How This Old Brit Sees It ...

15 November 2008

Bush is now just a cautionary tale

It's really not possible to take Bush seriously these days

When Georgian troops attacked in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wanted to invade Georgia, hang President Saakashvili, and set up a new government in Georgia. He was dissuaded when French president Nicolas Sarkozy pointed out that it was the sort of thing George W. Bush would do:

The Russian Prime Minister had revealed his plans for disposing of Mr Saakashvili when Mr Sarkozy was in Moscow in August to broker a ceasefire in Georgia.

With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia’s Government. According to Mr Levitte, the Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” Mr Putin declared.

Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. “Hang him?” — he asked. “Why not?” Mr Putin replied. “The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein.”

Mr Sarkozy tried to reason with him: “Yes but do you want to end up like Bush?” Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah — you have scored a point there.”

Today, the leaders of the world's largest economies met and tried to lay the foundation for a new system of international finance. The United States was represented by a man whom other world leaders look to when they want to know what NOT to do. Thank goodness we only have to endure another two months under this dolt.

(cross posted at appletree)

Labels: America, France, George W. Bush, Georgia, Nicolas Sarkozy, Russia, South Ossetia, United States, Vladimir Putin

08 September 2008

Vote, Vote, Vote For This Old Brit : The Man With The Experience

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Merhaba!

Ladies and gentlemen.

Forget, Mrs Palin. Forget, Mr McCain. In fact, forget 'em all.

Today, we're talking turkey. Not only that, but at absolutely no extra charge, we're talking the turkey to you direct from Turkey -- live. (As is often our wont).

We've decided we want to proudly present ourselves as the prime candidate(s)for the position(s) of ... erm ... anything and everything. Anywhere, any time, for whatever, whoever, whenever, however, etc, such like, and so on.

Why?

'Cos we're the one(s) with "the experience".

Right?

Right! And you know, it makes sense.

Take a quick peek at the map. Does our record speak for itself? Does our experience? Does our expertise? Does our know how? Our understanding?

Believe us. You'd better bloody believe it does.

See what we're saying? See where we're at? Again?

See where we're coming from? Stuck slap bang right in the midst of "everything".

Palin? Schmalin?

Alaska? Russia? Foreign policy? International relations? Experience? Expertise? Knowledge? Understanding? Etc, etc?

Ha! Don't make us laugh.

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Btw, "see" you all as and when we can, for just a little while longer. Then it'll be back to our "regular" blogging business ... as usual.

Unless, of course, someone somewhere suddenly sends for us and says we've personally to start saving the world as soon as poss ...by becoming the boss of the rest of the world's bosses.

Well? Why not? These days it appears anything goes. Absolutely, anything.
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Labels: America, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Romania, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, US

27 August 2008

East and West: Same Old Stupid Sabres Start Rattling ...

Today we're tired.

Sick and tired.

Up to our old eye-teeth.

So our post today is short and sweet.

US, Russia anchor military ships in Georgian ports

BATUMI, Georgia

A U.S. military ship loaded with aid docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, and Russia sent three missile boats to another Georgian port as the standoff escalated over a nation devastated by war with Russia.

Read the latest re: this current craziness.

If you still give a so & so toss, that is.

(Cross posted at 'appletree')

Labels: America, balance of power, Cold War, Europe, Georgia, Russia, sabre rattling, United States, US

21 August 2008

Oil, Gas, Wars, Pipelines, America, Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia : The Turkey Factor

As all regular readers will already be well aware, we absolutely abhor all war.

However, we have to admit that the recent South Ossetia related spats twixt Russia and Georgia may, in the grand scheme of several recent politico-military 'sorties', not be all bad news. For the wider world, that is.

A great deal of distracting drivel regarding the return of an East-West 'cold war,' is curently being spouted, while most in the media are either too shy (or seriously too shortsighted) to even discuss something else: "the balance of power."

Well, we're certainly not shy. We never were and we never will be.

Anyone who honestly believed that 21st century Russia was a 'push over,' is/was sorely mistaken. Also, anyone who thought Turkey was already well and truly bought and paid for, by the West, is soon set for some surprises. In our own (not so), humble opinion, that is.

