tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post7376550202042234484..comments2023-10-28T12:01:47.929+00:00Comments on Edward Lucas: Edward Lucashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369936559712607693noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-27619432995346553282007-11-10T00:52:00.000+00:002007-11-10T00:52:00.000+00:00Dear EdwardI think last comment of Ketevan Tsikhel...Dear Edward<BR/><BR/>I think last comment of Ketevan Tsikhelashvili are little overstated and out of context. First I want to inform you that she worked for Giorgi Khaindrava, rather unbalanced and inadequate opposition leader and that casts some shade on her impartiality. <BR/><BR/>And there is BIG difference between free media and propaganda. Very big difference. When a TV channel says special forces are about to storm a church while they are nowhere near.... When owner of a TV channel says "Nobody should doubt that all my efforts, my financial resources including the last tetri will be applied for freeing Georgia from this fascist regime.” The state must act in the interest of national security, even if it will be attacked for raiding a TVGrigolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07353742707182976203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-42860830394448338862007-11-09T23:59:00.000+00:002007-11-09T23:59:00.000+00:00Well, it looks like Saakashvili has found a good w...Well, it looks like Saakashvili has found a good way out of this. I can't imagine him losing a presidential election: he still has the patronage, and with only 2 months to prepare I can't imagine the opposition getting fully behind Okruashvili or anybody else. <BR/><BR/>As you imply, the biggest outcome of this is that the US and Europe are going to have much more trouble unreservedly supporting Georgia. <BR/><BR/>Do you have any sense of the situation beyond Tbilisi? All the reports I've read have talked about the protests in the capital, but none have commented much on opinion in the rest of the country.Dan O'Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056171537827957715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24528000.post-36467803644578730292007-11-09T19:11:00.000+00:002007-11-09T19:11:00.000+00:00Water cannon and tear gas are -- unfortunately -- ...Water cannon and tear gas are -- unfortunately -- the hallmark of any street protest these days. In Copenhagen they used them after anarchists rioted when the government tore down their hangout <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungdomshuset" REL="nofollow">in March</A>.<BR/><BR/>But when Saakashvili shut down the TV stations, it really raised questions about his democratic credentials. I don't know how you redeem yourself after something like that.Giustinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04756707910693785516noreply@blogger.com