McCain and the Georgia-Russia War: "a frightening foretaste of John McCain's warlike foreign policy"

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1710

McCain and the Georgia-Russia War: "a frightening foretaste of John McCain's warlike foreign policy"
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 11:56am. Reader Contribution

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION


This morning, America received a frightening foretaste of John McCain's warlike foreign policy. Yesterday, after a long-simmering feud, the nation of Georgia, having enjoyed U.S. support for its claim of sovereignty over enclaves of South Ossetia (which Russia claims) marched on the capital. Russia has been angling for this fight for a while, and immediately launched a large-scale attack on Georgia and sent tanks across its border. Georgia stepped up its air defenses, and Russia is sending more troops and broadening its air attack. A glance at a map of the region confirms this conflict could get big and nasty very quickly.

While Obama and most of the foreign policy establishment call for cool heads to prevail, acknowledging that Georgia made the first incursion while deploring Russia's response, McCain has staked out a hard line against Russia, comparing Russia's actions to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the USSR's assault on Czechoslovakia. McCain has taken today's opportunity to step up his demand that Russia be expelled from the Group of Eight. And this morning, McCain launched a diatribe against Russia that can only be regarded as reckless.

Why? No mystery there. McCain's top foreign policy advisor, Randy Scheunemann, was until earlier this year, a paid lobbyist for the Georgian government. Currently, he is registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent working on behalf of the government of Georgia. The only reason Scheunemann is no longer on the Georgia dole is because his actions were uncovered earlier this year, so he had to choose his master.

Scheunemann didn't have to choose though. McCain will always look after the interests of his friends' employers, even if it means bringing the U.S. to the brink of war.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080809/pl_politico/12409

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/04/30/scheunemann-lobbyist-georgia/

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/07/hbc-90000594

proxy fight against Russia.

Russia has been angling for this fight for a while, and immediately launched a large-scale attack on Georgia and sent tanks across its border

Russia didn't attack Georgia or send tanks across the border until after Georgia attacked Russian peacekeepers and killed their commander.

South Ossetians to consider themselves aligned with Russia--gave them Russian passports. Doesn't seem too farfetched that Russia was spoiling for an easy-to-win fight in order to reassert its regional dominance and military might, does it? I think we also annoyed Russia by being so supportive of Georgia and helping build Georgia's military strength.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x376073

I will say there are so many different stories swirling from so many people with agendas, who knows what the real truth is?

I read for four hours straight this morning trying to decipher what the hell was REALLY going on. Between the Caspian oil pipeline, to the Rose Revolution, to Russia being mad at the US for being a strong ally to Georgia, and now I just read Russia has signed an agreement to purchase Turkmenistan's gas.

Here's that story:

Russia takes control of Turkmen (world?) gas
By M K Bhadrakumar

From the details coming out of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan and Moscow over the weekend, it is apparent that the great game over Caspian energy has taken a dramatic turn. In the geopolitics of energy security, nothing like this has happened before. The United States has suffered a huge defeat in the race for Caspian gas. The question now is how much longer Washington could afford to keep Iran out of the energy market.

Gazprom, Russia's energy leviathan, signed two major agreements in Ashgabat on Friday outlining a new scheme for purchase of Turkmen gas. The first one elaborates the price formation principles that will be guiding the Russian gas purchase from Turkmenistan during the next 20-year period. The second agreement is a unique one, making Gazprom the donor for local Turkmen energy projects. In essence, the two agreements ensure that Russia will keep control over Turkmen gas exports.

The new pricing principle lays out that starting from next year, Russia has agreed to pay to Turkmenistan a base gas purchasing price that is a mix of the average wholesale price in Europe and Ukraine. In effect, as compared to the current price of US$140 per thousand cubic meters of Turkmen gas, from 2009 onward Russia will be paying $225-295 under the new formula. This works out to an additional annual payment of something like $9.4 billion to $12.4 billion. But the transition to market principles of pricing will take place within the framework of a long-term contract running up to the year 2028.

The second agreement stipulates that Gazprom will finance and build gas transportation facilities and develop gas fields in Turkmenistan. Experts have estimated that Gazprom will finance Turkmen projects costing $4-6 billion. Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said, "We have reached agreement regarding Gazprom financing and building the new main gas pipelines from the east of the country, developing gas fields and boosting the capacity of the Turkmen sector of the Caspian gas pipeline to 30 billion cubic meters." Interestingly, Gazprom will provide financing in the form of 0% credits for these local projects. The net gain for Turkmenistan is estimated to be in the region of $240-480 million.

From all appearance, Gazprom, which was headed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for eight years from 2000 to May 2008, has taken an audacious initiative. It could only have happened thanks to a strategic decision taken at the highest level in the Kremlin.

--snip--

There must be deep frustration in Washington. In sum, Russia has greatly strengthened its standing as the principal gas supplier to Europe. It not only controls Central Asia's gas exports but has ensured that gas from the region passes across Russia and not through the alternative trans-Caspian pipelines mooted by the US and EU. Also, a defining moment has come. The era of cheap gas is ending. Other gas exporters will cite the precedent of the price for Turkmen gas. European companies cannot match Gazprom's muscle. Azerbaijan becomes a test case. Equally, Russia places itself in a commanding position to influence the price of gas in the world market. A gas cartel is surely in the making. The geopolitical implications are simply profound for the US.

Moreover, Russian oil and gas companies are now spreading their wings into Latin America, which has been the US's traditional backyard. During Chavez's visit to Moscow on July 22, three Russian energy companies - Gazprom, LUKoil and TNK-BP - signed agreements with the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company PDVSA. They will replace the American oil giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips in Venezuela.

At the signing ceremony, Medvedev said, "We have not only approved these agreements but have also decided to supervise their implementation." Chavez responded, "I look forward to seeing all of you in Venezuela."

more here...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/JG30Ag01.html



So many stories, it's hard to know what really motivates all this. One can only speculate.

First he needs to find a goddamn time machine.

I made a post about his "diatribe" this morning and because I worded it as complimentary to McLame (the M$M really did their best to make him look "official" and "credible". I got called all sorts of blather because this maniac is going to stick to his word: DRILL, DRILL DRILL and WAR, WAR AND MORE WAR, sorry my friends, hate to say it but that's how it's gonna be if I'm your CIC. He's not kidding and we should all be horrified that he could get within 10 miles of the WH.

Either way, McLoon gets a pass.

I saw this live this morning and nearly dropped the coffee mug I had in my hand. I got chills, my hands shook and I started breathing faster. He is Bush III and Cheney II all wrapped up in one evil shriveled up shell, let there be no doubt about it. His filthy, greedy fingers will have control over our military with all of it's technology and weapontry. He supports the current evil administration lock, stock and barrel.

He must be completely exposed for the rotten devil that he is.

He surrounds himself with likeminded lobbyists, consults, friends and employees and he must not, can not become the next POTUS.


end of panic :rant:. Sorry, I had to get that out.