U.S. in no position to question Russia

"This is no longer 1968, when a great power invaded a small neighbor and overthrew its government." (U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Aug. 15)

Ms. Rice apparently forgot that 30 years later, U.S. and European Union troops, without United Nations approval, invaded Serbia, an ally of Russia, bombed Belgrade, carried out regime change and carved out an independent state in Kosovo from Serbian territory. U.S. troops still occupy Kosovo to this day.

She did not mention that Israel, now ranked as the world's number six military superpower, has repeatedly invaded Lebanon, its small neighbor to the north, has bombed Beirut, toppled the Lebanese government and then occupied South Lebanon for the next 18 years.

And in 1967, predating Secretary of State Rice's reference by one year, Israel also took from its neighbors East Jerusalem, the West Band, Gaza and the Golan Heights.

Further, with selective amnesia Condi Rice didn't want to remind us that in 2003, the Bush administration and its neoconservative ideologues invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, repeatedly bombed Baghdad, overthrew their governments, and U.S. troops are still carrying out occupation enforcement (which they and Ms. Rice are careful to call wars) to this day.

As a Russian general with his advancing forces in Georgia said, "If the U.S. can take Baghdad, we can take Tbilisi."

Paul Thomas

Chicago