There is a question as to where Russia is heading, and this raises questions and implications for the rest of the world.

Last speaker finished with this.

From the Russian diplomat, who has just concluded, we are supposed to believe that this is all a Peace action to prevent the Georgians from killing the S.O's en masse. Somehow i doubt this.

Georgian officials tonight claimed the country had been 'overrun' by Russian troops after a full-scale ground invasion.

Amid reports that Moscow forces had taken the town of Gori - and were marching on the capital Tsblisi - Georgian soldiers appeared to be in full retreat.

Troops were apparently in complete chaos as a full-scale rout pushed them back through the countryside.

Meanwhile, the civilian crisis intensified with thousands of refugees fleeing the seemingly unstoppable advance of the Russian army.

Georgia has appealed for international intervention and has pulled its battered forces back to defend the capital, as Russian troops move further into its territory, ignoring Western pleas to halt military occupation.

"The Georgian army is retreating to defend the capital. The Government is urgently seeking international intervention to prevent the fall of Georgia," a Georgian statement said.

McCain, Obama say Russia faces fallout over Georgia

McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona who has made international issues the centerpiece of his campaign for the Nov. 4 election, offered a lengthy discourse on the crisis in the Caucasus for reporters and cameras.
Obama later made a brief appearance in Hawaii, where he is on a family holiday, to caution Russia that its future ties were at stake.