1,500 Reported Dead As Battle Escalates In Georgia

The conflict between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia moved toward all-out war on Saturday as Russia prepared to land ground troops on Georgia's coast and broadened its bombing campaign both within Georgia and in the disputed territory of Abkhazia.

The fighting that began when Georgian forces tried to retake the capital of the South Ossetia, a pro-Russian region that won de facto autonomy from Georgia in the early 1990s, appeared to be developing into the worst clashes between Russia and a foreign military since the 1980s war in Afghanistan.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[MagisterLudi]

President Saakashvilli. I am proud to report that our glorious army is in top combat readiness. All troops were issued fear and anxiety pills and adult diapers.

[OlderBudWeiser]

This just in. Knew it must be over oil and gas and here it is.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2531132/Geogia-Oil-pipelines-at-risk.html

[BlueStateMan]

EVERYTHING that is "happening" these days are about oil... & they WILL be so long as the Neocon's have even a MODICUM of power left.

[coyote4]

you mean is the beginning of the energy wars?

[abby4ever]

Here is a different one that is about something more than oil: a horrific bomb attack by Russian jets, on Gori, it is eerie:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2529986/Georgia-conflict-Screams-of-the-injured-rise-from-residential-streets.html

Oil matters but so these poor people weeping over their dead loved ones.

[Troubledwawa]

Here's the latest video from Russia Today (it's in English).

I think the video is no more than a couple of hours old - it's from 0400 hrs Moscow time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kudK8FlGICg

Putin dubbed the aggression from Georgia "Genocide".

[MajorKong]

Stylistically very much like Fox or CNN. (but not as polished). Note the opening graphics "The War" and martial-sounding music , the scrolling ticker-tape at the bottom of the screen and the attractive female anchor.

[Troubledwawa]

Good point MajorKong.

I'm having a hard time finding Georgia's point of view on this. Their television seems to be off of the Internet.

Something doesn't seem right here - jmho...

[abby4ever]

He would.

[Americano]

Where is our Commander in Chief? taking photo-ops with the USA Women's Volleyball Team in China. Bush:"Having a great time, let Condy handle crisis!"

[john85msy]

This looks real good to our allies in Iraq. Yeah the good ol US of A gotcha back.

[darthmaul]

Ask Condie what to do. She's an "expert" on Russia!

[coyote4]

Folks I would like to remind you that I have long suggested that IF THERE WAS ONE PERSON in the C heney/B ush administration we could trust, that would be Dr. Condoleezza Rice> I told you she was coyote, even as I pointed out that O was coyote. That means these people are advancing Coyote's agenda.

Look at the success of her diplomacy efforts as she struggles to keep C heney's f ilthy fingers off the n uclear trigger. Folks, give this lady another look and some support as she works counterpoint to C heney's cynicism in the monkey boy's D ecider office.

She has to keep disaster from happening for 100 more days; please pray for her. And us.

[kitrat33]

Why ask Condi the messiah could postpone his little rich man cruise and go hold a rally and lead them in CHANTS....Hell it works to control Americas left surely it would work in Russia.

[BlueStateMan]

A translator..... is there a TRANSLATOR in the house?

[WLA]

GET A NEW SONG.

[swooge]

Condi the messiah? His?

[BWonka]

Poor loser - so desperate, so stupid. Typical McBu$hie-butt

[Coinyer101]

condi is not the messiah and neither is obama.i am.now that that's settled,i would appreciate it if you would quit throwing my title around like its some kind of political toy.by the way,i,[the messiah],will be voting for obama,this fall,and i recommend all of my followers do the same.in fact,i already know he will win ,because i have preordained it.i like a smart president with vision and foresight,and someone who is cool,too. signed,jebus obama '08

[AdamWykle]

Israel needs to halt its sale of arms and any security-related equipment to Georgia. This country is always supplying weapons to the most criminal nations in the world including Myanmar and South Africa during the Apartheid.

[Ramirez]

Georgia uses Russian weaponry, not Israeli.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Georgia#Equipment

[AzRealProgressive]

People here could care less about that fact. Your response is correct. Every major country in the world is an arms supplier to somebody.

[MagisterLudi]

Israel needs to halt its sale of arms and any security-related equipment to Georgia."
Badly misinformed,as usual. Israel banned all weapon sales to Georgia within minutes of Georgian attack..

[Larry of Corrales]

Let's see if I understand this. According to the news reports this started when Georgian forces tried to retake the capital of South Ossetia, a pro-Russian region that won de facto autonomy from Georgia in the early 1990s. Obviously they thought that Russia was going to sit idly by and let this happen, or they figured that their armed forces were vastly superior to Russia's or that Bush would come to their rescue. Or they didn't think. It has to have been the latter.

[maxdenn]

I have to wonder if the prez and vice-prez knew in advance this georgia thing was going to happen.

[Kalima]

I don't think that they are good terms with Putin and his puppet.

[Coinyer101]

it wouldnt surprise me.perfect way to try and influence the election.i hope people dont get sucked into more fear tactics and warmongering.i've about had enough of these people and their wars.

[NochlessMonster]

Of course they did.... pres and putin were chatting with each other all through the ceremonies when it started....

[coyote4]

Georgia prob asked our favor b4 moving; then again this move seems boneheaded. Someone screwed up....

[coyote4]

G eorgia prob asked our favor b4 moving; then again this move seems b one headed. Someone s crewed up....

[rollingdivision]

Finally a War to Protest

Naked Imperialist aggression? Yes

Indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians? Yes

Designs on another nation's energy resources? Yes

[BlueStateMan]

Georgia started it.

[maxdenn]

Are you talking about iraq or georgia? Or both?

[MajorKong]

I don't really see any good guys here.

