When Tyrants Attack

Watching things unfold in Georgia, I am reminded of the last scene in Animal House when Kevin Bacon's is screaming for everyone to remain calm, while the crowd stampedes over him. That is the level of futility by the current round of diplomacy, strong words and negotiations in the face of Russia's aggression.

Here is what Condi Rice said the other day.

This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. “Things have changed

Here is what President Bush had to say.

I'm sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to France, where she will confer with President Sarkozy. She will then travel to Tbilisi, where she will personally convey America's unwavering support for Georgia's democratic government.

We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia, and we expect all Russian forces that entered Georgia in recent days to withdraw from that country.

Here are John McCain's now famous words.

The Georgian people have suffered before, and they suffer today. We must help them through this tragedy, and they should know that the thoughts, prayers and support of the American people are with them. This small democracy, far away from our shores, is an inspiration to all those who cherish our deepest ideals. As I told President Saakashvili on the day the cease-fire was declared, today we are all Georgians. We mustn't forget it.

Here is how Barack Obama put it the other day.

No matter how this conflict started, Russia has escalated it well beyond the dispute over South Ossetia and invaded another country. Russia has escalated its military campaign through strategic bombing and the movement of its ground forces into the heart of Georgia. There is no possible justification for these attacks.

The United States, Europe and all other concerned countries must stand united in condemning this aggression, and seeking a peaceful resolution to this crisis. We should continue to push for a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Georgia - the UN must stand up for the sovereignty of its members, and peace in the world.

Meanwhile, the EU has negotiated not one but two cease fires to end the war. Nearly the whole world has taken turns in condemning the action and called on Russia to stand down. While all of this was going on Russia proceeded to enter Georgian territory, take control of the Province of Ossetia, then move forward and cut the country in half, and now their military is on the brink of the capital, Tblisi.

So, while the world stands in near unanimous verbal condemnation, the Russian military is showing the world just how futile their verbal attacks are. The reality is that if tyrants really want a war, then unfortunately, the world is left with no other choice. One would have thought we learned this lesson with Hitler, but apparently we are going to need another refresher course.

There are those that say the U.S. is in no position to respond. They deviously blame our position in Iraq for a lack of military personnel. Of course, the U.S. still maintains bases throughout Europe and they were installed during the Cold War exactly to deter such a threat. The bottom line is that the world doesn't have the will to stand up to Putin. That's why all we have mustered are strongly worded WORDS of condemnation. In the face of a full frontal military assaut though, strongly worded statements of condemnation are totally useless. Vladimir Putin wants war and he knows the rest of the world desperately wants to avoid one. Unfortunately, when tyrants attack, the only good response is to attack back and much harder. Anything less only makes them stronger.