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Russia has announced a ceasefire today. Or something like that:
TBILISI, Georgia — Russia ordered a halt to military action in Georgia on Tuesday, after five days of air and land attacks that sent Georgia’s army into headlong retreat and left towns, military bases and homes in the U.S. ally smoldering. Georgia insisted that Russian forces were still bombing and shelling.
Despite the pledge by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia launched an offensive Tuesday in the only part of Abkhazia still under Georgian control. An Associated Press reporter saw 135 Russian military vehicles driving through Georgia en route to Abkhazia’s Kodori Gorge — and Georgian officials said their troops in the gorge were being attacked by Russians.
Two things here: That doesn’t sound like a “ceasefire” to us, and when the Hell did Abkhazia become part of the attack on South Ossetia and subsequent alleged Russian “defense of their peacekeepers there?” But hey, that fairy tale got pretty much demolished the moment Russian forces advanced deep into Georgia yesterday, didn’t it?
“The aggressor has been punished and suffered very significant losses. Its military has been disorganized,” Medvedev said.
“If there are any emerging hotbeds of resistance or any aggressive actions, you should take steps to destroy them,” he ordered his defense minister at a televised Kremlin meeting.
Now, the “fire if fired upon” part we’re fine with. “Ceasefire” doesn’t mean “lay down and take it up the arse no matter what the other side does”, but the bit about “emerging hotbeds of resistance” does sound awfully vague and not very “ceasefirey.” If you really have ordered an end to offensive actions because you’ve secured all of your objectives, then why the Hell would you worry about what the other side does in their territory as long as it doesn’t involve firing at you?
Russia’s foreign minister called for Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to resign and Medvedev said Georgia must pull its troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia — the two breakaway provinces at the heart of the dispute.
Ahhhh… There’s the rub, innit? It’s pretty obvious that the status of South Ossetia and, apparently, Abkhazia too needs to be part of negotiations since at least South Ossetia is the bone of contention here, but when did the democratically elected leadership of a free, sovereign nation become an issue for its neighbors to decide upon with the use of military force?
Answer: Since it became obviously clear that Putin’s War had precious little to do with South Ossetia and everything to do with Putin’s need for a puppet government in Tblisi. We say again: The Russians had ample justification for response when Georgia attacked their personnel in South Ossetia, but that justification evaporated the moment Russia’s forces, having cleared the area under contention and received an offer of immediate ceasefire from the Georgians, proceeded to A) use the situation to clear out Abkhazia as well and B) move deep into Georgia proper. Now that they’re adding insult to injury by insisting that they get to decide who governs Georgia, their initial claims as to why they moved in are not merely reduced to a joke, they’ve become downright farcical.The Georgians aren’t taking it lying down, and good for them:
But thousands of Georgians poured out their support for their president at a rally in Tbilisi, crowding a main square and nearby streets as far as the eye could see and holding aloft fluttering red-and-white Georgian flags.
“Ceasefire” my Imperial Arse. The proper term for this is “we’re going to take a breather while you agree to all of our demands and become a Soviet Russian puppet state, and if you don’t…”
And from the Dept. of Utterly Subretarded Yet Hysterically Funny Claims™ we have the following from Tim Kaine, Democratic Governor of Virginia and declared Obamessiah Lickspittle:
It was a bad crisis for the world. It required tough words but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in. And I’m very, very happy that the Senator’s request for a ceasefire has been complied with by President Medvedev.
Never mind that ceasefire was a demand from the actual leaders of pretty much the entire free world, including the United States. Oh no, it wasn’t until the Dalai Bama of rock star fame waved his magic wand that the Russians immediately caved and agreed to it.
The levels of mental retardation and delusions of adequacy in the Obamessiah camp never ceases to amaze us.
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Yep. :em98: :em98:
August 12th, 2008 at 11:49 AMUsing
I heard somewhere that the arty barrage that started the Georgians on thier raid into South Oss was actually fired by Russians.
Who knows what the truth of it is?