[creationwaits]

It is sad that so many people (not all!) here are defending Russia. Even if you're against the Iraq war you can give good reasons for it and good outcomes from it - just perhaps not sufficient reasons or outcomes. That's fine, I respect that. But there is very little that can be done to justify Russia's invasion. I think the real thing driving the defense of it here is just that the Republicans are against it - that trumps all, you know. It must really be a great thing if the Republicans are against it.

[MagisterLudi]

There's a VAST difference between initiating aggression ( Georgia) and resisting aggression ( Abhkazia, S. Ossetia).
Just as iraqi invasion is unjust and Afghanistan war is just.

[swooge]

Good reasons for the Iraq invasion? Man, tell me a few, I've never heard one before. Good outcomes? Heh..heh..heh..riiiight.

As for Russia and Georgia, get it through your head, Georgia fired the first shot.

[BlueStateMan]

GEORGIA started it.

[kitrat33]

You have been brain washed by Vladimer Lenin himself.....Totally mindless.

[swooge]

You know Lenin has been dead for 1924?

[BlueStateMan]

It's spelled, VLADIMIR (В�"ади́ми�).

Try to read a book (or ask your mommy to read one to you).

It might do you some good (but I doubt it)....

Now SCOOT!

There's a good little.... whatever.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Georgia's president isn't the brightest in the world. He's a staunch ally of Bush (even today), and has the 3rd largest contigency of troops in Iraq (until now, they've been recalled to save Georgia's ass). Did he really think we'd back him up on this?

[swooge]

If he did, he's dum_ber than you said.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Fools are always in high places....

[BlueStateMan]

Strange that everyone is saying that Putin is "doing this & doing that" when the President of Russia is Dmitry Medvede, yes?

[Podewumun]

Medvede = Bush

Putin = Cheney

[john85msy]

Wow!

[kitrat33]

Stalin = Obama

[TMAN]

Who do you think is pulling the strings, picking up the phone etc? Just curious.

[BlueStateMan]

Putin.

Irony meter stuck?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Medvedev is a figure head Putin still holds the real strings to power in Russia. You know like Chenney is the real power behind the figurehead Boosh.

[BlueStateMan]

A JOKE, I tell ya!

[ChiGuy]

As D_ck is to G_eorge, so Putin is to Medvedev.

[BlueStateMan]

It was a joke.

[Kalima]

Oh, he still pulls the strings, I'm sure.

[NochlessMonster]

I don't think he even bothers.... He knows he is still in charge.... did you see him playing kissey face with booosh at the opening ceremonies at the Olympics?

[Amennyc]

My favorite is about Bush saying Georgia is a sovereign nation and Russia should respect that. LOL, Now thats funny.

[swooge]

"W" stands for clueless.

heh...

[Podewumun]

DUBbya.

[creationwaits]

Why? Iraq invaded the sovereign nation of Kuwait. We pushed them out, and established a cease-fire that had certain agreements. Iraq broke those agreements, and then we invaded them, albeit for other reasons as well.

Afghanistan sheltered the terrorist groups that attacked us.

Meanwhile, what exactly has Georgia done to Russia? What we've got is an increasingly dictatorial power that may have provoked a situation to give it an excuse to invade an independent democracy: http://www.nypost.com/seven/08092008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/raping_georgia_123664.htm?page=0 .

[BlueStateMan]

After we returned Kuwait to it's rightful portfolio managers, a cease fire was instituted, true.

WE invaded them for OIL.

Period.

We invaded Afghanistan to secure a Caspian Sea pipline.

PERIOD.

If you want to cite a NEWS source, try ANY OTHER paper that the Post.

Grow up.

[swooge]

?????? We invaded Iraq because they "broke agreements"????? Are you freaking kidding me? What revisionist history do you subscribe to exactly?

The United States invaded Iraq because our Commander-in-Chief said that they had Weapons of Mass Destruction. He told not only the United Nations but his own country knowing full-well that that was a bald faced lie. Yes "other reasons" were given as the original ones proved to be unsupportable by facts.

Russia and Georgia have apparently been fighting over Ossetia for years. Russia also recognizes Ossetia's independence from Georgia as a sovereign nation. Georgia attacked Ossetia first and Russia came to their aid. Is Russia throwing it's weight around? Probably. Is Ossetia truly a sovereign country? Maybe. But Russia did not "provoke" this conflict, Georgia did.

[partyofone]

The Olympics is about peace and fair sportsmanlike competition.. Russia should be expelled for launching a war on the openning night. And the US and allies in Iraq, and any other nations actively engaged in war, should not be able to participge.

[BlueStateMan]

The Olympics is about MONEY.

[coyote4]

Olympic.tm

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Then the US should have been expelled in the 2004 Olympics when all our rational to invade Iraq was found to be a lie.

[Jrtrollspaceman]

why do you hate Ameria so much?

[NochlessMonster]

The Olympics and politics are not supposed to have anything to do with each other.... So you can not ask a country to be expelled based on what there government does.... If that were true, I can think of about thirty to forty countries competing this time that should not be there......

[MichiganJFrog]

China would be on that list, ironically.

[themodernleader]

In the weakened condition of our military and the declining condition of our country, major powers who have been peaceful for the last 75 years are beginning to restart their historical yearnings. The Russians have always yearned for empire and a land bridge to the sea. Also, they fear the hostile military gestures of the Bush Bunch.
This is a perfect time for them to strike as we are totally helpless to resist large powers to subvert by force the sovereignty of their smaller neighbors. We have lost both our military and moral authority.
The decline of American power and the rise of more dangerous powers add a new dimension to our national anxiety. For America the future is fraught with danger, seemingly from every direction. Our weakened economic and financial condition and our losing control of crises go hand in hand.