The Case For Paleo Conservatism

Couture de Guerre

Back in July, hanging out with a few choice bff killing time the night before the super secret neocon coven at Davidson College kicked off the "Committee Of Five" grand strategy session, the Peninsula Yacht Club was the place to be.

The DJ slapped on the number one on Great Satan's Hit Parade - Katy Perry's runaway smash chick on chick tune "I Kissed A Girl."

"I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick.
I kissed a girl just to try it, hope my boyfriend don't mind it.
It felt so wrong, it felt so right. Don't mean I'm in love tonight."

Natch, the unfun brigade (ancient, elderly and prob wouldn't recogize a good time if it sat on their face) quickly screamed "Unclean!" and launched into a boring, pessimistic diatribe about how culture was circling the drain.

Your truly (after several illicit imbibations later informed were 'Fuzzy Navels") totally disagreed - and using the tune's middle eight to point out (with especial emphasis on the last line)

"Us girls we are so magical - Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent"

They were not entirely convinced.

A fortnight back, plotting a party posse panzer blitz to Georgia (almost like Russia) to a future alma mater - opening weekend at Fraternity Row was heralded as a full blown blow out. Hot guys, free booze and live music at every frat.

So after careful prep, inspection and travel a BMW load of hot! sassy, classy, sexyful hillbilly grrls - scented, sweet, soft, sophisticated and wearing nearly 2K dollars worth of au currant couture hit town right before dark. In short order party posse quickly discovered a rocking party and viola!

We gave each other the "Hey! We are the hottest grrls here!" look.

Faster than one can say "democratic imperatives" we were courted, dancing and enjoying the players gunning their engines and kicking their Messerschmitts in a dive to make a play.

We were on fire! Magnetic and irresistable - and all together with it.

When the band took a break, escorts quickly escorted party posse into the sanctum santorium (kind of a combo lounge, sitting room, library looking place. Tons of books, comfy chairs and of course, a fully stocked bar) for an especial beverage from private reserves. An antique engravingly etched objet d'art punch bowl with a psychadelic grape colored elixir on ice.

Party posse's royal taster intell'd it was like pure grain alcohol and grape Kool Aid - with a dash of Red Bull - the infamous "purple panty remover"

More guys and girls showed up. It was cool - party posse was maintaining air superiority, when the break music cranked up with Katy Perry's tune from a month past.

Two girls (who were way too tall) started kissing. Like French style.

Instantly all the gallant, chivalrous, hot! guys who were mesmerized by our every breath - instantly xformed into uncouth heathens, ran over with every other guy in the room and started yelling and screaming "pushy!" (only they weren't saying 'pushy') and high fiving each other and left us in the dust.

It was devastatingly completely clear - transparently, and seemingly counterminiously.

This was the front line in the 'Culture War'

Appearantly, it doesn't really matter how smart, beautiful, high class, educated, connected, designer dressed a girl is. - hotties are totally ignored thanks to two off the rack K Mart ho's sucking face.


Launching the counterattack with a half remembered adage -

"Amateurs study strategy - professionals study logistics "

Party posse quickly hopped up and up and siezed the high ground - the bar. No one could get a drink without getting through us.

This was it - the moment to regain the iniative -

When in Athens do as the Athenians do?

Der Sieg

As the the DNC climaxes with the acceptance speech and rock star acknowledgement of the Donkeys' dude much has been made about the grandeur of the event, the cat himself and the cool ancient Greek looking stage/podium elevator arrival of the man of the hour. The man of change hope, the future and a hopeful future filled with change.

All new - nothing like it ever!

Totally incorrect.


It has been done before - and it is more like a ghost story to freak out the kids than anything else.

That Greek temple looking spot - and the elevator harken something a bit sinister.

And it should. For it is the model of Ceaser Augustus' deified shrine at Pergamon. An ancient Greek temple to Zeus in ancient Greek colonies in Asia Minor or modern Turkey.

Hauled to Berlin by Deutsch archeologist Karl Humann, the exhibit and the alter served as the inspiration for Albert Speer's demonic shrine to der fuhrer at Zeppelinfeld in Nazi time Germany - where der Fuhrer held the massive 'Nürnburg Rallies.

The main spot - where der fuhrer furiously fomented devilish designs had an elevator that rose up and the waiting room antechamber was an artistically created copy of the Temple.

Nazi fanboy Albert Speer later lamented that most of his designs were 'fascist' in that they tended to make one feel small.

Zeppelinfeld in the old Imperial City of Nürnburg was all about being larger than life - and a bit more too -

"With their gigantic dimensions, the grounds and the architecture were
meant to suggest to the individual visitor to the Party Rallies that he was participating in something major and significant, while at the same time conveying the impression of his own insignificance.

All the buildings moreover glorified the two central myths of the Third
Reich: the Führer myth, who was seen to be sent by Providence as a national saviour, and the myth of a national community founded upon collective uplifting experiences and feelings."

One of the catchy chants was that the Fuhrer's name was the victory.

Tune in and see if a chill manifests itself as something semi weird, uncool and a mite scary.

Event wise - Obama = der fuhrer?

NO!

Event wise Hitlerian?

Maybe.

Neo Europa

Way back at the intro of the New Millennium - before phrases like "Oil For Food Scandal" broke - Great Satan's then Def Sec - ever semi smartasstic Regime Changing Original Vulcan ex Navy fly guy Donald Rumsfeld sweetly divy'd Europa up like a French Silk Choccolate Pie.



Rumsfeldian rhetoric essentially painted two Europes. One was elderly, somewhat unarmed, uninspired, unmotivated - totally free, phat, fat, drunk and stupid for eons - well, since Das Dritten Reich screamed "Gott! Bitte! Halt!" and then when the Berlin Wall collapsed under it's own illegit, illogical weight



Old Europe.



Mainly Western Europe - busily introverted with little interest other than rebranding NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Org into the North Atlantic Trade Org - like being totally unable to take an 8 hour panzer ride to Belgrade to put murderous Milosevic out of biz.



