Georgia on my mind

In case you're unclear on what just happened in South Ossetia, here is Gary Brecher to explain it all to you.  I'm a big fan of the little creep (oh, come on, that's what he'd call himself), and I love, for instance, his breakdown of why the Pentagon condemned the Russian response as "disproportionate":

If you want a translation, luckily I speak fluent Pentagon. So what “disproportionate” means is—well, imagine that you’re watching some little hanger-on who tags along with you get his ass whipped by a bully, and you say, “That’s inappropriate!” I mean, instead of actually helping him. That’s what “disproportionate” means from the Pentagon: “We’re not going to lift a finger to help you, but hey, we’re with you in spirit, little buddy!”

Less comprehensive (and funny), but no less informative, is Mark Ames's take on things, and in particular John McCain's delusional reaction to them.

By the way, I don't know if you were watching, but the Russians shut down The Exile back in June.  Oh, I'm sorry, they didn't shut it down.  They have a free press in Russia, after all.  They conducted a surprise audit of the newspaper and scared its investors into backing out.  First time they'd done that to an English-language publication, so there's another landmark. 

Anyway, Ames was the editor of The Exile, so if there's anyone who'd be likely to take a less than sanguine view of the Russian government, it's him.  You'll note he's not cheering for Georgia in this affair.