OldSalt:

I’ve been thinking that the Russians must have studied very carefully our incursions into Baghdad. They have been paying attention.
It does make sense that they are attempting to clear the Georgian artillery away from their positions, but it really does seem that their tactical objectives have not been to gain territory, but rather to control it.
They have been successful in this strategy to the extent that we blog furiously our speculations, tell ourselves that the next 24 hours will reveal what is happening and then repeat ourselves 24 hours later still no wiser.