From Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News:

The US yesterday pushed for the UN Security Council to call for a ceasefire in the widening Caucasus conflict as it accused Moscow of seeking regime change in Tbilisi.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he would meet his Western colleagues to finalise a draft resolution that would call for “an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of all forces to the status quo in the breakaway Georgian enclave of South Ossetia. He particularly stressed the need for Moscow to withdraw the combat forces it sent to South Ossetia in the past week.

And in highly contentious exchanges with his Russian counterpart Vietaly Churkin reminiscent of the Cold War, Khalilzad accused Moscow of seeking “regime change in Tbilisi” and of waging “a campaign of terror” in Georgia.

He said Churkin cited comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a confidential telephone conversation with his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice suggesting that the president of Georgia “must go”.

“This is completely unacceptable and crosses the line,” the US ambassador said. “Russia must affirm that its aim is not to change the democratically elected government of Georgia and that it accepts that territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.”.

Nice to know that when the Dems ran off John Bolton, Bush installed another hardass in Ambassador Khalilzad.

Barack Obama surrogate Bill Richardson shamefully prostituted his foreign policy street cred today by both hitting at John McCain and blamming President Bush for the Russian invasion of Georgia.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said McCain’s campaign “is run by lobbyists that represent Georgia and other countries.”

“He takes huge amounts of money from oil companies that are profiting in the (former) Soviet Union and many parts of the world,” the Democrat told ABC News, attempting to depict a conflict of interest for McCain.

Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, said the crisis vindicated Obama’s pledge to rebuild US alliances in Europe that were strained under President George W. Bush.

“This has been one of the failures of the Bush administration, failing to build a strong relationship, a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, so we’d have the kind of influence to persuade them to stop some of these very, very dangerous efforts within their territory,” he said.

Richardson really ought to be embarassed at this awful display of political posturing such a fuid foreign policy and security issue. Georgia is an ally of the US and our other allies whom Richardson spins to suit his own political objectives. Of little matter to Richardson is the fact that Georgia is both a democracy and who’s troops serve alongside US troops in Iraq.

Just as they did when they invaded Afghanistan during Christmas 29 years ago, Russian armor rolled. News travels differently than it once did, though. International analytical condemnation came immediately and went worldwide. Ralph Peters provides excellent analysis in his essay, “Raping Georgia.”

Yesterday, the world didn’t watch the Olympic opening ceremonies (the Chinese must be furious at the Russians). Instead, we saw images of Soviet - sorry, I meant Russian - aircraft pounding Georgian territory as Russian armor rolled over the Caucasus Mountains.

The Kremlin is determined to break Georgia’s will - and keep the feisty republic out of NATO.

Russia, you see, still believes it’s entitled to all of its former empire. And, tragically, “Old Europe” is back: Yesterday, Germany and other nervous European states bought the Russian line that Georgia is the aggressor. Wouldn’t want to anger Moscow . .

Peters gives clear details and timeline to the events with just the right snark.

The Kremlin decided it was time to act, since Georgia was only growing stronger under its democratically elected government. Although NATO has been hemming and hawing about admitting Georgia, the Russians didn’t want to take any chances. (Just last month, 1,000 US troops were in Georgia for an exercise.)

Calculating that the media and world leaders would be partying in Beijing, the Russians ordered North Ossetian militiamen, backed by Russian “peacekeepers” and mercenaries, to provoke the Georgians earlier this month.

Weary of the Russian presence on their soil, the Georgians took the bait. President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his US-trained military to respond.

That was the excuse the Kremlin wanted. Immediately, a tank brigade from Russia’s 58th Army (the butchers of Chechnya) crossed the international border into Poland - sorry, I meant Georgia.

Colonel Peters seems to indicate that the Russians need to overwhelm the Georgians with brute force, but will be surprised by the ferocity of the Georgian counterattacks. The Georgian military has certainly prepared itself for a Russian invasion and the Caucasus Mountains provide some serious logistical problems for the Russians.

Georgia is a US ally. Both presidential candidates have called for Russian withdrawal. Expect very strong diplomatic pressure on the Russians from the US until they end their pre-planned offensive against its neighbor.

Two pitchers, both 21, were suspended for testing positive for banned substances. Jose Valentin and Leandro Geremy were both suspended for steroids that were to be injected.

Its been believed that for athletes to acquire steroids and other banned substances is far much easier in latin speaking countries. Information is spread by word of mouth and leaves no paper or internet trail. These two were 21, old by their own standard in a camp with alot of teenagers. They were willing to take a chance to distinguish themselves in any way they could to get to the states and chase their dream.

From Matt Lewis at Townhall blog.

Mazin Asbahi abruptly resigned from the Obama campaign after revelations of his relationship with a radical cleric with ties to terrorist group Hamas. Asbahi was the campaign’s outreach coordinator with the Muslim community. Bill O’Reilly had a representative of CAIR ( Council for Arab Islamic Relations) on to discuss the issue.

