Letter to the editor

Well, here we go again, facing off with the Russians and exchanging cold war rhetoric with them in exasperating flurries. The end game here is not likely to be military confrontation, but rather a return to the specter of warnings and threats, full of sound and fury signifying (hopefully) nothing. I doubt that either country has the military chops at this time to launch a major war other than to make incursions into places like Iraq and Georgia. There are those who don't think the United States has much room to claim the high road, considering our involvement in Iraq, but the Russian invasion of Georgia is a good example of two wrongs not making a right. We really don't have much choice, but to support the freely elected government of Georgia without making ourselves look like a paper tiger, nuclear teeth or not. At the same time, fist shaking and idle threats aren't likely to cause the Russian bear to go running into its cave. Still, the war drums are being tuned up and the noise level of the 'shoot now, talk later' crowd is on the rise. Senator Barack Obama is being critisized for not jumping into Vladimir Putin's face and for recommending that we exhaust all diplomatic efforts to diffuse the situation before considering the horrible alternative. Whether one agrees with Obama or not, the fact is that there really isn't much else we can do except try to rally other countries to put pressure on the Russians, reminding them that they have everything to lose and nothing to gain in the resumption of a cold war that could go hot in a hurry. In the meantime it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to strengthen our forces and keep our powder dry.

George Morin
Auburn, Ga.