That's it...it's time to go! NATO declines to really punish Russia

It really shouldn't surprise anyone that Europe will never learn from her mistakes. Time after time, she cowered in the face of danger, rather than confront an imminent threat.

Germany, Soviet Union, Islamofascists, etc. just to name a few.

And again, Europe curled in the fetal position, pathetically sucking its thumb.

According to MSNBC.com, "NATO pulled its punches against Russia on Tuesday, suspending formal contacts as punishment for the Georgia invasion but bucking U.S. pressure for more severe penalties."

And in typical Russian fashion, the country's ambassador stated that Europe and the United States completely overreacted: "'The mountain gave birth to a mouse,' said Dmitry Rogozin.

Of course, the Russians claim they invaded Georgia to save citizens in South Ossetia, which has claimed independence from its parent country. With that said, the United Nations, to which most of the Left adhere, states that South Ossetia formerly belongs to Georgia: "The United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Council of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all other countries in the world recognize South Ossetia as part of Georgia."

So when the rest of world finally possessed the ability to do SOMETHING about Russian aggression, it sat on its hands...again.

Why is that? Could it be that Russia controls a massive flow of oil into Europe. In the past, when the Russians attempted to make a political point, they've cut off the flow of oil into Europe, as it did when it engaged in a trade row with Belarus, thus punishing Germany, Poland, and the Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Russia cut oil to the Czech Republic by 50%, citing "technical difficulties." Of course beneath the facade of such fabrications Russia cut oil to make a statement. Recently, the United States and the Czechs signed an agreement to place missiles on Czech soil.

As Scotsman.com says, Russia knows it can invade Georgia under the guise of protecting its citizens in South Ossetia without fear or reprisal. She knows that Europe depends to a large extent on Russian oil.

"The subtext of the Russian invasion is the so-called Nabucco pipeline. This is a project being promoted by the EC to run natural gas from Azerbaijan, through Georgia and Turkey, and thence into the EU, via a major natural gas hub in Austria. Nabucco would by-pass Russia, relieving Europe of its risky dependence on Russian gas. The EU gets around 40 per cent of its gas from Russia, but this will rise to well over half as energy demand intensifies. Unfortunately, Moscow is prone to turning off the gas tap if it does not get what it wants politically."

Of course the United States' hands are tied as well. It's already overextended in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a potential for further conflict in Iran if her nuclear program cannot be curtailed. Our gestures and statements have essentially

The bottom line is that Russia has the upper hand. It knows it can sway decisions based almost purely on energy needs.