“Also, I doubt the Russians tanks have any defense against Predator drones”

Actually, they do. It’s called a MiG-29. UACV’s, RPV’s, etc. all started off as target drones. No matter what sort of weapons you hang off the wing, or new name you call it, when a manned fighter enters the area it reverts back to type and becomes a target drone. This is a simple FACT, and the reason why the USAF is sporting wood for F-22′s.
The solution in Georgia is to do what JFK did in Cuba and force the Bear to back off.
Have the Diplos do up a treaty with Georgia that subcontracts the defense of their air space to the USAF. That will make it ‘legal’ for the USAF to shoot down Soviet, err…..Russian fighters. Close off the tunnel with a B-2 strike and knock down some bridges and there is no longer a valid overland supply line for the 58th Army. With command of the airspace over Georgia, the 58th will onlt be able to re-supply by sea. I would get one of our NATO allies to contribute an AIP sub to stop that. An American nuke boat could do it until NATO got it together to send a better choice of weapon systems.
The black sea is a teacup in naval terms and it would be pretty easy for an air hunt to track down a sub. The AIP boat would be harder to find then a nuc boat.

So we cut off the 58th’s logistics, then start hunting down their commanders. Once they are dead, the 58th is a mob of hungry men with no major weapons that still work. The Georgians will have a field day.
With a small footprint of US troops inside Georgia, the public outcry here will be small, just the useful fools and the paid 5th columnists. The Agi-prop guys would not have a lot to work with, since a few hundred US troops would not pose a creditable threat to Georgian sovereignty. Plus if things went to ‘ell in a handcart, as they are apt to do in a war, getting a few hundred special forces types out would be much easier then extracting the 82nd Airbourn or the 1st Armored Division.
After a while ( year or two), we willl et the 58th go back home. That will put paid to Putin.
This plan would kep the potential for a world wide war pretty low. The Soviets, errrrr……Russians are rational, they understand that if we can kick their arse in the sky over Georgia, we can do it in the Sky over Moscow. If we can’t then , yes they will widen the war. I doubt that the USAF will have any real problem with the Soviet Air Force, other then running out of red paint for putting kill stars on the sidesof the F-22′s.
Do they make radar assorbing paint in red?