The CAIR representative said the iman in question, Jamal Said has no ties to Hamas to legitamize his argument. The CAIR representative said the Wall Street Journal had gotten in wrong. Well, no.

This February 2004 article in the Chicago Tribune detailed the work of Said to move his Chicago mosque away from moderation to radicalism. The opening details the manner Sheik Said raised money for Sami-Al Arian who’s been sentenced for his fundraising for Hamas.

Sheik Jamal Said stood before the packed mosque and worked the crowd like an auctioneer.

Speaking Arabic, the prayer leader asked for a donation of $10,000. No one responded. He asked for $5,000, and three men raised their hands.

Hundreds of men sat cross-legged before him in the main prayer hall. Women filled the basement, listening over a loudspeaker. All but the youngest girls wore head scarves.

When Sheik Jamal lowered his request to $2,000, more hands shot into the air. The crowd declared, “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great.” $1,000? More hands. $500? Even more. In less than five minutes, he raised $50,000

Sheik Said was an unindicted co-conspirator in Al Arians’ trial. CAIR spokesman have a habit of uttering quick untruths during television appearnaces that deny terrorist links. They attempt to play to American sensibilities against any form of racism. I surprised O’Rielly missed it.

Randy Niemann (an old drinking buddy who like me knows where the bodies are buried) and PT Chris Correnti reported on Garcia. Talk about lightening in a bottle. If Niemann says he can he can go, get him in there.

At any rate, I’ve told Mets folks - not that my opinion matters - that Niemann is a manager and needs to be given a job doing that one day. I can hear him cursing me, but I’m holding my position. Niemo, youre a leader. Do it.

Bob Myer writes from the great state of Texas in The Mind of FlapJack. Here is what he shares on the Pelosi/Reid lie they are purpetuating on the American people about their own ecomomic suvival:

But crises are only of political value when something can be made from them, when they deliver a product to someone. In an election year, the beneficiaries of crises are easy to detect: those who hope to gain or maintain office through manipulation of real or imagined crises. I realize that the previous statement is a bit circular. Let me provide an example.

Speaker Pelosi has stated that her goal is to save the planet from destruction due to our dependence on oil. She has to date given no specific solutions for this crisis, which is shocking, seeing as the planet may be destroyed without a solution. Reasonable thought indicates that her refusal (and the refusal of her Senatorial cohort, Sen. Reid) to allow any debate or vote on off-shore drilling is really a sandbag tactic. Her hope is that the 111th Congress will coincide with a Democrat in the White House. The end goal is the power to push her agenda. The means to this end is perpetuating the oil crunch until November (and shifting all blame onto Republicans).

It seems quite clear to me as I sit and write, yet I feel a sort of fatigue. The constant roll of crisis on top of crisis can be overwhelming. However it is, in the end, somewhat more mental than actual (so I shan’t whine!). We would do well for ourselves to examine these “crises”, to look for their simple causes, to seek out reasonable short term solutions, and to plan ahead for the long term. But we must also look for those who would manipulate “crises” – indeed, manufacture them – for personal gain. Speaker Pelosi is the poster girl for the self-perpetuated and self-serving crisis.

Rock on for American families, Bob. Continue to say no to the Environmentalsit Left that funds Reid and Pelosi’s campaigns

Kathryn Jean Lopez reprints her interview with Kathleen Parker, the author of the influential book, Save the Males: Why Men Matter. Why Women Should Care.

Parker makes some excellent points in her book about differences between boys and girls. One that I see is how much more adaptable girls are to the classroom. They are better able to stay focused, whereas boys need movement. About this, here’s Lopez’ question and Parker’s interesting response:

Lopez: What does it mean to “let men be men” and “boys be boys”?

Parker: It simply means to acknowledge that men are not women and boys are not girls. Boys and girls are hard-wired differently, which one notices as soon as the little critters become mobile. Although there are exceptions, girls can sit and focus for long periods and boys need to move around more. In fact, brain research shows that multitasking stimulates the pleasure center of women’s brains, hence 42 years of NOW. The men’s movement has been in gestation for 15 years and hasn’t begun to quicken yet. Ultimately, letting men be men means not insisting that they be our best girlfriends.

Then this fascinating exchange about the decline in fatherhood and the disturbing rise in single motherhood:

Lopez: You write that “The ultimate act of emasculation is, of course, the elimination of man’s central role as father.” Have we done that??

Parker: Absolutely. Fatherhood has been increasingly diminished the past few decades. We applaud single motherhood, celebrate sperm shopping as though searching out that perfect pair of Kate Spades and otherwise treat fathers as optional accessories. All of this has been helped by mass media messages that men are buffoons or pedophiles and by a family court system that often treats men as visitors to their children’s lives.

Lopez: How did “shame attached to unwed motherhood serve a useful purpose once upon a time”?

Parker: It kept our knees together. Importantly, it allowed girls to hang onto their innocence a little longer until they really were women. Boys, too. I mean, boys could remain innocent, not become women.

 

Maybe.