Those Crazy Russians

Okay, let's get it out there; the recent Russian 'liberation' of South Ossettia and Abkhazia is rather unnerving. Not that I don't see what they are doing, and it's pretty smart. It's just their approach that's flawed is all, which makes me think that something else is up.

Think about it....Bush wanted to get us into Iraq and get Saddam out. Critics say he wanted the oil, and more critics looked at it as invading the sovereign country of Iraq. The Black Sea area is ripe with oil and natural gas distribution and production, and Russia has stood behind its actions as helping the people of S. Ossettia and Abkhazia while the rest of the world looks at it as an invasion. Parallels? Bush cried WMD, Medvedev is crying ethnic cleansing. Only difference is that Bush tried to direct attention to the WMD issue before going into Iraq, and that's where Russia has muddied itself with the rest of the West. Immediate unilateral military action without first saber-rattling is uncouth in Western Politics these days. But are we really going to descend into Cold War II over a misjudged communication slip?

One thing is for sure, though. This little sqwabble is most likely going down in history as a large bullett point in what will probably known as "The Energy Revolution." Who cares who is right and who is wrong and which state is sovereign, etc. What matters is that the Russians screwed up. The United States, led by people like T. Boone Pickens, who has more than a little influence over a good part of American aristocracy, has begun changing its habits. As this energy shift gains steam, it won't matter that China's energy need grows by a high percentage...in shear numbers, American consumption will decrease world consumption of oil as we switch to solar, wind, and natural gas, of which we have an abundance of all. Good luck propping up $100 barrells of oil when nobody wants or needs them anymore. So hang on for Cold War II, the Russians have gone short-sighted again, shooting themselves in the foot on the way to another economic bust. Moscow awoke from the coma of communism only to find that it was on life support, but apparently doesn't believe it and is about to pull its own plug. Crazy Russians!