100,000 Rally in Tbilisi

And call on Ukraine and others to permanently withdraw from the CIS.

This occurs as Georgian forces and civilians continue to evacuate before the gigantic Russian onslaught. The conflict in Georgia is a conflict for the future of democracy and the future of Eurasia. Georgia, like Ukraine and neighboring countries, have had more than enough repression under Russian regimes (putting a red star up in public will get you thrown in prison in Hungary, for example). Several have petitioned for membership in NATO. We certainly owe Georgia that–we should accept them in immediately, and turn the G-8 into the G-7 by kicking Russia out. I would argue that we owe them more than that–the tiny country had the third largest military presence in Iraq, after the U. S. and Great Britain.

I’ve read a recommendation that we also boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics… but that’s six years in the future. I hold out hope that diplomacy can repair our relations in the area by then.

UPDATE: The Georgian rally is posting U. S. flags and chanting “Unity with the West.” President Bush, to my knowledge, is still at the Olympics.