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First, the war. Responding to Russian provocations, Georgia and its president, Mikheil Saakashvilli, unwisely began to fight, that was just what Russia was hoping toward. Two of Georgia's provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, are seeking independence and are being encouraged by Russia and its prime serve, Vladimir Putin. Putin is incensed that Georgia, a state that was formerly part of the Soviet Union, is not barely a good friend of the United States — it provided 2,500 forces to assist us in Iraq, the largest contingent after Great Britain — it is in addition seeking to suit part of NATO.

On the opening day of the Olympics, Georgia sent troops to take back the provincial principal of South Ossetia. Big mistake. Russia, using the same pretext that Hitler used when he invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938, invaded the tract and then Georgia itself. Why is Russia taking this aggressive action? The Russians are furious that the U.S. and Europe allowed Kosovo, formerly a part of Serbia, a Russian ally, to gain separation. Putin is now showing that couple can play at that game.

In my view, it was an trespass to allow Kosovo to parted from Serbia and become independent. I also believe it was a mistake to strive to encircle Russia and cause it to believe the U.S. and NATO are threatening it through trying to co-opt into the Western alliance countries on its borders, e.g., the Baltic states, Poland , the Ukraine and Georgia.

A better series would bear been to make Russia a full partner with the U.S., including urging Russia to become a NATO member. Even today, after the period of the U.S.S.R., world peace depends in significant part without ceasing good U.S. - Russian relations.

Our partnership with Russia, successor to the U.S.S.R., was essential in World War II. Without Russia's sacrifices, we would not be seized of been able to defeat Hitler. In that bloody war, the Soviet Union lost nine million soldiers and millions of civilians in defeating the Nazis, and I believe, suffered 300,000 casualties in the taking of Berlin alone.

It is imperative that neither candidate, Barack Obama and John McCain, fan the winds of war by proposing the U.S. provide Georgia with military assistance of any kind or worse, menacing Russia in any way. Vice President Cheney's admonition to Russia, "that Russian aggression sourness not go unanswered, and that its continuation would have serious consequences for its relations with the United States, as well as the broader international community," is a mistake the kind of one. should not be repeated. This war has an huge potential for spreading.

So we should not bluster or threaten Russia in the current conjuncture, but rather, transfer and convince them of our desire to be their friend and partner, in which they would have an equal role with us. As for Georgia, it cannot obtain the declared hostilities that it initiated with Russia and should declare a unilateral ceasefire and have an airing of all of the issues at the United Nations Security Council.

Now, to John Edwards. He deserves our contempt, not in favor of he had an affair with Rielle Hunter and abused his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth, who is ailing with cancer. His moral failure in that regard is betwixt Edwards and his family. His propinquity with society at immense is that he has proved to be a hypocrite. As part of his campaign for president in 2008, he said, "I want to see our party lead on the great moral issues - yes, me a Democrat using that expression. - the people of distinction moral issues that face our country. If we want to glowing in a moral, honest just America and if we omit to live in a moral and lawful world, we can't wait for a person of consequence else to do it. We look at to prepare it."

Further and equally important, Edwards demonstrated a total lack of judgment. How in the world did he expect to run for president when he knew that a forcible number of vulgar herd knew of his sexual intrigue which began, he admits, in 2006. Worse always, not long past, he went into a panic when confronted by a reporter in the wee hours of the daybreak after visiting Ms. Hunter at a hotel. He ran to the sanctuary of a men's toilet, reportedly holding onto the door handle to support others from entering until the hotel management came to his rescue. John Edwards, the recipient of the $400 haircut, the owner of the home with the most square footage in North Carolina, and the self-appointed populist leader who would lead the country outright of poverty, when propose to the test of exercising judgment, abjectly failed, and has become the butt of each standup comedian on the boob tube.


Original thesis: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/realclearpolitics/20080812/cm_rcp/us_russia_should_be_friends_eq