Condoleezza Rice Blames Putin for War with Georgia

I then changed the topic to Georgia and simply said that I had a message from the President. “We are concerned about the rhetoric toward Tbilisi and the embargo,” I said calmly. “Any move against Georgia will deeply affect U.S.-Russian relations.” In an instant Putin stood up, peering over me. “If Saakashvili wants war, he’ll get it,” he said. “And any support for him will destroy our relationship too.” It was a physical posture clearly meant to intimidate. So I stood up too and, in my heels, rose to five feet eleven over the five-foot-eight or so Putin. I repeated the President’s message. For a distended moment we stood there face to face—well, almost.

One can disagree with how Rice handled the war Russia waged against Georgia. And reasonable people can disagree with any number of foreign policy decisions the former secretary of state made while she served in the Bush administration. But this fact is indisputable: Rice blames Russia, not Georgia, for the 2008 conflict.

Nevertheless, Kucera and his editors at the Atlantic seem to take the Kremlin's view of the events.