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Ear to the Ground

What’s a Billion Dollars Between Friends?

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Posted on Sep 3, 2008
White House photo by Eric Draper

President Bush with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

The U.S. is giving Georgia $1 billion in aid, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced. That could be just a friendly donation, or, seen in the light of America’s meddling in the Caucasus, perhaps something more sinister. Sorry we didn’t go to war with Russia, baby, but here’s a billion dollars. Buy yourself something nice.

Although given what the dollar is worth these days, we wouldn’t be surprised if Georgia goes courting the Europeans.


BBC:

The US has announced $1bn (£564m) of aid to Georgia for reconstruction after the conflict with Russia.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the aid would be used to rebuild houses and infrastructure - but not for military purposes.

Georgia has requested $2bn in funding from the international community.

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By Brenda N. Millward, September 19, 2008 at 10:15 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

If the Bush administration can give the Georgians 1 billion dollars of the taxpayers money, why not Lehman Brothers, a banking institution predating the Civil War, within the United States?  Whatever happened to the people of America?  I thought the “President” took an oath to stand for them and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America!!

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By MicSIx, September 8, 2008 at 11:17 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Darth Cheney is scarey. McCain is scarey. Does anyone else remember the scene in braveheart where Gibson has just sent a decapitated head to King Ewdward and he ponders who to send to negotiate. He looks at his weakling son and decides “the very sight of him” will cause Gibsons character to sack the whole of Britain- Obama is that weakling. I would rather have them scared shitless of a crazy old man than fearless of a young weak man.

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By criticalthinktank, September 4, 2008 at 2:44 pm #

People need to exam all the pipeline deals happening around the world and the war between countries to control the resources.

I wish journalists had the nerve to report the truth as the answers are just a click away.

Here is why we care about Georgia..yes, America and others want a pipeline to be built called the Eurasian corridor which is America’s attempt to shut down Russia’s pipeline to Europe. The Europeans are obviously tired of being controlled by Russia’s natural gas. Remember their struggles last winter with Russia?

Here is the article…follow the oil and the money. Wherever there is oil, you will find America involved.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9907

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By Ajamo, September 4, 2008 at 12:41 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Secretary of State or the Vice President of the United States would visit our own country and give us 5 billion in aid.

Where in the hell do these people get the money to pass around?  You want us to vote again for Republicans.  All they do is buy their way in the world, but to spend money on our own country they call it socialism.

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By thebeerdoctor, September 4, 2008 at 12:11 pm #

For everyone interested in finding out more on this. Please click on the link I provided on yesterday’s post.

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By dihey, September 4, 2008 at 11:52 am #

Why is Cheney in Georgia with a 1 billion dollar check in hand? Conventional wisdom says that it is to rearm Georgia to resist the “Russian Bear.”
Wait a minute! The two countries South of Georgia are Armenia and Azerbaijan and immediately to the South of these is…Iran! From Tbilisi to Tehran is 550 miles and to Natanz, a major center of nuclear developments, it is about 700 miles!
So, take your eyes of Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Putin because the 1 billion dollars are only the beginning of largess’s to bolster demands that we will be allowed to have military airfields, rocket launching sites, and possibly even atomic warheads in Georgia, ostensibly against Russia but in reality also against Iran.

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By G.Anderson, September 4, 2008 at 11:23 am #

At this point they could care less what happens to America.

Because they believe, America is set to vote for a continuation of their regime under John McCain.

Can you imagine after all these years of Bush, and his criminals gutting America, it looks like his regime will continue with McCain at the Helm.

