Bush to Russia: 'Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable'

President Bush delivered yet one more tough warning to Russia today over the crisis in Georgia: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

He spoke in the Rose Garden in a hastily-announced appearance just before heading off on what is scheduled to be a two-week holiday at his home in Crawford, Texas.

With little leverage available to him — and only modest steps to match his angry words — Bush has taken to the White House bully pulpit as a means of trying to exert pressure on the Kremlin.

The tensions in the Caucasus flared into war eight days ago between Georgia and Russia, which has backed rebels in the breakaway South Ossetia region of Georgia. Bush was in Beijing at the time, attending the opening days of the Summer Olympics.

Since he returned to Washington on Monday, he has met several times with national security officials, dispatched U.S. military forces to Georgia to carry humanitarian assistance and sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region.

But most visibly, he has made three public statements — all in the Rose Garden — to deliver no-nonsense messages to Moscow, and demonstrate a very public stance of opposition to the Russian invasion. And he postponed by one day his departure for Texas.

The situation has put Bush in the position at the end of his presidency — marked for the past five years by the U.S. war in Iraq — of conducting an angry face-off with Russia over its invasion of a country on its border.

"With its action in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world," the president said.

In his statement, he sent this message to Russia:

A contentions relationship with Russia is not in America's interest. And a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia's interest.

Seeking to explain the rationale for the U.S. support of Georgia, the president said Georgia has a democratically elected government, its "sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," it has sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the U.S. mission, and it has "sought to join the free institutions of the West."

"Georgia has become a courageous democracy," Bush said, adding later: "The people of Georgia have cast their lot with the free world, and we will not cast them aside."

For the White House transcript of the president's remarks, click Read Full Story below ...

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

__________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                      August 15, 2008

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

ON THE SITUATION IN GEORGIA

Rose Garden

8:13 A.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  I've just received an update from my national security team on the situation in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tbilisi.  She's conferring with President Saakashvili and expressing America's wholehearted support for Georgia's democracy. 

     She will be traveling to Crawford, where I will meet her and she will bring me up to date on what she has seen and what she heard in Georgia, as well as in Paris -- I mean, in France.  She did not go to Paris.  Secretary of Defense Gates will keep me briefed on the humanitarian assistance to the people of Georgia.  We're working closely with our partners in Europe and other members of the G7 to bring a resolution to this crisis. 

     The United States and our allies stand with the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government.  Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.  Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory. 

     Some Americans listening today may wonder why events taking place in a small country halfway around the world matter to the United States.  In the years since it's gained independence after the Soviet Union's collapse, Georgia has become a courageous democracy.  Its people are making the tough choices that are required of free societies.  Since the Rose Revolution in 2003, the Georgian people have held free elections, opened up their economy, and built the foundations of a successful democracy.

     Georgia has sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to help others achieve the liberty that they struggled so hard to attain.  To further strengthen their democracy, Georgia has sought to join the free institutions of the West.  The people of Georgia have cast their lot with the free world, and we will not cast them aside. 

     Georgia's emergence as a young democracy has been part of an inspiring and hopeful new chapter in Europe's history.  Europe has moved beyond the world wars that killed millions of people, and the Cold War that divided its citizens between two superpowers.  Every administration since the end of the Cold War has worked with European partners to extend the reach of liberty and prosperity.  And now, for the first time in memory, Europe is becoming a continent that is whole, free, and at peace.

     Unfortunately, Russia has tended to view the expansion of freedom and democracy as a threat to its interests.  The opposite is true:  Free and prosperous societies on Russia's borders will advance Russia's interests by serving as sources of stability and economic opportunity. 

     We hope Russia's leaders will recognize that a future of cooperation and peace will benefit all parties.  The Cold War is over.  The days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us.  A contentious relationship with Russia is not in America's interest.  And a contentious relationship with America is not in Russia's interest. 

     With its actions in recent days Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world.  Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.  Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations, or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation.  To begin to repair its relations with the United States and Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must respect the freedom of its neighbors.

     Thank you.

                  END                       8:17 A.M. EDT

Comments

[George Rubio]

Mr. Bush is telling Russia that bullying and intimidation are unacceptable? Hahahahaha!

[Pierre]

Bush is beyond absurd. Shall we laugh, get angry or cry? I opt to laugh. What a comedy.

