I’m no political scientist, but it seemed kind of obvious to me that Russia’s sudden interest in Georgia might have just a little bit to do with oil and the BTC pipeline. The press seems to be finally getting this into the message, presumably after keeping the topic a little low-key so Putin and Bush could share the love at the Olympics. It’s amusing to read the story spun with a different tone, depending on the source. In this Independent UK piece they address the topic, but temper the idea that Russia’s after the BTC Pipeline with quotes like this from analyst Natalia Leshchenko of Global Insight: “The whole conflict is not being waged over the pipeline. The reasons are definitely geopolitical”. In this SMH piece, they jump right in with an almost alarmist tone, quoting Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as saying ‘”If Georgia falls, this will also mean the fall of the West in the entire former Soviet Union and beyond”. The Mail jumps in with both feet and a chomp on the neck, screaming Russian bear goes for West’s jugular. Meanwhile, at 6:30am Eastern, the top Google news item was from Bloomberg, with the headline Russian Stocks Climb After Medvedev Ends Operation in Georgia. Wait. The war’s over already (BBC, 4:44am)? Oh wait. Never mind (CNN, 9:15am)…this is when the web really sucks for news. Somebody just give me a call when WWIII breaks out, ‘kay?