The other piece of the pie was New Europe - freshly debutanted out of Warsaw Pact captivity - the universiality of democrazie near and dear to hearts that recently rejected collectivist, despotic ideas and ideals like secret police, secret trials, secret prisons and secret executions.



Since rowdy Russia's bear is out of hibernation and seemingly desireous to lap up honey'd frontier states like lap dances at a strip bar - it's high time to put the 'act' in tactical considerations and strategy.



Ukrania's living democratic martyr the spiritually nigh indestructable Viktor Yushchenko lays it down in one easy to understand sentence regarding Vlad's vocational verve to visit imperium on ex vassels:

"Ukraine has become a hostage in the war waged by Russia."

More than an interesting spin on an online profile, two sitting US Senators - a Connecticut yankee and a South Cackalackey cat - a Donkey and GOP each just came back from from Georgia and put the "bi" in a prett convincing conviction that prepping for a deterring confrontation is de rigor.



1st off -

"Russia's invasion of Georgia represents the most serious challenge to this political order since Slobodan Milosevic unleashed the demons of ethnic nationalism in the Balkans. What is happening in Georgia today, therefore, is not simply a territorial dispute.

It is a struggle about whether a new dividing line is drawn across Europe: between nations that are free to determine their own destinies, and nations that are consigned to the Kremlin's autocratic orbit."

The effect on New Europe is significant -

"That is the reason countries like Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States
are watching what happens in the Caucasus so closely. We heard that last week in Warsaw, Kiev and Tbilisi. There is no doubt in the minds of leaders in Ukraine and Poland -- if Moscow succeeds in Georgia, they may be next."

Great Satan needs to lead and NATO needs to get fully crunk too -

"The first priority of America and Europe must be to prevent the
Kremlin from achieving its strategic objectives in Georgia. Having been deterred from marching on Tbilisi and militarily overthrowing the democratically elected government there, Russian forces spent last week destroying the country's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, port and security facilities.

This was more than random looting. It was a deliberate campaign to
collapse the economy of Georgia, in the hope of taking the government down with it."

Anti despotic designer antidote?

"Needed, immediately, is a joint commitment by the U.S. and the
European Union to fund a large-scale, comprehensive reconstruction plan -- developed by the Georgian government, in consultation with the World Bank, IMF and other international authorities -- and for the U.S. Congress to support this plan as soon as it returns to session in September."

Any assistance plan must also include the rebuilding of Georgia's
security forces. Our past aid to the Georgian military focused on supporting the light, counterterrorism-oriented forces that facilitate Tbilisi's contribution to coalition operations in Iraq. We avoided giving the types of security aid that could have been used to blunt Russia's conventional onslaught. It is time for that to change.

Specifically, the Georgian military should be given the antiaircraft and antiarmor systems necessary to deter any renewed Russian
aggression. These defensive capabilities will help to prevent this conflict from erupting again, and make clear we will not allow the Russians to forcibly redraw the boundaries of sovereign nations."

The Vulcans (v2.0) adds armour to such Grand Strategy daemoneoconic machinations. Max Boot (love that name! - plus he got game) plays a very smooth groove that soothes.

"What gets ignored is that Georgia, although a small country
(population: 4.6 million), has the potential to do far more for its defense. According to the CIA's World Factbook, Georgia has over 900,000 men between the ages of 16 and 49.

It could easily create a larger military force than it has, but that would require spending more on defense. By the CIA's estimate, its defense
budget was just 0.59% of GDP in 2005.

Georgia's military spending has grown in recent years, but not
Eastern Europe's. According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, only one country in Eastern Europe spends more than 2% of GDP on defense.

That would be Bulgaria at 2.2%. Romania is in second place at 1.9%,
followed by Poland at 1.8%. Nor do these countries maintain large standing forces. Poland has 7.9 million males of military age but only 127,266 active-duty personnel in its armed forces. Hungary could mobilize 1.9 million men but has only 32,300 in uniform. Bulgaria has 1.3 million potential soldiers but only 40,747 actual soldiers.

There is one exception to this demilitarizing trend. Russia, which
has more than a million soldiers under arms, has been increasing its defense budget from the lows of the immediate post-Soviet era. Based on official figures it spends at least 2.5% of GDP on its military.

But if you add in expenditures on paramilitary forces and other items, the total comes closer to 4% -- roughly the same percentage that the U.S. is spending.

Small states have often shown the ability to humble great powers. In
1920, under the inspired leadership of Marshal Josef Pilsudski, the Poles staged a brilliant counterattack to save Warsaw and drive the Red Army off their soil.

In the winter war of 1939-1940 the plucky Finns held off Soviet invaders, forcing the Kremlin to settle for a slice of its territory rather than all of it.

More recently, the Afghan mujahedeen drove the Red Army out of their country altogether, thereby helping to bring down the Soviet Union.

The U.S. can help, as we helped the Afghans in the 1980s and as the
French helped the Poles in 1920. That will require a readjustment in our military assistance strategy, which has been to create in Eastern Europe miniature copies of our own armed forces.

Our hope, largely realized, has been that these states will help us
in our own military commitments in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. But in addition to developing NATO-style expeditionary capacity, these states need to be able to conduct a defense in depth.

That means having large reserves ready for fast call-up and plenty
of defensive weapons -- in particular portable missile systems such as the Stinger and Javelin capable of inflicting great damage on Russia's lumbering air and armor forces.

That's more important than fielding their own tanks or fighter aircraft.
We should offer to sell them these relatively inexpensive defensive systems, and to provide the advisory services to make the best use of them.

But the first step has to be for the Eastern Europeans to make a
larger commitment to their own defense."

Royal Tasters

Back in the days when 'Divine Right', monarchs, thrones and scepters were hip, partying could be dangerous! Kings, Queens and courts deployed poison proofing defense called 'Royal Tasters'.

The tasty thing about the gig was that royal taster got to sample all the drinks and munchies before blue bloods got to dine. The down side is that sometimes royal tasters got poisoned and died.

Partying in the New Millennium can be risible, risque and risky too. So much pharmaceuticals are out there - just waiting to ply hapless hotties so evil minders can have their way or ways with them.

