Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Says US Orchestrating Georgia Conflict

If there needed to be more evidence that U.S.-Russian relations has hit a serious low point, or that the Russian scholar and Secretary of State Condi Rice has not been successful on the job, one needs look no further than the news from CNN.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Matthew Chance in the Black Sea city of Sochi Thursday, Putin said the U.S. had encouraged Georgia to attack the autonomous region of South Ossetia.

Putin told CNN his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate — Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are competing to succeed George W. Bush — although he presented no evidence to back it up.

“U.S. citizens were indeed in the area in conflict,” Putin said. “They were acting in implementing those orders doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader.”

To say that this is insane is being too easy on Putin.  He has proved to be the thug that I long considered him to be.  Nice suits aside, he is still mired in the KGB mindset, and it is important that we not forget that. 

The fact is that there is a huge chasm developing in the relationship between the two superpowers, and some serious work needs to be done to insure that the divide does not grow.  Certainly the work of mending fences needs to start from the Russian side as they are primarily responsible for the heavy handed actions that took place in Georgia.  It was their tanks and soldiers that invaded a sovereign county.  But to insure that the working relationship does not further erode Condi Rice needs to act with more constructive diplomatic overtures.  It is she who touts her expertise in Russian history and political affairs.  It is time she employed some of her resume to the task at hand.  This is a horrible issue to leave office with as a lasting legacy.

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