U.S. Navy Docks In Key Georgian Port

Flagship Mount Whitney Arrives With Humanitarian Aid, Russia Says No Military Response

(CBS/AP)  The flagship of the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean fleet arrived in the Georgian port of Poti on Friday.

The Mount Whitney was the first U.S. naval ship to travel to the port since Georgia fought a short war with Russia last month. Poti was bombed by Russian forces and several Georgian ships were sunk.

Harbor master Vakhtang Tavberidze said Friday the ship had anchored just offshore from the port.

U.S. officials said the ship was bringing humanitarian aid for Georgians.

Russia, however, has been extremely wary about the presence of U.S. and NATO ships in the Black Sea region.

U.S. officials in Washington said Russia would be allowed to inspect the Mount Whitney's cargo.

Russia said Friday it planned no military actions in response to the increased presence of the U.S. Navy in the Black Sea.

Foreign Ministry official Andrei Nesterenko made the comments just before the Mount Whitney arrived in Poti.

Earlier, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin openly questioned the presence of NATO and U.S. ships and pledged an unspecified response.

Asked by a reporter about what Russia's response would be, Nesterenko said Friday that international treaties regulate the presence of naval ships in the Black Sea.

He said: "There is no talk of military action."

Earlier, Russia said U.S. aid to Georgia and recent comments by Vice President Dick Cheney will encourage Georgia's "aggressive ambitions."

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman made the comments Friday as Cheney continued his tour of three ex-Soviet republics including Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

President Bush, for his part, 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 Mr. Bush, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not yet final.

[bluestardad]

BUSH IS TRYING HIS BEST TO GET AMERICA IN A SHOOTING WAR WITH RUSSIA BEFORE HE LEAVES!

THIS OCTOBER SUPRISE IS THE BEST THE REPUBLICAN NEOCONS CAN DO!

[georgew1956]

WE ARE NOT SCARED OF ANYBODY EVEN RUSSIA YOU COWARDS TALK THE TALK AND WE AMERICANS
WILL WALK THE WALK WE ARE THE PROUD.
DON''T KICK OUR DOG WE WILL KICK BACK.
WE PARK OUR SHIPS IN GEORGIA AND SEE JUST
HOW SCARED WE ARE NOW.

[hacker2xy]

GET READY FOR WW3!!! RIP AMERICA!!

[hacker2xy]

Col. Gen Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Studies, told a news conference at RIA Novosti, "We are close to a serious conflict - U.S. and NATO preparations on a strategic scale are ongoing. In the operation the West conducted on Georgian soil against Russia - South Ossetians were the victims or hostages of it - we can see a rehearsal for an attack on Iran. There is a great deal of "new features" that today are being fine tuned in the theater of military operations."

[hacker2xy]

Col. Gen Leonid Ivashov, said the likelihood of a war against Iran was growing with each passing day, "As a result, the situation in the region will become destabilized," and added "causing chaos and instability" was becoming Washington''s official policy line.

[hacker2xy]

Ivashov said it was difficult to predict how other countries would react to a conflict with Iran, but according to him, "old Europe" would be reluctant for events to develop and to some degree would become Russia''s allies.

[tombost2]

World should support Georgia. Russia''s aggressive actions and its imperialistic goals will reach Western Europe pretty soon. Russia was begging US and Europe for money in 1991 after the collapse of USSR. But look at it now. Rich with oil and gas now it wants to recreate Soviet Union. Don''t you think that Russia will not be satisfied only with Georgia and will expand its influence to dominate the world?

[hacker2xy]

South Ossetia was attacked by Georgian forces on August 8. Hundreds of people died in the assault, and Russia subsequently launched an operation to expel Georgian forces from the republic. Moscow concluded its operation to "force Georgia to peace" on August 12.

[hacker2xy]

Russia may proceed with plans to sell advanced S-300 air defense systems to Iran under a secret contract believed to have been signed in 2005, a Russian analyst said on Monday.

[hacker2xy]

"This is a system that scares every Western air force."
- Dan Goure, a long-time Pentagon advisor

[prudentvoter]

No big deal. This is no different than if the Russian Navy docked a ship armed with nuclear cruse missiles in Cuba. What goes around comes around.

[hacker2xy]

"If Tehran obtained the S-300, it would be a game-changer in military thinking for tackling Iran. That could be a catalyst for Israeli air attacks before it is operational.

