Is President Bush's response to Georgian crisis the 'Katrina' of foreign policy?

When the August crisis began, the president was focused on sports. The secretary of State was on vacation. The task of dealing with the problem fell to a friend of the president.

It sounds like the foreign policy equivalent of Hurricane Katrina, but it is the crisis in Georgia.

President Bush was in Beijing, paying heed to the Summer Olympic Games, although he was talking on the side with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on summer holiday. The diplomatic effort fell first and foremost to French President Nicholas Sarkozy, on behalf of the European Union.

The National Security Network, a centrist foreign policy think tank, made the analogy today to the administration's response three years ago to the devastating Gulf Coast hurricane, and in an added dig, called Sarkozy's mission "outsourced shuttle diplomacy."

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press

Comments

[victor knopp]

obama electionjack08,,the coat rack known as obama has shown just how dangerious his canadacy is to this country,and world as we all see now there is no runninig from the future,no amount of language no mater how eliquant can prevent other countrys from there objectives,,while he was in berlin speaking to 200000 german peacnicks the russians were fueling up there tanks,loading up bombs and getting ready to attack,sad ingnorance,american kids must realize that no matter who gets electied we are one problem away from a draft,obama is not qualified to leed in these most trying times,,you guys can bet this problem with the russians wont be the last,and no amount of begging,pleading,or even total surrender will stop are advasaries,,not to mention the euros are allready begining to wonder where there protectors are after all they are a socialist nation that has chosen to be passive under all cercumstances whithout a hawkish america real freedom is done,to bad you guys got rid of hillary,althou i will say that the edwards affair and his endorsment of barrack at a critical time might give you spinless ones a ligetimet opportunity for a stunning floor vote to reverse a choice that never should have been made,,or you guys can go down in a great defeat that will lame your party for decades

[Allen, Asheville NC, US]

bush has decided if he cant invade iran, at least he can play all the cards he has to restart the Cold War.

[victor knopp]

yea and the cia killed kennedy,there are aleins,bigfoot,the toothfairy,and secret world governments and a superman named obama,all dreams,wake up

[SteveIL]

'The National Security Network, a centrist foreign policy think tank, made the analogy today to the administration's response three years ago to the devastating Gulf Coast hurricane, and in an added dig, called Sarkozy's mission "outsourced shuttle diplomacy."'

And who is on the board of the "centrist" National Security Network? The leftist Wes Clark and the criminal Sandy Berger, along with a host of Democrat Party operatives. The only people who would call this group "centrist" would be another leftist. Of course this group would make a statement like "It sounds like the foreign policy equivalent of Hurricane Katrina, but it is the crisis in Georgia.", in order to make political hay, complete with distortions, for their candidate, Obama. The only ones with credibility problems are those in this "centrist" think tank, and those who would call the National Security Network "centrist".

[craig]

bush is a sell out. he's so scared of iran and rushia, but gave irag 48 hours notice. wow, what a waste of a presidency.

[CJ PETERS]

Russia basically rubbed it in the United States face daring them to do something about, they knew they would not act on georgias behalf. The president is on his way out , term is over and this is the best time to act up in front of the USA. Putin knows this. plus fighting 2 wars they know the US would not get involved. The US stood down. smart move but with our military sending in supplies now it will not take long until Russian Soldiers engage American soldiers and guess what WWIII in on in Russia back yard. Russia had a ace card in the hole and they used it.

[ljr]

I'll simply point out that Georgia is Putin's back yard and not Bush/Cheney's. Perhaps our dimwitted president is finally doing what he does best. Nothing. Georgia picked this fight and Putin finished it. Bravo for Russia.

[Al Ramirez]

This has been brewing for some time and Putnin, the Invisible Dictator is not someone Bush can really afford to push around on his way out and make a bunch of waves for the next President. Sarkozy has proven to be able to maintain some balance of American interests and as a Conitential issue it affects the EU more locally. Furthermore to the challenges that Obama makes that the US needs to be more receptive to our allies attempts this is a situation where idiplomacy and supporting the efforts of the EU is applicable because Russia is a recognized power that can be dealt with unlike totally rouge nations like N.Korea or Iran or situations like in Iraq where France was blatantly trying to maintain its privellaged business ties that would be disolved without Saddam in power.

[ewj]

"In the 21st Century Nations do not invade other nations" John McCain, (August 13, 2008). This is the guy who is a foreign policy expert?? Just another example of how the world is passing him by.

This is no time to turn the US government over to someone who does not tell us the truth (or does not know), who does not know the difference between friend or foe, Shite and Sunni, who lacks a 8th grade knowledge of geography, and who has the arrogance to think that US troop in Iran or Iraq would not be considered an invasion.

This is no time to elect McCain, we need to elect someone who understands the world and who can bring America back to higher level of respect.

[Stepan Lemuelovich]

For to long America has allowed the political administration of the United States to become a paper tiger in the world. Yes the American government has asserted it’s self in the Middle East to show the might of its power. The billions of dollars spent in military and economical support of Iraq has drained the American economy while big oil corporations made record profits. All with the blessing of the American administration.
The demise of the American economic system is looming over the shoulder of every U. S. citizen while Russia recognizes the opportunity to reassert it’s self as a bully super power. There are those in Russia who wish to reinstate the Soviet State. There are those in the United States who wish to be the Police Officer of the world.

