[Rick Lee]

Pretty sure the outside world will give Russia a pass wrt to Georgia, as few people know the history real well. Not so with Poland and the Czech Rep. They are in no way Russian territory and have only ever been so by force. That would be crossing a serious line.

I think Russia is winning the battle, but losing the war here. This kind of behavior will drive Ukraine right into NATO, which is Russia's worst nightmare. If I were Pooty-Poot, I'd much rather let the Ossetia issue fester than encourage Ukraine to join NATO. Can you imagine what would happen if Ukraine were in NATO and then they came to blows with Russia? This would be a Tom Clancy novel.