Or worse.

When partying - travel in packs - have a designated driver and deploy a royal taster.

Persia And The Bear

The Mullahs and their tame semi unattached self described 'moderate realists' in the Foreign Policy jungle have an interesting bit up at Iranian Diplomacy that heralds the notion of a League of Hot! Autocrazies. Hassan Beheshtipour explains

"The simplest answer is to say Medvedev will follow in Putin’s footsteps.
So we can’t expect major shifts in Russia’s foreign policy in the next four
years. Consequently, Russia’s policy towards Iran won’t change significantly.

But if we know about Russia’s historical background, in no period two leaders have co-directed the country. So either Medvedev must be totally under Putin’s control in the next four years, or he must gradually take control of things.

In either case, Russia has to undergo changes in its foreign policy due to
global developments. Definitely a part of these development concern Iran. If we accept this view, we must prepare ourselves for change.

Russian 'tude towards Persia

"Since USSR’s dissolution, three approaches towards Moscow-Tehran ties have emerged. The first approach was taken by the pro-West camp that was active in the highest administrative levels during Yeltsin’s presidency.

They looked negatively at closer relations with Iran, believing that these
may put Russia’s relations with U.S. and Europe into trouble.

Second are veteran communists that advocate friendlier ties with Iran, since it increases Russia’s maneuver capacity against West. This group seeks formation of an anti-American front.

Third are Russians nationalists of Russia, including the radical wing of
Liberal Democrat Party and moderate allies of the ruling United Russia Party. The resultant of these two nationalist groups is cautious approach towards Iran.

Besides taking these three Russian mindsets into account, we must know how Iranians view relations with Russia."

Persian 'tude towards the Bear

"The first approach argues that Russia is unreliable, and we shouldn’t
count on this country in confrontation with the United States.

Advocators of the second approach believe that despite all its weaknesses, Russia is a good support for Iran against West. Since West seeks regime change in Iran, we can’t hope for resolution of problems between Iran and United States.

So as long as Iran wants to follow an independent line against West, it
must use Russia and China as levers. But it seems that by overplaying Russia’s role as a second-degree global power, advocators of this approach seek to justify Iran’s uncompromising face-off with West.

The third approach which is more pragmatistic, tries to view Russia as it really is, and redefine bilateral ties based on Iran and Russia’s national interests in the region and the world.

Conclusion?

"The conditions are now prepared for making changes in Iran-Russia
relations. Therefore, we must allow for the following issues in future of
bilateral ties:

Russia is not enough for Iran. Until Georgia, any attempt to expand ties
with Russia must take relations with West into consideration.

Invading Georgia has significantly changed things Russia is now ready
to get closer to China, Iran and India.

In Medvedev’s age, Russia will move towards nationalism, since Medvedev has
more nationalistic tendencies compared with Putin.

In areas such as energy market (especially gas) and Middle East (Iraq and
Lebanon) and the Muslim World, Russia tends to increase cooperation with Iran.

Iran is also interested in expanding bilateral ties in areas such as defense aerospace technology, and regional collaboration in the Caspian Sea and Shanghai Pact.

It is likely that because of his professional background as Gazprom’s
chairman, Medvedev shows interest in accessing Iran’s market. "

Think Condi

Hey - since HAMAS, Hiz'B'Allah and now autocratic Russia hates her guts - maybe it's time to turn her loose on them all as 'McCrazy's' VP!

Irresistable

As the world held Olympic torches and matches and witnessed the most amazing brazen autocratic homage to Leni Riefenstahl's Dritten Reiches"Triumph des Willens" ( Triumphant Will) in Red China's opening ceremonies, sister autocrat Russia brazenly held a hand over Georgia's mouth and pushed her into the closet for some percieved payback of the bearly concealed protuberancing.


As the smoke rose and rose the blame game kicked off. First off, those wicked wild and wacky neocons were daemoneoconized with alas - little effect, Such incorrect, unconvincing sour mouthings were literally clawed out of the sky faster than Deutsch Stuka's @ the Battle of Britain


Hitching their britches higher than Fred Mertz, the three 'Dy's fired off blanks in rapid succession.

In order of appearance the stereophonic High Pulitzer Priest - (often whispered as the spiritual enabler of Al Qaeda's strong horse - weak horse theory) of the corrupt cult of Stability (realpolitik) Dr Freddy Kaplan.

The Pope of illicit, immoral and illogical Isolationism - Paddy Buchanan - preaching about bears and blowback.

And Dr Andy Bacevich (victorious vying versus Dr Michael Desch in the "I'm the smartest military guy in the whole wide world ya'll that nobody pays much attention to anymore").


All three upped the panty ante and put the blame squarely where it belongs.

Every bit of a rapicious, rowdy Russia licking Georgia's peach clean is all America's fault.

Like Kosovo. A tantalizing tit for tat that enchantingly treats current events into a weird twisted discombobulated raison d'equalus that propped up prepped panzer blitzes (with out any UN blessings either) were swift and sweet with sharp sharp teeth.

Good luck with that!

Deploying probale problematic seperatists as tactical minorities to try and knock out a regime change against a democratic member of the UN is fully uncrunk and complete with a hissing, dissing, fur on end, spitting propaganda hissy fit.


Russia deploys her Heavy PR Squadrons:

Now foreign former despotic enablers like Sergie Laravov listing a list of 'why cause' , can choose between:

A democrazie crazed juiced up Georgia on a rampage to embrace the West with a Yay! Great Satan! fanboi reach for markets, trade, travel, reform and protection.

Or, grant autocratic, neurotic, nigh despotic unattractive Vlad cats a "No Free Ho Zone" of former vassals that are instantly transported back in time to Russian rule.

Last of the hand picked old school Collectivist Imperium Leaders for Life Mikhail Gorbachev (j'ever note that bmark looks a lot like a map of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam? ) bears smiling fangs in the most unavuncular fashion possible to disrobe Georgia .

