Talk/Talk: Georgia on Their Mind(less)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND(LESS). Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, August 10, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

Salit: I'll bring in another George Will remark. They're talking about the fighting that broke out between Russia and Georgia at the end of last week. Putin and Bush are both in Beijing for the opening of the Olympics. Will says, 'Putin goes home to deal with the situation. Bush stays in Beijing for the Olympics.' And Will says, 'Bush should have gone home and run the West's response.' A strange remark because it ignored the diminishment of the U.S. position in the world. Not to deny that the U.S. is a huge power, a huge military power, a huge economic power, even a huge swimming power. And, as was pointed out in the discussion today, the back story is all about the issue of oil and the proposed building of a pipeline through Georgia, which Putin is presumably trying to jettison. It's not clear what kind of operation Bush would go home to run.

Newman: Is Will suggesting that Bush and the White House haven't been aware of the tensions leading up to this? And that they haven't made whatever moves they could? What does it mean to go home and run things...independent of the degree of influence? I don't think the conflict is unimportant. But I don't have any reason to believe that's it's the start of World War III. So to compare South Ossetia to Sarajevo at the start of World War I, as Will did, is far-fetched. What that does is make me certain that we should never elect George Will president of the United States. Salit: OK Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

Watch the Salit Video at the top of The Hankster! CUIP president Jackie Salit has a video message for independent leaders and activists in the national IndependentVoting.org networks about the August state caucuses and what's next for indies in the post-primary season.