August 12th, 2008 at 12:11 PMUsing
“A Major’s Perspective” blog reported (in the comments) that the Presidents of other nearby nations were flying into Tbilisi today in a show of support for Georgia.
I find it interesting that Putin flew to North Ossetia to personally direct the attack, yet the acknowledgement of the cease-fire came from Russia’s President, in Moscow. Might there be a little bit of a disconnect between these two leaders? Is Medvedev chafing under Putin’s control?
Will the Russians keep firing? “Hey I think I saw something fire at us from over there! Boom!”
August 12th, 2008 at 12:29 PMUsing
Interesting to note, I think, the number of errant bombs dropped by Russia. Some were reported to miss by hundreds of yards.
Saw claims of “multiple volleys” of Grad rockets used by Georgians against the South Ossetian capitol repeated again today. Someone up in Russia doesn’t want us to forget that, if it is even true.
Does no one in that country own a cam-corder?
August 12th, 2008 at 12:32 PMUsing
AN interesting article by Ralph Peters resides here.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:35 PMUsing
Sire… Doesn’t it strike you as odd that tiny Georgia would go after big, bad Russia? Seemed mighty stupid for the Georgians to mobilize, regardless of the justification for doing so. Or, were they provoked by Russians seeking a pretext for annexation?
Meanwhile, the Russian pretext — “we must protect our citizens” — sounds a little too uncomfortably like “The Saar belongs to Germany!” and “Our Sudetenland brethren are oppressed!”
August 12th, 2008 at 12:36 PMUsing
Doesn’t it seem odd that Russia had that much fire power ready to go so quickly?
Seems rather odd that all their armed forces were ready and crossing into the Caucus in a matter of days.
Quite the feat that, with just a Brigade is a stretch, never mind a couple divisions, with their support, along with the air force and navy elements that have also been rather rapid in their response to all this.
I’m just sayin’ is all.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:41 PMUsing
I doubt it. He was installed by Putin, is Putin’s best buddy and he is reported to have an extreme allergy to Polonium 210, if you know what I mean.
A more likely explanation is that the running joke among Russians regarding the Prime Minister openly running the President’s business has finally made it to the Kremlin and they’re trying to put on a show pretending that the President is, indeed, the President.
Nothing awfully surprising there, really. It’s just that we’ve become accustomed to the precision of our weapons control systems where we can literally put a JDAM through a ventilating shaft from several thousand feet. Missing by a few hundred yards isn’t all that unusual for Red Army crap. Not that they’ve ever bothered terribly about accuracy, as long as the volume is sufficient.
Nor should we forget it, if it’s true. This whole conflict is in dire need of a thorough investigation, that’s for sure.
You know what? I’ve been wondering about that too. I mean, I know that electricity in the area was knocked out as a result of the initial barrage, but really… 70,000 people in the area and not a single one with a digicam or a camcorder? Not even a frackin’ cellphone? And that goes for both sides, by the way. The only pictures I saw of the alleged massive bombardment of innocuous Georgian apartment buildings were typical staged photos from al-Roto-Reuters with only a couple of persons and the same person posing in different ones. Oh, and the obligatory “dead body being hauled around and used as a stage prop for different photos” touch that the photogs of the international
newspropaganda agencies have been famous for since “Green Helmet.”Not saying that it didn’t happen, just saying that so far there’s been a lot of hyperbole from both sides and precious little actual evidence.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:45 PMUsing
Sorry, had to find the link to the bit about al-Roto-Reuters fauxtography so you could see for yourselves.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:47 PMUsing
As usual, Victor Davis Hanson nails it in an essay posted today on NRO: Moscow’s Sinister Brilliance.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:00 PMUsing
Latest news report from Iowahawk:
August 12th, 2008 at 1:02 PMUsing
I think I’m gonna write in Iowahawk for president.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:42 PMUsing
Oh, most of the Chicago Machine
DemocratsCommunists think like this.Take payoffs from developers, easy and takes no great thought.