"The West would be wise to help achieve such an agreement now. If,
instead, it chooses to blame Russia and re-arm Georgia, as American officials are suggesting, a new crisis will be inevitable. In that case, expect the worst.

Whoa!

Russia's Energy behemoth Gazprom and her Deutsch frontie Nordstream AG dangles an Ex. Bona fided freely unelected (by a grrl too!) Pol.

Ex Bundes Kanzler Gerhard Schröder (that's Schroeder for the un umlautic) the multied married "der herr der ringe" and super energized enabler has certainly found one ring to cling to above and forsaking, all others.

Even justifying despotic arrogance for maintaining despotic 'tude in bronze in Tallinn or cybernetically confounding and conflicting communications of the free flow of ideas de camp de internet.

Russia's energy ring. Russia's Power Play. Essentially, Russia is essential.

It is a mutual dependency. There is not a single critical problem in
world politics or the global economy that could be solved without Russia -- not the nuclear conflict with Iran, the North Korea question and certainly not bringing peace to the Middle East.

The set of problems relating to the climate can also only be addressed
universally. Incidentally, Moscow ratified the Kyoto Protocol to fight global warming, while we are still waiting for Washington to do so.

And when it comes to energy policy, only dreamers can pursue the idea
that Western Europe could become independent of Russian oil and natural gas. On the other hand, the Russians need reliable buyers for their energy shipments."

Daemoneoconic, dreamy influ is worse than kryptonite in Smallville talk for the four time married super player ex Kanzler. Wild wacky Neocons are deploying Kaganite. Der Herr der ringe ringingly resounds with a four year old gripe that hasn't Surged:

"Kagan, after all, was one of the men who strongly advised intervening in Iraq. The consequences were not pleasant, neither for America nor Europe.

Perhaps one should simply not listen to his advice."

Great Satan's intelligentsia prett much lays out audaciously advice that Great Satan

"...must make Russia pay a terrible price for subverting a democracy. Our policy of promoting liberal governments among the former Soviet republics, with integration into Europe and relations with NATO, was sound, and it cannot be allowed to be aborted by Putin.

Bottom line: Form a ring of democracies around Russia until it sees the
light and likewise evolves into a constitutional state."

Gerhard (who funnily enough could be nom de guerred as Gersoft) also showed a glimmer of energized fangs and cut to the bone.

That is precisely the price. Europe will only be able to play a true
role in the context between America, on the one side, and Asia, on the other, if it manages to establish and maintain a strong relationship with Russia.

I see Russia as part of Europe, more than as part of any other
constellation.

Wheee! No doubt! Autocratic Russia sees eastern Europa as her ex and soon to be again constellation - with sweet sexy stars like all the hotties of Warsaw Pact - twinkling dreamily in the night. Military wise quite undressed and a mite distressed as they succumb to Vlad's player game of regaining an empire and an energy dependent Europa - glow ho's.

And Europa sees it too - especially the old East Bloc.


Mikhail Gorbachev indeeded sincere blocs of insincerity with

"Indeed, Russia has long been told to simply accept the facts. Here’s the
independence of Kosovo for you. Here’s the abrogation of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty, and the American decision to place missile defenses in neighboring countries. Here’s the unending expansion of NATO. All of these moves have been set against the backdrop of sweet talk about partnership.

Why would anyone put up with such a charade?"

Ooooh! Pick me! Pick me!

Blame Great Satan?

What ev - Fact is, Georgia's plight is nothing Saakashvili did or didn't do - certainly no reason to launch old school WWII Russian front campaigns - or bomb Georgian goodies after the cease fire, dismantle or destroy prospects for a resurgent Georgia or threaten to take Mikheil to the Hauge or act out in a regime change against a democratic member of the UN.

Blaming Great Satan, the NATO, the EU is totally incorrect.

No internat'l predator forced Georgia or Ukraine or Poland or Latvia or Lithuania or Estonia down in the closet for a quickie. No panzer blitzes against their (collective or singular) 'she' wills to hot!ly desire success - encouraging embracing, to draw closer to Great Satan.

Closer to freedom of any kind - personal property, life, liberty - the entire sexyful apeal deal.

True that - these cats and allied hook ups encourage democratic govs, free markets, PR human rights anywhere, including those in bear range - Russia’s near abroad.

So what?

Freely elected cats made their very own choice - totally free. These cats have been there, done that and got the T shirt in the world mall of unfree regimes.

Ex Warsaw Pact hotties know the diff between fun and secret police, between free choice and submission, between despotic dominance and democratic determination, between failure and success, between gulags and good times in any endeavour

Blaming Great Satan is weak and reveals a weak played gang of no game players that tend to follow a wickibit ovulating hottie like a pack of puppies.

America - and all she stands for is a natural energized magnetised attraction of supernatural dimensions.

Great Satan and all she stands for is just like that hottie on parade.

She's provocative

And one way or the other - the world is easily provoked.

She's irresistable.


Pic - mD pretending to be GrEaT sAtAn

North Atlantic Council

I have just finished attending a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Foreign Ministers. That meeting has produced a declaration, which I am certain you now have copies of, which is a comprehensive response to the crisis in Georgia. This was an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council. And that, in itself, is a clear indication of NATO’s interest in this crisis and NATO’s concern that this crisis has a real impact on peace and stability in this region and therefore is crucial to the alliance

There are several elements to the declaration. But perhaps most important, I think the declaration clearly shows that NATO intends to support the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Georgia, and to support its democratically elected government, its democracy, and to deny Russia the strategic objective of undermining that democracy, of making Georgia weaker or of threatening Georgia’s territorial integrity.

In that regard, a number of steps will be taken to support Georgia, including the creation, as the Secretary General has just said, of a NATO-Georgia Commission to oversee cooperation with Georgia on a wide range of matters and to oversee the program to achieve the goals of Bucharest. The Council reaffirmed the Bucharest Declaration of our heads of state, as well as developing this program of specific steps that we will take.

Secondly, there was very strong language in the declaration and very strong language around the table of the need for Russia to honor the ceasefire commitment that its president has undertaken. It is time for the Russian President to keep his word to withdraw Russian forces from Georgia, back to the August 6/7 status quo ante and to return, in fact, all forces that were not in South Ossetia at the time of that – of the outbreak of that conflict.

