In attempting to explain how a one-term senator who didn’t even have the judgment to support the surge could successfully handle the unraveling situation in Georgia, Richardson attempts to blast the Bush Administration for not doing enough.

RICHARDSON: My view is that the United States — if we had a stronger relationship with Russia, we could exercise strong diplomacy to stop this effort against Georgia. We should immediately go to the United Nations Security Council, condemn Russia’s action, and then get the Security Council to pass a strong resolution getting the Russians to show some restraint, and possibly at the same time generate some U.N. peacekeeping troops. The problem, though, is that we don’t have the kind of influence and strength in our relationship with Russia to persuade them. This has been one of the failures of the Bush administration, failing to build a strong relationship, a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, so we’d have the kind of influence to persuade them to stop some of these very, very dangerous efforts within their territory.

He reaffirmed all of that on CNN just now. Let’s take this all apart, shall we?

My view is that the United States — if we had a stronger relationship with Russia, we could exercise strong diplomacy to stop this effort against Georgia.

This after the left gets done blasting Bush for having a close relationship with Putin. Bush has spent his entire presidency kissing up to Putin, even going as far as to call him a good man. What has our close relationship produced? A resolution in Darfur? Nope. A resolution on Iran? Nope. A resolution on this latest conflict? Nope. What a great track record, huh?

We should immediately go to the United Nations Security Council, condemn Russia’s action, and then get the Security Council to pass a strong resolution getting the Russians to show some restraint, and possibly at the same time generate some U.N. peacekeeping troops.

I can understand drafting a resolution to condemn Russia, but Richardson talks about the SC “pass(ing) a strong resolution getting the Russians” to show restraint. Uh, moron? Russia holds veto power and won’t allow any resolution that criticizes it to pass. How are you going to get Russia to vote against itself?

the kind of influence to persuade them to stop some of these very, very dangerous efforts within their territory.

Except the problem isn’t what Russia’s doing in its own territory. The issue is that Russia has invaded sovereign Georgian territory and now (reportedly) controls half of the country.