Editorial

Russia Invades Georgia: Déjà vu all over again

A leopard can’t change its spots, and Vladimir Putin can’t shake his KGB roots.  In recent years, Putin has been flexing his muscles and clamping down like the hard line communist that he has always been.  Now he’s invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia with tanks and an aerial bombing assault eerily reminiscent of previous eras of the Evil Empire. 

For several years, Russia has stoked the fires of rebellion in the neighboring Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  Putin brazenly moved troops in to conduct “military training exercises” – but, they never left.  They have passed out Russian passports, cash, propaganda, and incited civil unrest.  Then, to no surprise, he used the internal conflict he fueled as rationale for an all out invasion.  The modern day tyrant of the Kremlin has thus far thumbed his nose at the outrage from the US and much of the world.  In fact his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the world can “forget about” those two provinces ever being part of Georgia again.  So much for any pretense about a kinder gentler Russia or for Putin the reformer.

Putin has had it in for Georgia for a long time.  The former Soviet satellite has adopted a decidedly pro-western attitude.  They have sought and are on track to become a NATO member nation.  Georgians democratically elected the American educated Mikhail Saakashvili as President adding to Putin’s indigestion.  And much needed and coveted oil pipelines flow through the region to the ports on the Black Sea critical for the Russian economy. 

The Russian invasion targeted Georgian military bases and critical infrastructure and numerous reports indicate large numbers of civilian deaths and casualties.  Citizens have had to flee on foot from their homes and villages as troops advance.  Despite “peacekeeping” rhetoric from the Russians, their aggression can only be seen for what it is – a hostile action aimed at conquest and a direct assault aimed at toppling the democratically elected government of Georgia. 

Russian rhetoric, of course, is consistent with Soviet era say-one-thing-do-another hypocrisy.  Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov proclaimed they have no intention of displacing the Georgian government, but "Mr. Saakashvili (the president) can no longer be our partner. It would be better if he went." Understand?  The Russian end game is regime change in Georgia with the establishment of a Putin puppet. 

This is about pure raw power and old style communist control and domination.  Putin is furious over the number of former Soviet satellites that have moved decidedly in the direction of NATO and the West. He wants to push back and Georgia provided the target.  Putin moved in with overwhelming might, has seized what he wants, and is daring the world to do anything about it.  In so doing, he is sending an unmistakable message to the region about Russia’s real intentions.

Most Americans probably can’t locate Georgia on a map and likely never heard of the tiny nation until this conflict.  But, as John McCain rightly said “We are all Georgians now.” The world needs to pay attention.  The world cannot let this abuse stand.  Putin remembers a once powerful Soviet Union, and he relishes reestablishing the empire. 

John McCain visited South Ossetia two years ago and witnessed the Russian presence.  He saw billboards proclaiming Putin – not Saakashvili – as the “our President.”  Of Putin, McCain says he looked in his eyes and saw ”a K and a G and a B.” McCain has stopped short of calling for US military action, but immediately called for serious consequences for the Russian aggression, such as bouncing them from the G-8 and other economic and diplomatic reprisals. He also favors establishing a “League of Democracies” to bypass the impotent United Nations to deal with international problems like Putin. 

As the Russian invasion began, Barack Obama was vacationing in Hawaii.  Obama via a campaign issued statement suggested that the United States “should continue to push for a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence.”  Maybe Obama forgot that Russia occupies a seat on the Security Council – complete with veto privileges.  When he heard Obama’s reaction, Vladimir Putin must have sent a campaign contribution to the young Senator from Chicago.

In a perverted way, Putin may have done John McCain a huge favor.  There are those who would choose to believe that the naïve, uninformed, ill-experienced Barack Obama is well qualified to bring stability and peace to an unstable world.  After all, he was among the first to champion a retreat-in-defeat plan for Iraq.  Putin’s aggression provided American voters with a stark contrast in the leadership and judgment ability of the two candidates for President, and John McCain clearly demonstrated a forest full of Presidential timber. 

As he accepted the GOP nomination for a second term in 1984, President Reagan said, “None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong. It's weakness that invites adventurous adversaries to make mistaken judgments.”  Here’s to praying that this November voters realize that a strong hand in the oval office is best suited to keep the peace. 

A bit more about the United Nations

The same United Nations to which Barack Obama would defer to resolve the Russia-Georgia conflict is still trying to come up with a definition for “terrorism.”  Seven years after 9/11 and decades into the era of Islamic jihad, the UN can’t even agree on what constitutes the biggest threat of our time.  If anything exemplifies the ineptness of the UN it is this.  How do you fight against that which you cannot even identify?

The stalemate has been largely due to the predictable objections of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.  Iran, for example believes "a distinction ought to be made between the heinous acts of terror...on the one hand, and the internationally recognized and legally legitimate struggle of peoples deprived of their fundamental right of self determination, on the other."  In other words, whatever Iran decides is a fundamental right – such as, attacks on Americans, Israelis, and Muslim infidels - would not be terrorism. 

The UN’s conundrum on terror was highlighted recently in an Associated Press report of UN peacekeepers photographed saluting the coffins of Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists.  When Israel objected and demanded that the soldiers be removed and sent back to their countries of origin, the UN rejected the demand noting that their troops would continue to salute coffins of soldiers from both sides of the conflict because the UN is “an impartial force.”  Which is precisely the problem; the UN can’t and won’t exercise enough moral clarity to call evil by its name and take a stand against it.

Pelosi’s Planet

Nancy Pelosi won’t allow the House to vote on expanding off-shore drilling regardless of the fact that 70% of Americans favor relaxing overly restrictive regulation and increasing domestic energy production.  Ask to explain her obstinacy, the San Francisco Speaker said, “I’m trying to save the planet.” A noble undertaking for sure, but does the Pelosi believe that the sanctity of the planet is better preserved by allowing the likes of Venezuela, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan to fulfill the world’s energy demand than by allowing transparently regulated American workers aided by the most advanced technology to do the job? 

Pelosi refuses to allow the House to vote for one reason only – she’ll lose. 

Meanwhile in the Senate, the same Democrat nuttiness is going on.  Colorado’s Ken Salazar objected to Republican amendments to lift the off-shore drilling moratorium even if gas prices hit $10 per gallon! 

Congress adjourned for five weeks of summer vacation, and the energy policy paralysis goes on.  It is also the first time since Eisenhower was in the White House that neither the House nor the Senate has passed a single Appropriations bill before the August recess.  Remember Pelosi’s lengthy 'first 100 hour pledge' in which she promised to fix all the ills of the nation once becoming Speaker?  She failed on those promises, too.  So it should come as no surprise that the only thing she is good at doing is “nothing.” 

While Americans pay at the pump, Democrats are stalling for the fall elections and the coming of Barack Obama – their harbinger of hope.  Obama’s plan to solve our energy crisis includes a “be sure your tires are properly inflated” strategy.  He also wants to raise taxes on energy companies to pay for a $1000 gift to consumers – so they can pay for the higher cost of energy that his new energy tax will create. 

That kind of logic may make sense on whatever planet Pelosi is from, but it shouldn’t to anyone who is really paying attention.  Pelosi, Obama, and the Democrats drill-there-not-here policy has backed them into a corner and America into a predicament.  Obama may be right about one thing; we do need “change” - change from this misguided leadership on Capitol Hill. I"