That means that Russian peacekeepers “who were there” are one thing, but those who reinforced in some way into the zone of conflict should also return to the status quo ante.

Finally, this document is a very clear statement that this alliance, NATO, having come so far after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in achieving a Europe that is whole, free and at peace, is not going to permit a new line to be drawn in Europe, a line between those who were fortunate enough to make it into the transatlantic structures and those who still aspire to those transatlantic structures.

And thus, as I have said, there was the reaffirmation of Bucharest that the circumstances for Georgia and Ukraine to become members of MAP will be taken up by the ministers in December, as was envisioned in Bucharest, but that there will absolutely be no new line.

NATO does not accept that there is a new line, and we are acting as if there is no new line. That is why both the establishment of the NATO-Georgia Commission and the meeting that will take place next week of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, as well as the visit of NATO permanent representatives to Georgia are important steps that demonstrate that principle.

NATO has an open-door policy to all European democracies that qualify for its membership. This is not a matter of forcing countries into one alliance or another.

It is simply a matter of giving them the choice that free peoples deserve.

And NATO stays true to that principle and stays true to the Bucharest Declaration that declared that NATO – that Georgia and Ukraine, having declared that they wish to pursue a transatlantic future, will become members of NATO.

Thank You Very Much

Sylvie Lanteaume, AFP Madame Secretary, the Europeans seem obviously reluctant to isolate Russia as you would like. They don’t want to treat the Russia of today as the Germany of the past. Do you think – do you think these concerns are legitimate? Do you understand them?

Sec Of State Rice: Well, Sylvie, the United States doesn’t want to isolate Russia. It’s the United States that has a strategic framework for cooperation with Russia that has everything in it from economic cooperation to political cooperation, cultural cooperation, indeed even offers of defense cooperation. So the United States doesn’t seek to isolate Russia.

The behavior of Russia in this most recent crisis is isolating Russia from the principles of cooperation among nations of the communities of states when you start invading small neighbors, bombing civilian infrastructure, going into villages and wreaked havoc and wanton destruction of this infrastructure. That’s what isolates Russia.

And so it is not an act of the United States or Europe or anybody else to isolate Russia; it’s what Russia is doing. And I would just call your attention to the language that there can be no business as usual with Russia while this kind of activity goes on.

And so I want to be very clear: the United States sought precisely what we got in this statement, which is, most importantly, support for Georgia’s democracy; secondly, a very strong message that the Russian President ought to keep his word; and third, a very clear statement of principle from this alliance that a new line in Europe where Russia somehow asserts that there are those who cannot opt for a transatlantic future is unacceptable.

Thank You


Dr RiCe iS GrEaT sAtAn"s SeCrEtArY oF sTaTe

Omid

Iran's Revo Guard fanboi English site lights up the sky with the following communique:

Iran successfully launches its first homemade satellite carrier, Safir
1, opening a new chapter in the country's scientific achievements.

The launch of the new rocket from Iranian soil will pave the way
for the country to send a lightweight telecommunications satellite, Omid (meaning 'hope' in Persian), into orbit in the near future.

The domestically manufactured Omid satellite will pass over the country six times a day for research purposes.

The launch of Safir 1 was aimed at improving the country's space
industries. Safir 1 tested remote sensing, Satellite telemetry, and geographic information system (GIS) technology as well as remote and ground station data processing.

Sounds familiar...

Bad

GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD formally endorses Dr Condoleezza Rice as GOP VP candidate.

Politically - it's the killer move - totally marginalizing the Donkey Party with a self made grrl on the ticket. The powder puff pieces in the Lame Stream Media would be sweet. "OMG! Didn't know she knew innocent victims of the Birmingham bombing way back in the day." Or "Her fave color is peridot - she loves chocolate chip cookies!"

Her positive ratings are almost nigh unchanged since day one - 69% - way better than HRC, John Edwards - or any GOP contenders.

Any flak on Iraq will seem like sour grapes completely owned by the 'defeat, retreat and repeat" posse.

Dr Rice would most likely point out that unhinged neoconphobic regimes, fanbois, ammoral realpolitikers and boring isolationists are way out of touch.

"The process of democratization is likely to be messy and unsatisfactory, but it is absolutely necessary. Democracy, it is said, cannot be imposed, particularly by a foreign power. This is true but beside the point. It is more likely that tyranny has to be imposed.

The story today is rarely one of peoples resisting the basics of democracy -- the right to choose those who will govern them and other basic freedoms. It is, instead, about people choosing democratic leaders and then becoming impatient with them and holding them accountable on their duty to deliver a better life.

It is strongly in our national interest to help sustain these leaders,
support their countries' democratic institutions, and ensure that their new governments are capable of providing for their own security, especially when their nations have experienced crippling conflicts."

Plus, Dr Rice could be essential in the wake of rowdy Russia. Projecting the sexyful appeal of democrazy and constant confrontation and selective intervention for nations that seek to draw closer to Great Satan in scary parts of the world.

And finally turning loose America's preimer Kremlinologist with an unbound agenda on Russia would most likely fit Senator McCain's vision of future world - where intolerant bullies, creeps, jerks and retards are - their own choice mind you - marginalized, co opted, democratised or annihilated.

"Bad Condi" by ReId HaRrIs CoOpEr

AQ Lost Another Cat

According to a Pakistani security official, Al Yazid, known also as Abu Saeed al Masri, died in recent clashes with Pakistani forces in the Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border. Nearly 160 people have been killed in those clashes since last Wednesday.

He is described as commander of al Qaeda operations in Afghanistan and the most senior a Qaeda operative to be killed since the death of al Qaeda’s bomb and chemical weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri last month.

Sweet! Hope al - Yazid's timely demise was slow and painful.

Shout out to Gloir at Little Satan's Worst Case Scenerio Site

Europa And The Bear

Brookings Institute just held an event on what all rowdy Russia means to the EU, NATO, Great Satan and 'front line states' (which is a very nice way of saying 'J'ever notice all of Russia's neighbors are either vassal states or enemies?).

