[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Azure

Oh, darn. Bush should have said nothing instead

Well, no--he probably said exactly what he could say under the circumstances. But this situation has exposed the weakness of the US on the international scene. For Bush to be wagging his finger at Putin for doing something that he himself arguably did is not just hypocritical (which I take to be kermitology's point)--it's kind of pathetic. It shows how much American international influence has fallen since the invasion of Iraq. To make matters worse, France now has more influence over the actions of Russia than the U.S. does--which is a realization that has to sting for the neocons.

In fact, what do you expect him to say? Tell Russia that because the US apparently 'bullied and intimidated' countries throughout the world, its alright for Russia to do the same thing?

I think that is what Russia is implicitly saying. But who knows, they may have done this anyway. Putin is one person who has nothing to lose in this situation. His international reputation is already terrible, so it's not like it can get worse--and he knows that the U.S. can't do anything about it, either diplomatically or militarily, because on both fronts they're currently very weak.

You do realize that Bush being strong in this regard, only sets the foundation for the next President? Right now he's not acting for his own good, but for the good of the United States. If Georgia is a US ally, they have the responsibility to defend Georgia. Even against Russia. Fighting a verbal war is part of that.

Bush isn't "being strong." He's issuing "strongly worded statements." From a president who historically prefers action to words, this shows how far he has fallen from his high point in early 2002.