Even a quick glance at the above pipeline map should serve to show all & sundry the strategic importance of modern secular Turkey.

When push comes to shove Turkey will take sides with whoever it deems necessary to look after itself and it's people.

The west needs Turkey far more than Turkey needs the west.

What's more, it appears that America still hasn't realised that though one can bully all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, no one can bully all of the people all of the time - not even the US.

Therefore, we're awaiting with interest, to say the least, further 'future developments'.

(BIG SNIP)

A U.S. official in Turkey said three U.S. military vessels were heading through Turkey's Bosporus, a strait that connects the Mediterranean with the Black Sea, to deliver aid to Georgia. Two of the ships were leaving Crete on Thursday. He declined to be named because he was not authorized to give that information to media.

Since Aug. 19, the United States has delivered aid to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, on 20 flights.

Read the rest of this remarkably revealing, 'Associated Press' report right here.

Think about it. Would you really fall fowl of a big burly, next door neighbour who could, at a single stroke, all too easily pull all of your energy plug(s)?

We damned well doubt it.

(Cross posted at 'appletree')

Labels: America, balance of power, Cold War, gas, Georgia, oil, Russia, South Ossetia, Turkey, United States, US

12 August 2008

The US, Russia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Europe and Much, Much More ...

Our old mate, R.J. Adams (author), across at his blinkin' super-brill blog 'Sparrow Chat' has posted a piece that just serves to strengthen our previous strong suspicions that he possesses some sort of supernatural powers.

Otherwise, how the heck could he consistently read our own ruddy thoughts?

Okay, playful teasing time's over.

Here's how he's started his latest most excellent post.

The Great Chess Game

Does this look like a man with a problem? Or, is he just badly in need of a tailor?

Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili has to be either a man of immense courage and vision to take on the might of the Russian military and expect to win, or a downright bloody fool.

My money’s on the latter.

While the western media slags off Putin and Medvedev ......

So slip straight across to 'Sparrow Chat' to read the rest of another of his (as always), astoundingly astute premisses.

Labels: America, Europe, Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, war

08 August 2008

Russians Roll In To South Ossetia To Take On Georgia ...

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Uh, oh!

See how Russia's 'PRAVDA' sees it."

** ESCALATION UPDATE **

(Cross posted at 'appletree')

Labels: Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, war

06 October 2007

Re:Haditha, Oliver Stone, Abu Grahib, My Lai Massacre And Mass Murderer William Calley Alive And Well In Atlanta ...

Anyone here from Atlanta, Georgia?

Have you seen and/or do you recognise and/or know this (lame excuse for a) man?

He's a cretin called Calley and he's shown above as he is today.

Remember the rat?

With bayonet fixed, the young platoon leader instructed his men to round up everyone, regardless of their age or sex, and herd them into a partially filled, 5ft-deep irrigation ditch. "Take care of these people!" he barked.

Those five words lit the fuse for a massacre. If there was any ambiguity in their meaning, the platoon leader removed it by bludgeoning an old man into the ditch with his rifle-butt, then machine-gunning him and at least 21 others as they cowered beside him.

Over the next five hours babies were bayonetted, teenage girls were raped or forced to their knees to perform sex acts before being mutilated and killed - and their watching parents and grandparents were summarily shot as they begged for mercy.

(snip)

... a day that far overshadows the brutality at Abu Ghraib prison and the killing of 24 civilians by U.S. Marines in Haditha in western Iraq.

Ringing any bells yet?

Yea or nay, read on.

Of course, many Americans would prefer not to remember My Lai at all. They want to draw a veil over this most shocking episode in the humiliating, decade-long fiasco that was the Vietnam War.

Their collective amnesia was never stronger than it is today, when young servicemen are once again dying on foreign soil, for a similarly ill-defined - and seemingly unwinnable - cause.

But arch-liberal film-maker Oliver Stone is determined that the savagery to which some American soldiers lowered themselves in Vietnam must never be forgotten -- [See Pinkville].

He believes that now, more than ever, the White House hawks need to learn from the past.