Noted notables were on hand including the old Cold Warrior Realist General Scowcroft and neoconservative intelligentsia Dr Robert Kagan.

Dr K pointed out Europa will soon be running faster to hook up with Great Satan than a broke college co ed needing cash from papa for Homecoming Weekend.

"Europe, of course -- the EU was not configured to deal with a problem like this, and it also has not evolved quickly enough into being able to have a coherent foreign policy to address this kind of problem. You know, before this crisis, if you had a conversation with an E.U. member about when the European Union will be able to speak with one voice on foreign policy issues, they would normally say 10, 15, 20 years.

And so what we are seeing therefore is the breakdown of Europe into
its component parts and countries now responding according to each of their individual perceptions of their interests, much more than with any kind of pan-European sense. I think it is not surprising that the current EU -- the person holding the current EU foreign minister position, Javier Solana, is virtually invisible at this moment, and what we are seeing are actions by -- statements by individual European leaders.

The EU was divided when the United States went to war in Iraq,
which was attributed to devious efforts by Don Rumsfeld to divide Europe, but what we can see now is that any major international crisis, especially if it's in range of US borders, tends to divide Europe.

And what the big issue right now is what is the role of the new
members? I think if you had asked even a year ago in France or in Germany or in most parts of what we would call Western Europe whether -- if they could take back the enlargement of the EU they would. I think they would all like to take it back.

One of the things, for a variety of reasons, including the unwieldiness of the situation, but more importantly they have bought -- the EU has bought a confrontation -- an unavoidable confrontation by taking in these states.

And so now what we have, obviously, is an east-west -- a kind of
east-west -- it's a little -- I won't -- it's a little bit too simplistic
geographically but a kind of east-west split on this issue where the frontline, if we can call them that, front-line states have an entirely
different attitude to how to deal with Russia and then say, say France, and what is unknown at this point is so where does the E.U. wind up?

The weight of the East, the weight of the Central and Eastern European
and Baltic States within the E.U. councils on an issue like this is going to pull Europe much closer to a more confrontational and suspicious posture toward Russia. It’s one thing when it’s all purely theoretical and Russia is dividing Europe and carving it into pieces on energy and other economic issues.

It’s one thing when Russia is, as Sarkozy once said, throwing its weight around in a kind of brutal fashion, but it’s not a military fashion. It’s
quite another when, for whatever set of reasons, and I won’t even get into the justice or injustice of any of these issues, but the simple fact of Russia being willing to pour this level of troops into a neighboring state is unavoidably going to have a dramatic effect on the way the near neighbors view Russia.

The E.U., when it works best internally, trades off interest against interest: You make your cheese here; we’ll make our ham there. You care about this; we’ll care about that. We’ll all work it out, which is the E.U. negotiating process. Somebody gives something for something else.

The problem is fear is not a tradable commodity. Insofar as the countries that are closer to Russia are now afraid, they’re not going to have that same kind of bargain.

And so, I feel like that especially now that we see Britain. If you
just read the British newspapers by and large and see the comments of the opposition, David Cameron and the current foreign minister, the foreign secretary David Milliband, you’re clearly seeing a shift that I think was always underway in Britain ever since the whole poisoning and the spy episode, but now I think is quite dramatic.

So now you have Britain on that side. You have Carl Bildt of Sweden
taking a very strong stand. I think in the pivotal case of Merkel and Germany, I don’t think there’s any real question about where her sort of moral sympathies lie in this situation. Now there is a German approach to this which is more of in a tradition of we know how to deal with the Russians, but what happened at Bucharest is an interesting lesson and I think a harbinger of where things are going.

The Germans and the French went into Bucharest, saying there will
be no membership action plan for Georgia. They resisted some pressures from outside. But at the end of that meeting, Merkel was cornered by a number of presidents from what I would now call front-line states who managed to get her to agree to insert into that final Bucharest statement the extraordinary comment that Georgia and Ukraine will become members of NATO. So we’re not giving them a membership action plan, but we will make them members of NATO.

Aside from whatever confusing signals that may have sent to the
Russians and the Georgians, the important point is I think that represents Merkel’s inability ultimately to be as coolly realpolitik, if you want, in the face of this Russian action as perhaps the French are capable of being.

And so, I just think whatever the near term developments, the larger reality stemming from this is a Europe that in general is in a much more confrontational and suspicious posture toward Russia."

art -интернет-журнал or "Russia loves Georgia Peaches"

"We Are All Georgians"

"As you know, over the past several days, we have seen that international aggression is, tragically, not a thing of the past. We thought we'd put a lot of that behind us at the end of the twentieth-century. But now we find it's rearing its ugly head in the twenty-first.

The small nation of Georgia has been subject to Russian attacks that threaten its very existence.

"Some Americans, when they read this news, may wonder where Georgia is or why we should care about the conflict between Georgians and the Russian army. It's after all a small, remote and obscure place. But history is often made in remote, obscure places. And it's being made in Georgia today.

"Georgia itself, my friends, has a long and remarkable history.

It was a fourth-century convert to Christianity, one of the first nations on Earth to convert to Christianity -- if you go to Georgia, as I have several times, you'll see churches that go back to the fourth- and fifth-century -- and it's been a part of the grand sweep that comprises Western civilization. But because of their location, their history hasn't been easy.

Through the centuries, they have seen invasions and attacks from Mongols, Russians, Turks and Persians. And through it all, they maintain their language, their cultural identity, and their national pride. And as you know, they were part of the Soviet Union and were able to achieve their independence when the Soviet Union disintegrated.

And they're facing terrible trials today, but they'll get through this, too.

"And, my friends, and I'll talk about this more in a minute -- but they're at a strategic crossroads. There's a pipeline, an oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which brings oil from the Caspian to points west and traverses Georgia -- that's the very pipeline that the Russians tried to bomb. And I don't have to tell you about the price of oil and disruption of oil supplies.

