Bush To Russia – “There’s no room for debate on this matter”

Now this is how a leader should sound. Taking notes Obama?

But Bush, speaking at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, issued a stern warning to Russia, whose president said Friday that it’s “unlikely” the two breakaway regions — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — will be able to stay in one state with Georgia.

“A major issue is Russia’s contention that the region of South Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia’s future,” Bush said. “These regions are a part of Georgia — and the international community has repeatedly made clear that they will remain so.”

Bush said the United States fully recognizes Georgia’s borders and that the country “continues to stand behind” Georgia’s democracy and sovereignty.

“Georgia’s borders should command the same respect as every other nation’s. There’s no room for debate on this matter,” he said.

Meanwhile I doubt this tape will provide much sympathy to the Russian side. (h/t Gateway Pundit)

What’s it of?

RUSSIAN soldiers have been caught on camera ROBBING a bank in war-torn Georgia. The band of gun-toting men were caught on CCTV forcing their way into the bank in Gori.

Once inside, the men are seen breaking into the teller offices and rifling through the desks.

They are then caught making off with what appear to be armfuls of equipment including laptop computers and perhaps even cash.

The outrage took place amid some of the bloodiest fighting in Gori, which is on Georgia’s main east-west highway.

It doesn’t end there:

TSKHINVALI, Georgia: Teams of ethnic Georgians, some under armed guard, were being forced to clean the streets of South Ossetia’s capital on Saturday. It was the first apparent evidence of humiliation or abuse of Georgians in the Russian-controlled breakaway republic.

~~~

“Labor even turns monkeys into humans,” the Russian officer said. He threatened to arrest an AP photographer if he took pictures.

And:

A leading human rights group says it has evidence that Russia used cluster bombs against the civilian population and infrastructure in Georgia.

Officials with Human Rights Watch say they have eyewitness accounts, as well as video and photographic evidence, that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens.

The group says Russian aircraft dropped RBK-250 cluster bombs, each containing 30 PTAB 2.5M submunitions, on the town of Ruisi in the Kareli district of Georgia on Tuesday

But my favorite news of the day has to be that the Russians are promoting the idea that Cheney is behind all this:

Russians were told over breakfast yesterday what really happened in Georgia: the conflict in South Ossetia was part of a plot by Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, to stop Barak Obama being elected president of the United States.

The line came on the main news of Vesti FM, a state radio station that — like the Government and much of Russia’s media — has reverted to the old habits of Soviet years, in which a sinister American hand was held to lie behind every conflict, especially those embarrassing to Moscow. Modern Russia may be plugged into the internet and the global marketplace but in the battle for world opinion the Kremlin is replaying the old black-and-white movie.

The Obama angle is getting wide play. It was aired on Wednesday by Sergei Markov, a senior political scientist who is close to Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister and power behind President Medvedev.

“George Bush’s Administration is promoting interests of candidate John McCain,” said Dr Markov. “Defeated by Barak Obama on all fronts, McCain has one last card to play yet – the creation of a virtual Cold War with Russia . . . Bush himself did not want a war in South Ossetia but his Republican Party did not leave him any choice.” The Americans were now engineering an armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Dr Markov added.

Really, you can’t make this stuff up.

Curt

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