“Georgia, isn’t that one of the 57 states? And WTF are Russians doing in Atlanta?”
Teh stoopid, it is strong in Cook County.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:32 PMUsing
I expect this kind of fawning stupidity from the campaign workers…especially the volunteers not yet stained by the jaundice of reality and experience, but from an elected official???
On the one hand, I am comforted to know that my governor isn’t the dullest crayon in the Obambi box o’ 57, but sweet Jesus, if that’s your tax dollar at work, Virginia, you should demand a refund.
August 12th, 2008 at 5:29 PMUsing
Time to crack the nuts: The Demoncrats blithering doth signify nothing because they like what they see.
August 12th, 2008 at 5:41 PM1. Putin is running the show like he’s the Chairman. So the “good old days are back”.
2. Obama will order a new pair of shoes as a gift to him when he comes to the peoples republik of NYCCP to pound the rostrum at the Useless Nationbuilding.
3. The Soviet ReUnion will militarize the northern coast of the Black Sea and construct container piers. As they will no longer have to truck the cars they steal from western Europe, Comrade Pelousy will praise them for conserving gasoline.
4. Half a million eco-commies will move to Alaska using subsidies from George Soros. After one year they will erupt in a chorus of moral rectitude over the mean, conniving free booters inside the Republican Party and the Lincoln administration giving the innocent naive Russians the shaft. They will demand a plebescite to return Alaska to them.
Chairman Putin will hand pick several top drawer rich libs outside of government to staff a new advisory committee inside the politbureau to facilitate and coordinate our permanent enslavement. The same corporate socialists, Wallstreet fixers, and academic dupes ruining our lives will continue to do so, but Putin will have a veto over state matters in this country via this kitchen cabinet.
Right now, the only thing Demoncrats would not allow Putin to do is send Jeff Gillooly to club Michael Phelps in the shins.
Vote anyway. It may be our last.
Using
Dear god I hope we do not have another cold war :em98: I simply hate all the fighting going on.
August 12th, 2008 at 9:24 PMUsing
Putin is definately holding the trump cards, and played them brilliantly.
He has shown the former Soviet satellite states the futility of NATO,
and the EU that if he wants that pipeline in Georgia, he can jolly well
have it in a period of days.
He has also put the world on notice that Russia is BACK!
And totally unconcerned with anything the energy-dependant, militarilly impotent,
and morally bankrupt EU and NATO might muster.
He knows Europe needs Russian oil and natural gas, is terrified of war, and the
leftards are more likely to condemn Georgia for defending its territory and
citizens than Russia for invading and hammering a soverign nation, and
demanding the removal of its democratically elected president.
He knows that the US is strapped to the max in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the
American people are worn down emotionally by seven years of war. More, the
lame-duck sitting president is not going to do anything that might jeapordize
the up-coming election, and whoever gets elected won’t do anything, either.
Well played, Mr. Putin, well played.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:48 PMUsing
I humbly dedicate this work of music to Veliky Knyaz Vladimir Krasny of the House of Pooty-Poot and suggest it be performed at all his appearances–at least until he ends Operation Stalin.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:50 AMUsing
Yeah, the commie rat Putin is working hard to bring the Cold War back. Well, I remember myself complaining that I joined the Army too late, and did not get a chance to fight Soviet commie swine. Looks like a chance is presenting itself. It really pisses me off that the Russian people, who just barely caught a feeble ray of freedom a few years ago are now yet again becoming mind-numbed, timid slaves of the totalitarian nightmare state.
I will be very happy if I get to fight these Soviet cocksuckers who should have already been wiped off the face of the Earth.
Wake the fuck up, Mother Russia! Your worst enemy is your government!
:em96:
August 13th, 2008 at 6:27 AMUsing
Ceasefire my ass.
Yep. Ceasefire. Better stop shooting Georgia while we rape your country, because if you don’t, we’ll just enter Tblisi and put your entire government out of its misery. Just sit back and enjoy it…
August 13th, 2008 at 7:27 AMUsing