Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili Interviewed On CNN (VIDEO)

Mikhail Saakashvili, the president of Georgia, gave an interview to CNN's Wolf Blitzer today from his country's capital of Tbilisi. President Saakashvili pleaded for the international community to get involved and halt the fighting. Blitzer asked him if he honestly thought Georgia's relatively modest military could compete with a superpower like Russia. The President responded, "Well, I would be crazy to believe that."

[WATCH]

Comments

[AtlantaBill]

The POTUS is in attendance at the olympics and cannot be interrupted to come home and use his office to apply some diplomacy to get the russians to back off. Fat chance ! This impotent POTUS will not be interrupted from the fun of the games. Or will he surprise us all and return home and act presidential? I seriously doubt it.

[DoomSay]

Bush and McCain will have a joint press conference and demand full withdrawel. This will show leadership by McCain while Obama will be seen as vacationing.

[subliminal727]

My initial reaction was to defend Russia in this conflict. Not so much because I believe that their actions are justified but I believe that South Ossetia deserves to be defended from aggression. However, as events are unfolding don't see a lot of action from either side that I can honestly defend.

I think the biggest thing some of us need to look at is misinformation.
For example the Georgian government says the Russians are bombing us they've killed thousands of people. The Russians denied this. The Russians claim that thousands have been killed in South Ossetia and the Georgians deny it.
The Russians demand Georgia withdraws their troops. Georgia says we withdrew completely. Then the Russians deny that.

The point is that both governments are lying to the world right now.

Georgia has every right to defend its sovereign nation and its borders, but how do you go about doing that without military conflict? Lord knows we couldn't find a way in our own civil war, but what they did was wrong and people died for it.

On the flip-side of the coin there are a lot of Russian citizens in South Ossetia. Does Russia have a right to defend its citizens? . They have much stronger political motivation to invade Georgia. Such as Georgia trying to join NATO, or whatever else might make more sense. I'm no expert on Russian politics by any means.

My point is, I don't trust either version of the conflict.

[FogBelter]

I think it can be argued that Georgia has been cultivated to be a US forward position since the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin recognized that, and now the time has come for the Russians to deal with it.

I feel bad for the Georgian people, who are victims in this Neo-ColdWar blowup, but Russia is in a far stronger position than it has been since the Soviet Collapse and the United States is in a weaker position.

The United States and NATO are really in a corner on this ... if the Russians decide to just take Georgia, and the US and NATO do not react in their defense, all the other former Soviet States that have been cooperating with the West may find the need to rethink their position.

If the US and NATO don't react to this attack on a client State, their credibility is blown, and Russia is further empowered.

[AdamWykle]

War in Georgia: The Isr.ael Connection
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3580136,00.html

[Agnim]

Russia is a NUCLEAR-ARMED country.
The Cold War was horrible; and everyone was glad when it passed.
That was only 'yesterday'.

Now some lunatics want to do Cold War II all over again, to see if they could encircle the Russians and have them surrender? lol

It is obvious that Georgia was used as a feeler against the Russians. Now the reckless Saakhasvilli want a ceasefire after they smash up Ossetians?
How about surrender Tbilisi to be smashed first? lol

Georgians should be given every opportunity to vacate military and government establishments; and then Georgia's ability to wage war should be obliterated once and for all. This will prevent future asinine adventurism by delusional Georgian leaders.

America needs the Russians to deal with loose nukes, and prevent them from falling into the hands of maniac muslims. That is the biggest threat!

It is counterproductive to at the same time be antagonizing a NUCLEAR-ARMED Russians by egging on Poland, Czech Republic, Georgia, Kosovo, etc.

[che leo]

I'm disgusted by the revisionist history that is being discussed here. Georgia CANNOT invade its own territory.

Russia has been systematically undermining the Georgian government for years, the only thing Georgia is guilty of is attempting to secure its own territory before Russia continued to tear the country apart.

I am baffled as to why anyone would excuse Russian aggression, I have to assume it is simply IGNORANCE.

[Agnim]

Saakhasvilli did not just invade a place, he smashed up a people, who do not care to have Georgians as as their destructive dictators!
Too bad, some of those people were Russians. Now Georgians are experience the folly of an incompetent leader, much like Americans are suffering the incompetence of their lost leader, since before 911 through Iraq and the economic meltdown.

[che leo]

The only thing Georgians are suffering is the Russian military. I'm not arguing whether Georgia's attempt to retake their own territory was particularly smart, but it was only a matter of time before this conflict began.

Russia has zero regard for the territorial integrity of former Soviet bloc nations. Anyone who argues this is simply excusing Russian aggression.

[GermanQR]

So why couldn't Milosevic invade Kosovo? It was Serbia's own territory, too. If it wasn't OK for Serbia to crush a separatist movement in Kosovo, why it is OK for Georgia to do exactly the same?

