Vladimir Putin may have handed the Republicans the red-blooded issue they needed to claw their way back into the presidential election despite their mismanaging of the economy, leaving an entire American city to fend for itself in the face of natural disaster, creating a foreign policy quagmire bigger than Vietnam, and all but tearing up the Bill of Rights while destroying our image abroad as a law abiding democracy. Progressives must be shaking their heads right now, after seeing their champion of change candidate of May become the hollow, ethnic celebrity of August. The invasion and occupation of parts of Georgia by Russia has reminded all the "my country, right or wrong" folks how much they miss the Cold War when they had godless communism to kick around. Hearing the distant roar of guns and the responding howl of the right-wing, the lame crusader has risen from his bunker to pound the bully pulpit once more about defending freedom and protecting the underdog. Humbug. Georgia was part of Russia for almost two centuries before becoming independent after the Soviet Union collapsed (1991). Russia has faced provocative moves by the Western military alliance on its western and southern boarders: planning installation of missiles in Poland, backing Kosovo's bid for independence from ally Serbia, and offering Georgia membership in NATO. Georgia attacked first in the early morning hours of August 8th, shelling the city of Tskhinvali (Tskhinval) in the formerly autonomous South Ossetia [map]. Georgian forces occupied the town of 30,000 after several hours of intense urban warfare. Civilians were killed as well as Russian military personnel stationed there as peacekeepers after the civil war of 1991-92. Russia claims, not illogically, that it counterattacked to protect South Ossetians who want to remain independent and allied with Russia[1]. The fighting was not one sided. Both sides used armor, and Russia may have lost as many as twenty-five infantry fighting vehicles. A Russian army commander was wounded when Georgian units ambushed the spearhead of the 58th Army's counterattack. Nevertheless, the Republican propaganda machine is in full cry about containing the mad bear. Their hypocrisy is unbounded and expanding, like the universe. All of their noise is intended to puff up the image of a forgetful, septuagenarian, former POW as the only candidate tough enough to take on the bad guys--again. Our only hope is the American people are finally so sick and tired after eight years of this nonsense that they can see their way clear of the color of Senator Obama's skin.[1] President George Bush I recognized as legitimate the boarders of Russia before the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop accord of 1933 at the time of the Soviet Union's dissolution, thus making all questions of independence and soverignty of the Trans-Caucasus region matters of internal Russian affairs.