Dualing coverage

This morning President George W. Bush reacted to the Russian invasion of Georgia with a warning to the Russians.  Let's compare the stories on it from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.  First, the headlines.

Washington Post:

Georgia Says Russian
Tanks Violating Truce
Eyewitnesses say armor and troops moved toward
the Georgian capital before turning north on an
old military road that leads back to Russia.
Peter Finn | 10:15 a.m. ET

Bush Warns Russia to Honor Cease-Fire Agreement
U.S. Sees Russian Fear | In Russia, Pride Prevails

Wall Street Journal:

Bush Says Russia Must Keep Word
On Bringing End to Hostilities

Washington Post:

President Bush today warned Russia to honor a cease-fire agreement in the conflict with Georgia, saying that Moscow's actions "raise serious questions about its intentions."

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. President George W. Bush pledged Wednesday morning to continue to "rally the free world in defense of a free Georgia," condemning Russia's reported continued military action.

Washington Post:

In a brief statement in the Rose Garden at the White House, Bush said he is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Paris for ongoing negotiations and then to Tbilisi to show support for the Georgian people.

Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Bush said in the televised statement that he was sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to meet with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy whose country currently holds the European Union presidency and has attempted to broker a cease-fire. Ms. Rice will then travel to the Georgian capital, Tblisi, to "personally convey" America's "unwavering support," said Mr. Bush, who spoke with Mr. Sarkozy as well as the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili earlier today.

Washington Post:

But Bush again offered little indication of a concrete threat to Russia if it does not stand down and remove troops from Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally that contributed troops to the war in Iraq and has sought membership in NATO.

Wall Street Journal:

The president warned that Russia was putting its international aspirations at risk unless it immediately halted its offensive and withdrew from Georgian territory. That would include the country's membership in the Group of Eight industrialized nations and its desires to join the World Trade Organization.

Washington Post:

Flanked by Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Bush also said the United States has launched a humanitarian relief effort for Georgia using U.S. military aircraft and ships, saying he expected Russia to allow shipments in.

Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Bush also announced that a massive U.S. humanitarian effort was already in progress, and would involve U.S. aircraft as well as naval forces. A U.S. C-17 military cargo plane loaded with supplies is already on the way, and Mr. Bush said that Russia must ensure that "all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, roads and airports," remain open to let deliveries and civilians through.

Washington Post:

The remarks came amid reports from local officials and eyewitnesses that Russian troops and armor moved deeper into Georgian territory in apparent violation of the cease-fire agreement reached yesterday.

But Russian officials said the movement of troops was only aimed at "demilitarizing" areas near the border with South Ossetia, the separatist Georgian province at the heart of the conflict.

Wall Street Journal:

"The Russians are looting everything in sight. The whole city is full of marauders," said Roland Bochiashvili as he left Gori. He said Russian Cossack volunteers were also in the city, in addition to the Ossetians, most of whom have been issued with Russian passports.

The Russian army itself is taking no part in the looting, said Georgian National Guard Lieutenant Guja Bichashvili, who fled the city after donning civilian clothes. "It is the [Russian] Cossacks and the Ossetians that are causing mayhem. The local population is actually relieved to see regular Russian troops in Gori, hoping that the soldiers will protect them from the marauders," he said.

Only rare bursts of gunfire could be heard at the entrance to Gori, and the Russians seem to have captured the city largely unopposed. "Where is our government? Where is our army? Who in the world is going to help us?" wailed one distraught woman, as a group of refugees mobbed a Georgian official. "Nobody cares."

Inside Gori, Russian soldiers stood by as irregulars held a Sky TV crew at gunpoint and took their car and equipment. A Polish crew suffered the same fate.

It's not hard to tell which paper has the more favorable view of Bush and his support for the independence of Georgia.

Comments

[Smithington]

At least you are writing about a country in Russia that is actually a threat to the national security interests of the United States.

But this is a poor conflict to get worked up about.

The Georgian President is a flake, known for unstable unpredictable behavior. The judiciary is not separate from the executive, which is why opposition leaders are routinely put in jail. Independent television stations have been shut down.

In one of the dumbest military stunts since Argentina invaded the Falklands, silly little Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili initiated a bombing campaign on an autonomous region that killed Russian soldiers and many civilians most of whom had Russian passports. The United States would never tolerate the killing of its military personnel in such a manner.

NATO is for stable constitutional governments that have been around for at least a generation. Not for “democracies” that are not constitutional and headed by nutcases.

Good editorial here:

http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/17337/georgia039s-folly