A Washington Post.Com story quotes McCain as saying "I am interested in good relations between the United States and Russia, but in the 21st century nations do not invade other nations." Excuse me Senator McCain, but what do you think the United States government did to Iraq? When the United States government launches a war of aggression against Iraq and imposes the worse type of depotism, a military occupation, on that country for over six years that is labeled a liberation not an invasion. And what of all this talk about the territorial integrity of Georgia? What about the territorial integrity of Serbia? Why is it legitmate for Kosovo to leave Serbia but it is not legitimate for Abkhazia or South Ossetia to leave Georgia? I think South Ossetia and Abkhazia have just as much right to leave Georgia as Georgia had to leave the Soviet Union. I think Russia has just as much right to annex South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a move that would be wildly popular in those two break away provinces, as the United States had to annex Texas. Russia should leave Georgia alone and Georgia should leave South Ossetia and Abkhazia alone. As for the United States government, it should just mind its own damn business, and stay out of spats that are of no concern to the lives or liberties of the American people.

Quick question: What do Texas, Georgia (the country), and Iraq all have in common? Oil!. Iraq didnt want to sell its oil to the US and Russia will use what oil its gets out of Geogia instead of selling it to the US like the Geogians do. Therefore Georgia retaining its oil supply is "key" to the US economy (or so the talking heads would have you believe). Frankly if we need oil that badly we need to "annex" Mexico and get their Oil and eliminate our illegal immagration issues once and for all (2 birds + 1 stone) and when we're done there we can move north and take over Canada and its oil supply and national healthcare. from there its only a short trip over the north pole to invade Russia and keep the Georgian Oil pumps flowing (until we need to annex them).

Just remember as crazy as that may sound some polititian in Washington is thinking the exact same thing right now.

I agree Mr. Smith. I rarely disagree with US foreign policy, but here they have it wrong. (Probably worried about the oil pipe some few hundred miles further south of the Ossetian border and firmly within Georgian territory). The partition of Georgia from Russia should never have included South Ossetia, whilst North Ossetia is within Russia, however, it did and when it did many Georgians were planted in South Ossetia and the South Ossetians became second class citizens in there own territory. The Ossetians, with a motley little army defeated the Georgians and tried a form of UDI. The Georgians then began harrassing the Ossetians so the Russians entered as peacekeepers. The Georgians recently invaded South Ossetia. So, of course the Russians went in to rout the Georgians. The Georgians called for a ceasefire only after they were licked. They then began to garrison villages and towns near the border, so yes, the Russians continued into Georgia, routed the Georgians and are now back in Ossetia. The only outcome for peace now should be total independence for South Ossetia or with North Ossetia to form Ossetia, or amalgamation into the Russian Federation. All oil worries would be allayed. I know little of the Abkhazians so cannot comment on that case.