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Due to technical difficulties, we have been having problems getting posts out for the past week. We apologize for any inconvenience. We'll be back with a real post soon.

Georgia On Our Minds

The first thing we need to clear up is that, while Russian forces invaded-- and are taking their time pulling out of--Georgia, it does not mean Atlanta has been attacked.

The Republic of Georgia is a democratic nation of 4.6 million people, born in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Its capital is Tbilisi, and its president is Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been in power since 2004.

The dispute is over the region of South Ossetia, which wants to break away and form an alliance with Russia (the northern half of the region is within their borders). Georgian troops had been fighting the insurgents for weeks before the Russians got involved.

Some might say that Saakashvili was the one who picked this fight. But he's the one who's been making media appearances in the West pleading for help from the United States and its allies (they also want to join NATO), making it sound as though his little country is being swallowed up by the Big Bad Russian Bear.

Georgia isn't going to get much of anything other than humanitarian aid from the U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice can condemn the Russians all they want. The fact is, having started wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's a lot like the pot calling the kettle black. Raise your hand if you want another war.

Russia had been dormant militarily since the Soviet breakup, concentrating more on trying to find itself as a country. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin--who used to be president, but everyone assumes he's still calling the shots--is attempting to bring back the glory days when the Russian Bear was feared rather than mocked.

Lately, the Russians have threatened Poland (formerly a Warsaw Pact nation, but now a NATO ally) with nuclear annihilation if they went through with letting the United States build missile defense systems there--which they did. They are also reportedly talking to Cuba about putting nukes there.

Is Georgia worth throwing away years of diplomatic peace between the West and the Kremlin? Or has the Cold War never really ended, just lying dormant for a short period? If that's true, then Atlanta (and the rest of the world) might really be in danger.

The Games In China: Day Six (Or Is It Seven?)

We are six days (seven if you're seeing this the following day) into the Summer Olympics in Beijing. So far not one dissident has been thrown in jail, nor has one Western journalist been censored. Is that a good thing or not? If there's one thing we've learned, it's that the Chinese can't protect itself against stupid behavior.

The Opening Ceremonies, which were attended by President George W. Bush as Russian troops invaded the Republic of Georgia (In answer to your question, a certain soft drink brand which happens to be the Worldwide Olympic Partner isn't based there), went off without a hitch. That is, unless you count the computer-generated fireworks and the nine-year old girl who lip-synched the song Ode To The Motherland. Sounds like the Chinese have learned a few things from Hollywood.

On the other hand, the Chinese government has been so security-conscious that they've forgotten about those who pose an actual threat to safety at the Games.

Americans Todd and Barbara Bachman were attacked by a knife-wielding individual outside the Drum Tower in Beijing. Todd was killed, Barbara is recovering, and the alleged assailant (who authorities said had family problems) jumped to his death in a nearby river. The fact that the Bachmans (A) are from Burnsville, Minnesota, (B) owned a chain of floral shops, and (C) whose daughter (a 2004 Olympian) is married to U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon is beside the point.

As for the competition thus far, you might have heard that American swimmer Michael Phelps won a few gold medals, and is looking for more. The Chinese women's gymnastics team is allegedly old enough to be fans of Hannah Montana. Bela Karolyi, who molded many a gymnast in his time, complains about the lack of a perfect 10 in the new scoring system. And the skimpy uniforms the women beach volleyballers wear must be a culture shock to the Chinese.

NBC (a unit of General Electric, another Olympic Worldwide Partner) reports record audiences for the first few nights of prime time coverage, obviously helped by convincing (if that's the right word) the International Olympic Committee to put the swimming and gymnastics events in the morning so they could be shown live in the U.S. Otherwise, when there's not much else on TV and families can't afford to go on vacation . . .

Among the ads you'll be sick of watching before the Olympics are over (besides the new NBC fall shows you probably won't be watching anyway): Senators John McCain and Barack Obama spending their hard-earned money on the same spots that have been running elsewhere all along.

Obviously, there is more to come. We haven't even had the first medal winner to test positive for a banned substance.

Here's Something I Just Read

I just read an article by Doug Grow in MinnPost, which is an interview with former presidential candidate Walter Mondale on his experiences in making acceptance speeches at the Democratic Convention. I recommend it to anyone interested in what John McCain and Barack Obama will soon be facing, as well as for anyone who's into public speaking. You can find it at www.MinnPost.com

Scooped At The Checkout Aisle

It took an admission from former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, in an ABC interview, that he had an affair with one of his campaign staffers to spring the national media into a story they'd been sitting on for quite awhile.

The woman in question, Rielle Hunter, worked in Edwards' campaign as a video producer in 2006, in spite of her lack of experience. (Apparently, in this case, being attractive to a presidential candidate was all the experience she needed) She allegedly got together with Edwards, lived in one of his houses for awhile, and possibly had a child together (though neither party will submit to a paternity test) before they broke up.

