Bush Poised To Punish Russia For Invasion

President Plans To Cancel Once-Celebrated Nuclear Deal Between Nations

(CBS/ AP)  President Bush is poised to punish Moscow for its invasion of Georgia by canceling a once-celebrated deal for civilian nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and Russia.

With relations between the two nations in a nearly Cold Warlike freeze over Russia's actions against its neighbor last month, planning is under way at the White House for the largely symbolic move by Bush, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not yet final. Action could come quickly, within days at the most, and officials see no need to wait until Vice President Dick Cheney returns next Wednesday from an overseas trip that includes stops in three former Soviet republics.

Withdrawing the agreement from Capitol Hill would have little actual impact, as the deal very likely would not gain approval during Bush's presidency.

But taking the overt and public step of pulling it would be intended to send a message to Russia and the world that its actions in Georgia last month are not acceptable and will not go unanswered.

It would require a statement by Bush to Congress that the deal is "no longer in the national security interests" of the United States. A future president could reverse that and send the agreement back to Congress.

Signed in May by the two nations, the administration originally presented the deal as a landmark breakthrough.

It represented a significant reversal in policy for the U.S. on cooperation with Russia on nuclear issues. It would give the U.S. access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology and clear the way for Russia to establish itself as a lucrative center for the import and storage of spent nuclear fuel from American-supplied reactors around the world. Such a deal was seen as crucial to boosting relations with Russia, and to fulfilling Bush's vision of increasing civilian nuclear energy use worldwide as a way to combat rising energy demands and climate change.

But key lawmakers were suspicious of it even before the disastrous Russia-Georgia war.

Some feared it would undermine efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program, because of Russia's extensive business and energy - including nuclear - ties with Tehran. That has so far prevented a move to approve the deal, and now there isn't enough time left in the fall legislative calendar for the required review period to run out and have the agreement take effect without congressional action.

After years of tensions between Russia and Georgia, the recent fighting began Aug. 7 when Georgia's military tried to re-establish control over its breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia joined the battle, brutally repelled the Georgian offensive and then pushed deep into Georgia proper, where many of its forces remain.

Both sides signed a cease-fire, but Russia has ignored its requirement for all forces to return to prewar positions.

Administration officials determined almost immediately that Russia must suffer some consequences for its actions and wanted to take punitive measures in concert with Europe. But they have been frustrated at the lack of similar resolve among allies, who have offered condemnation of Russia but little else.

If Bush decides against pulling the deal, there are other penalty options available.

The administration could insist that Russia continue to be quietly left out of any discussions among the elite Group of Eight nations, essentially denying Russia membership in the club of major industrialized democracies without actually kicking it out.

The United States also could sell sophisticated anti-aircraft and anti-tank military hardware to Georgia.

A $1 billion economic recovery package for Georgia that Bush announced Wednesday - and which puts the tiny, impoverished nation in the top tier of U.S foreign aid recipients - does not include any military aid. But the U.S. had been helping the Georgian military modernize and U.S. officials have said it is likely that more military assistance will be forthcoming at some point to help the badly routed Georgian forces rebuild again.

Cheney insisted that Georgia will join NATO and backed its attempts to rebuild from its war with Russia on Thursday, using a trip to former Soviet republics as a show of U.S. support for their pro-Western leaders.

Moscow has greeted such talk with anger, already accusing the U.S. of instigating or even helping Georgia make its ill-fated incursion into South Ossetia.

Among the most aggressive moves in Washington's potential arsenal are withdrawing its support for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization or trying to strip Russia of the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, now scheduled to be held in the Black Sea town of Sochi, near the border with Georgia. These options have been all but rejected as too harsh.

[libsluv2spit]

I hope the russians can rest assure that they have the american LIBERALS SUPPORT in fighting the United States of America..

[samsel3]

Moscow -- Armed forces will be used if necessary, including preventively and with the use of nuclear weapons, for protection of Russia and its allies, the Russian Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky said on Saturday.

"We do not intend to attack anybody. But all our partners must realize that for protection of Russia and its allies if necessary armed forces will be used, including preventively, including with the use of nuclear weapons," Baluyevsky was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

Baluyevsky reportedly made the statement at a scientific conference of the Academy of Military Sciences January 19, 2008.

[hacker2xy]

Fears for Ukraine as pro-west coalition fails:

Ukraine''s pro-west coalition collapsed on Wednesday, plunging the country into political uncertainty, hitting financial markets and undermining recent efforts by western leaders to show their support for Kiev following Russia''s intervention in Georgia.
http://tinyurl.com/5jnb4x

[hacker2xy]

I will not stand still in a media jungle of non-information,
I will not surrender to a mass media invented reality,
I will not obey a limited freedom of speech. your so called liberties are a spit in the face!

[samsel3]

The truth is, this is all about control of oil & gas pipelines. The BTC oil pipeline in South Ossetia & the Nabucco natural gas pipeline in NW Georgia supply markets in the European Union. In November 2003 the World Bank funded the BTC pipeline to circumvent Russian pipelines supplying europe.

Shareholders in the BTC pipeline are: British Petroleum, AzBTC, Chevron, Statoil, TPAO, ENI, Total, Itochu, INPEX, ConocoPhillips & Amerada Hess.

