THOMAS: Rainy nights in Georgia

Correction: U.N. Resolutions should be written on toilet paper and used appropriately. Putin may know what he is doing with American politics or he may not, but now is NOT the time to have a boot Ensign at the helm of the ship of state. Obama exposed decision making vulnerabilities during his rock star tour of Europe. Putin was watching, Jintao, Amadinejad, Chavez and Medvedev were also watching and analyzing. Hopefully Putin has misread the European mania as U.S. and the American people don't allow him to exploit those vulnerabilities. November will tell.

What many don't realize is that Russian nationalism, whether governed by a Communist government or a republican one, still dominates Russian foreign policy. It is the reason for trying to "protect the Rodina (or Motherland)." Russia must, according to this theory, either directly or through surrogates, govern the surrounding areas. In essence, this means re-establishing the old Warsaw Pact domination of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In order for this to happen, the Russian Govt. must overthrow or intimidate into submission those nations which it believes lie in their natural sphere of influence. Whether Putin and his sucessors can accomplish this depends on whether the West has the backbone to stand up to the resurgent Bear. A lot may depend on the American election this November. A strong American President who is willing to take a strong stand on this matter might be able to lead the West in opposition to Russian expansionism.