lines, this time in Georgia: that fly swat, fool hardy, leap towards democracy, (the fools being anyone that believes Bush's swagger and promises of support in this when we can barely hold our-own-selves up militarily or diplomatically.)
Yesterday, Ware appeared on the front lines of this war, which appear different than what we are used to seeing of war front lines, reporting that Russian forces have cut off the main access points for humanitarian aide; access points that our boy Bush has warned them again and again to keep open....not that Russia's mini-me President, Medvedev, the mouthpiece of Vlad (whose trusty, soulful eyes have held Bush enthralled for years,) is taking advice from Bush, or is in any way swayed by America's maimed diplomatic powers, or even the threat of an impending return to the Cold War. It all appears pretty calm except for the occasional flare here and there of violence. Of course the Russians are in control here and only real diplomacy and pressure from NATO will make any sort of stand down real.
Bush, on his way to that tumble weed vacation-land, again spoke of freedom, US support, and how the use of this kind of force is unacceptable in the 21st Century...yeah...uh-huh.... As Jill Brilliant would say, "pot, meet kettle." The US may be sending some food, but it seems that the rest of our support amounts to empty promises of an army spread too thin, and a lame duck that no one takes seriously anymore; The US Navy? Where? Not so much...sorry for the false alarm!....Off to clear some brush! Hi-ho! By the end of his time in office, Bush will have spent 499 days on vacation, give or take the few days that he has cut in order to egg on the break-away republic's war, and run the other wars that hes got going, into the ground. He is not much for cutting vacations short, as we learned during Hurricane Katrina.
If Bush in any way grasped the seriousness of his lack of diplomatic prowess and the rumblings of another cold war heading this way, he would surely stay at his post. But, just like everything else, he shows his lack of concern and interest, much less focus, by picking up that damned stiff, expressionless dog and heading down towards hell-country to bake his brain clearing brush or whatever it is he does down there.
Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, (who appears in producer Lauren's pretty damned funny of you're a politic's geek, McCain Mispronunciation Guide, reposted on Seder's blog here,) yesterday spoke at a podium next to Condeleeza Rice at a different podium, about this conflict being about "looking evil in the eye...", which brings to mind the infamous meeting of Vlad and Bush in 2001, who was heard to exclaim:
"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.
"I was able to get a sense of his soul."
And seemingly, as the years have gone by, that feeling has grown; until it stopped growing, that is, and Vlad backed away, and Bush, instructed no doubt by teh Jesus to spread democracy, decided to say fuck it to his supposed ideals of maintaining the end of the cold war, and push ahead with his democratize-the-world stance, even as our frail democracy cracks under the stress of deregulation in the age of fascism and greed. Not that our current brand of deregulated, executive-has-the-power, check-and-balances be damned, democracy should be recommended to any state
And there is Russia specialist Condi Rice, stiff as Barney the dog under Bush's arm, standing proudly at the podium, knowing that this thing is rigged; the fix is in. This isn't about bullying and democracy; its about bullying and world dominance with oil and passageways, and time ticking away in which to move the chess pieces to their proper places. Condi is one cool character, and her cold repetition of the talking points on this thing doesn't help matters when you stand her next to a passionate, if less than circumspect man, who is merely trying to lead his country away from a looming beast that is not goign to be stopped right now. Of course, e is probably dirty too...who isnt these days?
Thank God no one is paying attention!
Vlad's soul, sure.... Only perhaps the most truly soulless sociopath can see into the soul of another of his ilk. And regarding the lie of democracy that has been used on more than one war in my time, I suppose I don't have to go into my usual rant here about how democracy is an evolution that comes about naturally due to the desires of a population hungry enough to fight, die, and/or travel across oceans in the bellies of ships, for it. I suppose I don't have to mention that even the slightest push of encouragement, or shove from a nation that might like to have some hand in those particular oil pipelines, can be not only conflict of interest but deadly. We have lost our bargaining power in the diplomatic world, and surely no Georgian force will win a war with Russia without the nukes of the USA behind it. And, of course, ultimately, oil itself is not even whats going on here.
The issue of the oil flowing through Georgia is important, not in the amount of oil, because it supplies only 1% of the global annual demand, but more because of the power that it represents as an independent conduit or pipeline, and its ability to effect dependence on Russian and Middle Eastern supplies. Georgia has no oil of it's own, but rather, since the 1990's has served as a conduit for oil that is pumped from the Caspian Sea to Turkey, providing the only possible pathway without passing through Russia or Iran.
According to the UK Times Online:
The pipeline is a central element in Georgia's independence from Russia. In the words of Georgia's President Saakashvili, “All strategic contracts in Georgia, especially the contract for the Caspian pipeline, are a matter of survival for the Georgian state.” Saakashvili's miscalculation was to assume that Western reliance on Caspian oil would translate into material support against Russian aggression.
Miscalculation indeed; it depends on what you think material support means. Immaterial support is sure popping up all over the place in terms of bravado and all, and it looks like our relationship with Russia, such as it is, is at stake. But can we really afford to get into this now, what with our weakened state and the fact that we have done little to nothing to reduce our dependence on oil?
Worse than that is that if you scratch the surface, as our good friends at They Gave Us a Republic have been doing daily on this story, you find some pretty scary things in the background: The US and Poland have signed a deal that enables the US to put a missile interceptor base on it's land, thus enabling the protection of the often bombed pipeline. Poland is now in the sights of Russia....mistake!
Further, Ian Welsh over at Firedoglake, has an interesting piece here that explains why Russia may well be setting up a number of these "wars of reunification," having to do with the Ukraine's rising power and the loss of particular strategic sites looming. The Ukraine has been pushing to join NATO, and that is something that Russia is dead set against. The time frame in which Russia might regain not only the strategic sites, but put down breakaways and Ukraine, is growing smaller because America may well get out of Iraq and finish in Afghanistan in the forseeable future, and thus be available to actually help the Ukraine and these breakaway states. Sean-Paul at the Agonist reiterates what Ian says and also adds that Russia will go to any lengths to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, with the power that implies.
Today, in light of the ceasefire, Mick Ware appeared again and again, in front of new rubble, discussing how the Russians are digging in rather than pulling back, and Reuters noted that just prior to the ceasefire, 5 were killed in Gori, a front in the dispute, including journalists, who have been seemingly targeted trying to cross the border into this front-line city. I trust Ware and his punch drunk, breathless reporting; he has never steered me wrong, and he drives the wingnuts crazy!
John Cole at Balloon Juice noted that in all of the craziness, at least the US was able to provide some sorta humanitarian aide, after foolishly egging this thing on from the sidelines. He provides a rather more concise view of the happenings over there than my drifting ramblings, and he also knows teh PhotoShoppe as is evidenced thusly:
you gotta love it!!
God Bless America!...damn the torpedoes!
c/p RIPCoco
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