It appears a full-tilt-boogie shooting war has broken out between Russia and Georgia:
Columns of Russian tanks plunged the two neighbours into war as they filed into South Ossetia, marking the Kremlin's first military assault on foreign soil since the Soviet Union's Afghanistan intevention, which ended in 1989.
Russian tanks rolled towards the capital of South Ossetia and fighters bombed Georgian air bases after Georgia launched attacks on rebels in the breakaway region. South Ossetia won de-facto independence in a war which ended in 1992 but has been a source of tension ever since, along with Abkhazia, another separatist region.
[…]
The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games. Many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President George W Bush, were in Beijing watching the opening ceremony.
Mr Putin declared: "War has started." Victor Dolidze, Georgia's ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said: "If this is not war, then I wonder what it is."
Mr Dolidze told the OSCE's permanent council in Vienna that Russian forces had been bombing Georgian territory since the morning, according to a diplomat who attended the 45-minute meeting.
Vladimir Voronkov, Russia's representative, told the assembly that "the true story is very different." He accused the Georgian side of launching a massive attack in defiance of diplomatic efforts.
And what’s the lead story on all the cable news outlets right this very moment? The shocking news that Silky Pony is a liar. (/sarcasm)
Go figure.
New Russia=Old Soviet Union
ReplyDeleteNew Putin=Old Stalin
While watching the Olympics last night, they showed Putin and Bush sitting next to each other. They were shown chatting.. hmmm... wonder what they were talking about?
ReplyDeleteThe news coverage was ridiculous. Who really cares about Silky Pony?! Mention it once and get on with it... don't analyze every detail for hours!
It's beginning to look a lot like what you're saying, Pat.
ReplyDeleteSusan: Good question about Putin and Dubya, Susan. I have absolutely NO idea! Sorta related: I was wondering who has the Russian equivalent of the "football," i.e., the nuclear launch codes... Putin or Medvedev? As for Medvedev, I saw a couple of clips of him last evening and he sure as Hell wasn't impressive, looking for all the world like a little boy, dressed up and playing "grown up."
You're right about the news and Edwards... the story MIGHT have deserved one mention (if that) and then get to the REAL news. The whole display yesterday was disgusting... on the part of Edwards himself, to begin with, and then all the news outlets who piled on.
I missed all the media hoopla over
ReplyDeleteEdwards, but it is pretty big news. No matter how many times this sort of thing happens, it is a career killer - at least it is to me.
I hope the Russian/Georgian thing is resolved quickly - but who knows?
Buck - here's a bit of interesting info I found about the war in Georgia... "the fighting presents the most dangerous crisis in years in the Caucasus region, a key conduit for the flow of oil from the Caspian sea to world markets and an area where violent conflict has flared along Russia’s outskirts for centuries, most recently in Chechnya." Hmmm... kind of puts a new twist on US involvement etc... I've done a bit of research... the info is correct... the conflicts have been escalating for years... and it's only now that our media is picking up on it and blasting it on the airwaves... Russia has been pussy-footing around over there for a long time... I guess the US, in the past, considered the civil conflict in Gergia to be and internal problem of Russia's. Of course the world is a big place with lots and lots of conflicts and fighting... we can't be everywhere trying to keep the peace and keep the oil flowing freely... can we? Will be interesting to say the least, to see how things progress.... Already we are involved w/NATO to send in the peace keeping folks... I missed the O-games due to work/sleep etc... will stay tuned to your blog for updates!
ReplyDeleteLou: You didn't miss a thing where Edwards is concerned. It was all the same stuff, over and over and over yet again, ad nauseum.
ReplyDeleteAlison: The sad fact is one won't ever hear much of anything that happens outside the Lower 48 if one depends on our sorry media, both teevee and print. You're right... the current conflict has been brewing for quite some time and there doesn't appear to be much, if anything, we can do about Russia's naked aggression. I'm afraid the first real shots of Cold War, Part II were fired Friday...
As for Olympic updates... you probably won't see many here at EIP. There's just too much going on to single one event out. That said... How 'bout that Men's 400-meter Relay Team! Wow!!