President Bush said Wednesday he is skeptical that Moscow is honoring a cease-fire in neighboring Georgia, demanding that Russia end all military activities in the former Soviet republic and withdraw all its forces.
“The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia and insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected,” Bush said sternly during brief remarks in the White House Rose Garden.
“To demonstrate our solidarity with the Georgian people,” the president announced that he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Paris to assist the West’s diplomatic efforts on the crisis, and then to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
He also announced that a massive U.S. humanitarian effort was already in progress, and would involve U.S. aircraft as well as naval forces. A U.S. C-17 military cargo plane loaded with supplies is already on the way, and Bush said that Russia must ensure that “all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, roads and airports,” remain open to let deliveries and civilians through.
Bush spent the morning meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room, the nerve center for monitoring international developments. He talked by telephone with Georgia’s embattled president, Mikhail Saakashvili and with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who traveled to both Tbilisi and Moscow and is leading a European Union initiative to bring about peace there.
The administration and its allies are debating ways to punish Russia for its invasion of Georgia, including expelling Moscow from an exclusive club of wealthy nations — the G-7 — and canceling an upcoming joint NATO-Russia military exercise.
Bush held out no specific punishment.
(FoxNews.com)
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5 Responses
Bush’s bark is a little late but it’s good we are sending aid to Georgia. I wish he would at least feign the same determination in his alleged support for Israel. It seems his solidarity is with the Saudis more than anyone.
“his alleged support for Israel” is stronger than any President since Reagan.
Georgia started this war, and its government deserves no sympathy.
Unless NATO is willing to send troops, or at least to immediately invite Georgia (and Ukraine) to join, and move troops towards the border – anything Bush does is a joke. Georgia in 2008 is getting the same support as Czeckoslovakia did in 1968 and 1938. Frankly, how many Americans are willing to die for Tbilsi (or westerners were willing to die for Danzig). The important lesson is for those Israelis who consider an alliance with the US, Nato membership or joining the EU to be some sort of guarantee of security.
#2, Joseph… Bush’s posturing is something you cannot accept at face value. I can list a whole host of things that show Bush speaks one way and acts another when it comes to Israel. Let me just mention two very critical issues among many: One was asking Israel to stop it’s successful military campaign into Lebanon during the summer of ’06, to fend off missiles being lobbed into northern Israel. Interestingly enough, Barak Obama was one of the few votes saying Israel had a right to carry forth their mission into Lebanon. Second, Maryland, and a conference to discuss dividing Jerusalem, G-d forbid.
I don’t have time to get into all the Bush arm twisting of Israel, just like under Clinton, and the latest sell-out, by saying “no” to Israel regarding necessary aggression towards Iran’s nuclear program, especially since Bush ran into Iraq with less evidence to support a military stance.
The Bush’s are arrogant people and very envious of Israeli intelligence and might.
No president is really especially supportive of Israel. Of course, since Israel is a democracy, American presidents show a limited cordiality, but America’s support for the members of the Arab League is greater. America sends money to each and every arab country and if you remember, ran right into Kuwait in a way America has never made even a fraction of that presence in Israel on Israel’s behalf.
There is too much to cover here. We just disagree about Bush being a genuine friend and ally to Israel.
We disagree indeed.
In relative terms certainly Mr. Bush is a friend of Israel, and an ohaiv yisroel.