The Bushies sent Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza to the region, an envoy too low on the totem pole to affect anything.

With Secretary of State Condolezza Rice sitting home wringing her hands and saving face, the US faces the following short term loss:

• a democratic, pro-Western Georgia.
• credibility and value of US relationships, mainly security relationship
• possible loss of Ukraine and other former Soviet satellites to a new process of post-cold-war Findlandization.
• any hope of Russian cooperation with Iran.
• a non-Russian Southern energy corridor from the Caspian Sea region to Western markets.

Blame for doing nothing now cannot be pushed on Bush—he has placed the US in this impotent position from his passed policies.

What is astounding is the administration was oblivious to a) the consequences of their support for Georgian president Saakashvilli’s long stated plan to militarily reoccupy autonimous regions, b) Russian’s potential military response, c) the Georgian preparations to launch military action against South Ossetia on Thursday, and d) Russia’s military preparations to respond.

In other words, during the run up to the Russian-Georgian war and continuing with the its limp aftermath, the Bush administration is at best asleep at the wheel or worse, culpable.