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By nrobi, September 4, 2008 at 11:18 am #

A Billion dollars, US, really isn’t all that much when it comes to buying armament and weapons of mass destruction. Yet, the meddling administration of the shrub, has to leave a legacy of screw-ups and foibles for the next president.
History will not be kind to this president, the shrub has made mistake after mistake on foreign policy, and he cannot avoid the idea of “sticking it,” to the other guy.
The other guy in this case is Russia, mainly because the advisory staff of neo-cons, who really should be convicts, are still fighting the Cold War. No one on the shrub’s staff, has any right to disagree with the brains of the outfit, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, otherwise known as the emperor and Darth Vader.
I can just hear the conversation around the Oval Office, “George, George, I am your father.”
Theirs is a tangled relationship going back many years and without doubt the make-up of foreign policy has a lot to do with the fact that America cannot seem to keep their nose’s out of other places business, mainly due to oil and other carbon-based sources of energy.
I would like to say of the Gang of Five that have run this country for the past 8 years, that this is the worst abomination before G-d, that has ever occupied the White House and furthermore we the American people are the one’s paying the prices for the “lofty ideals” of spreading democracy throughout the world. All this done by the barrel of a gun.
Give peace and diplomacy a chance. Vote to elect Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich D, Ohio, president.

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By Julie, September 4, 2008 at 9:02 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

A billion dollars is a fine gesture when your trying to latch onto their oil. 
While the U.S. is focused on a knocked up teenager, good old Cheney is giggling away as he makes his crooked deals in Georgia. Selling out America is what he does best.  Just ask China. HE’S the one the U.S. needs to focus on. 
You think Palin was not well thought out?!  Well think again. How far away is Alaska from Russia/Georgia again?  hmmmmm…let’s take a look.  And how much of an oil surplus does Alaska haul in?  hmmmmm…let’s take a look. And how supportive is Palin of off shore drilling? hmmmmm
Cheney’s just sealing the deal for another war, since his plans for Iraq fell through. He doesn’t seem to care that Russia has bigger bombs than those pesky radicals in Afghanistan/Iraq. 
The next President/VP doesn’t need any experience at all. Didn’t the U.S. learn this over the past 8 years?  The U.S. just needs a puppet with a seemingly squeaky clean record, a good speech writer and an image of toughness.  The rest of that silly running of the country will be left to the men/women that are surrounded them and financing their party. And believe me, it ain’t “We the people.”
If the people of the U.S. want more of the same and then some…vote for McCain/Palin.  U.S soldier have been through enough, they don’t need to be deployed to Georgia to protect that precious oil…oopps, I mean protect democracy.

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By Paolo, September 4, 2008 at 8:37 am #

As a libertarian and Ron Paul supporter, I have to point out the sheer idiocy of our interventionist foreign policy. What business is it of ours to choose sides in a conflict between Georgia and Russia? And what business does the government have in sending a billion dollars in stolen taxpayer loot to Georgia?

Isn’t it marvelous how easy it is to spend stolen money?

Observe also how this money is sent to the far side of the globe on the whim of the executive branch. When did we ever authorize such power in the executive?

Non-interventionism is the only way to avoid getting sucked into these endless quagmires.

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By Expose_the_NWO, September 4, 2008 at 5:29 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

“When our own country is struggling, the Repubs cooly hand over a billion dollars to a country consisting of only FIVE MILLION PEOPLE.  What the hell is wrong with Bush & Cheney???? “

Nothing. This has absolutely nothing to do with wither the presidency or National Security interests. They are sociopathic criminals doing exactly what the secret government wants them to. It’s all organized after “The Grand Chessbooard” with lots of illegal CIA/KBR drugrunning thrown in the mix. In Cheney’s words: “Full steam ahead!”. Believe it!

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By thebeerdoctor, September 4, 2008 at 5:28 am #

I posted this link on another thread, but it belongs here too.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68383&sectionid=351020101

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By Marc Schlee, September 4, 2008 at 3:57 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The Bush administration wants to send $1 billion dollars of our money to Georgia.

Shouldn’t we be able to vote on it?

FREE AMERICA

REVOLUTIONARY (DIRECT) DEMOCRACY

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By yours truly, September 4, 2008 at 2:42 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

That billion dollars should be going to Russia, not to the Republic of Georgia.  Why?  Because Russia, has done something that, even though it’s our responsibility, we haven’t been able to do, namely, stop Empire-USA before it’s too late.  And now that Empire’s been stopped, what’s next?  We elect a president who’ll work with Congress and with us to dismantle Empire plus turning things around here at home.  And then what sort of world?  It’ll be up to us.

