U.S. Govt working behind the scenes with Georgia on their mind

Back in mid-April, Senator John McCain's top foreign policy adviser prepped his boss for a phone call with the president of Georgia and then helped the presumptive Republican presidential nominee prepare a strong statement of support for the fledgling republic.

As a private lobbyist trying to influence lawmakers and Bush administration staffers, McCain’s advisor Randy Scheunemann, at times relied on his access to McCain in his work for foreign clients on Capitol Hill. The contacts often focused on Georgia's aspirations to join NATO and on legislative proposals, including a measure co-sponsored by McCain that supported Georgia's position on South Ossetia, one of the Georgian regions taken over by Russia this past weekend.

The Bush Administration's ambition to extend NATO into the Caucasus mountains is dead, which will please the French, the Germans and other NATO members who always found it bizarre and wilfully provocative.

Russians, who were the target of the provocation, are quietly pleased with the speed and effectiveness of their Government's response under Putin.