[jgunther7]

Medvedev is being very shrewd in letting the US Navy play their games in the Black Sea, and to let them save face in this way. That will defuse the situation and keep them occupied while he continues with his more advanced plans.

[thegoodtexan]

This is all window dressing. While it gives the neocoms something to crow about and keeps them busy running in circles, screaming and shouting, the real moves are taking place in the ports of Syria, Venezuela and Cuba. These are not window dressing, but real permanent navy bases. Now that Russia is no longer a partner to NATO, by the choice of NATO, Russia has also been freed to open Russian Navy bases on the Straits of Hormus in Iran. Every time Bush makes a move, it seems that the Russian chess masters have been planning twelve moves in advance. In the mean time, the American public is preoccupied discussing children born out of wedlock in the presidential campaigns.

[hacker2xy]

%u201C When the Russians chased the Georgians back into their own country, our government took great fright and ordered all American troops out of the area. Some of these troops took part in the attack on South Ossetia and Washington was afraid that Americans and Russians would start shooting at each other. As this could lead to immediate war breaking out between the two countries and as Russia has the ability to nuke the *** out of us; (unlike other small countries we habitually threaten and bully) we ran like frightened deer. We also left behind all kinds of highly compromising documents, code machines, etc. to keep Russian military intelligence for days.

[hacker2xy]

They did capture Israeli intelligence people and by report, treated them very brutally. The Russians must have been reading Bush%u2019s orders on torture! Anyway, there is genuine terror in the halls of the Department of State, the Pentagon and the White House that terrible things could emerge.

[thegoodtexan]

The S-300 is an awesome defense system, however it is an old model. Russia is willing to export the S-300 system, but keep their new top secret S-400 system for their own defense. The S-400 system has twice the range of the old system and loads of new anti-stealth features. If Iran provides Russia with an island in the strait of Hormus for a navy base, they could protect the whole west coast of Iran and control the strait using S-400 defense systems.

[crusader1200]

About time to that the US is taking a stronger stance with the Russians. Russia should not be allowed to dictate with whom the Georgians deal with or what aid is given for reconstruction (including replenishment of military hardware).

If it offends the Kremlin... too bad!!

[thegoodtexan]

crusader1200 you talk big. I hope you have a strong bunker to hide in. However, the rest of us don''t necessarily want to take part in your dirty little war.

[hacker2xy]

If it offends the Kremlin... too bad!!


Posted by crusader1200....get ready for a 1001 degree temperatures outside your trailer!!

[zhynaryll]

Seems to me that most of the comments here come from a couple of leftist doves who''d rather hide in their home than face reality. In fact, I believe the response of the West has been wimpish, at best! I''d have sent an aircraft carrier instead of a cruiser and dared the Russians to examine the cargo!! We owe them nothing but contempt, and there''s no reason to allow them access to anything we do that doesn''t directly concern them, and the last time I checked, Poti was still in Georgia!! We should do whatever is prudent to get Georgia back on its feet and stabilize the situation over there. We dropped the ball in the first place in supposedly not knowing Russia was ready to invade. How did we miss that??? Hmmmm...Iraq, maybe?? Rebuild our intelligence services and stop this Russian adventurism cold!!

[georgew1956]

I''LL BET WHEN YOU PLAY POKER YOU LOSE A LOT.

[PulSamsara]

If you don''t like it you borscht slurping steppe peasants - do something about it.

Remember the ''Whitney'' !

[jmurrieta1]

"Rebuild our intelligence services and stop this Russian adventurism cold!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by zhynaryll


And if the Russkies decide to drive down to the Iranian border, who''s going to stop them--you?

[jmurrieta1]

"President Bush, for his part, 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. "



In other news, Bushit vowed never to look into Putin''s eyes again.

[bluestardad]

BUSH IS TRYING HIS BEST TO GET AMERICA IN A SHOOTING WAR WITH RUSSIA BEFORE HE LEAVES!

THIS OCTOBER SUPRISE IS THE BEST THE REPUBLICAN NEOCONS CAN DO!