"In this country -- it's that little country, a country whose territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty NATO countries reaffirmed at their summit in April -- terrible violence has occurred. Now let me just remind you exactly what has taken place here.

"On Friday, Russian tanks and troops moved through the Roki Tunnel, across an internationally-recognized border, and into the Georgian province of South Ossetia. Two years ago, I traveled to South Ossetia, my friends, and we went through this barricade, and as soon as we got into this place, which the Russians are maintaining hundreds and now thousands of troops, there's this huge billboard and it said, 'Vladimir Putin, Our President.' Have no doubt about Russian ambitions in this area.

"The Russian government stated it was acting only to protect Ossetians, and yet, on Saturday, its bombing campaign encompassed the whole of Georgia. Hundreds of innocent civilians have been wounded and killed -- possibly thousands. Military bases, apartment buildings, and other infrastructure all came under Russian fire. And the Russian Black Sea Fleet began concentrating off of the Georgian coast.

Before the weekend ended, Russian troops drove the Georgians out of South Ossetia and stepped up their offensive in the region of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia is another area that the Russians have controlled in violation of Georgian territorial integrity. And Georgia asked for a ceasefire, and Russia responded by bombing the Tbilisi Airport.

"Yesterday, Russian troops advanced on one city after another. Gori, Senaki, Poti, and other cities were attacked. In 2006, I visited Senaki and reviewed the Georgian troops who had served with honor beside American soldiers in Iraq -- 2,000 of them served beside American soldiers in Iraq, and we're proud of that.

"President Medvedev stated that he has halted the offensive, but reports indicate that Russian military forces have continued attacks in some areas and the situation remains fluid and dangerous. Foreign Minister Flavor announced that Russia seeks regime change in Georgia, and that it's democratically-elected president 'better go.'

"In the face of this threat, the leaders of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Latvia -- you know there's a common thread there amongst them, they all suffered under Soviet domination -- they've all announced that they'll travel to the region, and the French president is in Moscow in an attempt to help resolve the crisis. They understand that it's a responsibility of the leading nations of the world to ensure that history continues to record reform and make progress toward respecting the values and security of all free people.

"This is the situation in Georgia as we meet here this morning. The impact of Russian actions goes beyond their threat to a democratic Georgia. Russia has used violence against Georgia to send a signal to any country that chooses to associate with the West and aspire to our shared political and economic values.

My friends, we learned at great cost the price of allowing aggression against free nations to go unchecked. With our allies, we must stand in united purpose to persuade the Russian government to withdraw its troops from Georgia. There must be an independent, international peacekeeping force in the separatist regions.

And we should ensure that humanitarian aid can be airlifted to Georgia's capital, and stand ready to help our Georgian partners put their country back together. And we must make clear to Russia's leaders that the benefits they enjoy from being part of the civilized world require their respect for the values, stability, and piece of that world.

"My friends, today the killing goes on and aggression goes on. Yet, I know from speaking this morning to the President of Georgia, Misha Saakashvili, who I've known for many years, that he knows that the thoughts and the prayers and support of the American people are with that brave little nation as they struggle today for their freedom and independence.

And he wanted me to say thank you to you, to give you his heartfelt thanks for the support of the American people for this tiny little democracy far away from the United States of America.

And I told him that I know I speak for every American when I say to him, today, we are all Georgians."

sEnAtOr McCaIn

"It's Raining Neocons!"

Joe Klein over at Time makes a great case for drug testing journalists (though to be fair - they rarely hold real jobs - like arresting criminals, building stuff, growing food, teaching or killing enemies).

Responding to super fly Dr Robert Kagan (Oh! He got game!) and his Putin's move making WaPo essay Time scribe Klein became mentis non compos.

Dr Kagan laid it prett straight - chalking up a historic moment:

"The events of the past week will be remembered that way, too. This war did not begin because of a miscalculation by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

It is a war that Moscow has been attempting to provoke for some time. The man who once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century" has reestablished a virtual czarist rule in Russia and is trying to restore the country to its once-dominant role in Eurasia and the world.

Armed with wealth from oil and gas; holding a near-monopoly over the energy supply to Europe; with a million soldiers, thousands of nuclear warheads and the world's third-largest military budget, Vladimir Putin believes that now is the time to make his move."

Klein freaked and launched a rambling, discombobulating pitifully unwondrous example of weak minded, weak willed, out of touch, weeded up paranoia prose pose and not to put too fine a point on it - BORING and embarrassing.

It's not Russia, Ossetia or Abkhazia. Or even Kosovo.

It's raining neocons!

"But it is important, yet again, to call out the endless neoconservative search for new enemies, mini-Hitlers. It is the product of an abstract over-intellectualizing of the world, the classic defect of ideologues. It is, as we have seen the last eight years, a dangerous way to behave internationally.

And it has severely damaged our moral authority in the world...I mean,
after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, after Abu Ghraib, after our blithe rubbishing of the Geneva Accords, why should anyone listen to us when we criticize the Russians for their aggression in the Caucasus?"

Finally! A regime change Klein can live with it!

Klein's klutzy irony is easily addressed.

1st off, tolerant egalitarian societies with all the hot stickie goodies like transparent, periodic elections, free, uncensored press, an indy judiciary under elected Gov oversight, a military under civie control and a nat'l treasury under public accountability are like kryptonite in Smallville.

Autocrazies, despotries, tyrannies (horrid or benign) cannot help but to act out against free societies. Especially any in weapons range.

Such malignant magnetism is a cool homage to Great Satan and all her democratic best grrlfriends forever.

"Creative destruction is Great Satan's middle name. It is a natural function, for she is the one truly revolutionary country in the world for more than 2 centuries. She does it automatically, and that is precisely why the tyrants hate her guts, and are driven to attack her.

An enormous advantage, tyrants fear her, and their oppressed peoples want what she offers: freedom. "

So, intolerant, unfree, (some nigh unhinged), illegit, murderous, corrupt regimes having their feelings, purses, prestige and control freak apparatus dissed, damaged or marginalized is "...a dangerous way to behave? "

Au Contraire Mon Frer' !

