It’s a revelation to discover Time is capable of publishing interesting articles. In my experience, Russians and Israelis seem to have curiously similar temperaments so it’s always fascinating to see how the two countries are getting on with each other.

I’m glad you found out free trade isn’t the problem. I assume you get your clothes personally made by a happy, healthy young boy in Malaysia who only works 1 hour a day. Free trade’s even better now that the American middle class lives longer, has less diseases, is growing, and has increasing wages! (starting since around the 70s and accelerating after Reagan)

What a lovely world we now live in!

The bigger question is, “what could Obama possibly be thinking?” taking the _entirety” of his “advice” from his Emanuel/Rubin/Summers/Liberman Neo-Con crew. There is a very real possiblity that Pakistan and/or Afghanistan will go down the tubes in the coming year or two, and that the economy will continue to shed 500,000 jobs per month - including the bankruptcy of GM & Chrysler, not only shutting down thousands of down-stream venders, suppliers, and auto dealers, but shutting down the pensions of thousands of auto company pensioners (future & current) as well.
Obama may be having fun with the DC gliterati - and all his “loyal” neo-cons now, but Bush Sr., and Bush-Jr. both enjoyed _80%_ approval ratings (at end of Gulf-War 1 and “Mission Accomplished”, respectively.)
How would YOU feel if you went door to door for Obama in 2008, then lost your GM union job, AND GM pension, while Obama sits on Stimulus dollars, and hands tens upon hundreds of billions of dollars to the bankers?
THAT scenario is unfolding even as Obama masters the DC glitter show…

1. The Soviet era gas masks. 2. The MARPAT (Marine Corps camo) which they are using. The Georgians are the only ones in the region that use it.

Mubarak chose the hardline Muslim Brotherhood. That way when the results came in, and the polls showed huge votes for the Muslim Brotherhood (because they were the only opposition)Rice, Bush and co flipped out. Mubarak essentially created the illusion that the US needed him to be repressive otherwise Egypt would go Islamist. A few weeks after the elections Mubarak hauled many of the reps that won seats and threw them in jail. The US said nothing, and never pressed him again.

Obama will not push him either, Egypt will continue to be a major recipient of US military aid while it perpetrates more terror and impoverishment upon its people than Syria and the other mid-eastern boogeymen.

1. The protestors attacked a police station in which 3 of their number were being held for beating (severely) a female journalist who was reporting the comments of residents in the Tavisuplebamovidan district about the behaviour of said protestors.
Giorgi Gachecheladze was injured after climbing the fence surrounding the police compound. His own stupid fault.
Try attacking a police station in ANY democratic country and see where it gets you.

2. Nino Burjanadze is INCREDIBLY unpopular with the Georgian public. She left the governing party after her husband was refused a “safe” seat in Parliament.

3. The evidence of the “trumped up charges” against the husband of Burjanadze include him being filmed attempting to purchase military firearms up to and including anti-tank RPG’s and explosives, and discussing with a government agent an attempt to seize government buildings.

4. Alasania is not supporting Burjanadze (thank God) except in the matter of general umbrella support, and is the most moderate of the opposition leaders.
He is the one who wants (in true democratic fashion) to continue dialogue with the current President and governing party, and is interested in structural reforms.

5. I really do suggest you get a bit more of an education Mr Ames. For your info, I am actually in Tbilisi, and live in a regular (not rich) part of the city, I have a Georgian wife, and love this country greatly. I want to see it as a fully fledged parliamentry democracy.

6. I won’t comment on the criticisms by Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, or all the human rights NGOs in Georgia who have been warning about Saakashvili’s turn to authoritarianism. But that doesn’t mean I have an agenda here–it’s just that I don’t feel like commenting on those things. I have better things to do.

6. If you call me a “tool” of Saakashvili, well, congratulations to you, mister. If you’re saying that I’ve profited from his regime, again, what’s that have to do with the facts I’m laying out? In fact, what am I doing married to a Georgian and living here? Don’t force me to answer that, too depressing. Anyway, scratch everything. I support a tyrant, you don’t. Let’s leave it at that.