[Bob]

Hey! Wasn't it Georgia that invaded South Ossetia? Why are we so mad at the Russians for knocking them back? And, the newspapers and television news basically parrots the Bush Administration's convoluted thinking, making the Russians the bad guys. Remember, we're the bad guys in Iraq. Georgia is the bad guy there.

[Phil Peterson]

I remember the same type of thing happened in the 1960s. The Soviets got in be with Peru, and Johnson did the tough talk but in the end nothing became of it. Back in the day, Cuba was the boss of the south American hemisphere, and back then Kennedy wanted to plant missiles in Cuba, but Krhushev told Kennedy to remove those missiles from Cuba or no more Vodka would flow into the US. It was a good time to be American, the way Kennedy stood up to Nixon.

[Emily]

Pot, meet kettle.

[KWP]

Like Bush is anyone to be talking? Who does this maniacal idiot think he is? Gearge Bush is Hitler's brother!!! His record on Iraq is abismal at best and genocidal and imperial at worst. Georgia is committing genocide and imperialism against South Ossetia who is inhabited by Russian citizens and those who hold passports to Russia; of course Russia has stepped in to defend thier people against the tyranny of imperialism and genocide in the name of freedom. I am so sick of the Democracies commiting imperialistic genocide in the name of freedom. Put Bush in jail for war crimes and throw Cheney and Rove in to be his cellmates. The United States of Amerika has no business butting into this and they certainly have no room to talk. Some please tell Bush to sit his butt down and shut his mouth!!!

[Chris Bonilla]

Who else saw the picture of Mikheil Saakashvili with Condoleezza Rice? Saakashvili (and I am guessing his staff) wearing flag pins = HILARIOUS.
Can we get off the Democratization of the world leading to global peace, and so we have to support all democracies everywhere stuff already? Any country can call itself whatever it wants, but, like Georgia, deserves a full slap to the face when its leader needlessly and recklessly decides to attack other people be they inside or outside of their borders.

[Terrible Swift Sword]

If the Cuban government suddenly decided to shell Gitmo to restore the base to Cuba, is there any doubt that the Marines would soon be patrolling Havana and Jose Marti Airport littered with craters from US high density bombs? So, the US trying to affect the Georgian/Russian war with platitudes about bullying is beyond ridiculous. Ditto for old man M'cain's bellicose rhetoric.

Better for the US and the United Nations, notwithstanding Russia's veto power on the Security Council, to make ending the human suffering along the Russia-Geiorgia frontier its top priority.

[Chuck]

Sounds like a high school principal to me. This guy is running the United States High School.
Hey Mr. President, why don't you threaten Putin with detention after school?
Mah Gawd, I can't wait till 02/09.

[v racer]

Not even the world's greatest super power can pressure Russia to save Georgia because our country has been severely weakened in the eyes of the world this political season by ignorant partisans such as most democrats, all liberals, the in pocket media and those who submit idiotic comments (ref. above). They all play games for their own political purposes and the resulting damaging consequences will be high. No president will be taken seriously. They have convinced the bad guys that we lack the will to do the right thing when the going gets tough. Obama's white flag diplomacy is only seen as further proof.

[Simon]

The people who say that America invading Irak is just like Russia invading Georgia makes me mad.
There are two notable differences: One is that Georga is a democracy. Irak was not.
Two, Georgia is a friend of the US. Irak was no friend of Russia. Georgia wanted to join NATO. Russia wanted by this attack to show the world and all other ex satelite states that they are ready to use force to overthrow all that the west stands for, annd that it will not stand what it calls being encircled by pro western country's.
It's ironic how everything starts out with the peacekeeping troops. First Georgia's peacekeeping troops fire upon North Ossetian peacekeeping troops, then Russian peacekeeping troops come to kick the Georgian peacekeeping troops in the ass, and now today here comes the ''International'' peacekeeping troops, led, by the way, by a massive US warship in the Black Sea. I just hope that this is not the dawn of WW3, which, if the US and RUssia go to war with each other, China would win, being the last major power left. It would be the end of the world as we know it.

[George H.]

This is patently absurd. Who else but torture & lies Bush would have the audacity to object to bullying and intimidation on any front.