It is exactly how hot! democracies should behave - constant confrontation and selective intervention - letting geopolitical gangstas act out militarily is the perfect catylyst for a sexyful diplopolitical future military hook up.

Neo bashing RE: Russia vs Georgia (psychically predicted by American Power) is not confined to neoconspiracy Klein. Confauxderates, ammoral corrupt cult of stability accolytes, the enemy of my nation is my friend anarchy heirarchy heralds a phony daemoneoconic cacophony that seems retarded - in the classic sense no less.

Freely elected President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvilli survey's the stakes.

"Most obviously, the future of my country is at stake. The people of
Georgia have spoken with a loud and clear voice: They see their future in Europe. Georgia is an ancient European nation, tied to Europe by culture, civilization and values.

In January, three in four Georgians voted in a referendum to support membership in NATO. These aims are not negotiable; now, we are paying the price for our democratic ambitions.

Second, Russia's future is at stake. Can a Russia that wages aggressive war on its neighbors be a partner for Europe? It is clear that Russia's current leadership is bent on restoring a neocolonial form of control over the entire space once governed by Moscow.

If Georgia falls, this will also mean the fall of the West in the entire
former Soviet Union and beyond. Leaders in neighboring states -- whether in Ukraine, in other Caucasian states or in Central Asia -- will have to consider whether the price of freedom and independence is indeed too high."

Blitz Bear

Dissed by the Kosovo split - when kindred kin in Serbia lost turf, resources and populace to a makebelieve country (even worse - a self proclaimed democrazy that prett much looked West - not East), watching the old empire shrivel up faster than viagrafree swimmers, fully crunk with petrol rubles Russia watched how the game was played.

If seperatism is so sexy and desirable in the West than defending seperatism with panzers on the ground and troops in harms way would be way cooler.

Commonwealth played Ossetia - providing "Peace Keepers" that magically exponentially xformed into an armoured panzer strike force with significant air and sea power.


Pledging Russian citizenship to Ossetians sexcalated the sitch to a pitch of feverish proportions and gave the womderful reason to act out militarily and shoot for home base.

RE: Resurrecting the old school Soviet Union as an automatic autocratic new millennium imperium.

This is significant.

"These former satellites have been left in no doubt that Russia must be regarded as "glavniy", or No. 1, if they wish to avoid the fate of Georgia. Central to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's nationalistic policy is a conviction that the power of the West - seemingly unassailable at the end of the Cold War - is on the wane."

Hold up. Actually that bit is totally bass ackwards.

It is exactly the opposite - the fun, free ideas and ideals of democrazy are marginalizing the autocratic designs at the ballot box on Commonwealth's euro frontier.

Russia is launching a regime change against a democratic sovereign nation - driving a panzer blitz right into the capital of Georgia way past any Ossetian concerns.


Firing one off during the smokescreen deployed by sister autocrat China's coming out debut' the timing is significant both tactically and strategically.

While enjoying a mini surge of precious babies Mother Russia doesn't have time on her side.

Russia has demonstrated effective war-fighting capability abroad for the first time since the old school collectivist union crashed, redeeming the spiritual sons of the Red Army.

A new General who really digs the idea of a Russian rapid response force to act out against Russia's increasingly democratic Western Frontier.

Sorteeing an amphib force along with Air and ground cover Russia means biz.

"Russia enters 2008 in the strongest geopolitical position it has
known since the Cold War's end

"The rampant decay of its military has largely been halted, new weapons systems are beginning to be brought on line, the country is flush with
petrodollars, its debt has vanished, the Chechen insurgency has been suppressed, the central government has all but eliminated domestic opposition, and the regime is popular at home."

"Chinese pipelines to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan (to be constructed in 2008) threaten to divert the energy that until now could only flow northward and serve Russian purposes."

"China is stealing Central Asia, building a network of
infrastructures that will make it more attractive for the Central Asian states to integrate with China than to use Soviet-era links to Russia."

"NATO and the European Union occupy Russia's entire western horizon
and are flirting with expanding their memberships. Rising defense modernizations in Asia are forcing Russia to deal with two military fronts - something at which Moscow never really succeeded during Soviet times."

"First, the consolidation that began in Russia's energy sector in
2003 will culminate. This will be the year that state giants Rosneft and Gazprom swallowup - whether formally or through 'alliances' - most of the remaining independentplayers in the country's energy industry."

"In 2008 a number of natural gas import projects will begin
operation in Western Europe, reducing that region's dependency on Russian energy and allowing the Western European states to be more dismissive of Russian interests."

"The Russians need a defining confrontation with the West. Russian
power is at a relative peak, and American power at a relative low. It is a
temporary circumstance certain to invert as the United States militarily extricates itself from Iraq, and one that Russia must exploit if it seeks to avoid replicating the geopolitical retreat of the 1990s."

"For Russia - which has publicly invested much political capital in
opposing Kosovarindependence - European success would be more than a slap in the face.Moscowmust prevent this from happening... Simply put, for the Western world, Kosovo isnot even remotely worth an escalating conflict with Russia."

"The former pro-Western Soviet republic of Georgia, long a thorn in
Moscow's side, has two secessionist regions that rely on Russia for their
economic and militaryexistence. Russia could easily absorb them outright and thus break the myth thatAmerican protection in the Caucasus is sustainable."

"Gazprom could swallow up Russian-British joint oil venture TNK-BP,
destroying billions in U.K. investment in a heartbeat. Union with Belarus would return the Red Army to the European frontier and turn the security framework of Eurasia inside-out overnight."

"When that happens, Russia will face a resurgent United States that
commands alliances in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Russia must use the ongoing U.S. entanglement in the Middle East to redefine its immediate neighborhood or risk a developing geopolitic far less benign to Russian interests than Washington's Cold War policy of containment."

Commonwealth's Military Intell site for the GRU believes it too. And that autocratic Russia will use Georgia as a model to again control turf from the Baltic to the Med

"Georgia can win only if it is backed by the United States and its
other allies. And even with such support, its victory will mean heavy losses, and entail lengthy guerilla warfare."