WE'RE NOT TO BLAME FOR NEW RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

There have been several stories told about how Georgia is not blameless in the recent and on-going invasion of their country. The latest news out of the Kremlin is that Russia may soon take on Poland, and they are quick to add that it will be our fault because we are refusing to stop our missile defense program in that country. All of this is mixed in with belligerent, bullying threats about NATO.

The American left seems too quick to echo the Russian line. It's our fault. Building those systems is somewhat like the Cuban missile crisis, except that we're the wrongdoers this time. Georgia was mistreating Russian citizens in its disputed territories, and Russia therefore was obliged to step in. Tommyrot.

Any one who has ever bothered to study the history of Russian and Soviet aggression knows that they never invade without some pretext. Take the Georgian invasion, for instance. Did Putin protest to the United Nations that Georgia was misbehaving? Did he consult with world leaders over how to best handle his "concerns?" Certainly not. Russian simply invaded and laid out the storyline later.

In further examination of the situation, Russia agreed to withdraw from Georgia, which they have not done. In fact, they booby-trapped and mined the relatively small areas from which they did withdraw. These actions do not at all sound like the Russians are being the least bit forthright. Their threats to take on Poland indicate to me that the invasion is already in the planning stages, and the Ukraine would not be far behind.

Once the Soviet Union has been reassembled, I suppose everything is content to think that they will stop there. However, if you study the economic and energy issues of the area, you certainly would have to suspect that they would partner with Iran in a Middle East showdown, right smack dab on the border with Iraq. Of course, if we get our troops out of Iraq now, we won't have to be in the middle of it.

Putin craves power, and he was miffed at rising to the leadership of a much diminished Russian world influence. He is bound and determined to reassert Soviet power and military dominance on the European continent. These claims of American and Georgian wrongdoing simply provide him with the cover.... the pretext for his actions.