GEORGIA UPDATE….Events are proceeding apace in the Russian parliament today:
Lawmakers in both houses of parliament voted unanimously for the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where a decades-old rebellion ballooned this month into a bitter, bloody struggle between Russia and U.S.-backed Georgia.
….”Currently, it is important for us that South Ossetia should gain independence legally from the point of view of the world community,” South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev told the Interfax news agency. “After this, we shall be able to seek accession into the Russian Federation, but this issue will be postponed for the future.”
Not too far in the future, would be my guess. For more, check out Megan Stack’s report on how thrilled the Russian public is about giving the U.S. a poke in the eye.