Brutal hypocrisy.

The Sun, after its complete unwavering support for the Iraq war, has no credibility whatsoever when commenting on other countries' "wars of aggression", but that certainly doesn't stop it from doing so:

"This brutal military invasion of an independent sovereign state is a blatant breach of international law."

Indeed, it probably is. While we'll gloss over the fact that the Sun doesn't deign to mention that it was the Georgians that broke a ceasefire they had just arranged to launch an all-out assault on the capital of South Ossetia, the Sun ought to know about wars in blatant breach of international law: it supported one, in the words of Rupert Murdoch, not because of the suffering of the Iraqi people, but because of the benefits that a $20 barrel of oil would bring.

"Even if Mr Putin could claim provocation, the vicious reprisals which have left thousands of civilians dead, wounded and homeless are grotesquely disproportionate."

A word which the Sun certainly didn't use to describe Israel's similar assault on Lebanon two years previous.

Here though is the Sun's real thoughts on what should have happened:

"America might have stopped Russia by swiftly flying troops into Georgia and calling Mr Putin’s bluff."

Ah yes, troops that America doesn't have to spare, fighting two wars which the Sun backs to the hilt, in order to start quite possibly World War 3. Less talks, more missiles and more deaths please!

"But why should they, when Europe has been so unwilling to help itself — or its greatest ally?"

And so we're back to Europe-bashing, when Europe has undoubtedly been right to refuse Georgia entry to NATO which would be the equivalent of a red rag to a bull, or in this case, a bear.