Both positions would be ruinous to America and Russia. The American people should demand the American Government withdraw from all conflicts that are not in keeping with American economical, national security or International Treaty alliances. Foreign aid should only be portioned to those countries who allow the United States to enjoy an economic or National Security benefit from such association. Allow the American people to return to a prosperity envied by the world.

Russia should recognize that within its own borders are the resources for a strong and prosperous people and country. The political control of social change must be fostered and sanctioning of KGB mind set must be manifested. The resources of Russia would make it a country of prosperous and free citizens second to none. The borders of Russia are not besieged by invading hordes. Allow the people to grow with government support not control.

Stand up America. Stand up Russia

Establish a common goal and become partners in prosperity. There should be no reason for fear and friendship.

[Carlos Aguilar]

The US is engaged in it's own immoral invasion that makes georgia look irrelevant.

[lbg]

Mr. Knopp- Please spare us until you learn to write properly.

[Nash]

I suppose this "centrist" think tank would prefer Bush dropped Nukes on Russia and started World War III. The media is apparently itching for another war here. Why does the US have to get involved with "peacekeeping". Is sending our military into Georgia to best way to ensure peace or are we simply taunting Russia into another Gulf of Tonkin?

[russell]

The Iranians made just as much a fool of Bush in Iraq. This is hardly anyting new.

[Robert Laughing]

And wasn't Nero Bush bragging about understanding Putin's soul? What a buffoon!! Thing is, Bush really wanted to govern like Putin....you know, destroy the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, arrest people without cause, eves drop without warrants.... what? Bush did that already? Wow, our very own Putin. You Neo-Cons must be so proud...and you, Barbara Bush? Tell us how proud you are of Little Nero.

[bubba]

Actually, I think Russia's actions have sealed McCain's White House bid. Middle America will trust McCain's experience and background more than Mr. Obama's.

[JDrake]

If Russia succeeds in retaking Georgia and cutting off an alternate supply route for asian oil and gas going to Europe, then all of that continent is likely again threatened by a hostile and uncompromising authoritarian state, as it was for more than 40 years during the last century. Putin has decided if the commercial interests of the Russian state cannot be negotiated at the bargaining table, he will force Europeans to accept terms made possible by tanks and soldiers. If Russia succeeds in Georgia, then, just like the Sudeten, it will become a harbinger for more, bolder aggressive acts throughout Asia, the Balkans, the Middle East and even Central Europe

[Kirk Anderson]

Victor Knopp says it best: The conservative rank and file are some of the dumbest, most incurious cowards on the planet. Feel free to look up the name Randy Scheunemann. It might explain much. That is if you can spell it fool.

Anyone who thinks Wesley Clark is a "leftist" is smoking something Clark would never touch.
Yippee, McBush wants another war for oil. Meanwhile, he has missed eight votes on critical renewable energy bills.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/opinion/13friedman.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It's time, way past time, to put the neocons and the right-wing Republicons like McCain in our rear-view mirrors.

[Andrew Jardine, Hong Kong, China]

With a looming deficit of $650 billion plus, excluding the cost of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, a totally inadequate response to Katrina, an ineffective response to the United States' economic problems, a silly stance on global warming, and a habit of lying about just about everything, George W. Bush is now engaging Russia in an argument he cannot win over Georgia. I suspect Bush and Co encouraged Georgia to attack South Ossetia, although the White House denies this, but nonetheless he does not seem to realise that he does not have aces in his hand. Bush has created more problems than any other US president I can remember. Good riddance when he goes.

[BA of Chicago]

Mark up one more screw-up for the Bush administration. He can jump up and down and cry foul all he wants. He doesn't have the power to push the Russians around. He can't even stop the Mexican invasion of his home country of Texas.

[RP]

Yes, Bush's response was the Katrina of foreign policy. When the Georgians attacked and oppressed the breakaway republic, Bush just stood there instead of scolding the Georgian president for making that foolish move. And the attack took place on the eve of the Olympics no less. What insensitivity!

After 20 years of being humiliated by the US, the Russians are not going to take any more crap. Welcome to the new multilateral world (US, China, Russia, EU, etc.) and its about time. Bush unilateralism is officially dead, and it died in Georgia, and our support of another NeoCon which that leader is.

[Ken]

Georgia has been at war with itself or others - since the Roman Empire and has declared its independence many times. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared independence in the midst of the Russian Civil War. In 1921 Georgia was attacked by the Red Army. Again in 1991, shortly before the collapse of the USSR, Georgia declared independence. As of 2001, 54% of the population lived below the national poverty line. Since 2004, Georgia has boosted spending on the country's armed forces and increased its overall size to around 45,000. In this region of the world, guns in the hands of a poverty stricken country with a history of violence are a very poor mixture. We have seen it over and over again. Somehow this is our Presidents fault? Faulty logic and failure to grasp the concepts of history is displayed in this newspaper. The mind-boggling oil revenues have driven Russia’s impressive economic growth. Ten years ago, it was a $200-billion economy; this year it has crossed the $1.4 trillion mark. This again is somehow this is our Presidents fault?

[Junior]

We need to stay focus in the United States before a second cival war starts.

[GPG]

The only thing Knopp seems to get right is that Russia had to fuel tanks & planes, mobilize troops, etc. How is it, one wonders, that the US apparently had no clue this was happening? Do we not have global satellite capability? Elint? Did our "ally", Georgia, not see the mobilization rapidly approaching its border or if it did notice it, did it not bother to let us know? Did the US give tacit support to Georgia's actions against the Ossetians when Rice visited recently?

GPG