EDITORIAL: What does Russia want?

Putin wants: (1) Control of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline; (2) Regime change in Georgia. To control the pipeline, he would have control Tbilisi. To control Tbilisi, he would have to control the Georgian Regime.

Wow, this is a tough one. What does Russia want? Could the answer be .... Georgia?

I am a former immigrant from the Soviet Union and have no love for its successors. Russia want what it always wanted and what any large country wants - to dominate. But stupid policies of NATO and US made it much easier. Why push NATO into the East? They won't fight anyway. Cuban crisis anyone? Why antagonize Russia by disrespecting it when it was weak? Why did Bill Clinton could bomb Yugoslavia for 82 days with no congressional or UN approval to grab Kosovo? Why this stupid jerk in Tbilisi started all this by shelling and rocketing South Osetia?

Cheney?

Maybe Russia won't fight with the U.S. militarily, not right now, but what is the proper response when Putin shuts down energy supplies to Europe, again. How is that going to impact NATO and the Europeans? How about Russia's response if Israel decides that Iran's nuclear program has reached survival criticality. The "poor Russia just wants to be left alone" excuse won't work. Russia doesn't want to be left alone or they wouldn't be selling nuclear technology to Iran and huge confidence building weapons arsenals to Venezuela and using energy as a political intimidation weapon. They have viewed our congressional leadership, the apathy towards Reagan's trust but verify and lack of energy independence and they have made their move. Just leave the poor domesticated Russians alone is a facade we have accepted for too long.