South Ossetia may have been a part of the Soviet Republic of Georgia, but it hardly is Georgian at all. In fact Ossetia is divided between Russia and Georgia. Which wasn't a big deal when they both were Republics of the USSR, but it is now. Georgia has repeatedly refused to listen to the will of South Ossetians, who have expressed their wish to be reunited with their Northern brethren. Both parties reached an agreeement to stop violence (1992) which Georgians have now violated. Russian retribution has been both swift and powerful. But Georgians can hardly complain. They started this.

Georgians should have had second thought before bombing a territory in with 90% of the population are Russian citizens. South Ossetia must be allowed to hold a free vote (for the third time), but this time their decision needs to be honored. Why on Earth was the Kosovo referendum approved and even assisted by the West, but the 2006 S. Ossetian referendum wasn't?

[retarius]

My God what a liar this guy is.
I wonder what the US would have done if Georgia had attacked and killed 1400 of its citizens? 9/11 anyone?
All this posturing by NATO members is nothing but hypocrisy.
Yet another miscalculation by US neo-cons, this time posing as victims. Excuse me while I puke.

[Faith101]

Just another distraction to take away from Iraq & Afghan. Who is pushing Georgia behind the scenes? Who has the most to gain? Everything is calculated these days. The truth will come out eventually it always does.

[howdouno]

Why are so many progressive bloggers here on the side of Russian imperialists????

[THEMILITANT]

You my friend suffer from RUSSIAPHOBIA. Russia is innocent in this one, i know it is hard for you to believe, being fed all that crap in the American media, but it's true, Georgia attacked and killed 1400 civillians first. GEORGIA STARTED IT

[howdouno]

What's wrong with asking the UN, NATO, and the world community to live up to their promises? Why do so many pacifists and American progressives instinctively root for the Russian aggressors?

Obama needs to condemn Russia, and support Georgia - or risk being labeled another weak appeaser. Obama must counter this narrative as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, where is the outrage from progressive activists opposed to imperialism? On the surface, the UN and international law seems to be revealed again as toothless and powerless without military power. What should we do with international bullies, like Russia, China, and Iran?

For activists prone to dream of a post-America world, welcome to it! The brute power of the Russian military will murder thousands of Georgians and the United States - and NATO - will do nothing. We are too weak - and overextended. How will Obama help restore our practical power, along with our moral reputation?

Is Russia's invasion good for the world? No. Is Russian's invasion good for human rights, democracy, and justice? No.

Who will replace us as the superpower? Russia? China? Iran? UAE? Do any of these of these possibilities sound good to you? Why does Obama sound like he wants a post-America world?

Welcome to the 21st century, post-America era. Is this the kind of change that progressives, and Obama, had in mind?

Obama must focus on the need to confront, at least economically, Russia to deter this naked aggression. Or lose the election!

[albiceleste]

Corporateized media garbage.

Georgia caused this, not Russia. Period.

If Mexico invaded Arizona we'd be hitting back hard too.

[Seral]

Is he an idiot? What was he thinking when he made that decision? It was known for a long time that Russia was itching to attack Georgia, and as their leader he gave them the most valuable excuse for that. Didn't he consider the fate of Saddam, when he also made a similar decision with the assumption that US will protect his invasion? And, this time, the enemy is just a neighbor, instead of someone who is far away. I hope that would teach him a lesson to not mess with Russia. Even if they are wrongful in every aspect, they have the power to do what they want in the region with no reason to hold back at all.

[politricking]

I'm not a fan of Putin or the course Russia is taking.

But in all these posts, why no mention of the fact that Georgia initially decided to assault Ossentia first?

[albiceleste]

Red Scare flare-up.

Which is what the neo-CONs were counting on when they dreamed up this Georgian maneuver.

[THEMILITANT]

i take back the comment americans are genetically retards, they are not, just alot of them.

Can you believe this Saakashvili, agrees to a ceasfire then the following night he launches an attack! DISGUSTING

[THEMILITANT]

because they are american, they are genetically retards and suffer from russiaphobia

[evanrkg]

i know this is totally trivial, but that Georgian president really needs to clear his throat. i can't listen to him anymore... soooo grosssss... mucus-y

[ohrmets]

I think you should cut him some slack, considering his country is being invaded! He has bigger things to worry about!

[albiceleste]

Last I checked Georgia attacked first. They were morons to think Russia wouldn't take gross advantage of that fact.

Makes me believe the US and others pushed for this. Given the fact that they train and support Georgian troops, that'd be no surprise.

Georgia's president doesn't take a leak without permission from the West. And now people are buying into the whole Russia thing. Someone trying to stir up Cold War sentiment?

[Triangle1]

Way to upstage the Olympics, Russia. If we weren't distracted by Iraq, we could launch World War 3. http://mespace.wordpress.com