I have had a few questions, some answered already.

Can the Russians fight? Will they? Size doesn’t matter, it’s whether they will fight for something. The bane of dictators everywhere.

So far, the answer seems mixed. Discipline held for 5 days.

Bush’s response of putting humanitarian and diplomatic feet on the ground is brilliant. All of a sudden the stakes are elevated. Also, Rice would have a security detail. Secret Service or Marines? Probably her detail would be a force most middle nations would be proud to have. And the boats delivering humanitarian aid in the Black Sea. Very interesting, almost a ‘Go ahead, make my day’ move. Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine are no doubt watching closely and will sleep a bit better.

Now it’s up to Putin. Did he actually believe that the New York Times represents the political consensus in the US? The US has left a door wide open for him to back down without losing face. In the short term at least. A misunderstanding that got out of hand. Lets focus on helping the people now.

Does he blink?

Derek