Kris, any outcome of this thing will spread far and wide. If other countries, like Ukraine, Baltics, Polands, etc, begin to see US as incapable or unwilling to protect them from Russia, they will come back into Russian fold, albeit unwillingly. This will be a huge blow to the US. The entire Russian gambit rests on the fall of Georgian govt. The fact of losing of democracy in Georgia itself, is trivial compared with the wider effects of it occuring. You will have various countries like Zimbabwe giving everyone a finger because they would feel protected by Russia more than their opponents would feel protected by US. Georgian loss will really set things off on world stage.