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By 1twenty1, September 4, 2008 at 2:39 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Relative to my last post.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_on_re_eu/russia_chicken_quotas_5

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By 1twenty1, September 4, 2008 at 2:28 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

And Putin’s next move:  refuse more U.S. made products from the U.S.?  They have already refused to take any more processed chicken from two processing plants in Mississippi and Arkansas on the grounds that they exceeded levels of certain substances monitored by Russian food safety authorities.  Putin claimed the ban had nothing to do with the Georgian confrontation.  Will the Bush/Rice/neocon cabal now disaffect poor American workers in their chess playing with the Russian masters?

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By Outraged, September 4, 2008 at 12:25 am #

Re: jackpine savage

Your comment: “That’s a pretty neat trick: first you get some other country to give you a bunch of military aid (so long as you promise to buy more); then you start a war that you cannot hope to win; then you get another $1B from the same benefactor because you got your ass kicked.”

Remember jackpine, only ONE faction of the power wants to win, the other faction wants perpetual war.  Although they BOTH would like to see America on it’s knees in hopes that they would be the victor in this “calamitous” situation.

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By Folktruther, September 3, 2008 at 9:38 pm #

Your right, Dihey, Obama supports it too.

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By moineau, September 3, 2008 at 9:23 pm #

how do you know it was initiated and came through biden? do you have a source?

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By jackpine savage, September 3, 2008 at 9:21 pm #

That’s a pretty neat trick: first you get some other country to give you a bunch of military aid (so long as you promise to buy more); then you start a war that you cannot hope to win; then you get another $1B from the same benefactor because you got your ass kicked.

Ah well, at least we have a new(ish) enemy…the whole terrorism thing never really did it for me anyhow.

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By Crowhaul, September 3, 2008 at 7:48 pm #

When our own country is struggling, the Repubs cooly hand over a billion dollars to a country consisting of only FIVE MILLION PEOPLE.  What the hell is wrong with Bush & Cheney????

This is unacceptable.

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By dihey, September 3, 2008 at 7:35 pm #

Do not blame Biden only. Apparently Obama supports the 1 billion dollar giveaway.

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By Maria, September 3, 2008 at 7:27 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The US (and Israel) armed, trained, and incited Georgians to attack the civilian population of the sleepy Tskhinvalli on the eve of the Olympics.
The US is seriously planning a small nuclear conflict to tame Russia (which, by the way, is no threat to the US,  but has access to the fabulous oil and gas deposits). Collateral damage is of course the trifle to our holier-than-God Christians and chicken hawks. It seems that they are oblivious to the fate of their own progeny.
We witness the decay of the American Idea.

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By Folktruther, September 3, 2008 at 6:57 pm #

The money, initated by Biden, includes military equipment.  It is being used to rebuild the Georgian army, since most of the civilian occored in the enclaves.  The British papers lie aboout it to deceive the British population who are against American aggression.

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By faith, September 3, 2008 at 6:54 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Where on earth did Dr. Rice find a billion dollars to give to Georgia?  Aren’t we a trillion dollars plus in debt with loans payable to China?  Or, did she borrow more money from China so that we could give it to Georgia?  Fiscal conservatives are not the republicans.

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By knute, September 3, 2008 at 6:33 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Cheney and Bush have no problem just giving away $1 billion dollars of our people’s wealth but couldn’t care less about 1 million americans losing their homes ? Do we need yet another indicator of where these people’s priorities lie ? They haven’t managed an all out shooting war , yet, with Iran so stirring things up with Russia will have to do I guess. Anything to keep the fear ratcheted up. I for one believe Putin’s take on this was no doubt right on. There is nothing that trumps politics for the traitors to america who reside in the White House.

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By moineau, September 3, 2008 at 6:07 pm #

totally cynical… and just in time for dick! it’ll help calm down the masses which may not be feeling as friendly this time round. nope, won’t catch dick saying “so..?” to some startled reporter in georgia. he only gives the finger to the AMERICAN people.

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