[deacon20081]

Seems to me that most of the comments here come from a couple of leftist doves who''''d rather hide in their home than face reality. In fact, I believe the response of the West has been wimpish, at best! I''''d have sent an aircraft carrier instead of a cruiser and dared the Russians to examine the cargo!! We owe them nothing but contempt, and there''''s no reason to allow them access to anything we do that doesn''''t directly concern them, and the last time I checked, Poti was still in Georgia!! We should do whatever is prudent to get Georgia back on its feet and stabilize the situation over there. We dropped the ball in the first place in supposedly not knowing Russia was ready to invade. How did we miss that??? Hmmmm...Iraq, maybe?? Rebuild our intelligence services and stop this Russian adventurism cold!!
Posted by zhynaryll

Nice try...Georgia started that little war by bombing civilians and peace keepers. Bush and Cheney want the OIL Period and a Pipeline through Georgia.
I can''t say I blame the Russians for not believing anything out of the White House, we don''t believe most of what we hear out of it either.

[lochlan-2009]

Seems to me we are doing everything we can to **** off Russia.

[greatdrivew]

Well what do you know???

We can''t afford the expansionist military we''ve already got, and Bush is making it bigger.

Oh well, I guess when the Chinese finally cut-off our credit line we can simply divert federal education funds to the military so it can keep expanding?!?!

The question of course though, is how much longer will Americans willingly support our policy of financial ruin???

[jmurrieta1]

I''m afraid it''s not just Bush trying to get us into another Cold War at least--It''s John McCain.

McCain''s lobbyist pals are clearly in bed with Saakashvili, and the "one hand washes the other" school of diplomacy is in action here.

In fact, McCain''s instigations have already cost thousands of lives.


But what does John McCain care about that? He has a blonde, beer heiress moneybags wife, a hilltop mansion in Sedona, a Senatorship, and he thinks he and his loudmouthed VP will rule the country.

Georgians, Russians? Just pawns in McCain''s game.

[edintex]

And if the Russkies decide to drive down to the Iranian border, who''''s going to stop them--you?
Posted by jmurrieta1 at 02:46 PM : Sep 05, 2008

My guess is that it certainly wouldn''t be YOU "jmurrietal" since i''m sure you would be riding with the ruskies to Iran.

Your Ruskies are a shadow of their former selves. Their military continues to be a shambles. Their main national income comes from oil and almost equals the ANNUAL U.S. defense budget!

So go on and team up with your Russian friends and be a real winner like them (LOL).

[bob5ford]

What we need to start doing is worrying about South America. If we don''t we might find ourselves fighting in THE STATE OF Georgia . Bolivia and Venezuela both have socialist governments that are popular at the moment. As soon as they start to have problems they will blame the U.S. Venezuela has already invited the Russians to base military aircraft there. The next real threat we face will not be far away across an ocean but in our own back yard. And it won%u2019t play out on the evening news, it will play out in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and possibly Florida if Cuba becomes involved with a real shooting war. With our military tied up overseas where they don%u2019t belong it will be up to the militia to fight this war. Sound surreal? It may be real, sooner then you think!! Venezuela%u2019s government took over the cement plants owned by Mexico there recently. They say the banks are next. It%u2019s getting closer.

[edintex]

The next real threat we face will not be far away across an ocean but in our own back yard. And it will play out in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and possibly Florida if Cuba becomes involved with a real shooting war...
Posted by Bob5ford at 08:16 PM : Sep 05, 2008

As far as Russia have a base "SO CLOSE" to the U.S. in a Venezuela base, would it be any closer to U.S. shores that the Russian subs already stationed near our coasts? Let em build their base. The Russians will just get buried like the Soviets did. Then Veneszuela will be left high and dry like wonderful Cuba.

And any if there is a "shooting war" on our southern border, Texas will just add them to our list of "fair game" for our sport hunting pleasure. No joke intended.

[cfin5]

This is called "Read between the lines" diplomacy. Russians lie when they ask stupid questions as to why the Whitney''s there. Sets the Georgians at ease some though after what they were provoked into starting. Who doesn''t remember the Russians teasing them into it the last 6 months or so?

[kohin-2009]

You have to look who Mcsame choose for the VP nominee,
An alaskan gov. who believe that the war in IRAQ WAS GOD`S PLAN and the ALASKAN PIPELINE IS GOD`s WILL( check on UTUBE: sarah Pallin church and sarah Pallin alaskan...) and Mr Bush believed he was choosen by GOD to lead the "free world".
What is going on ?????

[gce65]

Secret phone call between Bush and Cheney (Part I)

Bush: President Cheney, people here at home seem to like this Obama guy.