One reason why the media held back on the story was that they didn't want to be insensitive louts when you realize that Elizabeth Edwards, John's wife of 31 years, has been battling cancer almost since the end of the 2004 presidential election. At that time, her husband was a vice-presidential running mate with Senator John Kerry, who had just lost to George W. Bush's drive for a second White House term..

The other reason is the National Enquirer, the supermarket tabloid that has been on this story for months. The legitimate media (whatever that means these days) don't like to admit that they've been scooped by a publication that breathlessly reports on Oprah Winfrey's weight gain, or Dr. Phil's marital problems, or Lindsay Lohan's night on the town.

This isn't the first time the Enquirer broke stories on politicians who failed to keep their penises in check. Remember Gary Hart and Bill Clinton? Hart had to drop out of the 1988 presidential race after a photo of him and a blonde on a yacht was published. As for the former president, well, what doesn't kill him only makes him stronger.

(At this point, we should tell you that we here at Bludog Chronicle are longtime readers of the Enquirer. Nobody does it better when it comes to junk food journalism, which should be taken with a grain of salt. Although sometimes, their hypocritical moralism in reporting is baffling.)

So where does this leave John Edwards? He dropped out of the presidential sweepstakes months ago, throwing his support to Senator Barack Obama. The Democratic Party won't have anything to do with him right now. Most of all, Edwards has not only let down his wife and family, but also those who have worked for him during the campaign, those who voted for him during the primaries, and those who believed he was a worthy alternative to Obama and Hillary Clinton. He's become just another politician who can't keep it in his pants. And in this country, people can't handle that.

The Games In China: Sanitized For Your Protection

What was the International Olympic Committee thinking when they awarded the 2008 Summer Games to Beijing, China? Maybe they thought they were getting a China that has become a world economic power, stepping out of the shadows of its dark past, and on its best behavior in the face of charges of human rights violations.

What they're getting instead is possibly the most repressive Olympics since Hitler's Germany hosted them in 1936. China still has a dictatorial Communist government made up of control freaks. Protests around the world, citing the government crackdown in Tibet and its role in the ongoing Darfur tragedy, have greeted the Olympic flame to the point where it was actually snuffed out at times. (And you thought the Bush Administration was bad.)

Those who do make the trip to China will find that security is everywhere, Internet access has been restricted, and its cities are choked with pollution despite the country's best efforts to clean up. To that end, factories have been shut down and few people are allowed to drive.

For those who choose to watch the Games on television, NBC and several of the cable networks they own will air thousands of hours of Olympic coverage. How much of it we actually get depends on whether or not the Chinese government pulls the plug somewhere down the line.

Most of NBC's coverage in prime time will be devoted to female-friendly sports such as swimming, gymnastics and volleyball, plus the occasional profile of an athlete who either has a fatal disease, or is competing for someone who does. Marquee sports such as basketball and track and field will be relegated to cable.

It's as if the network is telling millions of men not to watch. Go watch baseball, the NFL pre-season, even a rerun of Ice Road Truckers. This one's for the ladies, they tell us.

As for the athletes . . . Oh, that's right, the athletes. You know, the ones who are supposed to be the focus of the Games? Well, unless an athlete loses a gold medal because of a positive drug test, is arrested for wearing a "FREE TIBET" T-shirt, or fails to live up to expectations of greatness, who really cares?

We mean no slight to the people of China, but it will be a long two and a half weeks for everyone involved, and after it's over, we'll be hearing tales of those who couldn't wait to get the heck out of the country. Compared to that, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Games in London will seem like a breath of fresh air. Literally.

John McCain's "Toxic" Campaign Ad

The latest political ad from Senator John McCain's presidential campaign tells us that his Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama, is a celebrity on the level of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and is not ready to lead the country. Besides, they say, he'll raise your taxes and say no to offshore oil drilling.

Just for comparison's sake, has the Illinois senator ever had hit records with titles such as " . . . Baby One More Time" and "Oops, I Did It Again"? Traded a smooch with Madonna during the MTV Video Music Awards? Performed with a snake? Married an itinerant dancer, divorced him, then gave up custody of the kids? Been in and out of rehab? Voted for President George W. Bush in the last election? That's Britney Spears.

Does Obama also want to be compared to a woman whom no one has figured out what she's famous for, besides being an heiress to a hotel chain? Trademarked her catchphrase? Allegedly appeared in a sex tape that somehow turned up on the Internet? Co-starred on the reality TV show The Simple Life with another daughter of privilege, Nicole Richie? Spent time in jail on an intoxicated-while-driving charge? That's Paris Hilton.

Obama deserves praise for taking the high road so far in this campaign. Unfortunately, we live in an era where negative political advertising has been the difference between winning and losing an election, and if you don't fight fire with fire, you're toast. Remember Willie Horton? Michael Dukakis in a tank? The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth?

Seriously, folks. The McCain campaign shouldn't be going down this road, not when you're comparing your opponent to two women who aren't known for using their brains.

Besides, wasn't Miley Cyrus available?