White House firm in supporting Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia

The White House showed no sign today of being willing to talk about the future of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

His military engagement with South Ossetian rebels backed by Russian forces has brought calls by Russia for his removal from office. Nothing doing, a deputy White House press secretary, Tony Fratto, said at the morning gaggle for reporters.

"President Saakashvili is the duly elected president of a sovereign, democratic nation," the spokesman said. Whether he remains in office is his call, and that of the Georgian people--and not that of any outside nation, Fratto added.

The spokesman said President Bush spoke Monday evening with Saakashvili, soon after delivering a public, no-nonsense warning to Russia to butt out.

Bush was updated this morning on conditions in Georgia, in a meeting with National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, and also spoke by telephone with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Fratto said.

Hadley had planned a late-morning on-camera briefing for reporters in the White House press briefing room, but it was postponed "until further notice" at the last minute, because of what the press office said were "developments in Georgia."

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Shakh Aivazov / Associated Press

Comments

[Ron]

Barack Obama is in His hometown of Hawaii around the same time that George Bush was in Beijing slapping some young volleyball chick's butt. Talking to Putin around the same time that Vladimir was planning an attack on Georgia. Still Barack Obama got the answer right about how to handle the situation.
Now that Sarkozy is negotiating a cease fire ... aren't you glad that McCain didn't get a chance to wage war against Russia. Seeing that we don't have any more soldiers available on account of the "SURGE" and all.

[Anonimous]

It goes like this:

Bush gave Georgia all this military because their President was telling him how much he is afraid of the Iran. Iran are terrorists. They can attack Georgia at any time. Also, Georgia will go into Iraq to help Bush if they had the weapons. Bush agreed and called Georgia an ally.

Now, 1st day of the Olympic games and the news are coming out: Georgian President attacked a sleeping town of their break away region Osetia, killing thousands of civilians in order to reinstate a Constitutional order. Russia is furious and is moving their tanks there to kick Georgians out.

Bush is thinking: "wait a minute. wasn't those weapons supposed to be used against Iran?" Bad boy Saakashvili. Bad boy.

Being a President he can't say that it is another mishap on the part of his leadership. It is best to pretend nothing happened.

Let the Georgian people deal with him now. They will remove him if they want to. This is what democracy is supposed to be about.

Please, just don't commit any more of our tax dollars to those crazy ideas of yours that never work.

[vh]

Another Obambot crackpot comment !

[I know it all]

Stupid republicans. Trying to take credit. Everyone with a brain cell knows nothing happened over there until after Senator Obama told those Russian flunkies to stop.

[Jopan]

From backwater to belligerent. Georgia on the post-modern stage, finally.
Will it be the genius of Balanchine (nee Balanchivadze) or the treachery of Stalin (nee Dzhugashvili).
Why the tepid response from the international community? It's called "Georgia fatigue." The word is that people, in the EU and in Washington, are simply exhausted of the Georgians. In the past six years, Georgians have really shown their stripe: ruthless, tribal neo-cons. Western-educated, whatever, President Saakashvili, is just Cheney's stooge and another Georgian thug in the making.

[Denis]

Mikheil Saakashvili is bad boy.
He kiss many osetians in SO.

[Serga]

Truth about South Ossetia War
http://www.nebog.com/truthaboutwar.htm