It’s wise of the US to remember that Russia has nukes; we don’t want to see those come into play. If we value Georgia, we don’t show it much respect by fomenting nuclear carelessness on the part of the Russians. Besides, it’s best to keep the nuclear cat in its bag, something that ‘can’t happen.’

Russia having failed to land an immediate knockout, the main option for the US is to change the momentum and the meme. At some point, ripeness will be all, and the tide will turn the other way. Perhaps this will occur when Russians and their proxies panic when cornered. Grozny was a graveyard for many a young Ivan, but Grozny did not have the US as an ally. Putin was willing to sacrifice his soldiers out of sight of media.

The course set by President Bush seems reasonable and likely to occasion a turn in the tide.

(And where, by the way, is Sen. Obama’s birth certificate? Still haven’t seen the real one.)