Full spectrum dominance

They know they are going to lose power. They want to get a cold war going again so they will continue to rake in the defense dollars. The very reason they pushed Georgia to start the problem with Russia.

Currently there are two political polarities.

Left or Right.

Let's add a third. Smart.

Diplomats and Military leaders don't have to submit to the ordeals of public election. They do have to be Smart. They have to analyze situations exactly as they are - regardless of whatever ridiculous rhetoric or posturing their bosses may use to sway an electorate to retain power.

Before Russia's army entered S. Ossetia [you may prefer "invaded" or "retaliated" depending on affiliation] the US State Department was Smart.

Diplomats reached an "understanding" with Russia. The Russians would chase the Georgian Army out of S. Ossetia and stop at the Georgian border. There is no indication that Georgia was so advised.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/255/story/47631.html

In a story entitled "U.S. knew Georgia trouble was coming, but couldn't stop it" The McClatchy syndicate's Washington correspondent, Jonathan S. Landay, interviewed State Department officials and came back with several interesting quotes including this:

"We knew they were going to go crack heads. We told them again and again not to do this," the State Department official said. "We thought we had an understanding with the Russians that any response would be South Ossetia-focused. Clearly it's not."

Smart officials did not see any sense in letting the conduct of Georgia's President result in WW3. So back-channel discussions with the Russians continued while US diplomats tried to persuade President Saakashvili not to do something stupid. Those diplomats included Condoleezza Rice.

The current mess in Georgia can be linked to the PNAC agenda. ASAP, Russia and China would be encircled militarily and forced to submit, they both would be denied middle east oil.

PNAC was put forward by political ultra-hawks hoping to ensure that America could assert planet-wide dominance by threat of force of arms. Time was crucial and while Russia remained in political chaos and China appeared happy to harvest American jobs and debt, the window was still open to "Full spectrum dominance" a component of PNAC

Unfortunately for the Smart people the ultrahawks did not comprehend that an extravagant two-front war, and economic policies which still can bankrupt the west and collapse the global economic system were not bright additions to a dominance theory that did not incorporate radical shifts in the opposition's wealth..

Worse, in the event the encirclement pushed too far and the balance tipped to nuclear war there wouldn't be time to mobilize the troops, since one sub offshore could take out Moscow and Washington in a matter of minutes.

The idea that NATO, as divided as it already is by competing interests, can afford war on its own turf, or the idea that Caucasians want to be a battleground for a proxy war to push the PNAC agenda further is not Smart . Hence behind the scenes the Europeans recognize that this escalation will cost them when Russia decides what price they will pay for oil and natural gas. A prospect which could cripple Europe.

Otherwise PNAC was a terrific plan - on paper.