This whole thing was a plot by Cheney to start a new cold war conflict with Russia to replace "the war on terror" if Obama wins the White House. And if McCain wins then they just have another national security issue to hammer us with. This statement by Gates is a joke:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Thursday that if Russia doesn't pull back from its fighting in Georgia it could hurt Moscow-Washington relations "for years to come."
Speaking at his first Pentagon news conference since the fighting started, Gates also said he does not see "any prospect" for the use of U.S. military force there.
"The United States spent 45 years working very hard to avoid a military confrontation with Russia," said Gates. "I see no reason to change that approach today."
But Gates said Russia must face retribution for a military assault on Georgia that appears aimed at punishing the small nation for "daring to try to integrate with the West economically, and politically, and in security arrangements."

Michael Ware said on CNN this Russian action was really provoked by the US and Americans don't understand that aspect of this story. Oh, some of us do. Where are we getting the troops?

Digby says:

That sense of betrayal is going to be used by the neocons as a rallying cry for their revitalized cold war cause. And they will be agitating and pushing the debate and coercing anyone who disagrees on the basis of a myth that the US abandoned a Democratic ally because it refused to confront an evil enemy. It's their most successful theme.

I fully expect to see a Committee To Liberate Georgia and a Washington Lobby formed by this time next year with a full blown push for a Georgia Liberation Act following not far behind. (I suspect they will also hope that an Obama administration will be too smart or too practical not to do what they want, the better to gain domestic political leverage as they refurbish the conservative image.)