Cheney: I told you NEVER to call me that! For publicity purposes YOU''RE president!

Bush: Yes sir. But Iraq also isn''t going well. The generals say we can''t bring troops home for a while. And Bin Laden and al Qaeda are still on the loose. People want change!

Cheney: Silence, chimpy! We can stall for a while on Iraq. Just keep repeating over and over, "the Surge is working." I''m seeing to it that we attack the Pakistani border regions from Afghanistan. I know it''s one sovereign nation attacking another, but who cares? It''ll add to international tensions and fear. That''s what we want.

Bush: What''s all this I''m hearing about Georgia? I like Georgia. They have peaches. I like peaches. It''s where the Atlanta Braves play. I like baseball.

Cheney: Not that Georgia, idiot! The REPUBLIC of Georgia! In the Caucasus! I''m working on starting a war there for even more oil.

Bush: Huh-huh, he said...Caucasus.

Cheney: Silence, fool! This will be the grand finale of my master plan...

Bush: Safety and security in the world?

(to be continued)

[gce65]

Bush/Cheney Phone Call part II)

Cheney: No! Restarting of the Cold War for profit! Only this time I will control ALL THE OIL when it''s over! I WILL CONTROL THE ENTIRE WORLD!

Uh...I mean WE will control the entire world.

Bush: Isn''t that what Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) was about?

Cheney: I told you never to call it that! It''s FREEDOM! Operation Iraqi FREEDOM! Otherwise everyone will figure it out. And that was just a start.

Bush: Yes sir, Mr Presid-- Uh, I mean...Mr VICE President. Can I do anything here to help? Maybe raise the National Fear level? I love how it''s color coded. Easier to understand that way.

Cheney: THREAT Level, you moron! THREAT Level! Hmmm, with an election coming up we may just need that. Raise it to Orange.

Bush: But it''s already at Orange, Sir.

Cheney: Then raise it to RED! Gotta keep the public in FEAR! That''s our strategy in this election: Ignore the issues, play up the FEAR!

Bush: Fear....right. Laura! Bring me my magic markers, especially the RED one.......

Cheney and Bush: Muaaaaww-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!

[moscow22]

What you, Americans are forgeting: Russia had peacekeeping forces that were attacked,with the hospital by missle systems( Grat). But American polices contradict the fact that Russian peacekeepers were attacked first by Georgians on Ukrainian T-72s and rifles of NATO from Germany. Aslo Cheney had to make a blitz visit to Azerbajan whose oil pipeline goes through South Osetia to ensure that America gets oil,

[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.

[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.

[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.

[prudentvoter]

samsel3 remarks on Bush administrations lust for money in World markets for their BIG OIL buddies. It is refreshing to hear somebody who knows what he is talking about. Prime minister Putin is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a master at turning Bushs and Cheneys lust and aggression against themselves. He lured his dumb and dumber opponents into an ill conceived attack on Ossetia and than then countered with a decisive and punishing counter attack. President Medvedev and the Kremlin are also well advanced in a master chess game that will see Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan all fall within the next few months. Seeing his surrogates driven from power or thrown in jail is likely to give old Cheney another heart attack, and serve as a fitting end to the reign of this evil monster.

[memphis_jame]

3 problems with your comment Moscow 22.
1st;the EU, not the US gets oil from Azerbajan.
2nd; T-72s are Russian built from the old USSR.
3rd; no American politician ever claimed that the war was started by the Russians. They have stated the Russians are illegally occupying Georgian territory beyond the disputed areas and that the Georgians didn''t attack Abkhazia. Just South Ossetia; yet the Russians attacked and drove the Georgian forces out of Abkhazia, unprovoked.
Everyone admits the Georgians attacked South Ossetian. No one thus far has agreed on the why of it. The Georgians, Russians, and South Ossetians have all told conflicting stories that will only be answered after total compliance with the Cease-firer Agreement; signed by all the parties concerned; is adhered to. And not a moment before. The longer the Russians take in leaving Georgian territory, the later it will take to get at the truth and resolve these issues.
If you''ll recall; the US had pretty much the same difficulty when it invaded Iraq, until the US agreed to allow the UN to control and administer the task of returning Iraq to it''s soveriegn state. The world was down on the US the same as Russia is now experiencing. Russia has to give in to the UN too, and follow it''s pledge faithfully in the implementations of the six point cease fire agreement.