Another Crisis: Where's George?

George Bush's ineptness has reached a new low. While Russia more or less launches a full scale war on the democratic nation of Georgia, George Bush spent another day in Beijing, playing "sports fan in Chief" instead of commander in chief. And not content to be a gracious guest, he made sure to piss off his hosts by attacking their oppression of religious freedom from the steps of one of the few official churches in China. (I don't defend or approve of China's oppression of religious freedoms, but the President of the US should show more restraint and tact in his wording and location of such statements, especially at a time when there are far more pressing matters in the world).

Bush's long-distance management of this crisis is a series of one serious misstep after another:

• When Georgia and Russia were just starting to shoot at each other in ernest, top diplomats from countries such as France were dispatched to Georgia to work on a means of stopping things before they escalated. The US State department: we will send in diplomats when the fighting stops.
• While a Russian government official was telling Condi Rice that his nation wanted to topple the government of our ally Georgia, George Bush was hob-nobbing on a beach with the US Women's Beach Volleyball team.
• While Russia was bombing the capital of Georgia in a clear and open act of war, George was watching the "dream team' defeat China. (and who says George Bush hates black people!)

This incident is not only another case of an incompetent Bush administration in inaction, it is also further proof that Putin, a man GWB said has a soul, is moving to return Russia to an iron-fisted bully that looks to control and/or intimidate her neighbors.

Meanwhile, back here in the good ol' US of A, both presidential candidates make statements asking Russia to withdraw from Georgia, and in fact talked with the Georgian president. Bush, who I sure did speak with Saakashvili, met with Bob Costas.