Sheesh. What is this automatic knee-jerk reaction to see a conspiracy in anything having to do with Bush. If you think the U.S. started this please read this article first:

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/eon0820mt.html

The Russions have never stopped playing the “Great Game”, while we were never in it. Has it occurred to anyone that the Russians might have kicked the operation off at this time precisely because the U.S. is distracted by our own elections?