[Kravcheli]

This is ridiculous. Bush, the biggest genocidal dictator of the biggest genocidal country in recent years is telling russia to mind its own business after being attacked?

Who attacked Iraq? Iraq didn't do anything to America yet over 1000000 of its people killed by the filthy imperialists in the name of freedom.

Who attacked vietnam?
Who attacked Grenada?
Who attacked Korea?
Who attacked Kosovo?
Who is always economically bullying much smaller nations like north korea, Iran, Palestine, Cuba?

At least bush and his American idiots in the cabinet are smart enough not to go to war against Russia. Like a true bully, America will always be practical and never go to war on the basis of principles except financial ones.

[Linda C]

Meanwhile, why isn't it front page news that Mc Cain's foreign policy advisor is a LOBBYIST FOR GEORGIA? Karl Rove went to talk with the president of Georgia just three weeks ago? Anything fishy?
Do you think MCCain is blasting Russia for free? Georgia started this and yet the news and the president and the LOBBYIST who advices McCain for a foreign government, which is agaisnt the law. keep saying that Russia is at fault? More double speak, more illegal Republican shenanigans
Here we go again with lie lie lie and try to make people believe it.
Where are the real jounalists? Is there anybody left who will tell the truth?

[Karl in Burbank]

Bush will be around a lot longer than the LA Times I'm afraid.

[john]

to: "The people who say that America invading Irak is just like Russia invading Georgia makes me mad. bla bla bla... "

you are definietly the product of us educational system.
ZERO KNOWLEGE.
ZERO LOGIC.
ZERO FUTURE.

SAD and PATHETIC. No wonder we are were we are. it's because of robots like YOU swallowing neocon tape recorderss..

[GP]

What bothers me most is the way our media is parroting the administrations indefensible position!

Is the media so scared to talk the truth? Here we have a very unstable leader of Georgia planning meticulously to attack the break away region on the eve of the Olympic Games and we call Russia the bully!

[James Hogan]

Some of the comments, like those of "Simon" above remind me that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

[peter]

This clown is absolutely not my president. . I wonder how long it would take for us to riot in the streets if he were to continue to be president past 08'. He's a poster child for term limits on the presidency.
I would like to extend my personal heartfelt apology to every single country on the planet. GW Bush is the biggest embarrasment in the history of the US. We are currently occupying 2 sovereign countries on the other side of the world and he has the unmitigated gall to open his fat trap about "bullying" and "credibility"?. What a PIG!!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

[Elizabeth Bennett]

Um, pot calling the kettle black? Bush IS a bully!

Elizabeth Bennett
http://www.peerabuse.info

[Rebecca]

I'm just amazed by this whole thing.

In the UK media there has been nothing about Georgia attacking South Ossetia, nothing at all.

[sarah]

A little over three weeks ago, he wrapped up a refreshing two week holiday at The Ranch to come back to Washington and put his affairs in order before his departure from public service. Within two weeks, he is telling Congress he needs almost a Trillion US Dollars in order to prevent the imminent collapse of the entire United States economy and life as we know it.
Ummmm, is it just me, or is anyone else wondering what changed so drastically from the last two weeks of August (vacation fun time) to the first two weeks of September (panic time)? Honestly, I'm a little confused here. Clearly, no responsible leader of the World's Greatest Nation would choose to take two weeks vacation to clear brush in Texas, knowing that the country which has been his charge for the last eight years was spiralling into oblivion. As Commander-In-Chief, had there been any problem BEFORE the scheduled two week vacation in Texas, he surely would have been apprised of it and would be working feverishly day and night to avert catastophe. The fact that he chose instead 14 glorious days basking in the Texas sunshine proves that during the month of August, the economic outlook for the country MUST have beeen equally sunny. After all, upon hearing the news, the man who would replace him suspended his entire campaign in order to resolve the situation - and he's just a senator. Clearly, therefore, all of the events which have led us to this precipice, and which will cost US taxpayers exactly 700 Billion US Dollars (or maybe a little more) to resolve, must have occured in the days leading up to Patriot Day. Honestly, I was bit dismayed initially by the realization that our entire economy could collapse in just a few short days, however, I am now confident that given the proper resources ( a Trillion US taxpayer Dollars ....or two), our leader can fix the problem just as quickly as it occured, certainly within the 39 days remaining until his successor is chosen.