Cheney's Not-So-Soothing Presence

President Bush yesterday telegraphed in the clearest possible way that he's not interested in turning down the heat on the simmering geopolitical conflict with Russia. Quite the contrary. He's sending Vice President Cheney to harry Russia's borders.

The White House announced that Cheney is headed to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Ukraine -- as well as Italy -- as soon as he's done speaking at the Republican convention Monday night.

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: "The trip will put the Bush administration's most prominent hawk in a war zone still occupied by lingering Russian troops, and is likely to irritate leaders in Moscow, who have condemned the United States for siding with Georgia in the conflict.

"It will also underscore the extent of disagreement within the Bush administration over how forcefully to confront Moscow. Cheney and his aides unsuccessfully argued in favor of increasing military aid to the fledgling Georgian democracy, according to officials familiar with the debate. . . .

"Cheney's visit is likely be watched closely in part because he is widely seen as a representative of the Bush administration's most hawkish tendencies. During a trip to Lithuania in May 2006, Cheney accused Russia of 'unfairly and improperly' restricting the rights of its people, and of using oil and gas as 'tools of intimidation or blackmail' against its neighbors. The comments enraged Russian officials and complicated ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. . . .

"Andrew Kuchins, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Cheney's visit will probably amplify the 'mixed messages' coming from Washington over the Georgian crisis. 'Cheney certainly has had a tougher view on Russia than some others in the administration,' he said.

"While Bush and others from both parties have railed against Russia for its actions, the official U.S. response has been limited primarily to diplomatic efforts and humanitarian aid. The Pentagon has explicitly ruled out a military confrontation with Russia."

In a story that the White House press office called attention to in its morning e-mail blast, the UK Press Association reports: "In a direct challenge to Russia, the US has announced it intends to deliver humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Georgian port city of Poti, which Russian troops still control through checkpoints on the city's outskirts.

"The aid will be delivered on Wednesday by ship, a US embassy spokesman said.

"While Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an EU-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general countered on Tuesday that using warships to deliver aid was 'devilish'.

"'The heightened activity of Nato ships in the Black Sea perplexes us,' Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said in Moscow."

Of course, the Russians aren't exactly waving olive branches, either.