Bush and Rice warned Russia not to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian aid, noting that Tuesday's French-brokered cease-fire allows for the delivery of international relief, and expressed concern over reports that Russian units were continuing to advance into Georgian cities despite Tuesday's cease-fire.
So there will be U.S. military aircraft and ships in a position to come under fire from the Russkies as they deliver humanitarian aid to refugees in Georgia. Gosh, how could that go wrong?
One of the more plausible WWIII scenarios in the late 1980s was a civil war in post-Khomeini Iran. The Soviets pick a side, we pick a side. We send materiel, they send materiel. They send advisors, we send advisors. We send troops, they send troops. Next thing you know, the First Guards Tank Army is through the Fulda Gap and driving for Frankfurt.
Things get touchy any time the military units of nuclear-armed nations are in the same neighborhood.
We must be brave, I found it interesting to watch Ms. Rice speak with such logic and firmness about Georgia and Russia - wondering why McCain and Obama are the choices for President - when there are so many better adults that could be President. Is this a design flaw in American politics?
ReplyDelete“Things get touchy any time the military units of nuclear-armed nations are in the same neighborhood.”
ReplyDeleteThis is true. Remember the Pristina airport incident in 1999?
I think that's the point... Russia knows that if there are any "incidents" with US troops, it will be a Very Bad Thing (tm). Putting our troops in "harms way" is akin to using them as human shields... but it is likely to be far more effective at stopping Putin and his cronies than normal diplomatic "talks" (aka oratorical masturbation). In addition, delivering humanitarian aid puts us in a better position in case the conflict escalates.
ReplyDeleteEarl: I think Rice is too smart to run for president. If she had wanted to run, both Obama and Hillary's main campaigning points would have become moot.
rice could never be pres, no matter how good she is. Most of black America loathes her thanks to the media depiction of her as a "bush house ni##er".
ReplyDeleteA possibility of war on three fronts.
ReplyDeletegreat...
So we stand by and do nothing? Maybe talk them into going home?
ReplyDeleteSo we stand by and do nothing? Maybe talk them into going home?
ReplyDeleteY'know if we're going to go out and clean up the messes of everyone else in the world, we'd better start getting paid for it.
Ahhhh! The Fulda Gap. I was there for three years. That fact alone was sufficient to deter the Soviets. That and the fact that this time, whoever rolled over France was gonna have to KEEP it...
ReplyDeleteMC
perlhaqr said...
ReplyDeleteY'know if we're going to go out and clean up the messes of everyone else in the world, we'd better start getting paid for it.
11:09 AM, August 14, 2008
Virgins or cattle?
If the First Guards Tank Army had been looking like getting seriously anywhere near the Fulda Gap the nukes would have been in the air before the lead tanks had a chance to warm their engines. On the bright side that probably means our nukes would have taken out the Germans as well. Score.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably not too late to mention that this house remains available, complete with multi-level bomb shelter.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's been on the market and on the Internet for the better part of a decade now, so its neighbors will all be trying to open the formerly secret door into it if the bombs should fall.
Also, the real estate investors have really prettied up the bomb shelter with a lot of paint. I don't know if I like the new look and am not sure whether a homey bomb shelter would make me feel better than a utilitarian looking one, but that's just me.
I think that's the point...
ReplyDelete+1
Better late than never.
During the Yom Kippur War of '73, the US naturally supported Israel and the Sovs naturally got behind Syria and Egypt. Go look at that on a map.
ReplyDeleteWhat you had was opposed aerial supply lines crossing each other at right angles. They worked it out.
This Georgian thing is getting very dodgy now, what with the Polish ABM caper, but we'll see if the supply thing gets out of hand. We've seen this before.
I got an emergency phone call Tuesday and for five minutes was on the hook to go over there. Then a second call said "never mind, we got somebody closer to take it."
ReplyDeleteStill haven't decided how I feel about that.