Today, the Vladimir Putins and Hu Jintaos and Mahmoud Ahmadinejads of
the world — to say nothing of their junior counterparts in places like
Sudan, Zimbabwe, Burma and North Korea — are no more likely than were
Soviet leaders in 1924 to be swayed by “moral influence.” Dictators
aren’t moved by the claims of justice unarmed; aggressors aren’t
intimidated by diplomacy absent the credible threat of force; fanatics
aren’t deterred by the disapproval of men of moderation or refinement.

Bush Questions Moscow’s Motives

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer

President Bush said yesterday that Russia’s military attacks in Georgia may be designed to unseat the pro-U.S. government there, a move he warned would represent a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of a conflict that American officials have begun to describe as a return to Cold War-style aggression

In a brief and unusually stern Rose Garden statement shortly after his return from the Beijing Olympics, Bush called Russia’s actions "unacceptable in the 21st century." He urged Moscow to withdraw its forces from Georgia and accept a European peace plan.

But beyond a reference to damage inflicted upon "Russia’s standing in the world," Bush made no mention of any potential consequences if Russia fails to comply. As European leaders began shuttling between the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and Moscow and French President Nicolas Sarkozy prepared to travel there today, the administration was searching for options to deal with a crisis it described in the most dire terms.

McCain condemnation upstages Bush

By Edward Luce and Andrew Ward in Washington

It took four days and a growing chorus of criticism from conservatives before George W. Bush on Monday matched John McCain’s tough stance on Russia. Having on Monday morning again been upstaged by the Republican presidential candidate, who had called for the US administration to come together with its allies in “universal condemnation of Russian aggression” in Georgia, Mr Bush finally followed suit.

In a late afternoon statement following his return from the Olympics in Beijing, Mr Bush accused Russia of a “dramatic and brutal escalation” in Georgia with the aim of overthrowing its “duly-elected government”.

The statement, which was noticeably tougher than the administration’s previous comments on the crisis, followed a phone call on Sunday from Dick Cheney, the vice-president, to Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, in which he said that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered”.

What to do about Moscow’s attack against its neighbor

Thaddeus G. McCotter
Monday, August 11, 2008

The invasion of Georgia by Russia last Friday confirms that a new generation of Lenin’s "useful idiots" are alive and well. Senator Charles Schumer,
apparently now a lead negotiator for Russia, recently opined that
Russia could be persuaded to support stronger sanctions against Iran
if, in return, the United States refused to share its anti-ballistic
missile shield with our allies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

In support of his deal to feed CEE to the revanchist Russian bear,
Senator Schumer claimed our missile shield "mocks Mr. Putin’s dream of
eventually restoring Russian hegemony over Eastern Europe."

It should. Mr. Schumer noted: "[Former KGB Lt. Colonel and current
Russian strong man Vladimir Putin] seeks to regain the power and
greatness Russia had before the fall of the Soviet Union." The Senior
Senator from New York says this like it’s a good thing, failing to note
that this brand of "power and greatness" was premised on the Soviet
Union’s authoritarian grip over CEE nations’ peoples; the poignant
savagery of the gulags; and the unpardonable sin of tens of millions
slaughtered in the name of Mother Motherland.

Pelosi indicates openness to offshore drilling vote

By Mike Soraghan

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday night dropped her staunch opposition to a vote on offshore oil drilling in the House.

Republicans, reacting to high gas prices, have demanded a vote on additional oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, where drilling is currently blocked by a moratorium. Until now, Pelosi (D-Calif.) has resisted the idea as a “hoax.” But in an interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, she indicated that she was open to a vote.

“They have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas,” Pelosi said. “We can do that. We can have a vote on that.”

The Obama/Wright/Kilpatrick Collision

By
Steve Mitchell

State Attorney General Mike Cox charged the mayor with two counts of assault and obstruction of justice last week. Kilpatrick allegedly shoved and cursed Deputy Wayne County Sheriff Brian White, the lead investigator in Kilpatrick’s criminal case in which the Mayor and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, are accused of perjury and other illegal acts. At the time of the alleged assault, White was attempting to serve a subpoena on the mayor’s friend Bobby Ferguson. JoAnne Kinney, an investigator for the Wayne County Prosecutor, was with White at the time.

Granholm outlines procedures for mayor removal

By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm will preside over a trial-like hearing to decide whether to boot Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office.

The Democratic governor said Monday there will witnesses subject to cross-examination along with exhibits, opening statements and closing arguments at the hearing set to begin Sept. 3 in Detroit.

The Detroit City Council has invoked a little-used state law to ask Granholm to remove the Democratic mayor from office for misconduct by not revealing a confidentiality agreement linked to an $8.4 million settlement in a police whistleblower’s lawsuit.

Government programs like stealing

WALTER E. WILLIAMS

Edgar K. Browning, professor of economics at Texas A&M University, has a new book aptly titled "Stealing from Each Other."

Its subtitle, "How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit," goes to the heart of what the book is about. The rise of equalitarian ideology has driven Americans to steal from one another. Browning explains that certain kinds of equality have been a cherished value in America. Equality under the law and, within reason, equality of opportunity is consistent with a free society. Equality of results is an anathema to a free society and within it lie the seeds of tyranny.

Browning entertains a discussion about when inequalities are just or unjust. For example, college graduates earn income higher than high-school dropouts. Some people prefer to work many hours and earn more than others who prefer to work fewer. Students who spend 25 or more hours a week on classroom preparation earn higher grades than students who spend five hours.