Russia is the second largest supplier of oil & gas on the planet.
After loosing Iraqi oil to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they negotiated supplies with Iran. The Russians were not happy with Cheneys BTC pipeline or the Caspian Sea Pipelines project going through Afghanistan. This threatens their economy based on oil & gas.

Again it s the Bush administrations lust for money in World markets for their BIG OIL buddies.

[samsel3]

November 4, 2004 the IAGS Energy Security reported :

"Much of the stability along the BTC corridor would depend on Russia. Russia is not supportive of BTC. It sees it as a U.S. plot to gain control over the Caucasus and cut all links between Moscow of the former Soviet states, building an economic infrastructure that would prevent the former Soviet states to ever reunite with Russia. Moscow also views BTC as a way to weaken its position as major supplier of oil to the European markets. In a recent article at Asia Times Online, John Helmer refers to the BTC project as an effort %u201Cto redraw the geography of the Caucasus on an anti-Russian map.%u201D

Russia sold it s investment share of the BTC pipeline to Japan before the Iraq invasion.

After loosing Iraqi oil to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they negotiated supplies with Iran. The Russians were not happy with Cheneys BTC pipeline or the Caspian Sea Pipelines project going through Afghanistan. This threatens their economy based on oil & gas.

[hacker2xy]

Russia May Push Forward with S-300 Sales to Iran

[hacker2xy]

The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1 (SA-20 Gargoyle), has a range of over 150 kilometers (over 100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes, making the system an effective tool for warding off possible air strikes.

[hacker2xy]

The U.S. and Israel were alarmed by media reports, on the possible delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, as these systems could greatly improve Iranian defenses against any air strike on its strategically important sites, including nuclear facilities.

[babooph]

What has God told that idiot to do now ??!!

[chimpyout]

Just hang on everyone. Lush Rimbaugh will pop a couple of oxycontin pills, and with composure in place, will explain everything.

[tucano2]

"Punish Russia"????

With what?? A wet noodle??

[samsel3]

Trust me Russia WANTS this deal to go through .

Posted by gobluesstl at 09:08 AM : Sep 05, 2008

Clueless....If you stop drinking the Kool-aid your brain and teeth might stop rotting.

You don''t see the educated in the Bush administration putting their life on the line for economic agendas won with small wars.

Join the small wars council you will learn and then understand..............

[samsel3]

-U.S. Special Operations Soldier

Posted by gobluesstl at 08:56 AM : Sep 05, 2008

Clueless...

[saransk]

Georgia started this with the shelling of South Ossetia. It was the Georgians that have insisted that the South Ossetians become Georgians - no matter what the South Ossetians want. The Georgian president had voed to "reunite" Georgia no matter what. I don''t think Russia is to blame here - we really don''t need Georgia in NATO with a government like theirs

[petro49l]

George W. Bush does not need a missile base in Poland. The facility would draw a missile attack from the Russian Army. After intercepting some Russian missiles, the base or a nearby position will launch offensive missiles at Russian targets. Eventually, thermo-nuclear warheads are destroying cities all over the world. George W. Bush is a corrupt psychotic. After January, this country should usher him into a federal jail cell.

[gobluesstl]

barbaraf4....I''ll tell you how, canceling this deal cuts Russia off from all new nuclear tech. Russia''s nuclear facilities are old and need updating ,this deal would have let them share some of our technologies and would have paid them a nice chunk of change for storing our spent fuels . Trust me Russia WANTS this deal to go through .

[tangula-2009]

Vice president *** Cheney is intent on fighting Russia back and, fortunately, American people do not. Several years into war in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought ordinary Americans nothing but a lost of lives and money, except bringing a windfall fortune for a few of them with the most. As Mr. Cheney has such a clout in businesses related to military industry and energy sector, it%u2019s no doubt Mr. Cheney is among those who have benefited most from the ongoing wars. Now he is determined to play even bigger by challenging, or undermine the hegemony of Russia in the Caucasus region, also without taking into account of the fundamental interests of all the ordinary people in US and this region. However this time around, the world is not sided with him. You can see that the EU leaders did not substantially follow the Bush administration in this crisis and the ordinary Americans even encircled the Republic convention center when the Republicans was convening for their presidential nomination, shouting anti-war slogan, so loud that almost drowning out the excitement inside the center. The world is changing. Mr. Cheney doesn%u2019t grip it and the Republic presidential nominee also doesn%u2019t grip it. To the world%u2019s good, they will all be in history in the fall.

[prudentvoter]

Laying with his back to the floor, Bush will now pummel the soles of Putins boots with his face.

[samsel3]

November 4, 2004 the IAGS Energy Security reported :

"Much of the stability along the BTC corridor would depend on Russia. Russia is not supportive of BTC. It sees it as a U.S. plot to gain control over the Caucasus and cut all links between Moscow of the former Soviet states, building an economic infrastructure that would prevent the former Soviet states to ever reunite with Russia. Moscow also views BTC as a way to weaken its position as major supplier of oil to the European markets. In a recent article at Asia Times Online, John Helmer refers to the BTC project as an effort %u201Cto redraw the geography of the Caucasus on an anti-Russian map.%u201D

Russia sold it s investment share of the BTC pipeline to Japan before the Iraq invasion.

After loosing Iraqi oil to Operation Iraqi Freedom, they negotiated supplies with Iran. The Russians were not happy with Cheneys BTC pipeline or the Caspian Sea Pipelines project going through Afghanistan. This threatens their economy based on oil & gas.